Tag: Florida Atlantic

Sep 23, 2023; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini tight end Tip Reiman (89) makes a catch during the first half against the FL Atlantic Owls at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Illinois hold off Florida Atlantic, 23-17

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Luke Altmyer passed for 303 yards and a touchdown to lead Illinois to a 23-17 win against visiting Florida Atlantic on Saturday afternoon.

Altmyer completed 25 of 36 passes, including eight for 120 yards to Isaiah Williams. Griffin Moore hauled in a 46-yard touchdown pass for Illinois (2-2), which finished with 510 total yards.

Reggie Love III had 85 of the 207 rushing yards for the Illini.

Daniel Richardson made his first start at quarterback for FAU after Casey Thompson tore his ACL in last Saturday’s loss to Clemson and the junior transfer from Central Michigan completed 28 of 49 passes for 256 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.

LaJohntay Wester caught 13 passes for 137 yards and one touchdown for the Owls (1-3).

Illinois started slow offensively and trailed 10-0 after the first quarter.

The Illini were stopped on downs on their opening drive and Altmyer lost a fumble on the second when he was sacked by Xavier Peters and Jayden Williams recovered at the Illinois 28-yard line.

Richardson quickly hit Wester for a 21-yard gain to the 7, but the Owls had to settle for a 22-yard field goal by Logan Lupo for a 3-0 lead with 3:14 left in the opening quarter.

FAU started its next drive at the Illinois 38 following a 20-yard punt return by Wester that included an unnecessary roughing penalty on Illinois.

Three plays later, Richardson hit Wester for a 19-yard touchdown strike on the final play of the first quarter, stretching the lead to 10-0

The Ilini began chipping away when Altmyer hit Moore for a 46-yard touchdown pass to cut the lead to 10-7 with 12:46 left in the first half.

Illinois took its first lead of the game 14-10 on a 7-yard touchdown run by Altmyer with 1:45 left before halftime.

The Illini scored on their first drive of the second half when Aidan Laughery ran into the end zone from 3 yards to make it 20-10.

Caleb Griffin tacked on a 44-yard field goal with 3:57 left in the third quarter to stretch the lead to 23-10.

The Owls had the ball in the red zone twice in the third quarter, but was stopped on downs the first time and Richardson was intercepted in the end zone on the second trip.

They scored with 4:19 left in the game on a 9-yard touchdown pass from Richardson to BJ Alexander to cut the lead to 23-17.

–Field Level Media

Sep 16, 2023; Clemson, South Carolina; Clemson tight end Jake Briningstool (9) catches a pass for a touchdown against Florida Atlantic against Florida Atlantic at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY NETWORK

Cade Klubnik accounts for four TDs as Clemson rolls past FAU

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First-year starter Cade Klubnik accounted for more than 200 yards and four total touchdowns to lead the Clemson Tigers (2-1) to a 48-14 victory over the Florida Atlantic Owls (1-2) on Saturday in Clemson, S.C.

Clemson recorded just 367 total yards in the game but had a season-low one turnover. The Tigers have six turnovers through three games.

On the other side, the Owls recorded 293 yards of total offense, but two fourth-quarter touchdowns spoiled Clemson’s hope for its first shutout of the season.

The Tigers got off to a quick start. Nate Wiggins intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown to spoil the Owls’ opening drive. It was the first of three first-quarter touchdowns for Clemson, with Klubnik finding freshman wide receiver Tyler Brown and junior tight end Jake Briningstool in the end zone.

Junior running back Phil Mafah, who led the Tigers with 42 rushing yards, opened the second quarter with a 19-yard touchdown run. Klubnik ran from 1 yard out a few minutes later for his rushing touchdown of the year, which gave the Tigers a 34-point lead at the break.

After a sluggish start to the second half, Klubnik connected with Brown for his second touchdown of the game. Brown finished with three receptions for 49 total yards, by far the biggest output of his young career.

