BOCA RATON, Fla. – Florida Atlantic University football scored the most points ever by either team in the annual rivalry game against FIU, topping the Panthers, 58-21, in Shula Bowl XX on Saturday evening at FAU Stadium. The game, which also served as the Conference USA opener for both teams, saw the Owls outgain their border rivals, 704-388, the second-highest yardage total in FAU history.
QUOTABLE
Hagerty Family Head Football Coach Willie Taggart:
“What a win. That was a great win for our football team. Great way to bounce back after the way we played last week. I’m very proud of our guys for doing that. We challenged our offense about coming out and playing fast. That’s something we hadn’t done all year. Executing our plays and just carrying on from that point on, and it just showed they’re capable of doing it, and more importantly, if we focus and practice that way, we get good results off of it. I thought N’Kosi (Perry) played outstanding. I’m glad he played outstanding because the way that he worked this week was the way he was supposed to work. We got back from Air Force at 8 in the morning, at noon he was trying to get better and learn what he did wrong. It’s no surprise that he played the way he did.”
THE BEGINNING
The Owls (3-2, 1-0 C-USA) opened up the playbook on the very first snap, with a successful 45-yard fleaflicker from N’Kosi Perry to Brandon Robinson. Three plays later, Perry called his own number, taking it in from eight yards out for the opening salvo. The teams traded scores – the Owls’ tally coming on a 32-yard James Charles run – and because of a failed two-point conversion, FIU (1-4, 0-1 C-USA) actually led 14-13 early in the second.
THE TURNING POINT
From then on in the first half, three of the final four TD’s were FAU’s, and they were all 20+-yard chunk plays: Perry to Zaire Mitchell-Paden for 22 yards; Perry to Johnny Ford, an 89-yard catch-and-run; and Perry finding Je’Quan Burton wide open for 42 yards in the end zone. The Owls’ halftime advantage was 34-21.
THE FINISH
As far as scoring, the third quarter had only seen an Aaron Shahriari 20-yard field goal midway through, before the second play of the ensuing FIU drive. On a deep ball, Zyon Gilbert outleapt the Panther receiver for a tremendous interception, and Nick Tronti then led the Owls on a scoring drive, with his arm (an 11-yard completion) and rushes of 16 and a five-yard keeper.
Two more Owl series with Tronti at QB went for fourth quarter scores, with TD runs by Ford and Kelvin Dean, Jr. The final extra point – Morgan Suarez’s first of his career – set the Shula Bowl Record, one point more than 57 points scored by FAU in 2008. From FIU’s second score until the horn, the Owls held a 45-7 advantage.
STATS AND RECORDS
- The Owls had seven plays of 20+ yards and 403 total yards on offense in the first half alone. At that point, Perry was 13-of-15 (86.7%) for 265 yards and the three scores
- The team added four more chunk plays in the second half for 11 on the night
- That yardage total is the second most in program history, trailing only the 804 against North Texas in 2017, and moving ahead of 657 at Rice in 2016
- He ended up 18-of-21, 85.7%, for 329 yards – and also caught the first reception of his five-year collegiate career, an 11-yard third quarter gain from Javion Posey. Perry didn’t see the field for the final 19 minutes of the game, but was still named FAU’s Shula Bowl MVP
- The three Owls that attempted passes – Perry, Posey and Tronti – combined to go 24-for-28, 85.7% as well, and for 408 yards. That is the second highest completion rate and third highest passing yardage total all-time
- The team’s 14.5 yards per passing attempt is second highest, and 9.4 average gain per play ranks third
- The 58 points not only breaks the Shula Bowl record, it ties for the second most points scored by FAU in a game all-time. So too does the Owls’ eight touchdowns
- Perry and Ford’s 89-yard connection is the third longest pass/offensive play in FAU history, and the seventh longest play ever
- Ford’s 102 yards on the ground made him the Owls’ first 100-yard rusher since last year’s Shula Bowl, when Posey went for 182
- Burton caught seven passes for 121 yards, both team- and career-highs
- He and Ford became the first Owls’ rusher/receiver century-mark combo since Dec. 7, 2019 against UAB (Malcolm Davidson and Deangelo Antoine)
- Mitchell-Paden had two catches coming in; he matched that on two consecutive plays (the snap before his score, he hauled in an 18-yard pass as well). Eleven different Owls caught passes in the game, including the first of the career for Austin Evans
- Akileis Leroy led the Owls’ defense with eight tackles, one more than Caliph Brice. Jaylen Joyner and Courtney McBride had sacks among the team’s four TFL, and the defensive backs had six pass breakups
WHAT’S NEXT
FAU travels to Birmingham next Saturday, facing UAB at 3:30 p.m., in a game on STADIUM Network and broadcasted on Fox Sports 640AM South Florida. Following that is a bye week, then a road matchup on Thursday, Oct. 21 at Charlotte.
The Owls’ next home game at FAU Stadium is Saturday, Oct. 30, against UTEP, which will also be Homecoming. Single game tickets for all 2021 home games are available; to experience “Football in Paradise,” click HERE or call 1-866-FAU-OWLS.
