Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
OWLS ROMP AT BOCA BOWL
FAU dominates Akron to finish record season
The Owls were so dominant the second half of the schedule they never trailed in the last 5 1⁄2 games of the season.
BOCA RATON — During the day, the Florida Atlantic athletic department worked things out so football coach Lane Kiffin would be around for a while.
At night, the team capped off a memorable day in school history. The Owls defeated Akron 50-3 on Tuesday in the Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl at FAU Stadium. The margin of victory was their largest at the Division I-A level. They are now 3-0 in bowl games and finished the season with 10-straight wins.
With the exception of a five-point win against Marshall, they won every game during the streak by at least two touchdowns. At 11-3, they are now tied with the 2003 team for the best record in school history.
The Owls were so dominant the second half of the schedule they never trailed in the last 5 ½ games of the season. The last time they were down was Oct. 28 in the third quarter against Western Kentucky, a game they rallied to win 42-28.
There was the thought the Owls would have a letdown because of the opponent. Akron entered as a 22 ½-point underdog after losing in the Mid-American Conference title game.
For a bit, it appeared the Owls had gotten complacent. That string of never trailing was nearly interrupted in the first quarter. After the Owls missed a field goal on their first possession, the Zips drove to the FAU 21 but also failed to convert a short kick.
That was all the Owls needed to continue dominance. Quarterback Jason Driskel connected with receiver Willie Wright on a
4-yard touchdown pass to make it 7-0 with 1:08 remaining. After an Akron field goal, the Owls then scored on consecutive possessions to break things open.
Driskel, who completed 19 of 25 passes for 270 yards and two touchdowns, hit receiver Kamrin Solomon for a 63-yard gain that set up a 6-yard touchdown run by running back Devin “Motor” Singletary just before halftime.
It was the first of three touchdowns for Singletary. His 32 rushing scores set the Conference USA singleseason record. The previous mark of 29 was held by FAU running backs coach Kevin Smith, who played at Central Florida.
In a record-breaking season, linebacker Azeez AlShaair also became the school’s all-time leader in tackles with 354. The loss dampened the homecoming for Akron quarterback Kato Nelson, who played at Flanagan. He completed 9 of 15 passes for 80 yards but spent most of the game trying to elude the FAU defense.
The Owls wasted little time in the second half before turning it into a rout. After stopping Akron on fourth down on its first possession of the third quarter, Singletary scored on a 2-yard touchdown to make it 28-3 with 9:13 remaining. By late in the third quarter, the Owls’ coaching staff was already emptying the bench.
The performance was the perfect encore to how the day began. Before the game, Kiffin and the school agreed to a six-year extension that will keep him under contract until 2027. His name was often mentioned with coaching vacancies at larger schools, but the Owls will have him around at least for a few more years.
When Singletary’s final score put them at the 50-point mark, some of the announced crowd of 25,912 began chanting, “Ten more years.” Kiffin made good on all the promises he made when he was hired last December. After three consecutive 3-9 seasons, he has needed just one to make FAU football relevant at the national level.
The Owls now have the nation’s second-longest current winning streak, trailing only UCF. They add a bowl trophy to a season that already produced the first Conference USA title in school history and will likely end with a Top 25 ranking for the first time.