Wes Goodwin’s defense came close to earning the program’s first shutout since the 2021 season, but reserve quarterback Michael Johnson Jr. powered his way into the end zone in the fourth quarter for the Owls.

Freshman Clemson running back Domonique Thomas scored on a 2-yard run, his second touchdown in as many games, to complete the Tigers’ scoring.

But it was FAU that closed out the scoring on a 33-yard touchdown pass from junior receiver Javion Posey to junior wide receiver Devin Price.

Both teams return to the field next weekend, when the Tigers host No. 3 Florida State and the Owls travel to take on Illinois.

–Field Level Media

Sep 9, 2023; Clemson, South Carolina, USA; Clemson wide receiver Beaux Collins (80) celebrates with quarterback Cade Klubnik (2) and teammates after his touchdown during the third quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY Sports

Clemson feels chemistry developing with FAU up next

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Clemson survived a shaky first half to earn its first win of the season, a 49-point victory over Charleston Southern that soothes some of the sting from the Tigers’ loss to Duke in the opener.

“We responded and it was good to see them do that, especially at quarterback,” coach Dabo Swinney said. “We really were playing well everywhere except for a couple mistakes, but they were very costly and that’s exactly what happened last week.”

Now the Tigers (1-1) shift their focus to Florida Atlantic, who enter the game on the heels of a disappointing 17-10 loss to Ohio. After the Owls jumped out to an early 10-point lead, the Bobcats rattled off 17 straight points to take down FAU.

Defensively, the Owls (1-1) tallied six tackles for loss, three turnovers and a sack, which gives coach Tom Herman a reason to believe in his team moving forward.

“I told our team that I still believe,” Herman said. “I’ve been doing this a long time and our best is really good. I’m confident that we’ll have learned the lessons that were presented to us tonight and be better because of it.”

After the Buccaneers took the lead in Death Valley following a Leon Thomas pick-six, Clemson responded with 45 unanswered points to put away their in-state opponent. Sophomore quarterback Cade Klubnik was encouraged by the offensive performance and senses chemistry is developing at the right time for the Tigers.

“I have so much confidence in the preparation that we’ve had,” Klubnik said. “I feel like we really had two bad plays the whole game and other than that I think we played a freaking great game on offense.”

And Klubnik is right to have confidence in an offense that nearly recorded 700 yards in their highest-scoring output since 2020.

While the offense remains under intense scrutiny, the Clemson defense showed serious teeth last week. The unit recorded 10 tackles for loss, forced eight three-and-outs, intercepted a pass and registered two sacks while allowing just 73 total yards.

Saturday’s matchup is an unfamiliar one to both programs, with the lone previous meeting coming in 2006, a game in which the Tigers recorded a 56-0 shutout.

–Field Level Media

Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Casey Thompson (11) throws the ball during the NCAA football game against the Purdue Boilermakers, Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022, at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Ind. Purdue won 43-37. Purduenebraskafb101522 Am18494

QB Casey Thompson transferring to Florida Atlantic

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Former Texas and Nebraska quarterback Casey Thompson is transferring to Florida Atlantic for his final season, he confirmed to ESPN on Wednesday.

Thompson also visited Auburn and drew interest from Notre Dame, Indiana and Houston before opting to join a familiar face with the Owls.

FAU is coached by Tom Herman, who was the head coach at Texas who successfully recruited Thompson in the Class of 2018.

Thompson played in 19 games (10 starts) with the Longhorns from 2018-21, passing for 2,422 yards with 30 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

The 6-foot-1, 194-pound Thompson completed 63.1 percent of his passes for 2,407 yards with 17 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 10 games with the Cornhuskers last season. He also rushed for five touchdowns.

He earned his undergraduate degree from Texas in May 2021 and his master’s degree at Nebraska in December 2022.

