Florida Atlantic football (4-7, 3-4 AC) is officially no longer bowl-eligible for the fifth straight season.
FAU had an impressive comeback, coming back from down 24-3 in the first quarter to take the lead, but ultimately a missed kick, turnovers and penalties held them back, as FAU suffered a 48-45 loss to the University of Connecticut (9-3).
“I thought we played really well. The first quarter wasn’t great; there were a ton of miscues and a lack of execution, but more than ever this year, we battled through that adversity and man, I thought we came out and did some really good stuff,” said FAU head coach Zach Kittley, frustrated with the loss but praising his team’s performance.
FAU quarterback Caden Veltkamp threw for a career-high 494 passing yards, scoring four total touchdowns, and entered the history books as the third all-time in FAU single-season passing yards. Wide receiver Dom Henry had a career-high 157 receiving yards, WR Asad Waseem had a career-high 109 receiving yards, and WR Easton Messer had 119 receiving yards, the first time in FAU history that three receivers had 100 yards.
UConn kicked off the scoring; kicker Chris Freeman nailed a 39-yard field goal to put the Huskies up 3-0. FAU responded, and K Garrison Smith hit a career-long 49-yard field goal, tying the game at 3. UConn would strike back quickly, as QB Joe Fagano threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to WR John Neider, putting the Huskies up 10-3.
On their next drive, UConn would score again, on a 39-yard touchdown pass from Fagano to WR Shamar Porter, extending the lead to 17-3. Things would go from bad to worse for the Owls, as Veltkamp’s pass would be intercepted by UConn defensive back Malachi McLean. Two plays later, Fagano would uncork his third touchdown pass of the day, a 32-yard throw to tight end Alex Honig, making the Huskies lead 24-3.
Shortly after the start of the second quarter, WR Easton Messer dashed to the end zone on a 39-yard rushing touchdown, cutting UConn’s lead to 24-10. He became the first player in FAU history to have a rushing, receiving, and passing touchdown in the same season. After a defensive stop, Veltkamp would pull off an unbelievable play, front-flipping into the end zone for a 17-yard rushing touchdown, cutting UConn’s lead to seven.
“I mean, when you’re down by 14, when your backs are against the wall, sometimes you gotta lay your body on the line, that’s what that was; we needed to get in the end zone,” said Veltkamp, speaking about his impressive touchdown run.
After a big third-down tackle from FAU DB Lawrence Johnson, Chris Freeman would nail a 25-yard field goal, putting the score at 27-17 going into halftime.
To start the second half, FAU would get down the field effortlessly. After a UConn defensive penalty, running back Kaden Shields-Dutton would score an 11-yard rushing touchdown, his sixth of the year, cutting the lead to three.
After another defensive stop, FAU would pull off its most aggressive play of the season. The Owls went for it on a fourth down from their own 10-yard line, and Veltkamp would rip a quick pass to Dom Henry, who ran all the way to the end zone for a 90-yard touchdown. This was Henry’s longest touchdown of his career, and gave FAU the lead at 31-27; their first lead of the game.
UConn struck back with a 1-yard rushing touchdown from RB Cam Edwards, extending their lead back to three. On the ensuing drive, Shields-Dutton would fumble, and UConn would recover, regaining possession and taking the lead. UConn would capitalize on the turnover, as RB Mel Brown broke free for a 44-yard touchdown, putting UConn’s lead at 41-31.
The fourth-down brilliance would continue, as late in the fourth quarter, Veltkamp would connect with Messer for a 33-yard touchdown pass, reducing UConn’s lead to three once again and putting Veltkamp over 400 passing yards for the day.
Caden Veltkamp would take a read-option play to the end zone for his second rushing touchdown of the game, his fourth touchdown of the day, putting FAU up 45-41 with two minutes left to go.
With 26 seconds left, Cam Edwards would score his second rushing touchdown of the day to put UConn up 48-45. FAU would get down the field, but Garrison Smith would miss a 36-yard field goal, sealing the last-second loss for the Owls.
“I love that kid to death. He has been unbelievable for what we’re building here. He is that kind of guy. He’s been nails for us all year. He was nailed on Tuesday, Wednesday in practice, and I gave him the biggest hug. I told him I love him and I said, ‘This ain’t on you, man,’” said Kittley, emphasizing his support for Smith.
FAU will return to action at home next week on Saturday, Nov. 29 for its final game of the season against East Carolina University (7-4, 5-2 AC). Kickoff time is set for noon.
Mikai Datilus is a Staff Writer for the University Press. Email him at [email protected] or DM him on Instagram @mikaidat for more information on this and other stories.
