FIU suffers their first loss
MIAMI (AP) - Blaine Gautier threw three touchdown passes to help Louisiana-Lafayette upset Florida International 36-31 on Saturday night.
Jake Medlock threw an interception to Lionel Stokes on the final play of the game as the Panthers (3-1, 1-1 Sun Belt) attempted to come back. Medlock had replaced starter Wesley Carroll, who hurt his ankle in the first quarter.
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Gautier's 307 yards of total offense came on 14 of 26 passing for 221 yards and 86 yards rushing on 15 carries. His passing kept the lead safe for the Ragin' Cajuns (3-1, 1-1), after they took an 8-7 lead early in the second quarter.
Gautier hit Javone Lawson for a 46-yard touchdown for a 36-24 lead with 12:40 left in the game. He found Darryl Surgent for a 22-yard score, and hit Ladarius Green for a 41-yard touchdown on 4th-and-1, giving the Ragin' Cajuns a 15-7 lead with :50 before halftime.
Alonzo Harris scored on a 13-yard run for Louisiana-Lafayette, which snapped a two-game losing streak to FIU and had 419 yards of total offense. Brett Baer hit field goals of 48 and 39 yards for the Ragin' Cajuns.
Kedrick Rhodes led FIU with 30 carries for 157 yards and three touchdowns and scored on runs of 43, 11, and 2 yards. Rhodes' third touchdown with 6:51 left in the game pulled the Panthers five points behind the Ragin' Cajuns.
Medlock went 17-of-27 for 216 yards for the Panthers and ran 10 times for 39 yards and a touchdown.
FIU finished the game with 414 yards of total offense. The Panthers' T.Y. Hilton, who got hurt in last week's victory against UCF, had just 3 catches for 32 yards.