BIRMINGHAM, ALA. – The Florida Atlantic University football team (4-5, 3-2 AAC) put forth a valiant comeback effort that came up just short in a 45-42 shootout against the UAB Blazers (3-6, 2-3 AAC) on Saturday afternoon.
Down by 21 in the second half, the Owls responded with 28 unanswered points to go ahead in the fourth quarter.
Leading the way was the newest addition to the Biletnikoff Award Watch List: junior wide receiver LaJohntay Wester, who continues to raise the bar each week.
His most recent performance goes down in history books as the greatest game by an Owls wide receiver ever, setting a program record of 219 yards on 11 catches with a total of four touchdowns.
FIRST HALF
While in previous games, the offense and defense went back and forth on who would be the tone setter, this time it was Chad Lunsford‘s special forces unit that stepped up to the plate when linebacker Jarrett Jerrells recovered a blocked field goal to give the Owls the ball back.
On the first offensive drive, it once again became the Wester show, hauling in a 27-yard reception to become Florida Atlantic’s all-time leading single season reception leader.
Wester had six more catches in him in the first half frame for a total of 118 yards and a wide-open 12-yard touchdown.
The Owls’ other score in the opening half came from quarterback Michael Johnson Jr., who has scored on 29% of his touches on the season. Facing a fourth-and-one, Johnson Jr. kept the ball on an option and ran 27 yards untouched for the TD.
Florida Atlantic ultimately entered the locker room facing a 28-14 deficit.
SECOND HALF
Soon after the second half began, the Owls found themselves trailing 35-14.
Florida Atlantic’s offense needed a spark and the run game provided it. A 65-yard drive, all from the ground, was highlighted by a 39-yard scramble by quarterback Daniel Richardson and culminated in a three-yard handoff to Wester for the score.
The rest of the quarter was all Owls and a lot of Wester. The defense came to life with takeaways on two consecutive drives: a fumble recovery by defensive lineman Evan Anderson and an interception by safety Dwight Toombs. A 20-yard touchdown to Wester brought the score within seven at the end of the third.
At the very beginning of the fourth quarter, Richardson launched a ball downfield to who else other than a wide-open Wester, who juked and spun his way into the end zone for a monster 76- yard touchdown to tie it up.
Graduate running back Kobe Lewis punched the ball in from 14 to complete the 28-0 run and give the Owls their first lead of the afternoon at 42-35.
UAB responded back with a touchdown of their own and the Owls ultimately ran out of time, with the Blazers kicking a 26-yard field goal with just three seconds left to take the 45-42 victory.
QUOTABLE
Hagerty Family Head Football Coach Tom Herman
“I am really proud of the fight. To be one of five teams with just four games left that had a chance to win the conference championship speaks to the fight in these guys. But I think we know we let one get away today. [UAB] was a really good football team coming off a bye week that was hitting their stride. Us as coaches have been doing this a long time and you know a team on the rise when you see it. We were certainly banged up defensively and that showed as well. We still have a lot to play for and we have a chance to 1-0 against East Carolina and also take one step closer to continuing our season with some postseason play that will allow us to continue to grow.”
OFFENSE
- Wester’s historic performance only strengthens his case to win the Biletnikoff Award, awarded to the most outstanding receiver in college football. Wester is now up to 1,004 yards in 2023, tied for number two all-time in a single FAU season, on 87 catches and now eight receiving touchdowns, 10 total on the year
- For the second game in a row and third time in four games, Richardson threw for three touchdown passes as well as his longest pass of the year with 76 yards
- Lewis ran for a game-high 80 yards on 5 yards-per-carry and added his second touchdown of the season
- Senior running back Larry McCammon added 68 yards on the ground on 13 carries
- Michael Johnson Jr. finished the afternoon with 38 yards and a touchdown on just three touches
DEFENSE
- Graduate safety Jarron Morris (13 tackles) and senior linebacker Desmond Tisdol (11) added their names to the growing number of double-digit tackles by an Owl, Tisdol for the first time this season
- Toombs recorded his first interception of the season after a team-high three in 2022
- Birmingham native and defensive lineman Decarius Hawthorne logged a sack after notching one the previous week, upping his season total to four
- Junior linebacker Courtney McBride was a force to be reckoned with from the edge, sacking the opposing QB adding 2.5 tackles for loss
SPECIAL TEAMS
- Logan Lupo downed two punts inside the 20
- As if burning the Blazers defense on offense was not enough, Wester added a 34-yard punt return. Thanks to his total of 40 yards on returns, he finished the day with 265 yards from scrimmage
UP NEXT
The Owls will return home to FAU Stadium to take on East Carolina (1-8, 0-5 AAC) on Saturday, Nov. 11. Kickoff will be at 4 p.m. EST.
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