BOCA RATON, Fla. – (November 9, 2019)– Malcolm Davidson had career highs in both rushing yards (153) and rushing touchdowns (three) as the Florida Atlantic University football team (7-3, 5-1 C-USA) defeated FIU (5-5, 3-4) 37-7 on Saturday.
Quotable
“Really good win. I’m proud of our guys and how they finished,” said head coach Lane Kiffin. “It was a very sloppy first half on offense, especially. I felt like we out gained them. We moved the ball. We gave up one play and it would have been a two score game at halftime. We came out and it was 24 to nothing in the second half. Huge rivalry game and so I’m proud of our players and happy for our fans.”
Quick Hits
- The Owls’ defense recorded a three-and-out and the offense took over on its own 20
- Davidson capped off a 12-play, 80-yard drive with a 10-yard run to put FAU up 7-0 early in the game
- FIU’s next possession ended in a mishandled punt, allowing FAU to take over at the Panther 37 yard line
- Back-to-back long completions ended the first quarter with the Owls in FIU territory
- The drive stalled, but Vladimir Rivas hit a field goal from 33 yards out to make the score 10-0
- FIU responded quickly, scoring on the next play from scrimmage to cut the FAU lead to 10-7
- After an exchange of punts, the Owls once again drove deep into FIU’s side of the field, but couldn’t reach the end zone
- Rivas came in to convert his second field goal of the game, this one from 27 yards out to make the score 13-7, FAU
- The Panthers got down to the FAU 13 on their next possession, but threw an interception on their field goal attempt to end the last scoring threat of the half for either team
- FAU had the ball to begin the second half
- Chris Robison hooked up with D’angelo Antoine on a 45-yard completion deep in Panther territory
- Harrison Bryant bounced off a potential tackler and ran into the endzone for his second touchdown catch of the year
- On the next Panthers’ possession, Chris Tooley forced a fumble that was recovered by Noah Jefferson, giving the Owls the ball at the FIU 16
- It took just two plays for FAU to take advantage, as Davidson ran in from six yards out, extending the Owls’ lead to 28-7 at the 10-minute mark of the third quarter
- Both teams had drives reach the opposition’s side of the field, but were held scoreless
- FAU’s final touchdown of the game came after the Owls’ defense stopped the Panthers on fourth and two near midfield
- After a James Brunson catch put the ball at the FIU 23, Davidson scampered the rest of the way for his third touchdown of the night
- Rivas’ missed that extra point attempt, but he redeemed himself with 25-yard field goal on the Owls’ next drive to complete the scoring
Stats and Records
- Robison finished 22-of-37 for 298 yards and a touchdown
- Davidson, who was named FAU’s MVP in the game, ended the game with 153 yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries. He is the first Owl to rush for three touchdowns in a game since Devin Singletary had three in last year’s Shula Bowl
- Antoine had nine catches for 125 yards, his third 100-yard receiving yard game of the season
- As a team, the Owls racked up a season-high 579 yards of offense
- Rivas’ three field goals is his most in a single game since coming to FAU
- With the win, FAU improved to 13-4 in the Shula Bowl
- The victory also guarantees the Owls their fourth bowl appearance in program history
What’s Next
The Owls have a bye week before traveling to UTSA on Saturday, Nov. 23. Kick-off is set for 6 p.m. and the game will be streamed on ESPN+.
– 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 service region in southeast Florida. FAU’s world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University is placing special focus on the rapid development of critical areas that form the basis of its strategic plan: Healthy aging, biotech, coastal and marine issues, neuroscience, regenerative medicine, informatics, lifespan and the environment. These areas provide opportunities for faculty and students to build upon FAU’s existing strengths in research and scholarship. For more information, visit www.fau.edu.
