The FAU Owls went out Saturday night against the FIU Panthers and dominated them to the tune of a 37-7 win for their 13th ever victory against FIU.

From the opening drive, it was clear FIU was going to struggle against FAU’s swarming defense. 

The Owls offense was firing on all cylinders the whole first quarter with quarterback Chris Robison throwing for 60 yards and running back Malcolm Davidson rushing for 52 yards and a touchdown.

The Owls defense refused to be outdone by the offense as they held the Panthers to 17 yards of total offense by the end of the first quarter.

In the second quarter, FIU running back Napoleon Maxwell sprinted down the field for a 75 yard touchdown. That would be the Panthers’ only touchdown of the game.

While FAU’s rushing game continued to pound FIU’s defense, Robison sliced through the defense tossing for 78 yards and making wide receiver DeAngelo Antoine and tight end Harrison Bryant his prime targets. 

Throughout the second quarter, Antoine caught five passes for 32 yards and Bryant recorded two receptions for 39 yards. Cornerback Meiko Dotson also performed, collecting an interception to end the first half.

From the start of the third quarter to the end, the Owls looked comfortable. Antoine and Bryant resumed their excellent start to the game with them recording 125 yards and 57 yards, respectively. Bryant also added in a touchdown. Davidson continued his fast start as well by adding two touchdowns.

The FAU defense left FIU scoreless by the end of the third quarter. Linebacker Rashad Smith led the charge with nine total tackles.

By the start of the fourth, the Owls were in the midst of a blowout. The offense was rolling and put up 579 total yards.

Robison completed 22 passes for 298 yards and a touchdown, Davidson rushed for 144 yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries, and Antoine reeled in 9 passes for 125 yards.

The Owls defense finished the game with a second half shutout and forced FIU into numerous mistakes. FAU forced two fumbles and recorded one interception.

The victory puts them one step closer to the Conference-USA championship game. The Owls are now 7-3.

The Owls get a bye week before traveling to San Antonio to face the UTSA Roadrunners during the final stretch for C-USA championship hunt. 

Trey Avant is a contributing writer for the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected] or tweet him @TreyAvant3.