Head football coach Charlie Partridge lost his first Shula Bowl in an unflattering fashion. In their twenty eighth meeting, the FAU Owls (2-4, 1-1) lost to the Golden Panthers of Florida International University 38-10.

The Owls trailed 14-10 at halftime after a two and a half hour rain delay postponed the game. Rain and lightning persisted, and officials mandated that all patrons leave the stadium.

Once the teams returned to the field, turnovers began to plague the Owls.

A fumble by running back Jay Warren was returned by an FIU player for a 100-yard touchdown and the score stood 2-10 after an extra point. Warren fumbled twice near the goal line and was benched in favor of Tony Moore. Warren finished with 62 yards on 13 carries.

Following a red-zone interception thrown by Jaquez Johnson, FIU quarterback Alex McGough scored on a 1-yard run to stretch the lead to 31-10. The Panthers scored 24 unanswered points on their way to a 38-10 win.

“Obviously a tough locker room right now,” Patridge said immediately after the loss. He mentioned turnovers as a key factor in how the game played out. “They are very disappointed in how we performed. They are very disappointed how the game went.”

The FAU loss brings their all-time series record with FIU to 9-4. On Oct. 18, they will take on Western Kentucky at home.

Wesley Wright is the Sports editor of the University Press. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter.