Minneapolis, Minn. – Reigning Sun Belt Player of the Year Rusty Smith threw four interceptions and went without a touchdown pass for the second consecutive game as Minnesota beat FAU 37-3. Smith had only nine interceptions all of last season, but has already thrown five through four games this year.
“We are going to have to do something different, come out with a different attitude,” Smith says. “We just didn’t execute. We played bad.”
After scoring seven touchdowns on Sept. 6 against University of Alabama-Birmingham, the Owls have scored only three points in their last two games, losing by a combined score of 54-3.
First QuarterGophers 10, Owls 0: FAU made another early mistake, something that has often plagued them in big conference road games. This time a Rusty Smith interception on the third play of the game put the Gophers in line for a 7-0 lead, which swelled to 10-0 on the next drive. The Owls appeared to go three-and-out on offense again before an offside penalty gave the Owls their initial first down. On its fourth drive, the FAU offense finally found scoring position, setting up a field goal.
Second Quarter Gophers 16, Owls 3: A 36-yard Warley Leroy kick cut the Owls’ deficit to seven points. On the next drive, the Gophers drove near the goal line, but a Tavious Polo interception in the end zone, his first of the season, gave the Owls the ball back and thwarted a Gophers scoring chance. Afterward, the Owls’ offense couldn’t find the end zone and turned the ball over twice: on downs and again on Smith’s second interception. Five Gophers penalties helped the Owls keep the deficit manageable.
Third Quarter Gophers 23, Owls 3: The Gophers scored on their second drive of the half with a 1-yard DeLeon Eskridge touchdown run that gave Minnesota a 20-point lead. With the Owls’ hopes of a comeback fading quickly, FAU went for it on fourth-and-two at the Gophers’ 37-yard line with just over two minutes left in the quarter, but Smith threw his third interception of the game, ensuring yet another road loss to a Bowl Championship Conference team. FAU is now 0-13 all-time in such road games and 1-15 overall.
Fourth QuarterGophers 37, Owls 3: With the FAU offense on the skids, the defense wore down as the game wore on. Minnesota tacked on another Eskridge touchdown for a 30-3 lead. Things worsened when Smith threw his fourth interception of the game, which was returned 50 yards for a touchdown. The end of the quarter marked the eighth in a row without an FAU touchdown. The last time the Owls found the end zone was in the fourth quarter of the UAB game on Sept. 6.
Key PlayAn end zone interception by Tavious Polo in the second quarter took away a near-certain Gophers touchdown that could have made the score 23-3 heading into halftime. It was Polo’s first interception of the season after a team-leading seven in 2007. In last season’s 42-39 win over Minnesota at Dolphin Stadium, Polo had a team-record three interceptions of Gophers’ quarterback Adam Weber.
