The Sports Xchange
NCAAF Team Report – Florida Atlantic – INSIDE SLANT
Better, but still not good enough.
That pretty much sums up Florida Atlantic’s 20-14 loss to North Texas.
The Owls, who were in obvious mismatches the previous two games at Georgia and Alabama, were within one score of notching their first Sun Belt Conference victory since 2010 but couldn’t muster a final drive.
Taking over at their 20-yard line with under four minutes to play, they gained only four yards in four plays and turned the ball back to the visitors, who ran out the clock after making one first down.
The Owls fell to 1-4 overall and 0-2 in the Sun Belt.
“We were better tonight than we were against Middle Tennessee,” said first-year coach Carl Pelini, referring to the early September loss to the Blue Raiders, “but I can’t come away satisfied. I thought we gave the game away.
“I thought we should have won that football game.”
The Owls were close to the Mean Green in total yardage with 301 to the visitors’ 307, but they had three turnovers to only one for North Texas and double the penalties (8-4).
Two of the turnovers came with the Owls inside the North Texas 20-yard line. Twice personal foul penalties kept alive a fourth-quarter drive for North Texas that ate up valuable clock.
The biggest problem, Pelini said, was that the offense tried to force the issue on occasion, and the defense took gambles for big plays instead of sticking to assignments.
“Over and over I see that happening out there,” he said. “That’s what what I have to work out of this program.”
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NCAAF Team Report – Florida Atlantic – NOTES, QUOTES
WHAT’S AHEAD: FAU gets a much-needed break in the schedule with the first of two bye weeks. But things don’t get easy for the Owls after that. They resume play with a trip to one of the hottest teams in the Sun Belt, Louisiana-Monroe, on Oct. 13.
–FAU’s losing streak in conference games now stretches for 12 games with the loss to North Texas. The last Sun Belt win for the Owls was over Louisiana-Lafayette on Nov. 13, 2010.
–The Owls took little time between touchdowns. They scored with 59 seconds left in the third quarter on a nine-play 73-yard drive, then scored again with 14:47 left in the game after junior CB Keith Reaser’s interception on the first play of the fourth quarter gave them the ball at the North Texas 11-yard line.
–The Owls wore red alternate jerseys in the game against North Texas instead of the traditional blue home jerseys.
KEEP AN EYE ON: Junior LB Adarius Glanton has moved up to fourth on the team in tackles with 35 stops after being credited with 12 stops against North Texas. He had one for a loss, raising his total to 3.0 for the season, which is tied with LB David Hinds and DE Jimmy Jean for the team lead in the category.
LOOKING GOOD: The Owls ran for 159 yards against North Texas using a balanced approach. RBs Damian Fortner and Jonathan Wallace combined for an even 100 yards on 26 runs.
STILL NEEDS WORK: The Owls hurt themselves with eight penalties for 61 yards. They had two personal foul penalties –one for leaping trying to block a kick — that kept alive North Texas drives.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “We shoot ourselves in the foot. We’ve just got to manage the game better. We have to take what they give us and not force things.” — Coach Carl Pelini, on problems the Owls faced in the loss to North Texas.
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NCAAF Team Report – Florida Atlantic – STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
PLAYER NOTES:
–Senior QB Graham Wilbert was 21-of-34 passing for 142 yards but also threw his second and third interceptions of the season.
–Junior RB Damien Fortner made his fourth start and led the Owls in rushing with 63 yards on 14 carries. He also caught three passes for 12 yards.
–Sophomore WR William Dukes had six catches for 62 yards to lead the Owls in receptions and receiving yardage. More than half his total — 32 yards — came on one play.
ROSTER REPORT
–Junior CB Keith Reaser jumped to sixth place in career interception return yardage in the school record book with his 13-yard return of his fourth-quarter pick giving him 66 yards on four interceptions.
–Junior LB Aldarius Glanton made his third start and led the Owls in tackles with 12.
–Senior LB David Hinds was back in double figures in tackles with 11 against North Texas.
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