BOCA RATON – The Florida Atlantic Owls could not fight off Louisiana Tech Friday night, as the Bulldogs went on to win 21-13.
Both offenses struggled early in the game as their defenses fought hard to keep each other out of the end zone. FAU’s rushing attack was on full display, but it was not enough to hold off Louisiana Tech.
FAU got things started early in the first quarter with a 7-yard touchdown by Junior running back Devin Singletary that put the Owls up 7-0. Singletary had an eventful night as he carried the ball 19 times for 171 yards and scoring the Owls only touchdown.
The Owls looked dominant in the run game, and they relied heavily on it throughout the night, outrushing the Bulldogs 227-113.
Near the end of the first quarter, Vladimir Rivas connected on a 29-yard field goal attempt to put the Owls up 10-0.
Both offenses struggled to put points on the board in the second quarter until LA Tech struck gold with 4:26 left. After pass completions of 18 and 14 yards, running back Jaqwis Dancy scored on a 20-yard touchdown run to bring the score to 10-7.
Shortly after, the Owls turned the ball over to the Bulldogs on a Rafe Peavey fumble caused by defensive sensation Jaylon Ferguson. His strip sack tied him for first all-time in career sacks in the Conference USA history.
Louisiana Tech found the end zone once more on a 5-yard touchdown run by Ken McKnight.
The Bulldogs took a 14-10 lead into halftime as the Owls were searching for answers.
Late in the third quarter, Rivas connected on a 28-yard field goal to cut the Bulldogs lead to 14-13. Back-and-forth punts from both teams summed up the remainder of the third and majority of the fourth quarter.
With 3:39 left in the contest quarterback J’Mar Smith found Teddy Veal on a 15-yard touchdown grab in the corner of the end zone to take a 21-13 lead. Veal finished with nine receptions for 89 yards and a touchdown.
The Owls defense had a chance to force a punt, but a 15-yard personal foul call ended their hopes of regaining possession of the ball.
The Bulldogs converted on a first down run that led to a victory formation. As a result, the Bulldogs collected a tough 21-13 win on the road.
Louisiana Tech improves to 6-2 overall and 4-1 in Conference USA play. They will face SEC foe Mississippi State next Saturday.
Meanwhile, this loss snaps a 10-game home winning streak for the Owls and brings them to an overall record of 3-5 and 1-3 in Conference USA play. The Owls will travel to Miami next Saturday to face FIU for the annual Shula Bowl, which they won 52-24 last year.
