Posted on by

Owls fall to North Texas

Owls fall to North Texas

JESSICA VERNOF



football


Ben Paul






BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic football team fought until the end Saturday night, falling just short in a last-minute 41-37 loss to the North Texans.

The Owls (2-4, 0-2 AAC) delivered a complete offensive performance both through the air and on the ground, surpassing 500 total yards for the second straight game. Redshirt junior QB Cam Fancher had his best result of the season when he threw for 351 yards and three touchdowns, both career highs.

While the Mean Green struck first, the Owls responded with their first offensive attack as Fancher found the redshirt-sophomore WR Omari Hayes in the right corner of the end zone for a 14-yard touchdown, her second connection of the season.

Offensive Coordinator/QB Coach Charlie Frye tried to get Fancher into a passing rhythm early, and he did just that with a 5-of-6 start and 66 yards in the first quarter, constantly escaping pressure to make plays. The Owls also had an effective ground game, gaining 93 yards on just 11 carries.

FAU continued to score points in the second quarter, finding its second touchdown of the night on a flea flicker that saw four players touch the ball, culminating in the junior tight end Wyatt Sullivan wide open in the end zone for a 28-yard catch, the first touchdown of his career. The Owls ended the half with redshirt freshman WR Jabari Smith scored his first score, followed by a 32-yard field goal Morgan Suárez take a 27:17 lead at halftime.

There were other large pieces to be found. Fancher has found redshirt senior WR Milan Tuckerwho turned a catch down the middle of the field into a 52-yard blast.

On the subsequent defensive offensive, LB completed Jackson ambush intercepted a pass and took it to the Mean Green 12-yard line and to the redshirt junior RB on the ensuing play CJ Campbell Jr. went into the end zone for the score.

The Owls entered the final period with a lead of 34:27. A big defensive stand on 4th-and-6 put Florida Atlantic the ball in NT territory, leading to a 32-yard field goal by Suarez that increased the score to 37-27. North Texas stormed back in the final four minutes and finally took the win by scoring the game-winning touchdown with 58 seconds left.

  • Fancher completed 22 of his 30 passes for 351 yards and three touchdowns

  • Campbell Jr. showed his versatility at the highest level with 89 yards on the ground and 74 yards receiving

  • Hayes again led the way among wideouts with 89 yards on five catches

  • Among many career nights, Sullivan turned his three receptions into 71 yards and a TD

  • CJ Heardthe nation’s leading tackler among freshmen, led the team with eight stops on the night for the third time this season

  • Graduate DB Wendol Philord had seven tackles with one TFL and one pass breakup

  • Ambush’s interception was his first of the season and second as an Owl

  • Graduate DL Prince James Boyd scored his first sack of the season

  • Redshirt junior kicker Suarez scored a field goal in the second quarter to reach over 100 career points. He scored a total of 13 points on the night with three field goals and four PATs, which is now 112 in three seasons

  • senior Logan Lupo had a game-winning punt in the fourth quarter, pinning the Mean Green at the 1-yard line

Tom Hermann

Jackson ambush

CJ Campbell Jr.

Jabari Smith

Omari Hayes

Wyatt Sullivan

Gallery: undefined

The Owls travel to San Antonio to face UTSA (2-4, 0-2 AAC) on Saturday, October 19th. Kickoff is at 3:30 p.m. EST and will air on ESPN+.

Stay up to date by reading FAUSports.com or the football Twitter and Instagram accounts @FAUFootball.