Singletary’s four TDs send Owls to fourth win in a row
BOWLING GREEN, KY — In a topsy-turvy football game, it was Florida Atlantic that found its way on top at the end.
Devin Singletary ran for 244 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Owls to a 42-28 victory over Western Kentucky on Saturday night. The win was the Owls fourth straight and puts them one win away from securing their first .500 or better finish since 2013.
It seemed like the Owls (5-3, 4-0 Conference USA East) would take command early.
Florida Atlantic took advantage of a couple fumbles deep in Toppers territory to score 17 straight points in the first half. After WKU muffed a punt, the Owls recovered at the Toppers 8. Three plays later, Singletary ran it in from 12 to put the Owls up 10-7 with 3:18 left in the first quarter.
On WKU’s next possession, Andrew Soroh recovered a fumble at the WKU 18. Singletary finished that short drive five plays later on a 1-yard sweep to push the lead to 10 with 11:12 left in the first half.
However, WKU (5-3, 3-2) came storming back thanks to two 80-plus yard touchdown drives in the second quarter. White, who completed 9-of-13 passes for 117 yards in the second quarter, connected with Deon Yelder on a 12-yard scoring pass to put the Toppers up 21-20 with :51 left in the half.
WKU would push the lead to 28-20 late in the third quarter on a Yelder 1-yard run with 1:18 left in the third period.
It seemed like the Toppers had the game under control. However, Herb Miller picked off a Mike White pass with 12:35 remaining at the FAU 31 to give the Owls new life. Three plays later, on a 3rd-and-1, Singletary took it 60 yards for a touchdown. Jason Driskel’s pass to Kalib Woods on the conversion tied the game.
After the defense held WKU to a three-and-out, the Owls took the lead on their ensuing drive as Driskel found a wide-open Willie Wright in the middle of the field. The 49-yard pass made it 35-28 with 9:11 left.
Singletary tied his career best with his fourth score, a 5-yard run, with 5:21 left to end the scoring.
After having just 229 yards through the first three quarters, the Owls racked up 232 in the fourth quarter alone. It didn’t match their production of recent weeks, but the fourth-quarter outburst was more than enough to keep the Owls undefeated in conference play.
It also means the Owls control their own destiny. They entered Saturday tied with Marshall for the division lead. The Thundering Herd, who travel to FAU this Friday, lost to Florida International on Saturday afternoon.