This is the Depth Dossier: the Florida International Panthers, Week 8.

Florida International found a way to lose a game despite scoring touchdowns on every trip that mattered to the end zone, because four field goals from the other sideline added up to more than three touchdowns and two two-point conversions could match. The Panthers fell 26 to 23 to Middle Tennessee, and it wasn't a kicking problem that beat them this time. It was the lack of one.

Quarterback J.J. Kohl threw for 179 yards and three touchdowns, hitting wide receiver Kyle McNeal for 49 yards on the very first snap of the game, finding wide receiver Kevin Schaeffer to tie it in the third quarter, and connecting with wide receiver Sterling Joseph for 21 yards to cut the deficit to three with six minutes and six seconds left. Running back Devonte Lyons ran for 115 yards on 19 carries. But Middle Tennessee kicker Dominic Bourgeois went four for four on field goals, running back Terrence Brown broke off a 54-yard touchdown run right after FIU tied the game, and the Blue Raiders closed it out with an 11-play drive that drained the clock.

Let's talk about the math that actually decided this game. FIU scored touchdowns on every possession that reached the end zone and converted both two-point tries. That's about as efficient as it gets. But it still wasn't enough, because Middle Tennessee's kicker never missed. Bourgeois made field goals from 51, 39, 50 and 28 yards, two of them from beyond 50, and by himself accounted for 14 of the Blue Raiders' 26 points. FIU never even attempted a field goal all game. Every single point came the hard way.

The real swing moment wasn't a missed kick. It was a defensive letdown. FIU tied the game at 16 in the third quarter on Lyons' two-point conversion, and before anyone could celebrate, Brown answered right back with that 54-yard touchdown run. That sequence set the tone for the fourth quarter, when FIU needed a stop and couldn't get one. Middle Tennessee's final drive ran 11 plays, covered 71 yards, and ate up the last six minutes and six seconds, never giving Kohl a chance to answer.

Middle Tennessee also played clean football, with no turnovers, while FIU gave the ball away once. In a three-point game, that's exactly the kind of possession that swings things. And there's history here too. This snaps FIU's two-game winning streak in the series, with Middle Tennessee now ahead 15 wins to 7 all-time, including 6 and 5 specifically in games played in Miami.

No injuries were reported in this one, so the story here is about performance, not availability.

The passing game is starting to take real shape. Kohl played the whole game again and spread his three touchdowns to three different receivers, McNeal, Schaeffer, and Joseph, which tells you this offense isn't just built around Maguire Anderson anymore. Joseph and McNeal now look like solidified starters alongside Anderson, giving Kohl a three-receiver rotation that's producing points no matter who gets the target. Lyons, for his part, continues to look like a true workhorse back rather than part of a rotation. He topped 100 yards for the second straight week and handled two-point conversion duties on top of his usual workload.

The open question now is special teams, though it's flipped from a week ago. FIU didn't miss any field goals this time. They simply didn't attempt any, while watching the opponent's kicker go a perfect four for four. That's worth keeping an eye on the next time FIU finds itself in a game that isn't decided purely by touchdowns and two-point conversions.

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