It was senior day in Paradise as 22 Owls took the field in Boca for the final time. After a week of turmoil and changes in the program, the Owls set focus on a struggling Charlotte (4-7, 3-4 AAC) program. Both squads were in similar boats as they both recently let go of their head coaches, but the 49ers got the best of FAU in an offensive explosion for both teams.
First Quarter:
Florida Atlantic opened the game with a promising drive. After falling to a 3rd and 6, CJ Campbell Jr.(pictured above, Dylan Vo) gained 17 for a first down. Two plays later, Campbell rushed up the middle and found a hole, gashing the 49ers defense for a 49 yard gain to the Charlotte two yard line. There FAU could not find the endzone off of two rushes and a pass and settled for three. 3-0, FAU, 10:36 in the first.
Charlotte quickly responded on the following drive. After gaining a quick first down, The 49ers’ Deshawn Purdie found O’Mega Blake for a 54 yard bomb to take the lead at 7-3, 8:38 remaining in the first.
The following Owls drive was a three & out as FAU punted the ball back to the ‘Niners. There Charlotte had great field position due to Logan Lupo’s shanked punt and converted a 50 yard field goal adding on to the lead: 10-3 49ers, 6:52 remaining.
The remainder of the first quarter the squads traded punts as at the end of one it was 10-3 Charlotte.
Second Quarter:
At the start of the second quarter, Florida Atlantic gained 20 yards, but eventually punted the ball back to Charlotte.
Charlotte fell to a 3rd and 6 at their own ten when Deshawn Purdie found Jairus Mack down the seam for a 59 yard pass. There the Owls defense held the 49ers to a FG as it was 13-3 ‘niners with 8:59 left in the second.
Redshirt Freshman Xavier Terrell took over the next Owls’ drive. Florida Atlantic took over from their own 32. A couple of Starks passes and a CJ Campbell run put the Owls at the 44 yard line. Their Terrell had four rushes for 44 yards to carry FAU into the endzone, 13-10 Owls.
A touchback set the ball at the Charlotte 25 for the 49ers. There a quick 21 yard rush put the ‘niners at their own 46. Following that two run plays gained little yardage. Sadly for FAU, a defensive pass interference call gave Charlotte prime position at the Florida Atlantic 39. The Owls held Charlotte to a fourth down play, but a Purdie pass found Sean Brown down the sideline for a 27 yard gain. Three short runs for Charlotte were not able to find the endzone as the ‘niners settled for a field goal, 16-10 at the half.
Halftime Stats:
CJ Campbell was averaging 5.8 yards a carry with a total of 75 yards in the first, he also had 23 receiving yards, leading in that category as well. Tyriq Starks was 6-15 with 63 yards passing. Jackson Ambush led the Owls with five tackles.
Third Quarter:
Charlotte marched their way down to Florida Atlantic territory to start the third thanks to a couple of Purdie chunk passes. The Owls held Charlotte to a field goal as the ‘Niners extended their lead to nine, 19-10 Charlotte.
FAU responded with a near eight minute drive. A few Starks passes brought the Owls to Charlotte territory at the ‘Niners’ seven yard line. Once again though, Florida Atlantic could not convert close to the goal line and settled for a Suarez field goal: 19-13 Charlotte, 1:59 remaining in the third.
Immediately following the Owls field goal, Purdie found O’Mega again down the left sideline to extend the 49ers’ lead to 13, 26-13 ‘Niners, 1:43 remaining.
FAU responded quickly with a deep bomb of their own. Starks found Omari Hayes wide open for an Owls 65 yard pass to bring the contest back to one possession, 26-20 Charlotte with 49 ticks remaining in the third.
At the end of the third, the ‘Niners had worked their way to midfield.
Fourth Quarter:
At midfield, the drive stalled out for Charlotte as they punted the ball back to the Owls. A Gemari Sands rush and a Marlyn Johnson catch later, FAU was at their 42 yard line. There Campbell Jr. put the exclamation mark on his night with a 58 yard scamper into the endzone giving the Owls a one-point advantage: 27-26 FAU, 11:36 remaining in the fourth.
Charlotte, looking for a response after being shutout 14-0 went back to the pass game. The Owls had been burned all night in the secondary, but Phillip Dunnam picked off Purdie’s pass in Charlotte territory, getting the Owls setup for a hopeful insurance score.
FAU gained a first down, advancing the ball to the 49ers 28 yard line. The Owls gained seven yards on their next three plays setting up a 4th and 3 play at the 21. Sadly for FAU, they could only muster up two yards as they turned the ball over on downs. 7:47 remaining in the game as Charlotte took control of the ball at their own 21 yard line.
Charlotte worked their way into FAU territory but fell to a 4th & 7. The ‘Niners went for it and went deep as Purdie found O’Mega for his third touchdown catch of the night, the two point attempt failed, 32-27 Charlotte with only 5:25 remaining in the fourth.
Florida Atlantic setup for a game-winning drive rushing for chunks to their own 49. On a 2nd & 8 with a little over two minutes left in the game, Starks would be sacked and fumble the ball into the hands of the Charlotte defense, who took the fumble back to the house to put the game out of reach at 39-27 with 2:04 remaining.
The Owls pushed the ball down the field, but eventually turned the ball over on downs. Charlotte then kneeled out the clock and earned the victory at a 39-27 final.
Final Stats:
The loss had bright spots, especially for Campbell Jr. who finished the game with 175 all-purpose yards and rushing touchdown. Omari Hayes led in receiving yards with his total of 65 off of one catch, while nine different Owls gained a reception on the night. Both defenses earned a sack and a turnover with Ambush leading in total tackles with eight.
Postgame Remarks:
Coach Lunsford
Interim head coach Chad Lunsford shared his disappointment over the loss highlighting the missed opportunities in the red zone, “I don’t think we have bad plays. I think the coach’s best drawn plays don’t matter unless you execute them, right? And I just think we got down there and then, the execution level was not as tight as it should be.” The Owls were unable to score a touchdown twice within ten yards of the endzone and settled for a field goal both times.
Lunsford also mentioned defensive adjustments: “I know sometimes you get aggressive on defense because you’re trying to make a big play, but then it puts you in a situation where it’s one on one with a guy, and obviously we need to be able to make those plays when we’re one on one. I just want to see us really work hard to make sure we get pressure on the quarterback so we can make him uncomfortable.” The defense gave up three touchdowns of over 45 yards in the contest.
CJ Campbell Jr.
Campbell shared the impact of the seniors on his performance over Charlotte: “I got a lot of opportunities to execute the game plan. So that’s pretty much why everything worked out the way it did for me coming into the game, you know, it’s very motivated, as you know, seeing the seniors here, they work very hard, especially the ones that have been here three or four years,but I see how hard they work, and I see that they want to win.”
Campbell also shared the impact of the multiple backs in the game, “I mean, people were able to see me and throughout the season, but seeing the younger guys go in there and get those reps and actually be successful in the reps that they were getting, it’s encouraging. It shows that, not only do they come here, they’re waiting their turn, and they’re working hard, but they’re getting the opportunity to make the most out of it, so just being able to see that.
Looking Ahead
Florida Atlantic (2-9, 0-7 AAC) will travel to Tulsa (3-8, 1-6 AAC) for their final game of the season. Tulsa is coming off a throttling from USF before they host the Owls who are in search of a conference win to end an 11 game conference losing streak, their second longest in program history. Many flashes showed that FAU can get it done, but it’s the same song as they could not close out the game. The contest between the Golden Hurricanes and FAU will be on Saturday, Nov. 30, at 3:30 pm on ESPN+