MIAMI (Interstat) — Florida International defeated Long Island 20-3 on Saturday at Pitbull Stadium in an NCAA Football Bowl Division game. The Golden Panthers improved to 2-2. The Sharks fell to 0-2. Florida International controlled the game with timely passing and a defense that kept Long Island out of the end zone. Long Island took a 3-0 lead on a first-quarter field goal, and Florida International answered with 20 unanswered points. The Golden Panthers scored in every quarter and kept the Sharks off the scoreboard after the opening period.

JJ Kohl led Florida International’s passing attack. The 6-7, 250-pound quarterback from Ankeny, Iowa, completed 6 of 11 passes for 135 yards and one touchdown. Zach Marker, a 6-2, 200-pound quarterback from Norwalk, Iowa, completed 6 of 10 passes for 92 yards. Maguire Anderson, a 6-0, 180-pound receiver from Lutz, Fla., caught three passes for 58 yards and one touchdown. Tyson Carter, a 5-11, 165-pound receiver from Orlando, Fla., ran once for 2 yards and caught two passes for 54 yards and one touchdown. Greg Gaines III, a 6-2, 197-pound receiver from Tampa, Fla., caught two passes for 50 yards. James Resar caught three passes for 37 yards. Jackson Verdugo, a 6-4, 245-pound tight end from College Station, Texas, caught one pass for 22 yards. Jaeden McMillan added one reception for 6 yards. Jayden Ford, a 5-6, 165-pound running back from Miami, ran once for 11 yards. Nate Henry ran twice for 15 yards. Felix Visser punted once for 37 yards. Robert Czeremcha, a 6-3, 220-pound kicker from Miami, missed a 45-yard field goal attempt in the second quarter.

Long Island’s offense struggled to finish drives. Luca Stanzani, a 5-11, 180-pound quarterback from Clearwater, Fla., completed 9 of 20 passes for 109 yards and ran 12 times for minus-4 yards. Josiah Brown ran once for 21 yards and caught two passes for 56 yards. Sam Slade, a 5-10, 190-pound running back from North Bergen, N.J., ran eight times for 21 yards. Chris Howell, a 6-1, 190-pound quarterback from Queens, N.Y., ran four times for 23 yards. Callum Brent ran once for 19 yards and punted three times for 118 yards. Tyselle Spencer, a 5-7, 188-pound running back from Elizabeth City, N.C., ran twice for 8 yards and caught one pass for no gain. Jesiah Mcknight ran five times for 6 yards. Evan Brooks, a 6-4, 205-pound receiver from Harrington Park, N.J., caught two passes for 24 yards. Boakai Veikei caught one pass for 9 yards. Jayden Simpson, a 5-9, 175-pound receiver from Brooklyn, N.Y., caught one pass for 8 yards and made one tackle. Joseph Young, a 6-1, 195-pound receiver from Bryant, Ark., caught one pass for 8 yards. Tristin McFarland caught one pass for 4 yards. Will Johnson missed a 37-yard field goal attempt in the second quarter.

Jackson Barry anchored Long Island’s defense. The 6-1, 227-pound linebacker from Prosper, Texas, made 10 tackles and one quarterback hurry. LJ Hall also had 10 tackles. Braylon Vincent, a 5-10, 183-pound defensive back from West Palm Beach, Fla., made six tackles. Felix Matos, a 5-9, 176-pound defensive back from Phillipsburg, N.J., added six tackles. Rafael Fasolino and Noah Livingston each made five tackles. Livingston, a 6-2, 234-pound defensive end from Queensbridge, N.Y., also had one quarterback hurry. Xavier Cannaday, a 6-1 defensive back from Columbus, Ohio, made four tackles and intercepted one pass. Marquacious Wright had three tackles and one sack. Ryan Maxwell made three tackles. Kezni Brown, a 6-1, 265-pound defensive lineman from Vero Beach, Fla., made two tackles. Phillip Baynes Jr., a 6-2, 190-pound linebacker from Social Circle, Ga., made two tackles. Naquan Johnson, a 5-11, 265-pound defensive lineman from Wilkes-Barre, Pa., made one tackle and one quarterback hurry. Jerome Hayes Jr., a 6-2 linebacker from Bayonne, N.J., made one tackle. Shamir Fredericks, a 6-4 defensive back from Brooklyn, N.Y., made one tackle. Trey Watkins, a 5-9, 184-pound defensive back from Rahway, N.J., made one tackle. Amari James made one tackle. Rodney Mills, a 6-1, 230-pound defensive lineman from Brookville, N.Y., made one tackle. Mekhi Moore also appeared for the Sharks.

Florida International’s defense also made key plays. Kenton Simmons, a 6-5, 260-pound defensive lineman from Jackson, Miss., had four tackles and two sacks. Percy Courtney Jr., a 5-10, 190-pound linebacker from Miami, made five tackles. Wesley Miller, a 5-11, 188-pound defensive back from Columbia, Miss., also made five tackles. Pickle Stewart had four tackles, and Anthony Cunningham added four. The Golden Panthers limited Long Island to three points and kept the Sharks from converting their best chances into touchdowns. Long Island’s team also recorded one punt for zero yards.

The key plays included two missed field goals in the second quarter. Czeremcha’s 45-yard attempt for Florida International was no good. Will Johnson’s 37-yard attempt for Long Island was also no good with 0:46 remaining in the second quarter. In the fourth quarter, with 9:11 remaining, Marker completed a short middle pass to Eric Nelson Jr. that reached the Long Island 0 for an apparent 5-yard touchdown. The play was nullified by a holding penalty on Florida International. At that point, Florida International led 14-3, and the Golden Panthers later added to their advantage.

Long Island has opened the season with two losses. The Sharks previously faced Villanova, Albany, Kansas and North Dakota. Florida International is 2-2 after earlier games against Florida Atlantic, Buffalo and South Florida. Long Island’s upcoming schedule includes games against Wagner, New Haven, Central Connecticut and Robert Morris. Florida International is set to face New Mexico State, Jacksonville State, Middle Tennessee, Liberty, Missouri State, Delaware, Kennesaw State and Sam Houston.

Interstat’s ELO system projected Florida International with a 96.2 percent probability to win. The over/under line was 54.5, and the combined total finished at 23.