BOCA RATON, Fla. – (Nov. 7, 2020) – Florida Atlantic University football, behind redshirt freshman Javion Posey, scored the go-ahead touchdown with just over two minutes left and remained undefeated at home with a 10-6 win over WKU Saturday night at FAU Stadium.
Quotable
Head coach Willie Taggart:
“(It was) a great win for the Owls. It was good to see our guys find a way to win a tough, hard-fought ballgame. I told our guys all week long that this was going to be a tough, hard-fought ballgame and sure enough, what I told them happened in this ballgame. It’s good to see our guys hang in there for four quarters and find a way in the fourth quarter to win. It says a lot about our football team. I was very pleased and happy with our guys for finding a way to win a tough ballgame.”
The Turning Point
The two teams had only notched field goals before FAU (3-1, 3-1 C-USA) turned to Posey at quarterback in the fourth. He had a 17-yard rush on the first play of his first series, and though WKU came away with an interception four plays later, and then a field goal to move ahead, a Posey-led 75-yard drive – capped by his 11-yard keeper for a touchdown – proved to be the game-winner.
The Finish
WKU (2-6, 1-3 C-USA) took over, and the FAU defense forced a turnover on downs, with a three-yard loss on the ground along with three incompletions. All that was left was one more first down, by BJ Emmons, and then a Posey kneel-down in the victory formation to close it out.
Quick Hits
- The start of the game was delayed due to weather by a half-hour, to 6:35 p.m.
- WKU’s first series was a 16-play drive, into the FAU red zone, but it ended on a sack by Caliph Brice and Leighton McCarthy for a loss of 13 on 3rd down, followed by an unsuccessful 50-yard field goal attempt
- That was as close as either team came to scoring in the first quarter
- Or, for that matter, the first half, as the teams went into the locker room scoreless
- The first points of the game didn’t come until 8:51 to go in the third, on an FAU series where the Owls started at exactly midfield after a 17-yard punt return by LaJohntay Wester
- James Charles had a rush of 10 yards on the drive, and a pass interference penalty on WKU took it to the 16-yard line
- Though a sack pushed the Owls back (and out of the red zone), Vladimir Rivas came through with a 40-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead
- The Hilltoppers answered right back with three points of their own, on a kick from 32 yards out
- WKU went up 6-3 midway through the fourth on another field goal, this one a 49-yarder
- The Owls then immediately put together a 12-play, 75-yard drive, with all 12 plays coming on the ground (including 15-yard runs by Posey and Charles)
- After Emmons got a first down on 4th-and-1, Posey kept it for an 11-yard touchdown and the lead with 2:27 to go
Stats and Records
- Though he was in on just two drives, Posey led the Owls on the ground with 60 yards rushing (6.7 per carry). Emmons had 56 and Charles added 53
- TJ Chase was the top receiver with three receptions for 47 yards, including a 26-yarder. Jordan Merrell had the longest play from scrimmage, a 35-yard catch to close out the first half
- Matt Hayball recorded a season-long 70-yard punt, and averaged 45.8 yards on the night
- Chase Lasater and Teja Young shared the team high with seven tackles each, with Brice just one behind them. The Owls posted seven TFL, with McCarthy and Brice each recording 1.5
What’s Next
The Owls are on the road next Friday to take on FIU in Shula Bowl XIX. Following that is a newly scheduled home game, also a Friday night matchup, on Nov. 20 hosting UMass. That night, it’ll be an 8 p.m. kickoff and will air on CBS Sports Network. For tickets, visit FAU’s football tickets website or call 1-866-FAU-OWLS.
– FAUSports.com –
Florida Atlantic University Athletics:
FAU Athletics is comprised of 21 intercollegiate teams involving 450 student-athletes that compete in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, indoor and outdoor track, volleyball, beach volleyball, cheer and dance. The Owls are a NCAA Division I-A (FBS) institution and compete in Conference USA and the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA) (beach volleyball, men’s swimming). The Owls have been playing football since 2001 and are a perfect 4-0 in bowl games, the most recent being a 52-28 victory over SMU in the 2019 Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl. The dance team finished its 2014 season No. 8, nationally. FAU cheer won a national championship in 2016.
About Florida Atlantic University:
Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University, with an annual economic impact of $6.3 billion, serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students at sites throughout its six county service region in southeast Florida. FAU’s world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University is placing special focus on the rapid development of critical areas that form the basis of its strategic plan: Healthy aging, biotech, coastal and marine issues, neuroscience, regenerative medicine, informatics, lifespan and the environment. These areas provide opportunities for faculty and students to build upon FAU’s existing strengths in research and scholarship. For more information, visit www.fau.edu.