–Field Level Media

Florida Atlantic coach Willie Taggart coaches against Memphis in the Montgomery Bowl held at Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala., on Wednesday December 23, 2020. Mgm44

Florida Atlantic fires coach Willie Taggart after 3 seasons

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Florida Atlantic fired coach Willie Taggart after clinching a losing season on Saturday.

The Owls lost 32-31 in overtime to Western Kentucky to fall to 5-7 for the second straight campaign. Florida Atlantic was 15-18 in Taggart’s three seasons.

Athletic director Brian White indicated the program’s pending move from Conference USA to the American Athletic Conference played a part in the decision.

“It was a difficult decision, as we have tremendous respect for Willie Taggart,” White said in a statement. “He has represented FAU with class and character. However, the lack of on-field success needed to be addressed as we look toward the future.

“A national search will begin immediately to identify and recruit the best coach to lead FAU Football as we begin play in the American Athletic Conference next season. With the integrity of the search in mind, we will have no further public comment until the announcement of the Owls’ next head football coach.”

Taggart became Florida Atlantic’s coach after Lane Kiffin left for the Ole Miss job. Kiffin went 27-13 in three seasons.

Taggart, 46, has a 71-80 record in 13 seasons at Western Kentucky (2010-12), South Florida (2013-16), Oregon (2017), Florida State (2018-19) and Florida Atlantic.

–Field Level Media

Florida Atlantic Owls quarterback N'Kosi Perry (7) hands the ball off to Florida Atlantic Owls running back Larry McCammon (3) during the NCAA football game against the Purdue Boilermakers, Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022, at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Ind. Pufaufb92422 Am15890

Austin Burton tosses 3 TDs as Purdue hangs on to defeat Florida Atlantic

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Purdue held off Florida Atlantic 28-26 Saturday at West Lafayette, Ind., behind Austin Burton’s three touchdown passes and Dylan Downing’s 113 yards on 15 rushes.

Downing became the first Purdue rusher this season to eclipse 100 yards.

Burton, making his first career start with the Boilermakers, completed 21 of 29 pass attempts for 166 yards.

Florida Atlantic (2-3) drove to its 46-yard line with 55 seconds left.

On a fourth-and-1 play, quarterback N’Kosi Perry tried a sneak and fumbled the ball, which was recovered by Purdue’s Sanoussi Pur Kane.

The Owls could have tied the game with 5:21 remaining but a trick play was thwarted on the two-point conversion attempt when receiver LaJohntay Wester took an end-around handoff and tried a pass that was intercepted by Cam Allen in the end zone.

That play occurred after Florida Atlantic drove 75 yards in seven plays, capped by Perry’s 5-yard touchdown pass to Wester.

Perry completed 18 of 30 passes in the game for 230 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. He also rushed for 93 yards on 13 carries.

Wester had nine receptions for 90 yards with three touchdowns.

Purdue (2-2) trailed 13-7 in the second quarter before Burton threw his second touchdown of the game, a 12-yard strike to Chris Jones with 18 seconds left before halftime.

Jones finished with nine catches for 59 yards and two touchdowns.

The Boilermakers scored another touchdown on their first possession of the second half to take a 21-13 lead with 10:49 left in the third quarter.

Downing scored that touchdown on a 2-yard run.

After the Owls cut the lead to 21-20 on Perry’s 16-yard touchdown pass to Wester, Purdue answered with a 4-yard touchdown strike from Burton to TJ Sheffield with 8:01 remaining.

Florida Atlantic outgained Purdue 419-354 in total yards and limited the Boilermakers to 3-of-12 on third-down conversion attempts.

–Field Level Media

Florida Gators wide receiver Jacob Copeland (1) is brought down after making a catch during a game against the Florida Atlantic Owls at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville Fla. Sept. 4, 2021. UFfauGameAction22

Florida runs over Florida Atlantic with 400 yards on the ground

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Dameon Pierce scored on a pair of short rushing plays and teammate Malik Davis gained 104 rushing yards as No. 13 Florida topped visiting Florida Atlantic 35-14 to open the season Saturday night in Gainesville, Fla.

