BOCA RATON – The Owls looked more like their 2017 selves in the home opener against Air Force.
FAU (1-1) would look very fluid on the first drive as quarterback Chris Robinson went 8-of-8 passing for 61 yards on his team’s opening drive.
The Owls would stall out in the red zone and get points on the board on a 24-yard field goal by Vladmir Rivas with 10:16 left in first quarter.
FAU’s offense would stall again in the red zone and they would settle for a 34-yard field goal by Rivas in the first quarter. The score would be 6-0 with 3:22 left in first quarter.
Running back Devin Singletary broke through the Air Force defense for a 36-yard touchdown run midway through the second quarter. After the extra point, FAU extended its lead to 13-0.
Air Force (1-1) would get on the board with a 1-yard run by Nolan Eriksen with 2:50 left in second quarter. An extra point cut FAU’s lead to 13-7.
Robinson connected with wide receiver Willie Wright on a 17-yard touchdown with 27 seconds before halftime to take a 19-7 lead.
Air Force opened the second half with a 7 play, 75-yard scoring drive on a pass from Isaiah Sanders to Kade Waguespack. With the extra point, Air Force cut the lead to 19-14 with 11:46 left in the third quarter.
FAU would answer back with a 41-yard pass from Robinson to wide receiver Jovon Durante. The score would be 25-14.
Air Force scored on 7-yard run by fullback Taven Birdow with 3:40 left in the third quarter to keep the game close.
But Robinson would connect with Durante on a 49-yard pass that would later set up a 26-yard touchdown pass to Wright. This score extended the Owls lead to 33-20 with 10:41 left in the fourth quarter.
Air Force would block FAU’s punt with 50 seconds left in the fourth quarter to close the gap down to 33-27.
But FAU’s defense would hold strong as Rashad Smith would seal the deal with an interception that effective ended the game. The pick was caught with just 10 seconds left.
Azeez Al-Shaair broke FAU’s solo career tackles record. Shaair and Smith lead the defensive charge with a combined 26 tackles and two tackles for loss.
OBSERVATIONS
FAU made minimal mistakes to beat Air Force. They may not have to play another team with this type of offense, and they’ll be happy about it.
Robinson will be the guy moving forward after he went 33-of-40 for 471 yards and three touchdowns. Durante will be Robinson’s top target after catching 12 passes for 174 yards and one touchdown.
Singletary was bottled up most of the day, as Air Force filled the box. He finished with 16 carries for 57 yards and one touchdown.
NEXT GAME: Home vs. Bethune-Cookman on Saturday, Sept. 15 at 6 p.m. in Week 3.
