2002 FIU Golden Panthers football team

2002 FIU Golden Panthers football
Conference	Independent
Record	5–6
Head coach	Don Strock (1st season)
Offensive coordinator	Greg Briner (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Pro-style
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	FIU Stadium

2002 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings

	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Saint Mary's			–						6	–	6
FIU			–						5	–	6
Samford			–						4	–	7
Cal Poly			–						3	–	8
Florida Atlantic			–						2	–	9
Savannah State			–						1	–	8
Southern Utah			–						1	–	10
Morris Brown			–						1	–	11

The 2002 FIU Golden Panthers football team represented Florida International University in the 2002 NCAA Division I-AA football season as an NCAA Division I-AA independent school. The Panthers were led by head coach Don Strock in his first season and finished with a record of five wins and six losses (5–6).

FIU played its first-ever game on August 29, 2002 against St. Peter's at FIU Stadium; the Panthers won 27–3.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance
August 29	Saint Peter's	FIU Stadium Miami, FL	W 27–3	17,314
September 7	at Elon	Rhodes Stadium Elon, NC	L 22–23	5,580
September 14	Butler	FIU Stadium Miami, FL	W 42–0	9,110
September 21	vs. No. 24 Bethune–Cookman	Lockhart Stadium Fort Lauderdale, FL	L 0–31	16,386
September 28	Georgetown	FIU Stadium Miami, FL	W 27–2	6,084
October 12	at Western Kentucky	L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY	L 7–56	6,000
October 19	No. 8 Maine	FIU Stadium Miami, FL	L 7–33	5,303
October 26	Gardner–Webb	FIU Stadium Miami, FL	L 14–17	6,733
October 31	Jacksonville	FIU Stadium Miami, FL	W 39–6	5,221
November 9	Albany	FIU Stadium Miami, FL	W 35–26	4,588
November 23	at Florida Atlantic	Pro Player Stadium Miami Gardens, FL (Shula Bowl)	L 21–31	10,224
Homecoming Rankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the game

Personnel

2002 FIU Golden Panthers football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class WR 2 Everett Mitchell  Fr RB 4 Rashod Smith  So RB 6 Tori Robinson  Fr WR 9 Harold Leath  So QB 10 David Tabor  Fr QB 13 Jamie Burke Fr WR 15 Titorian Freeman Fr QB 16 Josh Padrick Fr WR 17 Rod Baldwin Fr RB 26 Bill Grant Fr FB 32 Adam Radno Fr RB 34 Aston Wilson So RB 35 O. J. Price  Jr RB 36 Diamos Demerritt  Fr RB 38 Jerrid Lundstedt  Jr RB 44 Adam Gorman  Fr OL 50 Ed Wenger  Fr OL 61 Ronny Silva Fr OL 62 Carlos Ruiz  So OL 63 Patrick Lewin  Fr OL 66 Patrick Mullen Fr OL 69 Larry Leon  Fr OL 70 Glen Fox Fr OL 71 Ali Samara  Fr OL 72 John Shanahan Fr OL 73 Josh Gravitt Fr C 75 Victor Cernius  Fr OL 76 Tim Dierks Fr OL 78 Danny O'Neal Fr OL 79 Matt Mathews Fr WR 80 Andre Rollins  Fr TE 81 Joe Struyf  Fr WR 82 Ernesto Guevara Jr WR 83 Julius Eppinger Fr WR 84 Dan Landrau Fr TE 85 Edwin Pierre  Fr WR 86 Cory McKinney  Fr WR 87 Lagrant Perry Fr TE 88 Dannon Monroe  So WR 89 Lenorris Hester  Fr TE 90 Ed Leverenz Fr	Defense Pos. # Name Class DB 1 Randy Arnold Fr DB 5 Gerrod Bodie  Fr DB 8 Greg Moss  So LB 11 Jermell Weaver  Jr DB 18 Gentry Jackson Fr DB 21 Nick Turnbull  Fr DB 22 Kris Thomas  Fr LB 24 T. J. Singletary  Fr DB 25 Travis Brown Fr DB 27 Kevin Timothee  So DB 28 Everett Baker Fr DB 29 Terran Bell  Fr DB 31 John Haritan  Fr DB 37 Matt Castillo  Fr DB 42 James Knapp  Fr LB 43 Lance Preston  Fr LB 45 Kyle Salas  Fr LB 46 James Black Fr LB 48 Geurby Mertil  Jr LB 49 Marquis Manuel Fr LB 52 John Kelly  Fr LB 53 Jonathan Sturrup  Fr LB 54 Ethan Cherasia  Fr LB 55 Shaun Dudney  Fr LB 56 Dane Ireson  Fr DL 58 Terrence Allen Fr DL 59 George Gonzalez  Fr DL 64 Brandon Higdon Fr DL 77 Nick Carreño  Fr DE 91 Grant Moule  Fr DL 92 Josh Alexander  Fr DE 93 Daunte Foster  So DL 97 Chris Horne  Fr DL 98 Ira Turner  So DE 99 Payton Williams  Fr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class P 7 Doug Jones  So K 14 Adam Moss  Fr	Head coach Don Strock Coordinators/assistant coaches Greg Briner Offensive coordinator/Quarterbacks Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster Last update: September 2, 2024

