Turnovers Haunt FMU; Lions Fall to Rival St. Thomas University

Two second-half turnovers put Florida Memorial in a tough position that it couldn’t rally back from

     MIAMI GARDENS, FL – Florida Memorial University found itself trying to overcome too many negatives – including two second-half fumbles that led to points – and ultimately couldn’t overcome host St. Thomas University as the Lions fell 38-22 Saturday afternoon in the first football game in the “Battle Of Miami Gardens” at Monsignor Pace High School’s AutoNation Field.

After trailing just 28-16 at the start of the third quarter, FMU’s first two offensive drives abruptly ended with fumbles – the first of which led to a 42-yard field goal for the Bobcats and the second setting up a 36-yard touchdown pass, which turned Florida Memorial’s 12-point deficit into a 22-point one not even three minutes into the second half.

That 38-16 deficit held throughout the third quarter and into the fourth, which was halted for more than an hour due to a lightning delay, until the Lions went on an 11-play, 65-yard drive that sophomore quarterback Antoine Williams capped with a 4-yard touchdown run to create the final 38-22 margin.

FMU (0-2, 0-1 Mid-South Conference), which is set to play its first regular-season home football game since the football program was “rebirthed” after a 62-year hiatus this coming Saturday (September 11), struggled to balance out its offensive attack against the St. Thomas defense. While Williams threw for 262 passing yards, the Lions only produced 16 rushing yards on 30 attempts.

Williams finished 16-for-31 with a touchdown and zero interceptions but did have a fumble lost. Freshman receiver Markell Lee tied for a team-high 3 receptions and led the team with 74 receiving yards, most of which coming on a 42-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter that brought the Lions within one of STU (14-13) after a missed extra point.

The teams would trade scores – a touchdown for St. Thomas and a 34-yard Kesnel Baptiste field goal for the Lions – through the second quarter as FMU hoped to get to the halftime buzzer only looking at a 21-16 deficit. Instead, the Bobcats went on a 7-play, 74-yard scoring drive in the final 1:30 of the half that put the Lions in a 28-16 hole.

The Lions defense couldn’t generate the same kind of takeaways that it did in the season-opener – when it forced five turnovers – instead FMU struggled to get pressure on St. Thomas University (2-0, 1-0) quarterback Tyler Thomas as he orchestrated the Bobcat offense to 463 total offensive yards – with 371 yards and 4 touchdowns coming through the air.

Linebacker Joshua Mimms led Florida Memorial with 7 total tackles; defensive back Jamari Goodgame finished with 6 total stops; and Darius Conley added 5 tackles.

Saturday’s game, which Florida Memorial obliged St. Thomas University’s request to reschedule from its original October 16th date to accommodate the Bobcats’ scheduling issue, was a historic event as it was the first-ever football game between the neighboring schools. Miami Gardens Mayor, Rodney Harris, and other city officials attended the game as did dignitaries from the Miami Dolphins and The Orange Bowl committee to celebrate what will be an annual meeting on the gridiron.