FAU wins 8th straight

Owls beat Charlotte, but second-half fumbles are a concern.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The fight song will have to wait a week. There was little celebrating Saturday afternoon in the Florida Atlantic locker room after the Owls finished a perfect Conference USA regular season record with a 31-12 victory over Charlotte.

Head coach Lane Kiffin didn’t mince words, saying he and the rest of the team were dissatisfied with what he called an “ugly” tuneup for next Saturday’s conference title game against North Texas.

“If you walked by the locker room, you [would] have thought we lost,” said Kiffin, whose team actually won its eighth in a row. “Usually, we’ll sing the fight song in there after the game. But not today.”

“That’s a good sign. Our team has set high standards for itself,” Kiffin said.

The Owls (9-3, 8-0) dominated the first half, building a 24-6 lead. But the offense sputtered after intermission, losing the ball twice on fumbles and reaching the end zone only one time.

“They actually outscored us 7-6 in the second half,” Kiffin said of the 49ers, who finished the season 1-11, 1-7.

There were bright spots. The Owls outgained Charlotte 563-255 in total yardage and had a 31-12 edge in first downs. Quarterback Jason Driskel was a model of efficiency, completing 18-of-22 passes for 245 yards.

Freshman Willie Wright had a season-

high 10 receptions and a pair of long runs that helped set up a touchdown drive. And running back Devin “Motor” Singletary added two touchdowns, building his nation-leading total to 27, and rushed for 110 yards.

The 49ers, hoping to salvage something from a miserable season with an upset victory Saturday, gambled on their first possession — and it led to FAU’s first score.

Facing fourth down at their 46 early in the game, the 49ers tried a fake punt, but kicker Arthur Hart’s pass to Trent Bostick fell incomplete.

FAU took advantage by driving the 46 yards in six plays, scoring on a 6-yard run by Singletary. The big plays on the drive were runs of 12 and 15 yards by Wright.

A long punt return by Jalen Young launched the Owls’ second scoring drive. Young took a Hart punt at the 11 and returned it 33 yards. Driskel then completed a 31-yard pass to Kamrin Solomon, taking the ball to the Charlotte 25. The drive then bogged down, and Greg Joseph converted on a 37-yard field goal with 4:11 left in the first quarter.

Florida Atlantic built the lead to 17-0 nearly three minutes into the second quarter, scoring on 20-yard Driskel-to-Solomon pass. A 15-yard run by Singletary and a holding penalty against the 49ers were the other big plays on the 56-yard drive.

The 49ers ended the shutout midway through the period on a 28-yard pass from Hasaan Klugh to Benny LeMay.

The Owls’ longest scoring drive of the half ended with their third touchdown. Half of the yardage in the 82-yard drive came on the scoring play — a 41-yard pass from Driskel to Wright.

The second half started well enough, with FAU driving 69 yards on their first possession and scoring on a 1-yard run by Singletary. That built the lead to 31-6, but then the Owls fumbled away the ball on two consecutive possessions. The 49ers converted the second miscue into a 6-yard touchdown run by quarterback Hasaan Klugh.

Charlotte also drove deep into FAU territory midway in the fourth quarter but was stopped on downs at the Owls’ 5.

“That second half was not good,” Kiffin said. “We’ve got to do better.”