Panther’s Defense Dominates, Offense Amasses 476 Yards In 35-0 Route of Mississippi College

Panthers Now 4-0 all-time vs. Choctaws

CLINTON, MISSISSIPPI— Florida Tech (3-1, 2-0 GSC) continued its dominance over Mississippi College (0-4, 0-2 GSC) on Saturday night, defeating the Choctaws 35-0 on the road at Robinson-Hale Stadium. 

The Panthers improved to 4-0 all-time against MC with the win, while also garnering their second consecutive shutout of the Choctaws.

In the win, FIT’s defense continued to shine in the early season, picking up its second shutout in the first four games. The Panthers tough defense led by first year defensive coordinator Rick Minter has held opponents to under 200 total yards in three of their four games this season.

The Crimson and Gray limited the Choctaws to 173 total yards of offense on 125 yards rushing and just 48 yards passing. The Panthers held MC to 2-of-12 on third downs conversions and did not allow the Choctaws into the redzone all game.

Patrick Banks led the defensive effort with eight total tackles and one tackle for loss. Daniel Welch finished with six tackles, including one for a loss. Marquise Lewis and De’Vontae Weekley each recorded a sack in the win.

On the other side of the ball, the Panthers recorded 476 yards of total offense on 66 plays. FIT racked up 290 yards through the air and 186 yards on the ground. A pair of FIT quarterbacks saw action against the Choctaws. Mark Cato got the start and completed 13-of-17 passes for 109 yards.

Trent Chmelik entered the game in relief and finished with 181 yards and three touchdowns on 9-of-14 passing.

Antwuan Haynes notched his second 100-yard rushing game of the season Saturday, running for 139 yards on 22 carries. Haynes also caught three passes for 20 yards.

Romell Guerrier hauled in six of his seven targets for 103 yards, while Demetrius Frazier caught all four of his targets for 71 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The Panthers jumped out to an early 7-0 lead on a seven-yard touchdown run by Gary Holmeswith 10:36 left in the first quarter.

Chmelik connected with Frazier for a pair of touchdown grabs in the third quarter, a six-yarder and a 56-yarder, to increase Florida Tech’s advantage to 21-0. The Panthers’ lead moved to 28-0 following Chmelik’s two-yard scamper into the endzone with 13 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

Simon Williams capped off the scoring later in the fourth quarter with a 21-yard touchdown catch from Trent Chmelik with 7:21 left on the clock. The touchdown is the first of Williams’ career.

The Panthers return to Florida Tech Panther Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 30, to host West Florida at 7 p.m. ET in the second annual Coastal Classic Rivalry Game. The matchup, which is also the annual White Out Game, is featured as part of the NCAA Division II Football Showcase and will be streamed live on ESPN3.

Be sure to join Space Coast Daily’s  Alan Zlotorzynski and head coach Steve Englehart Wednesday night from Buffalo Wild Wings in Viera for “In The Red Zone” as coach and Alan recap this big win and look ahead to a tough game Saturday night.

Also, don’t miss Alan and the Friday Night Locker Rooms Steve Wilson next Saturday night at 6:15 p.m. for the “Space Coast Daily Florida Tech Panther Kickoff Show” presented by Old School Pizza and Buffalo Wild Wings.

NOTES:

TURNING POINT:

• With the Panthers leading just 7-0 and 6:00 remaining in the third quarter, they went on a seven-play, 90-yard drive that ended in a 6-yard touchdown pass from Trent Chmelik to Demetrius Frazier. FIT would go on to outscore MC 28-0 in the second half and grab the victory.

HOW IT HAPPENED: 

•  The Panthers took the opening kickoff and went 76 yards on 10 plays to take a 7-0 lead just under five minutes into the game.
• They would miss field goals on each of their next possessions, and the MC defense forced a punt as the teams went into the break with the score 7-0.
•  The Choctaws’ best scoring chance of the night came on their third drive when they went 55 yards on 12 plays but had a 42-yard Greg Nickles field goal blocked.
• After FIT took the 14-0 lead, they would score on three consecutive possessions to make the score 35-0 in the fourth quarter.

KEY STATS: 

• Florida Tech put up 476 yards on 66 plays, while the Choctaws tallied 173 yards on 53 plays.
• MC held the ball for nearly 32 minutes on the night, but FIT held the Choctaws out of the red zone all night long.
• Antwuan Haynes rushed for 139 yards on 22 carries, averaging 6.3 yards per carry on the night.
• Chmelik went 9-of-14 for 181 yards and three touchdowns, while Frazier caught two touchdown passes on the night
• Patrick Banks led the Panthers with eight tackles in the game.

Team Statistics

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