Panthers players pay tribute to deceased teammate Luke Knox in pregame ceremony
Thursday night would’ve been outside linebacker Luke Knox’s first game in an FIU Panthers uniform.
Knox, who would’ve turned 23 later this month, died on Aug. 17. The cause of death was not announced, but his absence is felt daily by many, including the FIU players he sweated with during fall camp.
Knox, an Ole Miss transfer who was competing for a starting job with the Panthers, used his outgoing personality to impact most everyone on the FIU team, especially his teammates on defense.
“It hit us hard,” FIU veteran safety Dorian Hall said. “When we found out, I tried to comfort everybody.
“We’re just all taking it day by day. We haven’t tried to show our emotions too much. We got help from a couple of coaches, and they brought in [grief counselors] we could talk to. We tried to talk about it as a family.”
Knox was honored just prior to kickoff on Thursday night with a moment of silence. In addition, each Panthers player wore a helmet sticker with his No. 16.
FIU’s captains — wide receiver Tyrese Chambers, running back Lexington Joseph, defensive tackle Davon Strickland and linebacker Donovan Manuel — brought Knox’s jersey out for the pre-game coin flip.
SLOW START
The Panthers fell behind 16-0 and didn’t cross midfield until there were 68 seconds left in the first half.
But FIU, using a two-minute-type offense, mounted a 16-play, 75-yard drive. That march ended with Gunnar Holmberg’s four-yard TD pass to running back Lexington Joseph on a fade with four seconds left in the half.
FIU tried a two-point conversion, but a Joseph run up the middle was stopped inches short of the goal, leaving Bryant with a 16-6 halftime advantage.
Bryant outgained FIU 215 yards to 121 in the first half. But, prior to that last FIU drive, the yardage differential was 215 to 46.
Holmberg, who completed just 2-of-4 passes for 14 yards in the first quarter, finished the half with some better numbers. For the half, he completed 13-of-18 passes for 103 yards and one touchdown
THIS AND THAT
▪ FIU’s starters on offense included quarterback Holmberg, running back EJ Wilson, tight end Rivaldo Fairweather and wide receivers Randall St. Felix, Jalen Bracey and Chambers. The offensive line starters were left tackle Shamar Hobdy-Lee, left guard John Bock II, center Julius Pierce, right guard Rey Burnett and right tackle Jacob Peace.
Of those, only St. Felix was a surprise as Dean Patterson had been listed ahead of him on the depth chart released on Monday. Patterson was in Thursday’s rotation, however.
▪ FIU’s defensive starters included a three-man front with ends Keegan Davis and Jeramy Passmore and tackle Davon Strickland.
The linebackers were Alex Nobles and Latarie “DJ” Kinsler on the outside and Donovan Manuel and Gaethan Bernadel on the inside. Henry Gray and Hezekiah Masses started at cornerback, and Demetrius Hill and CJ Christian lined up at safety.
Kinsler was the only surprise as he was listed behind converted running back Shaun Peterson on Monday’s depth chart.
Passmore and Strickland were the only two players on the entire FIU roster who started the season opener for a second straight year.
▪ FIU’s Ross Fournet, after playing just one game last year as a true freshman walk-on, has earned a scholarship as well as second-team status at wide receiver. He had two catches for 10 yards in Thursday’s first half.
▪ The Panthers, who have lost 18 straight games to FBS teams, will play their first road game of the season in their next game, Sept. 10 at Texas State.
