The first time FAU faced off against Middle Tennessee State, on August 28, 2003, the Owls defeated the Blue Raiders in a dramatic 20-19 season opening victory. What makes this win a significant part of the football program’s history is that FAU became the fastest team ever to win a game against a NCAA Division I-A team. The Owls did it 22 games into their existence, and the game was exciting from start to finish.

FAU trailed Middle Tennessee State on the road 19-7 after MTSU’s running back Eugene Gross scored on an 11 yard run. Being underdogs in a hostile environment did not discourage the Owls as quarterback Jared Allen threw a 7 yard touchdown pass to Roosevelt Bynes which capped off a 12 play, 75 yard drive late in the 4th quarter. As the Owls trailed 19-14 with time running out, the defense stopped Middle Tennessee’s offense as they missed a game-clinching field goal that would have ended FAU’s momentum.

With 1:42 remaining in the game the FAU offense was pinned on the two yard line. They then marched down field on an 8 play, 98 yard drive, but what was really dramatic was the last play of the game. Quarterback Jared Allen threw a 62 yard touchdown pass to Bynes to seal the 20-19 victory as time expired.

It was a major upset for the football team, and a huge step forward for the program. In addition to defeating a Division I-A team for the first time, that was a start of what was the program’s finest season. The Owls went on to a 9-2 regular season record and won two playoff games to reach the DI-AA national semifinals against Colgate. The Owls lost that game 36-24 in front of 12,857 at Lockhart Stadium and an ESPN2 national television audience. The 2003 season brought a lot of recognition to the university and football team while providing a storied chapter in FAU football’s short history.