Florida Atlantic loses hard fought game to Western Kentucky in overtime
From David Volz
The Florida Atlantic University football team played a hard fought game but was unable to get a win.
The Owls lost to West Kentucky University 32-31 in overtime. Both the Owls and the Hilltoppers scored touchdowns in the first overtime. But the Hilltoppers won on a two-point conversion. The Owls finished the season with a 5-7 overall record and a 4-4 Conference USA record.
FAU could have won in the final seconds of the regulation game, but Carter Davis missed a 46-yard field goal attempt to the left.
There were some high-quality individual player performances for FAU. N’Kosi Perry completed his FAU career with a 27 for 39 performance including 283 yards and two passing touchdowns. Larry McCammon finished with 127 yards on the ground and had more than 1,000 rushing yards for the season.
On FAU defense, Jaylen Wester led with 12 tackles and Jamie Pettway had 11 tackles. The FAU defense forced two turnovers with an interception by Justin McKithen and a fumble recovery by Dwight Toombs.
The first quarter was dominated by both defenses and neither team scored. Early in the second quarter, the Hilltoppers scored when Austin Reed completed a 45 yard pass play to Malachi Corley. The Owls scored on the next drive. N’Kosi Perry completed a pass to Jahmal Edrine. Perry was 6 for 6 for 44 yards on the 75 yard drive. At halftime, the score was 7-7.
During the second half both teams scored on their opening possessions for the third quarter. The Owls gained their first lead early in the fourth quarter on a four yard touchdown rush by Larry McCammon. The Hilltoppers were turned away on fourth down conversions twice in the second half. Later in the fourth quarter the Hilltoppers Reed hit Jaylen Hill in the back corner of the end zone.
The regulation game ended in a 24-24 tie. The Owls got the ball first in overtime and took two plays to score. Perry completed a 25 yard pass play for a touchdown that game FAU a 31 to 24 lead. WKU answered with a four-play scoring drive. But rather than play for a second overtime, the Hilltoppers chose a two-point conversion to get the win. Reed threw a pass to Joshua Simon for the conversion.
After the game, Coach Willie Taggart said he was disappointed with the loss but praised the effort of the team, especially seniors that have worked hard in games and practices over the years. “My personally, I love these guys. Especially the guys that have been here since I got here, to buy into what I was asking those guys to do, and to try to help me and our staff change the culture here. I can’t thank those guys enough for that.”
Taggart continued, “In the past, I don’t think you would’ve had the team compete like they did. I think the way the season was going, up and down, I don’t think you would’ve seen the team just fighting back, keep coming back after a loss. But this team is different. They love being around each other. I love being around them,” he said.
From David Volz
Update on the firing of FAU Coach Willie Taggart.
FAU fired Taggart a few hours after the team’s loss to Western Kentucky. Taggart had three consecutive seasons with five wins and there was no bowl bid for the second time. Taggart was 15-18 in his three seasons with the Owls. He as 5-4 in a season shortened by the pandemic in 2020 and 5-7 in the last two seasons.
FAU will join the American Athletic Conference next season.
Taggart was brought to FAU after Lane Kiffin left FAU for Ole Miss in 2019. Taggart came to FAU with a 56-62 record at four schools, Western Kentucky, South Florida, Oregon and Florida State. He had one winning record with those teams. He was 7-5 in one season at Oregon. He was 16-20 at Western Kentucky, 24-25 at USF and 9-12 at FSU.
The Owls began 5-1 in Taggart’s first season but they have since ben 10-17. They lost in his one bowl appearance with FAU. The Owls competed in the Montgomery Bowl in 2020 losing to Memphis. Taggart has two years and $1.5 million remaining in base salary on his FAU contract. He is still owed about $4 million by FSU which has been paying Taggart about $300,000 a month as part of the settlement of what was a $30 million six year contract. He lost his job with FSU in November 2019. He will receive payments from the Seminoles through January 2024.
Owls started 5-1 in Taggart’s first season; they’ve gone 10-17 since, and lost in Taggart’s lone bowl appearance with FAU. The Owls went to the Montgomery Bowl in 2020, losing to Memphis.
Taggart had two years and $1.5 million remaining in base salary on his FAU contract. He’s also still owed roughly $4 million by Florida State, which has been paying Taggart nearly $300,000 a month as part of the settlement of what was a $30 million, six-year contract with the Seminoles before they fired him in in November 2019. Taggart is scheduled to continue receiving payments from the Seminoles through January 2024.
