MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The 2020 football season came to a close Wednesday night for the Florida Atlantic University Owls in the Montgomery Bowl against Memphis. The Tigers prevailed in the matchup, 25-10, the first loss in a bowl game in Owls’ program history.
QUOTABLE
Head coach Willie Taggart:
“I felt like we didn’t take advantage of opportunities that we got in this football game. Our defense did a great job of getting three takeaways, (but) only getting three points out of those takeaways is not good enough against a good football team like Memphis. We’ve got to do a better job in the red zone, we were down there a couple of times and didn’t get into the end zone. Again, you’re not going to beat a team like Memphis not taking advantage of those opportunities … it’s disappointing, we’ve got to be better if we’re going to win ballgames, especially against a team like that.”
THE TURNING POINT
The Tigers (8-3) scored the game’s first 18 points, holding FAU (5-4) scoreless in the first half.
The Finish
Momentum seemed to shift quickly after halftime, with an FAU touchdown, forced turnover and field goal for 10 unanswered points. But Memphis scored on their ensuing drive and had a goal line stand early in the fourth to prevent the Owls from getting any closer.
QUICK HITS
- Memphis got on the board first with a field goal midway through the first, and extended the lead to 10-0 on a touchdown with 2:26 to go in the quarter
- The Tigers were nearing the red zone and look to add on in the second, but the Owls took possession on Montgomery native Zyon Gilbert’s interception at the seven, plus an 11-yard return
- Getting the ball back quickly, Memphis did end up scoring before the break, on a swing pass to a defensive lineman lined up at fullback. That and the two-point conversion made it 18-0 going into the locker room
- The first drive of the second half was a three-and-out for the FAU defense, including a TFL for Ahman Ross and tackle for no gain by Chris Jones on 2nd and 3rd down, respectively
- That momentum carried over to the other side of the ball, with the first four plays going for 10 (a run by James Charles), eight (keeper by Nick Tronti), 11 (Charles again) and 26 (Tronti to Michael Irvin II) to move within the Memphis 20
- On 3rd-and-10, Tronti found Brandon Robinson, who broke a tackle that would have had him short of the 1st down marker, eventually getting 17 yards down to the 3
- Two plays later, Tronti and TJ Chase connected for a three-yard score
- The ensuing kickoff by Aaron Shahriari was short and directional, muffed by the Tiger upback and recovered by Kelvin Dean, Jr. on the Memphis 24
- Vladimir Rivas split the uprights from 27 yards to make it a one-score game (18-10)
- The Tigers responded with a 75-yard touchdown drive, the bulk of which came on a 51-yard throw and catch
- FAU came up with their third turnover of the night when Ross forced a fumble late in the third and Evan Anderson came away with possession of it. Again, this came with good field position, at the Memphis 33
- Dean converted a 4th-and-1 to move the chains, and Tronti kept for 19 yards on the next play to take it down to the three-yard line
- But Memphis held on the next four plays and kept the Owls out of the end zone, getting the ball back on downs
- With 4:40 to go, the Owls had to go for it on 4th-and-7, and Tronti and Jordan Merrell hooked up for 20 yards. But when it became 4th-and-10 again with 3:57 left, Memphis came away with an interception at the 2, and then bled out the clock for the win
STATS AND RECORDS
- Charles went for over five yards per carry, with a team-high 82 on 16 touches
- Tronti and Javion Posey utilized a combined nine different receivers on the night. Robinson led in catches (four) and yardage (39), followed by Merrell and LaJohntay Webster in the former with three each; and Irvin and Merrell in the latter, 26 yards apiece
- Ross filled up the stat sheet with a team-leading 10 tackles, six solo, with a half-tackle for loss and the forced fumble
- Eddie Williams was next with nine stops, Gilbert and Anderson both had seven, and Jaylen Joyner, Chase Lasater and Korel Smith each posted six
- Gilbert’s interception was his first of 2020 and the third of his career