Emory Jones threw a touchdown pass in his debut as Florida’s starting quarterback, completing 17 of 27 passes for 113 yards.

But backup Anthony Richardson made an impact late in the game, orchestrating a fourth-quarter touchdown drive by going 3-for-3 in the air and rushing for 26 yards on that series. He then sprinted 73 yards for the team’s last touchdown. After a couple more first-down pickups in the last minute, he totaled 160 rushing yards on seven attempts.

Florida ended up with 400 rushing yards on the way to winning its home opener for the 32nd consecutive season.

Davis, who scored on a 1-yard run in the fourth quarter, carried the ball 14 times.

N’Kosi Perry, a transfer from Miami, struggled at times in his first game as Florida Atlantic’s quarterback. He was 19-for-33 for 261 yards in the air.

Pierce ran for a 2-yard touchdown to open the scoring.

Jones passed 9 yards to Rick Wells for the game’s second touchdown, giving the Gators a 14-0 edge in the first quarter.

They didn’t score again until 6:47 to play in the third quarter when Pierce reached the end zone on a 3-yard run.

The first three Florida touchdown drives consumed at least 10 plays and covered 75 or more yards.

The Owls managed only 175 yards of total offense through three quarters. They scored on Johnny Ford’s 2-yard run with 4:27 remaining in the game, cutting their hole to 28-7, and later added the game’s final touchdown when Perry hooked up with Brandon Robinson on a 13-yard play.

Florida improved to 4-0 all-time against the Owls.

Willie Taggart, in his second season as Florida Atlantic’s coach, dropped to 0-3 vs. the Gators. The other two defeats came as Florida State’s coach.

–Field Level Media

Dec 30, 2020; Arlington, TX, USA; Florida Gators quarterback Emory Jones (5) throws a pass against the Oklahoma Sooners in the third quarter at ATT Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

No. 13 Florida seeks answers on offense vs. FAU

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Florida intends to put its offense in gear again this season, though the No. 13 Gators figure to have to use some different parts.

The season begins with a Saturday night matchup against Florida Atlantic in Gainesville, Fla.

“Can’t wait to see the Gator fans back out there,” Florida coach Dan Mullen said. “The electricity, the energy in the stadium.”

But will the Gators be able to generate as much spark on offense as in the past? Returning players accounted for only 14.2 percent of the rushing yards and 5.5 percent of the passing yards.

The expected starter at quarterback for Florida is Emory Jones, who takes over after record-setting Kyle Trask wrapped up his college career. Jones had two of his 32 passes end up as touchdowns (among 18 completions) last season in a limited role. He threw one interception.

Florida is looking to replace Trask, who threw 69 touchdown passes and 15 interceptions in 27 career games, and tight end Kyle Pitts from the high-powered offense.

While Jones figures to be well-groomed for the upgraded responsibilities, a chunk of preseason attention has fallen on backup quarterback Anthony Richardson, a Gainesville product.

“I think he has prepared himself to be the starter, which is what you want,” Mullen said.

The Gators are counting on receiver Jacob Copeland to emerge with a breakout season. He recorded five touchdown catches across the past two seasons.

Florida Atlantic’s first-string quarterback will be N’Kosi Perry, a transfer from Miami. He started nine of the 24 games in which he played for the Hurricanes.

Asked what he liked during the Owls’ preseason, Perry said, “I think the overall confidence of the team. I think everyone is buying into what we are doing.”

Much of Florida’s hopes might fall on the defense, which was shredded at times last year. Improving the secondary has been a point of emphasis.

“There’s a bunch of scenarios guys haven’t been in,” Mullen said.

Florida ended up with an 8-4 record last season, moving Mullen’s mark at the school to 29-9. The Gators finished with a three-game losing streak (vs. LSU, Alabama, Oklahoma). Until a 55-20 loss in the Cotton Bowl to Oklahoma, the other three defeats came by a total of 12 points.

