
Arkansas St 21
(4-5, 2-2 Sun Belt)

Florida Int 22
(4-5, 3-2 Sun Belt)
7:00 PM ET, November 8, 2008
FIU Stadium, MIAMI, FL
Final

(4-5, 2-2 Sun Belt)

(4-5, 3-2 Sun Belt)
7:00 PM ET, November 8, 2008
FIU Stadium, MIAMI, FL
MIAMI -- T.Y. Hilton caught a school record 199 yards and threw the game-deciding touchdown with 2:04 left to lift Florida International to a 22-21 win over Arkansas State on Saturday night.
Hilton's pass came off a broken play in which he fumbled on a reverse call, picked up the ball, scrambled and launched a wobbly pass to Junior Mertile for a 38-yard touchdown to for the Golden Panthers (4-5, 3-2 Sun Belt Conference).
Dustin Rivest, who put Florida International ahead with the extra point, also set the school's single-game record with five field goals of 42, 33, 43, 35, and 37 yards. He also missed two field goals.
The Red Wolves (4-5, 2-2) drove down to the Florida International 42-yard line on their final drive of the game, but Franklin Brown intercepted Arkansas State quarterback Corey Leonard with 1:13 in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.
Arkansas pulled ahead 21-12 early in the fourth on a 12-yard touchdown run by Derek Lawson with 13:31 on the clock that capped off a nine-play, 75-yard drive.
Leonard's only touchdown pass of the game -- 18 yards to Vernon Catlin with 8:50 left in the third quarter -- gave ASU a 14-9 lead. Leonard scored the game's first touchdown on a 1-yard run just before halftime.
Reggie Arnold rushed for 113 yards on 22 carries for Arkansas State. Leonard was 13-of-26 for 149 yards.
Paul McCall completed 15 of 33 passes for 321 yards for Florida International.
| ARST | FIU | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Downs | 22 | 16 |
| Total Yards | 371 | 407 |
| Passing | 149 | 359 |
| Rushing | 222 | 48 |
| Penalties | 8-96 | 10-75 |
| 3rd Down Conversions | 7-16 | 2-12 |
| 4th Down Conversions | 1-3 | 0-1 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| Possession | 37:38 | 22:22 |
| SECOND QUARTER | ARST | FIU | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | FG | 12:22 | Dustin Rivest 43 Yd | 0 | 3 |
![]() | FG | 04:33 | Dustin Rivest 32 Yd | 0 | 6 |
![]() | TD | 00:59 | Corey Leonard 1 Yd Run (Josh Arauco Kick) | 7 | 6 |
| THIRD QUARTER | ARST | FIU | |||
![]() | FG | 12:51 | Dustin Rivest 43 Yd | 7 | 9 |
![]() | TD | 08:50 | Vernon Catlin 18 Yd Pass From Corey Leonard (Josh Arauco Kick) | 14 | 9 |
![]() | FG | 06:22 | Dustin Rivest 35 Yd | 14 | 12 |
| FOURTH QUARTER | ARST | FIU | |||
![]() | TD | 13:31 | Derek Lawson 12 Yd Run (Josh Arauco Kick) | 21 | 12 |
![]() | FG | 11:28 | Dustin Rivest 37 Yd | 21 | 15 |
![]() | TD | 02:04 | Junior Mertile 38 Yd Pass From T.Y. Hilton (Dustin Rivest Kick) | 21 | 22 |

