By Jim O'Hara
 
MELBOURNE, Fla. – For the third straight year, the game was decided by four points. And for the third time in a row, the Shorter Hawks fell four points short when the Florida Tech Panthers handed the Hawks a 28-24 Gulf South Conference defeat.

The loss, one in which two fumbles and an interception stymied Shorter's offensive scheme, is the Hawks' fourth consecutive defeat, giving Shorter a 2-6 overall record and a 1-4 conference mark heading into Shorter's final home game of the season next Saturday in Rome against GSC power North Alabama.

Florida Tech, which has now won five games in a row, improves to 6-3 and 4-1.

Junior fullback B.J. McCoy ended the night turning in his sixth straight 100-yard plus game, rushing for 194 yards on a career high 33 carries and scored two touchdowns, but Florida Tech countered with an even better performance from true freshman running back Antwuan Haynes, who in his first start for FIT produced a team-record 242 yards on 28 carries and a touchdown.

The Panthers – FIT defeated the Hawks 28-24 in 2013 and 34-30 last year – opened the game quickly moving the ball down to the Shorter 8, only to see the Hawks make the most of the game's first turnover when senior Wesley Clay scooped up a fumble and raced 86 yards into the end zone and Kenny Langford's first of three extra points gave Shorter a 7-0 lead just over three minutes into the game.

Florida Tech, however, charged right back and on the ensuing series reeled off a 71-yard, seven-play drive that culminated with Haynes scored from eight yards outs to tie the game.

On Shorter's first offensive play of the night, the Panthers got the ball right back when Drake Hillman picked off a pass from Shorter quarterback Devante James, giving the home team the ball at the Hawks' 15 and three plays later FIT quarterback Mark Cato hit a wide open Kenny Johnston with a 10-yard touchdown pass that gave Tech a 14-7 edge.

The Hawks answered that tally with one of their patented drives with McCoy leading the charge as Shorter went 78 yards on 10 plays, seven of those coming on runs by McCoy, whose last tote covered the final six yards for the tying touchdown with 2:26 to go in the first quarter.

That proved to be the final touchdown of the first half as the Hawks took the lead thanks to Langford's foot, who split the uprights from 35 yards out with 4:29 remaining until halftime, a boot that capped a 54-yard, 14-play drive and give Shorter a 17-14 advantage that stood at the break.

Florida Tech regained the advantage when, after a 45-yard field goal try by Langford fell short, the Panthers marched 72 yards into the end zone when Cato reached paydirt from two yards out to give the home team a 21-17 lead.

Shorter, however, answered that tally with one of their own, this time going 71 yards on 11 plays, the final snap coming when McCoy scored on an eight-yard run with 17 seconds left in the quarter.

But that wound up being the last time the Hawks would lead, even though they were presented with opportunities in the final minutes.

Florida Tech mounted what would prove to be the winning scoring drive just two minutes into the final stanza. After a short kickoff gave FIT the ball at their own 42, the Panthers used nine plays to cover the 58 yards with Cato breaking into the end zone on a three-yard run in what became the final points of the game.

The Hawks had two chances to overcome the deficit, the first coming when Santavious Bryant intercepted a Cato pass at the FIT 46, but Shorter gave the ball back to the home team seven plays later when McCoy coughed up the football to the Panthers with 4:31 to play.

Shorter got the ball right back after forcing Tech to punt on a three-and-out, starting off their next series at the 50 thanks to a shanked punt by FIT, but was unable to move the ball, eventually turning it back over to the Panthers on downs with 1:45 left and from there ran out the clock.

The Hawks finished the game rushing for 297 yards but had just 308 total yards as they completed just 2 of 11 passes for 11 yards. Kartez Carr added 63 yards on just five carries for Shorter.

Florida Tech had 372 total yards, with Haynes accounting for all but seven of his team's 251 rushing yards.

Bryant and senior All-American Jordan Shaw led the Hawk with eight tackles each, while FIT's Chris Stapleton led FIT with a game-high 14 stops.