Football Nipped Late by Marshall 36-31

Friday, October 18

Boca Raton, Fla.

6:30 p.m.

Florida Atlantic

4-3 , 2-1

Marshall

4-3 , 2-1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

MAR

FAU

10/18/2019 11:35:00 PM | Football

Box Score

BOCA RATON, Fla. – A late touchdown was the difference as the Florida Atlantic University football team lost to Marshall 36-31 on Friday. The Owls fell to 4-3 overall and 2-1 in Conference USA play, despite 362 passing yards and a pair of rushing touchdowns from sophomore quarterback Chris Robison.

Video Recap

Post-Game Sound

Head Coach Lane Kiffin

Quarterback Chris Robison

Tight End Harrison Bryant

Quick Hits

After winning the toss, Marshall took the opening kickoff and finished the drive with a 30-yard FG
The Owls responded with an eight play, 75-yard drive, capped off by Robison's first TD rush of the night to take a 7-3 lead
A Caliph Brice sack ended a Thundering Herd possession and on the ensuing FAU drive, Robison hooked up with John Raine, followed by a one-yard Larry McCammon III rush to extend its lead to 14-3 with less than two minutes remaining in the first quarter
The Herd wasted no time in responding, taking just 57 seconds to score a touchdown of its own to cut the deficit to 14-10
Both defenses stood tall, preventing any side from scoring for most of the second quarter
Akileis Leroy had his first career interception late in the second quarter
FAU was able to convert the turnover into points, when Vladimir Rivas drilled a 32-yard field goal to extend the Owls' lead to 17-10
Marshall answered on its next drive and scored a touchdown just 13 seconds before halftime to even the score at 17
The first score off the second half came at the 6:10 mark of the third quarter when the Herd connected on a 25-yard field goal attempt, taking a 20-17 edge
Marshall's defense put the next points on the board, converting a safety to stretch the Herd's cushion to 22-17 late in the stanza
The Owls' defense stopped the Marshall offense on the next possession, then the FAU offense answered with a scoring drive, ending on Robison's second TD rush of the night and allowing the Owls to retake a 24-22 lead
Marshall once again immediately answered with a touchdown of its own, then made a two-point conversion to go back up 30-24
The two teams exchanged empty possessions, then a two-yard Malcolm Davidson TD run finished a 69-yard drive, and Rivas' extra point gave FAU a 31-30 lead with 3:29 to go in the game
The Herd were able to overcome an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and scored a touchdown with 36 ticks remaining in the game. This time, the two-point try was unsuccessful
Meiko Dotson's kickoff return gave the Owls respectable starting positon for a potential game-winning drive, but the Herd was able to pick off an FAU pass attempt, sealing the win for Marshall

Stats and Records

Chris Robison finished 21-of-39 for 362 yards, his fourth 300-yard passing game of the season
Robison also had a pair of rushing touchdowns, a career-high for the sophomore
Robison's 61-yard connection to John Raine was the longest pass play of the season for the Owls
D'Angelo Antoine finished with seven receptions for 111 yards, passing the 100-yard mark for the second time this season
Caliph Brice led the Owls with 11 tackles, his most as an Owl
Akileis Leroy's interception was the first of his career, to go along with a career-high 10 tackles
There were seven lead changes in the game