| 10/4/2025 | Football | Box Score HOUSTON – Explosive plays in the passing game and a firm defensive performance lifted the Florida Atlantic football team past Rice by a score of 27-21 on Saturday night. The Owls of FAU (2-3, 1-1) earned their first American Conference victory of the season and delivered Zach Kittley his first league win as Hagerty Family Head Football Coach. Redshirt junior QB Caden Veltkamp dished out 290 passing yards and three touchdowns in addition to key first down runs to seal the game. The defense held the Owls of Rice (3-3, 1-2), a top 20 rushing team in the nation, to their second lowest total of the season. FIRST HALF After allowing an opening drive touchdown on defense, the Florida Atlantic Owls tied the game on their first offensive possession with Veltkamp throwing a 30-yard strike to senior TE Michael Kirch, his first score of the season. The defense made a fourth down run stuff on the ensuing defensive stand. FAU then capitalized on a fourth down of its own, with a perfectly placed ball from Veltkamp that was hauled in by redshirt sophomore WR Asaad Waseem for a 38-yard score and a 14-7 lead. A third scoring drive, keyed by a 55-yard catch and run from redshirt junior WR Easton Messer, set up a field goal to extend the lead to 17-7 that held through halftime. SECOND HALF With five minutes to go in the third quarter, Rice scored a touchdown to cut the deficit to three points. The Owls of Florida Atlantic responded on their next drive with a 44-yard catch and run from Waseem and Kirch’s second touchdown at the goal line, bringing the lead back to double digits at 24-14. The offense had one more explosive play in them in the fourth quarter with Veltkamp finding Kirch wide open for a 41-yard gain on fourth down. Redshirt senior kicker Garrison Smith drilled his second field goal of the game to build a 27-14 lead. Rice scored with three minutes remaining to make it a one-score game before Veltkamp used his legs to close it out. Two runs on third down, first a 10 yarder on third-and-eight to catch the defense off guard and then a two-yard push on third-and-one, kept the ball in Florida Atlantic’s hands and allowed the offense to kneel down for the victory. OFFENSE Kirch finished with two touchdowns on his four catches and 82 yards. It is the most yards by a Florida Atlantic tight end in a single game since Harrison Bryant in 2019. Waseem has tallied a team-best four receiving touchdowns. Messer, the nation’s leader in receptions per game, had 11 catches for 110 yards. His 55-yard haul was his second consecutive game with a 50+ yard catch and the Owls’ longest on offense this season. DEFENSE Defensive Coordinator Brett Dewhurst‘s unit recorded eight tackles for loss. They have recorded at least five TFLs in each of the first five games, the first Owls’ defense to do so since 2019. Leon Hart Jr. led the way with the redshirt junior LB racking up 10 tackles, his third double-digit outing in four games played. Redshirt sophomore DE Eric Brantley Jr. logged his first career solo sack, a third down stop to force a punt. SPECIAL TEAMS Messer recorded a 36-yard punt return. POSTGAME AUDIO Hagerty Family Head Football Coach Zach Kittley Graduate DB Wendol Philord Senior TE Michael Kirch Redshirt Junior LB Tyler Stolsky PHOTO GALLERY Gallery: (10-4-2025) Florida Atlantic at Rice UP NEXT Florida Atlantic returns to Paradise to face UAB (2-3, 0-2) on Saturday, Oct. 11. Kickoff at Flagler Credit Union Stadium is set for 6 p.m. on ESPN+. FOLLOW ON SOCIAL Stay informed by reading FAUSports.com or through social media accounts @FAUFootball. |
