BOCA RATON – The FAU Owls (3-4; 1-1 in C-USA) were facing a 14-7 halftime deficit to the Rice Owls (3-3; 1-1 in C-USA) at FAU Stadium.
It seemed as if another home loss was on the horizon last night (Oct. 14) for the FAU Owls. But head coach Willie Taggart and his players were determined to make a big breakthrough in the second half.
FAU did just that, as it outscored Rice 10-0 in both the third and fourth quarters to secure an important 17-14 win in Conference USA play.
How did it happen?
Let us start with FAU kicker and Wellington alum Morgan Suarez.
The redshirt freshman went 1-for-2 on his field goal attempts against Rice. He missed one in the first half, but made up for it with a 34-yard connection that enabled FAU to cut Rice’s lead to 14-10 at the 8:27 mark of the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, great things happened for FAU.
Owls senior quarterback N’Kosi Perry completed 14 of his 26 passes for 126 yards and a passing touchdown.
Perry’s game-winner happened with 11:22 left in the fourth quarter, as he found wide receiver Jahmal Edrine on a corner route that resulted in an 18-yard touchdown connection.
With Suarez’s extra point, FAU took a 17-14 lead over Rice – its first lead of the game – and held on to that same score all the way to the final buzzer.
The FAU secondary ultimately secured the win by way of its pass breakups and interceptions.
Two of FAU’s three interceptions came in the fourth quarter, one of which was caught by redshirt sophomore and Centennial (Port St. Lucie) alum Dwight Toombs II with 8:03 left in the game.
Toombs II caught the touchdown-saving pick in the FAU end zone and somehow made an acrobatic flip in the process of it all.
The other interception was caught by redshirt junior safety Armani-Eli Adams with 4:18 left.
FAU’s defense as a whole shut down Rice’s offense, as they allowed just 261 total yards (197 passing, 64 yards rushing) and 15 first downs in this one.
GAME NOTES: FAU junior running back Larry McCammon III finished the game with 24 carries for 99 net yards and a touchdown run.
McCammon’s score was on a 5-yard run with 12:05 left in the second quarter. With Suarez’s extra point, FAU’s 17-point rally began as it cut Rice’s early 14-0 lead to 14-7.
NEXT GAME FOR FAU: Saturday, Oct. 22 at UTEP (3-4; 1-2 in C-USA); 4 p.m. kickoff Eastern Standard Time on ESPN+
NEXT GAME FOR RICE: Saturday, Oct. 22 at Louisiana Tech (2-4; 1-1 in C-USA); 3 p.m. kickoff Eastern Standard Time on ESPN+
PHOTO CREDITS: Christian Proscia
