Denton, Texas – The 20,479 that attended were part of the largest crowd ever to watch a Sun Belt Conference game at Fouts Field. They saw FAU falter early then lead a furious comeback from a 14-point deficit to defeat North Texas 30-20.
For most of the night it seemed that North Texas (0-1 Sun Belt, 0-3 overall) would be able to come away victorious in the first home game for their new coach, Todd Dodge. That all changed when quarterback Rusty Smith play action faked and delivered a perfect 74-yard touchdown pass to a wide open Cortez Gent, giving the Owls (2-0, 3-1) the lead for good with 8:04 left in the game.
“We had been setting up that play all game,” said FAU Coach Howard Schnellenberger.
“[Gent] gave a little head fake, I gave a pump fake, and he was able to run right by them,” Smith said.
The Owls’ sophomore QB was inconsistent at times, completing 22 of 45 passes for 322 yards. He didn’t throw an interception and was sacked only once. For the second consecutive week Smith’s favorite targets were Gent (four catches for 96 yards and one TD) and tight end Jason Harmon (6 catches for 94 yards).
“This was not Rusty’s best game, but it was his most important game,” Schnellenberger said. “He is in quarterbacking 202 now, he already graduated from 101.”
Some feeble defensive play and a punch-less offense are what put the Owls in a two touchdown hole in the first place. North Texas running back Jamario Thomas, a former national rushing champion, and wide receivers Casey Fitzgerald and Brandon Jackson did their best to execute the helter-skelter version of offensive football known around Northern Texas as ‘Dodge Ball’. The FAU defense couldn’t stop the Mean Green for most of the first half, as North Texas scored on three of its first four drives. Thomas ended up with 117 yards and a TD on just 14 carries. Fitzgerald and Jackson caught ten passes each from quarterback Daniel Meager, who was 38 of 61 with three INTs and one TD.
Short passes, quick runs and play-action fakes out of the shotgun formation confused the Owls defense from the outset. The squad adjusted and slowed down the Mean Green offensive attack as the half progressed. Cergile Sincere had 15 tackles, just three short of the all-time Owls record.
Offensively, the Owls were inept early. While their passing game sped up as the game advanced, the running game never really got going. Despite that, running back Charles Pierre and fullback DiIvory Edgecombe both scored rushing TDs.
“They had a week-and-a-half to prepare for us and they were on point. They were calling our plays before we were,” said Pierre, who ran for just 25 yards on eight attempts.
Three timely interceptions, two blocked punts, and some gutsy play calling by Schnellenberger kept the Owls in the game and allowed them to pull off the dramatic comeback victory. Schnellenberger went for it on fourth down four times throughout the game, converting three. The three conversions all led to scores for FAU.
Meanwhile, reigning Walter Camp National Player of the Week Tavious Polo made his fifth and sixth interceptions of the season in the second half. The first led to a burst of offensive energy as the Owls reached into the old bag of tricks and pulled out a hook and ladder that went for 23 yards and a first down. Smith found Gent for a short pass, Gent then flipped the ball back to Edgecombe who raced for the first down. The Owls could not punch the ball into the end zone and they had to settle for a Leroy’s 32-yard field goal, one of three for the junior kicker. Another pick by Polo, this one in the end zone, tied a team record set by Willie Hughley. That defensive stop led to another Leroy field goal, to make it 20-16.
“Your eyes get real big when the ball comes your way,” Polo said. “I’ve been in the right spot all the time.”
The main story-line of this game was the Owls’ never-say-die attitude. Down 17-3 in enemy territory, the Owls fought back to a 17-10 halftime deficit. They crept closer in the third quarter and then went on to outscore North Texas 17-0 in the fourth to seal the win and stun the crowd.
“We never give up,” Polo said.
