Football Loses Season Finale to Old Dominion 31-28

Saturday, November 29

Boca Raton, FL (Military Appreciation Day)

12:00 PM

Florida Atlantic

3-9 , 2-6

Old Dominion

6-6 , 4-4

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Old Dominion

FAU

11/29/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football

Box Score

Nov. 29, 2014

Box Score

BOCA RATON, Fla. - The Florida Atlantic University football team ended its 2014 season with a 31-28 loss to Old Dominion, on a 27-yard field goal as time ran out on Saturday. FAU recognized its 19 seniors playing their final game at FAU Stadium prior to kickoff.

"(I'm) obviously disappointed, ending the season with a loss for our seniors, but I'm proud of the way they fought," said Charlie Partridge, FAU's head football coach. "There is no question our kids continued to play with great effort. The bottom line is again, we're close."

ODU (6-6, 4-4 C-USA) and FAU (3-9, 2-6 C-USA) were tied 21-21 at the half. The Monarchs did most of their damage in the air, with 174 passing yards through 30 minutes, while 153 of the Owls' 195 first half yards came on the ground.

The Monarchs drove 75 yards to score on their first possession when Taylor Heinike threw the first of his three touchdown passes to take a 7-0 lead. The Owls responded with a 13 play, 78-yard drive, capped off by a one-yard Tony Moore rush to tie the game 7-7.

After the Owls made a defensive stand, Lucky Whitehead returned a Monarch punt 73 yards to put FAU up 14-7. It was a career long punt return for Whitehead and the first punt return touchdown by an FAU player since November 17, 2001 and the second longest in school history.

ODU tied the game on a 12-yard touchdown pass with 10:13 left in the first half. The Owls quickly marched down the field to regain the advantage, 21-14. The Monarchs answered with a scoring drive of their own, knotting the game at 21.

The two teams were scoreless in the third quarter, but ODU broke the stalemate with a 68-yard touchdown run to go ahead 28-21 with 11:58 to go in the game. The Owls had driven down the field and were threatening to tie the game when the Monarchs recovered an FAU fumble at the ODU 10-yard line to end the threat.

FAU's defense forced a three and out, and the offense quickly took advantage, with Jaquez Johnson scrambling 11 yards for a game tying touchdown with 5:14 to go on the clock.

ODU ate up the clock on the final drive, going 57 yards in 16 plays to get to the FAU 11-yard line. Kicker Satchel Ziffer then hit the game-winning field goal as time expired.

Whitehead's night ended with 120 all-purpose yards and a touchdown. Moore, Johnson and Jay Warren, all had rushing touchdowns for the Owls. Andrae Kirk finished with a game-high 12 tackles, two shy of tying the school record for career tackles.