Game summaries

Saint Peter's

Saint Peter's Peacocks at FIU Golden Panthers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Peacocks	0	0	3	0	3
Golden Panthers	13	14	0	0	27

at FIU Stadium, Miami, Florida

• Date: August 29
• Game time: 7:30 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: Partly cloudy, 83 °F (28 °C)
• Game attendance: 17,314
• Box score

Game information

First quarter FIU – Jerrid Lundstedt 5-yard pass from Jamie Burke (Adam Moss kick), 8:18. Golden Panthers 7–0. Drive: 5 plays, 36 yards, 2:54. FIU – Jamie Burke 6-yard run (kick failed), 1:47. Golden Panthers 13–0. Drive: 7 plays, 34 yards, 3:05. Second quarter FIU – Rashod Smith 2-yard run (kick failed), 9:27. Golden Panthers 19–0. Drive: 6 plays, 69 yards, 2:58. FIU – Cory McKinney 52-yard pass from Jamie Burke (Jamie Burke pass to Rashod Smith), 2:31. Golden Panthers 27–0. Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 1:32. Third quarter SPC – James Galea 32-yard field goal, 1:51. Golden Panthers 27–3. Drive: 12 plays, 46 yards, 4:33. Fourth quarter No scoring plays

Statistics	SPC	FIU
First downs	14	10
Total yards	197	236
Rushing yards	121	69
Passing yards	76	167
Turnovers	3	2
Time of possession	32:31	27:10

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Saint Peter's	Passing	Mike Seber	4/10, 48 yards
	Rushing	Derek Clayton	18 rushes, 61 yards
	Receiving	Chris Eckhart	1 reception, 20 yards
FIU	Passing	Jamie Burke	10/13, 115 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Rashod Smith	11 rushes, 45 yards, TD
	Receiving	Cory McKinney	3 receptions, 104 yards, TD

At Elon

FIU Golden Panthers at Elon Phoenix – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Panthers	7	9	6	0	22
Phoenix	7	6	7	3	23

at Rhodes Stadium, Elon, North Carolina

• Date: September 7
• Game time: 7:00 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: Clear, 79 °F (26 °C)
• Game attendance: 5,580
• Referee: Flemon Williams
• Box score

Game information

First quarter FIU – Rashod Smith 6-yard run (Doug Jones kick), 12:27. Golden Panthers 7–0. Drive: 5 plays, 31 yards, 2:20. ELON – Rashaud Palmer 1-yard run (Anthony Turowski kick), 6:48. Tied 7–7. Drive: 10 plays, 74 yards, 5:39. Second quarter FIU – Adam Moss 33-yard field goal, 9:42. Golden Panthers 10–7. Drive: 11 plays, 64 yards, 5:08. FIU – Harold Leath 23-yard pass from David Tabor (kick failed), 8:47. Golden Panthers 16–7. Drive: 3 plays, 27 yards, 0:33. ELON – Rashaud Palmer 1-yard run (kick blocked), 0:40. Golden Panthers 16–13. Drive: 5 plays, 63 yards, 2:00. Third quarter ELON – Arketa Banks 4-yard pass from C. W. Singletary (Anthony Turowski kick), 8:54. Phoenix 20–16. Drive: 6 plays, 25 yards, 2:55. FIU – Harold Leath 68-yard pass from Jamie Burke (kick failed), 6:00. Golden Panthers 22–20. Drive: 6 plays, 86 yards, 2:54. Fourth quarter ELON – Anthony Turowski 23-yard field goal, 2:52. Phoenix 23–22. Drive: 19 plays, 72 yards, 9:26.