Florida opened the past two seasons with No. 8 national rankings, so this preseason projection is slightly downgraded.

The Gators own the longest active Football Bowl Subdivision streak for victories in home openers at 31 games, beginning that string in 1990. During that stretch, they’ve lost just one opener overall at any location.

Florida holds a 3-0 all-time record in the series with Florida Atlantic, though this is the first meeting since the Gators’ 20-14 overtime victory in 2015. The Gators have outscored the Owls by a cumulative total of 120-37 in the three games.

Florida Atlantic coach Willie Taggart is 0-2 vs. the Gators, falling by scores of 40-17 and 41-14 when he was Florida State’s coach.

Taggart is in his second season directing the Owls after posting a 5-4 record last year.

“We have gotten better and I see our guys understanding what we are trying to do,” Taggart said.

–Field Level Media

Nov 25, 2017; Lexington, KY, USA; Former Louisville Cardinals head coach Howard Schnellenberger walks out on the field during the game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Commonwealth Stadium. Louisville defeat Kentucky 44-17. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Coaching great Howard Schnellenberger dies at 87

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Howard Schnellenberger, who rose to prominence as the architect of the Miami Hurricanes dynasty in the 1980s, died Saturday at the age of 87, his family announced.

No cause of death was given in the statement, which was released through Florida Atlantic University, whose football program he pioneered.

“Howard treated me special, like a queen, and was truly a husband that every Canadian girl dreams of,” his wife, Beverlee Schnellenberger, said in the statement. “You will always be my love, now and forever. I’m proud to be your wife. You were a great leader of men and the leader of our lives.”

The Schnellenbergers had been married for 62 years.

Schnellenberger was the offensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins for their perfect season in 1972 and again from 1975-78, before leaving to become the head coach of the Miami Hurricanes in 1979.

He quickly turned the floundering Hurricanes program into a national force, culminating in a championship in 1983. While it was his last season with the team, he left behind a young nucleus that helped pave the way for Jimmy Johnson’s title team in 1987 and sparked a run of five national titles in 19 seasons.

“Without him, there is no Miami Football,” the school posted to the team’s Twitter account.

“Howard Schnellenberger leaves behind a legacy more impactful than he’ll ever know. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.”

He left Miami for what turned out to be a brief flirtation with the USFL, and Schnellenberger later landed at the University of Louisville in his hometown in 1985. He turned a moribund Cardinals program into a contender in his 10 seasons in Louisville, leading them to their third and fourth bowl victories in school history.

His final coaching job was at FAU, where he started the Owls program from scratch in 2001. After just four seasons at the FCS level, FAU jumped to Division I play in the Sun Belt Conference.

By 2007, the Owls had their first winning record (8-5) and won the New Orleans Bowl 44-27 over Memphis.

In all, FAU was 58-74 under Schnellenberger, but 41-56 at the Division I level. His overall Division I record was 141-133-3, including a 6-0 record in bowl games.

–Field Level Media

Nov 4, 2017; Stillwater, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners defensive coordinator Mike Stoops before the game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Boone Pickens Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Ferguson-USA TODAY Sports

Reports: Florida Atlantic hiring Mike Stoops as DC

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Florida Atlantic is expected to hire former Arizona head coach Mike Stoops as defensive coordinator, multiple outlets reported Thursday.

Stoops, 59, spent the last two seasons as an analyst at Alabama.

He compiled a 41-50 in seven-plus seasons at Arizona (2004-11), leading the Wildcats to three bowl appearances.

Stoops has been a defensive coordinator or co-defensive coordinator in the Big 12 at Oklahoma (1999-2003, 2012-18) and Kansas State (1996-98).

At Florida Atlantic, Stoops would replace Jim Leavitt, who left Wednesday to become the defensive coordinator at SMU.

The Owls were 5-4 last season under first-year head coach Willie Taggart.

Stoops is the brother of Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops and longtime Sooners coach Bob Stoops.

–Field Level Media