FAU loses to Tulane 24 to 8
By David Volz
The Florida Atlantic University football team lost a hard-fought game with Tulane 24 to 8.
The Owl struggled during the first half and were unable to score while Tulane scored two touchdowns. The Owls scored in the fourth quarter when quarterback Daniel Richardson threw a pass to tight end Kahil Brantley who made the catch in the left corner of the end zone. Richardson then completed a pass to Devin Price for a two-point conversion.
LaJohntay Wester set FAU’s single-season reception yards record in the game and became the first Owl player to have 100 catches in a season.
Head Coach Tom Herman was disappointed with the loss but he gave credit to the team for fighting hard throughout the game. During the after-game press conference he said, “I am really proud of our fight,” he said. “I know the score board feels like it did the last couple of weeks, but we fought our tails off. We didn’t play well. When you are playing the fourth best rushing defense in the conference, a 9-1 and top 25 team, you have to play really well, not just hard but really well. We didn’t do that to their level, but our guys never quit,” he said.
Next week the Owls (4-7, 3-4 AAC) will travel to Rice. Herman said he knows that for the seniors, the Rice game will be their last day as a tackle football player. He wants the players be committed to this game. “I want them to be competitive, to love football and love each other. I want the seniors to leave with a good taste in their mouth,” he said.
Other highlight for the Owls include Courtney McBride tackling the Tulane quarterback on a fourth and three in FAU territory, forcing a fumble recovered by freshman cornerback Fabian Scott. On offense, Wester and Tony Johnson, who has been nominated for the Burlsworth trophy were responsible for 96 of Richardson’s 104 yards.
Richardson completed his first eight passes and was 24 for 31 with 202 yards. Wester had 11 catches and finished with 86 receiving yards. Kobe Lewis had four receptions for 34 yards.
On defense, Jackson Ambush led with seven tackles and Jaden Wheeler added a sack to his three tackles.
Wester said “We just have to execute. We left a lot of plays out there today and we missed a couple of assignments. The good thing about it is we can come in tomorrow go back to the drawing board, fix what we did wrong today, and prepare for Rice next week.”
Next Saturday, Nov. 25, FAU will travel to Rice. Kickoff is 1 p.m. EST.
Before the game, the Owls’ final home game of the season, 12 senior players were honored for their contributions to the program:
- Tight end Carter Boatwright
- Tight end Tre Jackson
- Safety Kaelen Skipper
- Quarterback Casey Thompson
- Safety Armani Eli-Adams
- Linebacker Xavier Peters
- Offensive lineman Marquice Robinson, Captain
- Running back Kobe Lewis
- Cornerback Romain Mungin
- Defensive back Jarron Morris
- Offensive lineman Chaz Neal, Captain
- Running back Larry McCammon (Captain)