Statistics	FIU	ELON
First downs	14	23
Total yards	335	405
Rushing yards	46	377
Passing yards	289	28
Turnovers	2	5
Time of possession	25:23	34:37

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
FIU	Passing	Jamie Burke	13/26, 257 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Rashod Smith	17 rushes, 81 yards, TD
	Receiving	Harold Leath	4 receptions, 141 yards, 2 TD
Elon	Passing	C. W. Singletary	4/9, 28 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Rashaud Palmer	20 rushes, 94 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Arketa Banks	2 receptions, 10 yards, TD

Butler

Butler Bulldogs at FIU Golden Panthers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	0	0	0	0	0
Golden Panthers	21	14	7	0	42

at FIU Stadium, Miami, Florida

• Date: September 14
• Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: Humid and sunny, 87 °F (31 °C)
• Game attendance: 9,110
• Referee: J. Rider
• Box score

Game information

First quarter FIU – Rashod Smith 25-yard run (Adam Moss kick), 14:12. Golden Panthers 7–0. Drive: 2 plays, 50 yards, 0:48. FIU – Julius Eppinger 23-yard pass from Jamie Burke (Adam Moss kick), 13:53. Golden Panthers 14–0. Drive: 1 play, 23 yards, 0:19. FIU – Rashod Smith 39-yard run (Adam Moss kick), 8:24. Golden Panthers 21–0. Drive: 3 plays, 66 yards, 1:38. Second quarter FIU – Cory McKinney 58-yard pass from Jamie Burke (Adam Moss kick), 11:00. Golden Panthers 28–0. Drive: 3 plays, 52 yards, 0:56. FIU – Rashod Smith 16-yard run (Adam Moss kick), 0:47. Golden Panthers 35–0. Drive: 9 plays, 65 yards, 2:47. Third quarter FIU – Harold Leath 9-yard pass from Jamie Burke (Adam Moss kick), 9:37. Golden Panthers 42–0. Drive: 7 plays, 50 yards, 2:10. Fourth quarter No scoring plays

Statistics	BUT	FIU
First downs	13	20
Total yards	212	455
Rushing yards	94	197
Passing yards	118	258
Turnovers	3	1
Time of possession	32:35	27:25

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Butler	Passing	Travis Delph	9/21, 101 yards
	Rushing	Justin Campbell	10 rushes, 65 yards
	Receiving	Adam Lafferty	4 receptions, 56 yards
FIU	Passing	Jamie Burke	13/19, 258 yards, 3 TD, INT
	Rushing	Rashod Smith	14 rushes, 116 yards, 3 TD
	Receiving	Cory McKinney	4 receptions, 107 yards, TD

Vs. No. 24 Bethune–Cookman

See also: 2002 Bethune–Cookman Wildcats football team

FIU Golden Panthers vs. No. 24 Bethune–Cookman Wildcats – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Panthers	0	0	0	0	0
No. 24 Wildcats	10	14	0	7	31

at Lockhart Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, Florida

• Date: September 21
• Game time: 5:00 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: Hot, 86 °F (30 °C)
• Game attendance: 16,386
• Referee: Preston Harding
• Box score

Game information

First quarter BCC – Rodney Johnson 20-yard run (Daniel King kick), 8:18. Wildcats 7–0. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 4:30. BCC – Daniel King 24-yard field goal, 0:05. Wildcats 10–0. Drive: 11 plays, 59 yards, 6:00. Second quarter BCC – Rashean Mathis 26-yard fumble return (Daniel King kick), 14:06. Wildcats 17–0. BCC – Lamont Finnie 3-yard run (Daniel King kick), 0:13. Wildcats 24–0. Drive: 3 plays, 22 yards, 0:17. Third quarter No scoring plays Fourth quarter BCC – Allen Suber 1-yard run (Daniel King kick), 4:37. Wildcats 31–0. Drive: 7 plays, 89 yards, 3:55.

