It ended for Florida International not long after it started. A shot at a Gasparilla Bowl victory against Temple died, for all intents and purposes, when quarterback Alex McGough was driven into the turf at Tropicana Field on the Panthers’ third play from scrimmage, smashing his left shoulder and rendering it useless.
As McGough watched from the sideline, his arm in a white sling, FIU never recovered, losing 28-3.
An offense that had scored 104 points in its final two regular-season games managed a field goal and nothing else. The nation’s top-ranked red zone scoring offense reached that destination just once.