The Florida Atlantic Owls (3-4, 2-1 AAC) lost their first conference game to the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) Roadrunners (4-3, 3-0 AAC), 36-10, on Saturday night, during the Owls’ Homecoming Game.
“We got bullied,” said head coach Tom Herman.
On the Roadrunners opening drive that lasted roughly eight minutes, junior running back Robert Henry scored a 15-yard rushing touchdown, putting the Roadrunners up first 7-0.
FAU redshirt senior wide receiver Je’Quan Burton had a 39-yard left drive from junior quarterback Daniel Richardson, giving FAU the first down in their opening drive. FAU continued to march the ball down the field, but sent out redshirt junior kicker Logan Lupo to score a 37-yard field goal.
With five minutes left in the first quarter, junior defensive back Daedae Hill had his first career interception, but FAU could not capitalize.
FAU’s defense again came up with a takeaway when redshirt junior defensive lineman Latrell Jean intercepted the ball and scored deep in UTSA’s 10-yard line with only 23 seconds left, ending the quarter 10-7. Jean’s pick six was the only touchdown scored by the Owls during the game.
“It’s not a common thing, you know, a big guy like me to score a touchdown. It felt good,” said Latrell Jean.
Just under five minutes into the second quarter, UTSA redshirt freshman linebacker Owen Pewee intercepted Richardson’s pass, which gave the Roadrunners an opportunity to march the ball down the field.
UTSA junior wide receiver Willie McCoy scored on a 10-yard pass from redshirt senior quarterback Frank Harris with just under seven minutes left in the second quarter.
The Roadrunners scored a field goal later in the second quarter to extend the lead by 10. Both teams remained stagnant in the third quarter. Halfway through the quarter, the Roadrunners had a breakaway, scoring a 42-yard pass into the endzone, making the score 27-10.
Following that, the Owls started deep in their own five-yard line. The Roadrunners defensive line were able to sack Richardson in the end zone, resulting in a safety and extending the Roadrunners’ lead to 19.
Just over three minutes into the fourth quarter, Harris fumbled the ball, which was then recovered by FAU redshirt senior outside linebacker Xavier Peters.
Both teams were unable to score throughout the rest of the fourth quarter, until UTSA redshirt sophomore running back Rocko Griffin ran for a six-yard touchdown, ending the game 36-10.
“It’s okay to call out a teammate, a friend, a loved one. It is okay to tell people they are not doing their job well enough, and we all have a job in that locker room. We have to go from a coach fed team to a player led team,” Herman said.
Before Saturday, the Owls were 3-0 against the Roadrunners all-time, with their last victory being on Oct. 31, 2020. The Owls won that game 24-3. UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor and Harris were both a part of that 2020 game. The Owls are now 13-9 in Homecoming Games all-time.
FAU head coach Tom Herman is now 15-5 in AAC conference games. This matchup featured Richardson, who was last week’s AAC Offensive Player of the Week, and UTSA redshirt sophomore outside linebacker Trey Moore, who was last week’s AAC Defensive Player of the Week.
FAU will be on the road against the University of North Carolina at Charlotte 49ers (2-5, 1-2 AAC) on Friday, Oct. 27 at 7:30 p.m.
Christiana Eckard is a staff writer for the University Press. For more information regarding this or other stories, email her at [email protected] or @christianaeck_ on Instagram.
