By AJ Johnson
FAU Owls Recap: Wester 149 yards, 2 TDs
LaJohntay Wester had a career high 149 yards, 10 receptions and 2 touchdowns.
Jarron Morris led the defense with 11 tackles, Daniel Richardson threw for 3 touchdowns and Larry McCammon racked up 87 total yards and a score as the Owls got back on track Friday night in Charlotte, NC and easily took care of business and improved to 3-1 in the AAC.
In one of the strangest stat lines, you’ll probably every see in final box score the 49ers ran 30 more plays on offensive than the Owls, converted 6 of 8 plays on 4th down and almost doubled FAU in time of possession.
Charlotte lit up the score board first on a Kyle Cunanan 36-yard field goal at 8:46 in the opening quarter.
FAU hit back a minute and 53 seconds later when Zeke Moore hauled in a 3-yard pass from Richardson in the back of the endzone for his second TD of the season, giving the Owls a 7-3 lead after Carter Davis nailed the extra point. It would the only drive of the first quarter for FAU as Charlotte controlled the ball for 12 over twelve minutes but only came away with 3 points.
The second quarter would see Richardson and Wester connect twice for touchdowns of 21 yards and 26 yards giving FAU a 21-6 halftime lead.
Michael Johnson Jr ran for a 19-yard TD early in the 3rd and Davis drilled the point after giving FAU a 28-6 lead at 13:46.
Charlotte had the next two scores, a Jake Clemons 10-yard TD reception and Cunanan’s second FG of the game – cut the Owls lead to 28-16.
Davis hit a 38-yard FG to end the 3rd quarter scoring giving FAU at 31-16 heading to the 4th.
McCammon found the endzone on a 4-yard run up the middle for the final score of the game.
Head Coach Tom Herman
“This was a big one. We are being held together by bubble gum and duct tape on defense right now and we lost a couple more tonight. But these guys never cease to amaze me the way they respond to adversity and really embrace being the next man up and, if you are a backup, preparing as if you are a starter. Although it didn’t look pretty at times, hats off to the defense…I thought the offense, in the first half we had four possessions in the first half and put the ball in the paint in three of them and really set the tempo and gave us some confidence there. We hit a lull in the third quarter and then we responded again. My biggest challenge, I think our biggest challenge as coaches this week is going to be that we didn’t handle success well after beating USF. We had some success again on the road and we have to get right back and do it again…We went 1-0 tonight and are 0-0 against UAB, but we also know big picture we have four games left and we are going to have something to say if we take care of business in who plays for that conference championship.”
Fridays victory was FAU first out of state victory in 2 years.
The Owls look to keep rolling next Saturday in Birmingham when the take on the UAB Blazers.
