December 07, 2019
Video Highlights: https://youtu.be/_kYE6CBJiXM
BOCA RATON, Florida – Florida Atlantic’s offense showcased its firepower on Saturday afternoon against the league’s top-ranked defense, as the Owls became Conference USA Champions for the second time in three seasons with a 49-6 victory over UAB in the 2019 Ryan C-USA Football Championship.
Florida Atlantic (10-3) scored five first-half touchdowns to take a 35-6 lead to the break and finished the game with a season-high 585 yards of total offense, the most allowed by the Blazers (9-4) since their program was reinstated in for the 2017 season.
Owls QB Chris Robison was named the game’s Most Valuable Player after he went 17-of-29 for 267 yards and touchdowns to four different receivers, while adding 30 rushing yards on four attempts. Robison started the day hot, with his first five completions going for 121 yards and two TDs.
Only one signal-caller (Houston’s Case Keenum in 2009 with five) has thrown more TD passes in a C-USA Championship Game than Robison and he joins WKU’s Brandon Doughty (2015) as the only quarterbacks to win the award in the 15-year history of the title game.
Florida Atlantic produced a 100-yard rusher and a 100-yard receiver in the same game for the second time this season. Malcolm Davidson gained 128 yards on only 11 rushes, while DeAngelo Antoine totaled 112 yards on five receptions, including a touchdown. That is the same duo that accomplished the feat in a win over FIU on November 9.
The Florida Atlantic defense turned in a strong all-around performance, allowing 223 total yards to UAB, including just 42 through the air. The unit picked off two passes, registered three sacks, six tackles for loss and forced one fumble.
Offensively for UAB, RB Spencer Brown rushed 18 times for 65 yards, while WR Austin Watkins Jr. had three catches for 43 yards. Defensively, S Will Boler had a career-high 10 tackles.
Florida Atlantic opened the game’s scoring with a one-yard touchdown run by B.J. Emmons on fourth-and-goal. That score capped a drive that started at midfield off a UAB punt, with Malcolm Davidson and Emmons providing most of the yardage on the drive with 18 and 20-yard scampers, respectively.
Nick Vogel put UAB on the board later in the opening quarter with a 44-yard field goal that capped off an 8-play, 51-yardr drive.
On the first play of Florida Atlantic’s next possession, QB Chris Robison threw a 75-yard touchdown pass to WR Deangelo Antoine. That play tied the C-USA Championship record for the longest reception and gave the Owls a 14-3 advantage.
Florida Atlantic would extend that lead on the second play of the second quarter when Robison tossed an 18-yard scoring strike to WR John Mitchell. It was Mitchell’s first TD since Oct. 12 vs. Middle Tennessee.
The Owls special teams would make it 28-3 when RB Tyrek Tisdale blocked a punt by UAB’s Kyle Greenwell that LB Eddie Williams picked up and returned seven yards for a touchdown. That was just the second time in C-USA Championship history that a team scored on a blocked punt.
Just before halftime, FAU scored its fifth touchdown of the day, an eight-yard TD throw from Robison to TE Harrison Bryant. The 35 first half points go down as the second-most in C-USA Championship history.
Touchdown number six for the Owls was the only scoring of the third quarter. It came on a one-yard run Emmons, his second of the day, and capped FAU’s longest scoring drive of the day at 10 plays for 72 yards.
The game’s scoring closed out with a 20-yard TD pass from Robison to Chauncey Mason.
Florida Atlantic and UAB will find out their bowl destinations on Sunday afternoon. They are two of eight bowl-eligible teams for Conference USA this season.
