STATESBORO, Ga. – The Florida Atlantic University football team lost their first game since Oct. 24, falling to Georgia Southern Saturday night at Allen E. Paulson Stadium, 20-3.
Quotable Head coach Willie Taggart:
“First, we put two balls on the ground, that can’t happen fumble-wise. Each individual, when they had that ball, they need to take care of it. And then bad decision-making when it comes to throwing the football. We’ve got to be smarter at throwing the football and take what the defense is giving us and not be too greedy. Again, you can’t turn the ball over, simple as that … especially going on the road, where a team plays very well at home. All of the things we talk about each week, when it comes to playing to win, our guys didn’t do it today, and we got the outcome that we got.”
The Turning Point
The Eagles (7-4) shut out the Owls (5-2) in the first half, holding a 10-0 lead, but FAU climbed to within a score with a late third quarter field goal. An immediate GS score pushed it back out to a two-touchdown edge at 17-3.
The Finish
GS took 5:36 off the clock and moved further ahead with a field goal more than midway through the fourth. FAU quickly drove into Eagle territory, but turned it over on downs to seal the game for the home team.
Quick Hits
- The Eagles drove to the edge of the red zone on the opening drive, but a 47-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Owls’ freshman defensive lineman Evan Anderson up the middle
- The first play from scrimmage FAU was a 16-yard connection between Javion Posey and TJ Chase to cross midfield, and on 3rd-and-long, Posey found James Charles for 13 to move the chains
- A 44-yard field goal attempt missed wide left, meaning both teams came up empty on their first possession (and, eventually, the entirety of the first quarter)
- The final play of the initial period was an open-field tackle of the GS quarterback by Caliph Brice, at the six-yard line, to bring up 4th-and-1
- And the Owls’ defense held on the first play of the second, stopping the ballcarrier. Chase Lasater made the first contact, in the backfield, and Zyon Gilbert finished it off for no gain
- After a three-and-out, GS returned the ensuing punt 49 yards for a touchdown
- The Eagles extended their lead to 10-0 with a field goal good from 30 yards with 3:30 to go before the break
- FAU’s longest play of the first half (and the game) was Posey’s 36-yard pass to a leaping Jordan Merrell late in the half
- The Owls got the ball to start the second half, with two of the first four plays being Posey completions: 15 to Willie Wright and 13 to Chase
- However, the next play made for the third consecutive FAU drive that ended in a turnover (on a fumble, after a fumble and interception ended the first half)
- Ahman Ross forced a fumble on the very next snap, but it went out of bounds to keep possession with the Eagles
- Posey highstepped for 22 yards – the longest rush of the night – but then GS intercepted a deep pass into the end zone for the fourth straight FAU turnover
- After a Chase Lasater third down sack, it appeared as if the Owls recorded their second field goal block of the night, but an offsides call wiped it out
- Then, on 4th-and-11, the Eagles went for it, with the pass falling incomplete
- Nick Tronti took over at quarterback with just under six minutes to go in the third and led the Owls’ first scoring drive
- After a QB keeper for eight, he found Merrell for 23 through the air. Two plays later, Charles ran for 13, then Tronti and Chase hooked up for 16 yards and 1st-and-goal
- Vladimir Rivas put the FAU on the board with a 26-yard field goal
- The Eagles added on, on a drive that ended the third and began the fourth, with a two-yard rushing score, and three more on an early fourth quarter field goal
Stats and Records
- Lasater set a new career best with 15 tackles, 11 of which were solo, and had the Owls’ only sack of the night
- Next up was Brice with nine stops, then Leighton McCarthy and Jordan Helm at eight apiece
- Merrell led the receiving corps with 67 yards, also a career high. Chase had a team-high four catches for 57 yards
- Charles combined to have 75 total yards, 33 receiving and 42 rushing
- That latter number was second on the squad, behind Posey’s 61 (on just eight carries)
- The Eagles’ punt return score was the first by an FAU opponent since Sept. 17, 2016 (Dominique Heath of Kansas State)
What’s Next The Owls’ last scheduled regular season game is this upcoming Thursday, Dec. 10, in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, against Southern Miss. Kickoff will be at 6:30 p.m., on broadcast TV on CBS Sports Network, and live as always on 640AM South Florida.
