BOCA RATON, Fla. – Florida Atlantic University football finished off the home portion of their 2020 schedule undefeated, after Friday night’s 24-2 win over UMass at FAU Stadium. All told, the Owls (5-1) have now won eight straight games at their home field.
Quotable Head coach Willie Taggart:
“(It was) great that our guys found a way to win, but all year long, take care of ‘Paradise.’ It was good for our guys to come here and go undefeated at home. It was something we talked about at the beginning of the year and we got that done. Our defense played great and it was exciting to see them finally get some takeaways, to hold (UMass) to two points was big time. Offensively, we’ve got a lot of work to do. We didn’t run the ball the way we’re capable of. There’s a lot of work to do on the offensive side of the ball, but it was a good win.”
The Turning Point
After a nearly scoreless first half, with the Owls up 7-0, the quarterback tandem of Nick Tronti and Javion Posey each contributed to back-to-back scores in the third to virtually put the game away. Tronti entered when Posey’s helmet came off and found Brandon Robinson for a touchdown; Posey rumbled down the field untouched for a 70-yard score just two minutes later.
The Finish
UMass (0-3) notched their only points on a safety, blocking a punt out of the back of the Owls’ end zone. The Minutemen had some momentum, moving it into FAU territory with a couple of first downs, but Leighton McCarthy snuffed out that drive with a sack on 4th down.
Quick Hits
- After holding the Minutemen to a three-and-out on the game’s first drive, the Owls scored a touchdown on their first possession for the first time on the year. On 4th and 4, Posey extended the drive with a 31-yard run; BJ Emmons went in from a yard out for the score
- That would be the only points for either team for the entirety of the first half
- FAU doubled their advantage on a 15-play drive to start the third quarter. The score came on the Tronti pass to Robinson, on 3rd-and-goal from the 13, and the redshirt junior wideout showed great concentration to haul in the catch
- UMass was then forced to their fifth three-and-out, the Owls took over on the 30, and Posey returned to the game with the immediate 70-yard touchdown
- Teja Young picked off his second pass of the year early in the fourth
- The scoring was capped when Posey and TJ Chase hooked up on a 49-yard connection to take it into the Minutemen red zone, and Vladimir Rivas booting a 30-yard field goal
- Once more, the Minutemen held good field position, on the FAU 27 after a 33-yard punt return; the Owls intercepted the very next pass, on David Belvin III’s first INT of his career
- Posey recorded two more first downs before the final horn, on a 28-yard pass to Davidson and 13 more to Chase
Stats and Records
- UMass’ 14 drives were 10 punts, two that ended on a turnover-on-downs and the two interceptions
- The FAU defense held the Minutemen to 147 total yards: 62 rushing (2.5 per carry) and 85 passing. UMass was 3-of-14 on 3rd down and 0-2 on 4th
- The last time a Conference USA school held their opponent to only a safety was on Oct. 4, 2001, when Louisville took a 7-2 win over Colorado State. The only other was UAB 47, Louisiana-Lafayette 2 on Sept. 30, 2000
- Posey’s career long run was also the longest rush by a quarterback in FAU history
- He finished with 90 yards rushing on 19 carries, and had a career-best 203 yards passing as well
- Chase led the receiving corps with 79 on four catches, while Davidson added three receptions for 63 yards
- Ahman Ross and Chase Lasater paced the defense with six stops each
- McCarthy, Ryan Veingrad and Evan Anderson each had a sack; the squad had five tackles for loss
What’s Next The Owls are scheduled to head out on the road for the final three weeks of the regular season, and are back in C-USA play next Saturday at Middle Tennessee. The matchup in Murfreesboro is a 3:30 p.m. Eastern start, will air on TV on CBS Sports Network and, as always, on Fox Sports 640AM on the radio dial.
