The Owls put up a school-record 624 yards on offense, scored 51 points and forced two turnovers en route to winning their second game of the season on Saturday, Oct. 24, against the University of Louisiana-Lafayette at Cajun Field in Lafayette, La.
FAU improved to 2-4, and 2-1 in the Sun Belt Conference, with their resounding 51-29 victory over ULL. Quarterback Rusty Smith orchestrated the Owls offense to perfection, throwing for 359 yards and four touchdowns.
Smith’s first touchdown came on third-and-nine on the game’s initial drive, as he hit wide receiver Chris Bonner in stride for a 70-yard pass, the longest reception of the season.
“[ULL] was playing a coverage where the corners sat as a design and the safeties split,” said Smith, who finished the game 18-28. “The safety to Bonner’s side didn’t make it over enough, and I hit him right there between the corner and safety and he just ran past everybody else.”
Some spotty special teams play allowed the Ragin’ Cajuns to respond with a touchdown of their own, but the Owls would quickly reclaim the lead as Smith beautifully floated a 20-yard pass to receiver Lester Jean with 6:51 remaining in the first quarter.
ULL would strike again, though, when backup quarterback Brad McGuire found the end zone with a 9-yard scamper, making it 14-14 at the end of the first quarter.
That would be as close as the hosts would get to winning the game.
The Owls outscored their conference opponents 13-2 in the second quarter, and despite giving up two more rushing touchdowns to McGuire in the third quarter, the Owls never relinquished the lead.
Fullback Willie Rose rushed for his first touchdown of the season, and Smith completed his second long touchdown pass of the day, connecting with Bonner for a 64-yard completion. Bonner, who celebrated his 23rd birthday on Saturday, finished the game with 134 yards, matching the career high he set just one week prior against North Texas.
“I’m feeling great knowing that we have another conference win, and we’re on the right path to trying to get this conference championship and go to another bowl,” said Bonner, who now has 432 yards and five touchdowns this season. “For it to be my birthday, it is just icing on the cake.”
FAU would tack on 10 more points in the fourth quarter, including a career-long 47-yard touchdown by running back Alfred Morris. The run would cap the Owls’ scoring in their dominating win in front of the 21,135 fans in attendance.
“For the first time this season, we raised our level of play as a team,” said Head Coach Howard Schnellenberger. “The offensive numbers were so improved that they will be considered records for a long time, and the defensive improvement may have been [even] greater.”
The Owls next play Middle Tennessee State in another critical conference clash on Oct. 31 at Lockhart Stadium.
