BOCA RATON, Fla. — The UTSA defense held Florida Atlantic to a season low in total yards and the Roadrunners piled up 437 in a 36-10 win over Florida Atlantic on Saturday night in American Athletic Conference action at FAU Stadium.
The Roadrunners ran their record to 4-3 overall and 3-0 in league play with their 11th consecutive regular season conference victory. UTSA now has won 13 straight games against conference competition when including the 2021 and 2022 Conference USA Championship Games.
UTSA limited the Owls (3-4, 2-1) to a season-low 162 yards of offense behind a stiff rush defense. The Roadrunners surrendered only 20 yards on the ground and registered 13 tackles for loss, including five sacks.
Jamal Ligon made five tackles, including 1.5 for loss, while Ken Robinson also posted five stops on the night. Trey Moore logged 1.5 sacks, while Joe Evans, Ronald Triplette and Tai Leonard turned in a sack apiece.
Offensively, Frank Harris completed 26 of 35 passes for 261 yards and two touchdowns. His favorite target was Joshua Cephus, who had seven receptions for 57 yards, while Devin McCuin made five grabs for 64 yards.
The three-headed backfield monster of Kevorian Barnes, Rocko Griffin and Robert Henry combined to rush for 162 yards and a pair of TDs. Barnes carried 10 times for 56 yards, Henry had 53 yards and a score on 10 attempts and Griffin rushed 16 times for 53 yards and a touchdown.
For the second straight week, the Roadrunners scored a touchdown on their opening possession. Henry’s 15-yard TD scamper capped a 14-play, 75-yard march that took more than five minutes off the clock.
The Owls answered on their first drive with a 37-yard field goal by Logan Lupo at the 6:20 mark of the opening frame after a third-down pass that originally was ruled a touchdown was overturned.
Latrell Jean gave the home team a 10-7 lead after he intercepted a deflected ball and returned it nine yards for a touchdown late in the first quarter.
After Chase Allen knotted the score at 10-all with a 34-yard field goal at the 11:51 mark of the second stanza, UTSA reclaimed the lead on a 10-yard scoring strike from Harris to Willie McCoy five minutes later.
UTSA pushed its lead to 10 points at the break after Allen drilled a 37-yard field goal as time expired in the first half.
The Roadrunners struck again midway through the third quarter. Harris found Tykee Ogle-Kellogg open down the left side for a 42-yard touchdown pass. Allen’s extra point made it 27-10 with 8:16 on the clock.
UTSA tacked on two points late in the third when Evans registered a sack in the end zone, and then added a fourth-quarter TD on Griffin’s 6-yard dash to the end zone.
Richardson passed for 142 yards to lead FAU, while Burton had a team-high 68 receiving yards on five catches. LaJohntay Wester, the FBS’ leading receiver entering the week, to only four catches for 14 yards.
The Roadrunners will return home to host East Carolina (1-6, 0-3) next Saturday, Oct. 28, for Homecoming. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. at the Alamodome and the game will air on ESPN+ and Ticket 760. Tickets are on sale by calling 210-458-UTSA (8872) or visiting goUTSA.com/tickets.
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