MIAMI – Anthony Jones ran for three touchdowns and caught a pass for another as Florida International scored 21 points in the second quarter to help beat Charlotte 48-23 on Saturday.
Jones had 117 yards rushing on 16 carries for the Panthers (3-3, 1-2 Conference USA). James Morgan threw for 160 yards and two touchdowns.
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FIU scored four consecutive touchdowns in the first half, staring with Morgan's scoring pass to Shemar Thornton late in the first quarter for a 7-3 lead. Charlotte answered with a touchdown to take a 10-7 edge. The Panthers continued the streak with Kaylan Wiggins' 4-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter to put them back on top, 14-10. Napoleon Maxwell ran into the end zone from 13 yards out to cap the next FIU drive, and Morgan hit Jones for a 5-yard TD pass to close the half with a 28-17 advantage.
Jones opened the second half with three consecutive touchdown runs, from 5, 41 and 13 yards, to push the Panthers' lead to 48-23 with 9:58 to play.
Benny LeMay ran for 144 yards and a touchdown for the 49ers (2-4, 0-2).