HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (Oct. 24, 2020) – Florida Atlantic University football fell on the road to No. 22 Marshall Saturday afternoon at Joan C. Edwards Stadium, snapping the Owls’ eight-game winning streak, 20-9.
Quotable
Head coach Willie Taggart:
“Disappointing loss. I thought our guys played hard, we left some points out on the field (and) had too many penalties in the game. When you’re playing a ranked team like Marshall, you’ve just got to be disciplined … and we had too many penalties. The difference in the game were the penalties and three explosive plays. Offensively, just couldn’t sustain drives and finish, we just didn’t execute well at all.”
The Turning Point
FAU (1-1, 1-1 C-USA) held the Thundering Herd (5-0, 3-0 C-USA) to just seven first half points, and took the lead on a third quarter field goal. That advantage however was short lived, as Marshall went back ahead on a touchdown less than two minutes later, and would score the next 13 points unanswered to make it a two-score game.
The Finish
Late in the fourth, and down 11, the Owls drove into the red zone, but an incomplete pass into the end zone on fourth down turned the ball over on downs. Taking over with just under four minutes left, Marshall ran out the clock to clinch the win.
Quick Hits
- After each team traded punts to start, Marshall got on the board first with a long swing pass for a score
- The Thundering Herd held that 7-0 lead after one quarter
- The Owls recorded the first takeaway of the day – to extend the team’s consecutive game streak forcing a turnover to 14 – on Jordan Helm’s early second quarter interception
- FAU responded immediately with a 12-play, 65-yard drive, ending with a Malcolm Davidson 11-yard rushing touchdown
- Marshall blocked the extra point to keep a one-point lead, 7-6
- After a 35-yard run by Davidson, Marshall intercepted the ensuing FAU pass attempt and took over with 2:40 to go in the first half
- Though Marshall had a 46-yard pass completion to flip the field, a 44-yard field goal attempt fell short
- The Owls added another interception on a Hail Mary attempt to close the half, by Teja Young in the Marshall end zone. That kept the score at 7-6
- A 43-yard field goal by Vladimir Rivas capped the first drive of the third quarter to give the Owls a 9-7 lead, which also marked the first time Marshall has trailed all season
- That series was kept alive on an 11-yard connection from Nick Tronti to true freshman LaJohntay Wester on 4th-and-5 (and three plays earlier, it had been 3rd-and-27)
- Marshall regained the advantage on a 41-yard pass completion, and added on with a field goal late in the third, making it 17-8
- Another Thundering Herd field goal early in the fourth made for the final margin
Stats and Records
- FAU suffered their first loss in over a year, also to Marshall (on Oct. 18, 2019)
- Davidson led the Owls with 62 rushing yards; Jordan Merrell and TJ Chase combined for over 100 yards receiving (five for 48 and four for 46, respectively)
- Wester went over 100 all-purpose yards, in nearly all facets of the game: six yards rushing, 12 receiving, 53 on two kickoff returns (long of 37), and 34 on four punt returns (long of 18)
- Helm’s interception was the first of the redshirt senior’s career; Young’s was as well, in his third season
- Linebacker Chase Lasater posted a career high in tackles for the second straight game, with a team-high 13. Ahman Ross joined him in double digits with 11, which also is a new standard for him
What’s Next
FAU returns home next Saturday, for a noon kickoff on Halloween day against UTSA. It will again be broadcasted on STADIUM Network, and tickets are available by visiting FAU’s football tickets website or by calling 1-866-FAU-OWLS.
– 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 4-0 in bowl games, the most recent being a 52-28 victory over SMU in the 2019 Cheribundi 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.