Statistics	FIU	BCC
First downs	10	24
Total yards	68	496
Rushing yards	-16	317
Passing yards	84	179
Turnovers	4	4
Time of possession	24:38	35:22

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
FIU	Passing	Jamie Burke	9/18, 84 yards, INT
	Rushing	Rashod Smith	14 rushes, 58 yards
	Receiving	Julius Eppinger	2 receptions, 25 yards
Bethune–Cookman	Passing	Allen Suber	10/15, 179 yards, 2 INT
	Rushing	Rodney Johnson	7 rushes, 80 yards, TD
	Receiving	Unri Thomas	1 reception, 74 yards

Georgetown

See also: 2002 Georgetown Hoyas football team

Georgetown Hoyas at FIU Golden Panthers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Hoyas	2	0	0	0	2
Golden Panthers	6	21	0	0	27

at FIU Stadium, Miami, Florida

• Date: September 28
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: Partly cloudy, 90 °F (32 °C)
• Game attendance: 6,084
• Referee: A. Riveron
• Box score

Game information

First quarter GU – Doug Jones blocked punt out of own end zone, 13:14. Hoyas 2–0. FIU – Adam Gorman 17-yard pass from Jamie Burke (kick blocked), 2:34. Panthers 6–2. Drive: 11 plays, 59 yards, 4:55. Second quarter FIU – Joe Struyf 38-yard pass from Jamie Burke (Adam Moss kick), 13:04. Panthers 13–2. Drive: 4 plays, 73 yards, 1:56. FIU – Rashod Smith 28-yard run (Adam Moss kick), 7:23. Panthers 20–2. Drive: 5 plays, 38 yards, 3:10. FIU – Cory McKinney 39-yard pass from David Tabor (Adam Moss kick), 0:38. Panthers 27–2. Drive: 6 plays, 58 yards, 2:20. Third quarter No scoring plays Fourth quarter No scoring plays

Statistics	GU	FIU
First downs	12	19
Total yards	196	433
Rushing yards	76	210
Passing yards	120	223
Turnovers	1	0
Time of possession	27:07	32:53

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Georgetown	Passing	Andre Crawford	9/21, 120 yards
	Rushing	William Huisking	7 rushes, 33 yards
	Receiving	Walter Bowser	4 receptions, 61 yards
FIU	Passing	Jamie Burke	8/11, 126 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Rashod Smith	8 rushes, 76 yards, TD
	Receiving	Cory McKinney	3 receptions, 76 yards, TD

At Western Kentucky

See also: 2002 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team

FIU Golden Panthers at Western Kentucky Hilltoppers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Panthers	0	0	0	7	7
Hilltoppers	21	21	0	14	56

at L. T. Smith Stadium, Bowling Green, Kentucky

• Date: October 12
• Game time: 5:30 p.m. EDT/4:30 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: 77 °F (25 °C)
• Game attendance: 6,000
• Referee: Bill Etzler
• Box score

Game information

First quarter WKU – Jason Michael 7-yard run (Peter Martinez kick), 9:53. Hilltoppers 7–0. Drive: 8 plays, 48 yards, 3:13. WKU – Jon Frazier 3-yard run (Peter Martinez kick), 7:10. Hilltoppers 14–0. Drive: 4 plays, 45 yards, 1:48. WKU – Jason Michael 8-yard run (Peter Martinez kick), 1:59. Hilltoppers 21–0. Drive: 6 plays, 42 yards, 2:58. Second quarter WKU – Jerome Reaves 25-yard pass from Jason Michael (Peter Martinez kick), 10:53. Hilltoppers 28–0. Drive: 7 plays, 50 yards, 3:40. WKU – Jason Michael 1-yard run (Peter Martinez kick), 7:18. Hilltoppers 35–0. Drive: 7 plays, 49 yards, 3:21. WKU – Patrick Reynolds 1-yard fumble return (Peter Martinez kick), 5:42. Hilltoppers 42–0. Third quarter No scoring plays Fourth quarter WKU – Maurice Bradley 3-yard run (Wilson Wickerham kick), 13:45. Hilltoppers 49–0. Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 4:23. FIU – Cory McKinney 2-yard pass from David Tabor (Adam Moss kick), 11:02. Hilltoppers 49–7. Drive: 3 plays, 2 yards, 0:49. WKU – Alex Dukes 1-yard run (Matt Lange kick), 3:19. Hilltoppers 56–7. Drive: 13 plays, 69 yards, 7:43.

