“Keep Tappin,” is a phrase that this FAU team has rallied around this season and the Owls final game of the season against Tulsa was the epitome of that phrase. FAU came into their final game of the season riding a 6 game losing streak, however they finished their season in a dominating way, defeating Tulsa 63-16.
It was the first time during conference play where the Owls put it all together, jumping out to an early lead and never looking back, getting an aggressive defensive performance and displaying total domination on offense. The Owls put up 665 yards of total offense on the day, while holding Tulsa to under 300 passing yards and under 100 rushing yards as the Owls kept their foot on the gas throughout the game.
In only his second career start, Tyriq Starks flourished, completing 18 of 25 passes for 294 yards and 5 touchdowns, connecting with 10 different receivers on the day in a game where he was nearly flawless. Alongside him, CJ Campbell capped off his breakout season with 218 scrimmage yards, 100 on the ground and 118 through the air, also adding a receiving score.
While Campbell continued doing what he has been doing all year, the Owls young backs continued their emergence, as Xavier Terrell had 2 carries, both going to the house, for 148 yards and 2 TDs, Gemari Sands added 26 yards and a score, while Kaden Shield-Dutton and Tremonte Underwood Jr added 37 and 16 yards respectively.
The Owls leaned on heavy tight end sets a bit more over the past 2 weeks and in today’s game, Khalil Brantley was the beneficiary, recording 2 catches for 32 yards and 2 TDs, while Wyatt Sullivan also hauled in a 5 yard TD. Jabari Smith Jr continued his emergence, hauling in a 76 yard TD for a score, giving this offense the big play threat at WR in this one.
Defensively, the Owls were attacking the ball, recording 4 sacks and 6 TFLs, while through the air they hauled in 2 INTs and 5 PBUs, stymieing the Tulsa offense. The Owls got those 4 sacks from 4 different players, while DaeDae Hill and Mike Wright hauled in the interceptions, with Hill’s going for 6.
It started early on in this one for FAU, as they forced a 3 and out on their first defensive drive of the day and marched 72 yards in just 7 plays, scoring on a Starks pass to Brantley from 28 yards out to go up 7-0 early and they never looked back from there. Although the Owls did give up a safety, their defense allowed only 1 first down during the entire 1st quarter, holding Tulsa to under 2 minutes on each of their first 4 possessions.
The second quarter was really where FAU took off, as Tulsa threw a pick 6 to Daedae Hill on their first pass attempt of the quarter and it snowballed from there. The Owls scored 4 straight touchdowns in the second quarter, getting 2 1-play TD’s, a 93 yard Terrell TD rush and a 76 yard Starks to Smith Jr TD throw, along with a 78 yard Campbell Jr. TD reception and 22 yard Sands TD rush. While the Owls offense was exploding, the Tulsa offense was imploding as they matched the Owls 5 TDs with only 1 of their own, along with 2 interceptions, 2 punts and a missed FG, ultimately heading into half trailing 42-9.
Things didn’t get much better for Tulsa in the second half, as despite forcing 2 FAU turnovers, the Owls matched that with 2 more TDs, a Sullivan 5 yard reception and a Terrell 55 yard TD rush, the latter giving the Owls a 56-16 lead.
The Owls added one more score midway through the 4th quarter, as the Owls launched a methodical 13 play 60 yard drive, utilizing multiple running backs and capping it off with a 5 yard Starks to Brantley TD strike, making the score 63-16 with 5:03 to play, which ended up being the final score.
Ultimately for FAU, it was an extremely positive way to end the season after a year which went by the wayside quite early, as a 6 game losing streak hurt his team and brought on numerous changes. The Owls put it all together and with no more opportunities they finally bounced back, executing for the entire game and sending the seniors off with one final victory.
Multiple players came out after the game endorsing interim head coach Chad Lunsford to be the new head coach and it is unknown whether that is in the cards, however now following the Owls final game of the season, all eyes turn to who will become the new Hagerty Family Head Football Coach. Lunsford led a spirited effort the final 2 weeks, leading the Owls to victory for the first time during conference play, however we shall see if he is under consideration for the job or if the Owls go with an outside hire.
