FAU Football Trounces Old Dominion, 41-3
NORFOLK, Va. – (Oct. 26, 2019) – The Florida Atlantic University Owls routed Old Dominion on Saturday at S.B. Ballard Stadium, 41-3, to improve to 3-1 in Conference USA play. The 38 points is the Owls’ biggest margin of victory since a 50-3 win over Akron in the 2017 Boca Raton Bowl, and matches the team’s biggest win in C-USA play (also beating North Texas by 38 points, 69-31, in 2017).
Coupled with Marshall’s victory over WKU, the Owls (5-3, 3-1 C-USA) and fellow 3-1 Thundering Herd sit just behind the 4-1 Hilltoppers in the C-USA East Division standings. FAU faces WKU next Saturday.
Quotable
“I’m proud of our guys, they came in here after a tough loss last week and played really well and took care of business,” said head coach Lane Kiffin. “Especially defensively … that was big, I thought were we very aggressive. I thought the defensive staff did a great job and the players executed today.”
Quick Hits
· FAU won the toss, but deferred to the second half
· After ODU (1-7, 0-4 C-USA) got one first down, on a penalty, they didn’t get another because Leighton McCarthy took down the Monarchs’ quarterback for a sack
· A block in the back negated an ODU score on a punt return, and the Owls defense held for a three-and-out, including a tackle for loss by William Davis and quarterback hurry for Hosea Barnwell V
· For the second straight possession, the Owls got good field position, starting on the ODU 36
· Two plays later, Chris Robison found Deangelo Antoine for a 14-yard gain, and a Monarch personal foul penalty added half the distance to the ODU 11
· Robison would hook up with John Raine three plays after that, wide open over the middle for a 15-yard touchdown to open the scoring
· Rashad Smith was everywhere on the next ODU series, starting with a QB hurry, then posting an eight-yard sack on second down
· The Owls got three chunk plays early in the next possession – Robison to Harrison Bryant for 12 yards, Antoine for 16 on the ground, Robison to James Brunson for 25 – followed by a James Charles rush for eight
· Then Malcolm Davidson went untouched up the middle for a 21-yard score and a 14-0 lead
· A third FAU sack was credited to Damian Horton with time ticking down in the first quarter
· With under a minute to go, the Owls’ defense had held ODU to just 10 total yards, before a 21-yard screen pass tripled that figure (and that was a followed by a 17-yard completion)
· Though ODU was now in the red zone as the second quarter began, FAU gave up just a one-yard rush, forced an incompletion, and another one-yard rush before a Monarch 30-yard field goal
· Robison made liberal use of his tight ends to facilitate the next drive: His pass to Raine garnered 25 yards; going for it on 4th-and-9, he connected with Bryant for 14 yards to move the chains; and he and Bryant hooked up again for 11 yards to the ODU 13
· After two plays covering negative one yard, it was again Robison to Bryant, for the latter’s first touchdown of 2019, a 14-yard score
· An offensive pass interference call backed up the Monarchs, and McCarthy pushed them back further with his second sack of the day to force a punt
· On the return, Dante Cousart peeled off his longest runback of the year, 30 yards
· Three first-down completions moved it to the red zone for the Owls: Robison to Bryant for 11, Tavaris Harrison for 16 and Bryant again for 12 more
· With three seconds left in the half, Vladimir Rivas’ field goal was good from 25 yards for a 24-3 lead heading into the locker room
· The teams traded punts to start the second half, with ODU’s drive ending on FAU’s fifth sack, by Akileis Leroy
· Nick Tronti took over at quarterback and showed off his legs (rushes of nine and eight yards) while sprinkling in a first-down pass to Bryant
· Charles sprinted up the left sideline for a 26-yard gain, into ODU territory, before the Owls were denied on 4th down
· FAU returned the favor, with a stuff for no gain on 4th-and-5 by Ray Ellis and Tim Bonner, among others
· On the ensuing play, Antoine took a reverse 48 yards for a score, with Rivas’ extra point extending the lead to 31-3
· Tronti led the Owls to the doorstep early in the fourth, and his first incompletion was a near-touchdown (after a 6-for-6 start). Rivas would then add on with a 27-yard field goal
· Willie Wright got his first score of the year on a 22-yard jet sweep to provide more cushion (and eventually, the final margin)
Two plays later, a tipped pass led to the first turnover for the FAU defense, with linebacker Caliph Brice coming up with the interception
· Graduate student quarterback Trent Wessel saw his first ever action, late in the game, which included a six-yard completion to Wright
Stats and Records
· The Owls outgained the Monarchs on the day, 430-204. That included just 70 rushing yards for the home team, 38 of which came in the fourth quarter, and 33 on back-to-back carries (the first double-digit gains on the ground of the day for ODU)
· FAU defenders had 12 tackles for loss, six sacks, nine quarterback hurries and three pass breakups
· Smith led the unit with seven tackles, Leroy had six and Ellis five
· Amongst the receiving corps, Antoine had nine catches for 69 yards; Bryant had eight receptions for a team-high 92 yards
· Antoine’s 48-yard reverse actually led the rushing attack, as the carries were spread out: Charles had 45 on six totes, Chauncey Mason three for 28 (including a 24-yarder), Tronti 23 on eight and Davidson 17 on six. All told, eight Owls combined for 159 rushing yards
· In one half of play, Robison was 17-for-24 (70.8%) for 208 yards and two scores
· Tronti ended up 7-for-10 for 57 yards in the air, in addition to his 23 yards on the ground
What’s Next
The Owls are on the road again next weekend, for a 4 p.m. Saturday kickoff in Bowling Green, Kentucky against first-place WKU. The team’s next home game is Nov. 9, the annual Shula Bowl matchup against FIU. For tickets, call 1-866-FAU-OWLS or click HERE.
– FAUSports.com –
Florida Atlantic University Athletics:
FAU Athletics is comprised of 21 intercollegiate teams involving 450 student-athletes that compete in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, indoor and outdoor track, volleyball, beach volleyball, cheer and dance. The Owls are a NCAA Division I-A (FBS) institution and compete in Conference USA and the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA) (beach volleyball, men’s swimming). The Owls have been playing football since 2001 and are a perfect 3-0 in bowl games, the most recent being a 50-3 victory over Akron in the 2017 Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl. The dance team finished its 2014 season No. 8, nationally. FAU cheer won a national championship in 2016.
About Florida Atlantic University:
Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University, with an annual economic impact of $6.3 billion, serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students at sites throughout its six county s