Statistics	FIU	WKU
First downs	7	28
Total yards	65	498
Rushing yards	-7	401
Passing yards	72	97
Turnovers	5	3
Time of possession	23:13	36:47

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
FIU	Passing	Jamie Burke	5/14, 75 yards, 4 INT
	Rushing	Rashod Smith	6 rushes, 21 yards
	Receiving	Harold Leath	2 receptions, 38 yards
Western Kentucky	Passing	Jason Michael	6/10, 97 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Jon Frazier	15 rushes, 126 yards, TD
	Receiving	Jeremi Johnson	2 receptions, 45 yards

No. 8 Maine

See also: 2002 Maine Black Bears football team

No. 8 Maine Black Bears at FIU Golden Panthers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 8 Black Bears	3	14	6	10	33
Golden Panthers	0	0	0	7	7

at FIU Stadium, Miami, Florida

• Date: October 19
• Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: Sunny, 83 °F (28 °C)
• Game attendance: 5,303
• Referee: Perry Havener
• Box score

Game information

First quarter ME – Mike Mellow 41-yard field goal, 4:13. Black Bears 3–0. Drive: 6 plays, 14 yards, 1:00. Second quarter ME – Jake Eaton 1-yard run (Mike Mellow kick), 12:13. Black Bears 10–0. Drive: 7 plays, 74 yards, 2:47. ME – Ryan Waller 4-yard pass from Jake Eaton (Mike Mellow kick), 4:39. Black Bears 17–0. Drive: 7 plays, 48 yards, 3:20. Third quarter ME – Ryan Waller 9-yard pass from Jake Eaton (kick failed), 7:35. Black Bears 23–0. Drive: 7 plays, 54 yards, 4:03. Fourth quarter ME – Marcus Williams 1-yard run (Mike Mellow kick), 8:54. Black Bears 30–0. Drive: 5 plays, 62 yards, 2:05. ME – Mike Mellow 28-yard field goal, 1:40. Black Bears 33–0. Drive: 4 plays, 3 yards, 2:09. FIU – Tori Robinson 1-yard run (Adam Moss kick), 0:12. Black Bears 33–7. Drive: 4 plays, 68 yards, 1:28.

Statistics	ME	FIU
First downs	24	10
Total yards	412	209
Rushing yards	218	28
Passing yards	194	181
Turnovers	1	5
Time of possession	32:06	27:54

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Maine	Passing	Jake Eaton	18/28, 187 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Marcus Williams	22 rushes, 156 yards, TD
	Receiving	Ryan Waller	6 receptions, 66 yards, 2 TD
FIU	Passing	Jamie Burke	9/18, 106 yards, 2 INT
	Rushing	Tori Robinson	5 rushes, 54 yards, TD
	Receiving	Cory McKinney	5 receptions, 111 yards

Gardber–Webb

Gardner–Webb Runnin' Bulldogs at FIU Golden Panthers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Runnin' Bulldogs	7	3	0	7	17
Golden Panthers	0	14	0	0	14

at FIU Stadium, Miami, Florida

• Date: October 26
• Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: Humid, 88 °F (31 °C)
• Game attendance: 6,733
• Referee: M. Lewis
• Box score

Statistics	GWU	FIU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Gardner–Webb	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
FIU	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Jacksonville

Jacksonville Dolphins at FIU Golden Panthers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Dolphins	0	6	0	0	6
Golden Panthers	3	10	26	0	39

at FIU Stadium, Miami, Florida

• Date: October 31
• Game time: 8:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Partly cloudy, 82 °F (28 °C)
• Game attendance: 5,221
• Referee: A. Riveron
• Box score

Statistics	JU	FIU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Jacksonville	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
FIU	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Albany

Albany Great Danes at FIU Golden Panthers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Great Danes	7	13	0	6	26
Golden Panthers	0	0	28	7	35

at FIU Stadium, Miami, Florida

• Date: November 9
• Game time: 3:30 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Partly cloudy, 85 °F (29 °C)
• Game attendance: 4,588
• Referee: S. Frederickson
• Box score

Statistics	ALB	FIU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Albany	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
FIU	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At Florida Atlantic

See also: 2002 Florida Atlantic Owls football team

FIU Golden Panthers at Florida Atlantic Owls – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Panthers	0	2	6	13	21
Owls	7	14	3	7	31

at Pro Player Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida

• Date: November 23
• Game time: 3:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Sunny and mild, 73 °F (23 °C)
• Game attendance: 10,224
• Referee: A. Riveron
• Box score

Statistics	FIU	FAU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
FIU	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Florida Atlantic	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving