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2020 Florida Atlantic Owls football team

2020 Conference USA football standings
Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
East Division
Marshall xy   4 – 1     7 – 3  
Florida Atlantic   4 – 2     5 – 4  
Western Kentucky   4 – 3     5 – 7  
Charlotte   2 – 2     2 – 4  
Middle Tennessee   2 – 4     3 – 6  
FIU   0 – 3     0 – 5  
West Division
UAB xy$   3 – 1     6 – 3  
UTSA   5 – 2     7 – 5  
Louisiana Tech   4 – 2     5 – 5  
North Texas   3 – 4     4 – 6  
Rice   2 – 3     2 – 3  
Southern Miss   2 – 4     3 – 7  
UTEP   0 – 4     3 – 5  
Championship: UAB 22, Marshall 13
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
  • Note: Due to COVID-19, Old Dominion opted out of the season.

The 2020 Florida Atlantic Owls football team represented Florida Atlantic University in the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Owls played their home games at FAU Stadium in Boca Raton, Florida, and competed in the East Division of Conference USA (CUSA). They were led by head coach Willie Taggart, in his first year.

Preseason

Awards

Listed in the order that they were released

Player Position Year
Desmond Noel OL Senior

[1]

CUSA media days

The CUSA Media Days was held virtually for the first time in conference history.[2]

Schedule

Florida Atlantic announced its 2020 football schedule on January 8, 2020.[3] The 2020 schedule originally consisted of 6 home and 6 away games in the regular season.

The Owls had games scheduled against Minnesota, Old Dominion, Stony Brook, and Middle Tennessee which were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[4][5][6][7]

The Owls also had games scheduled against Georgia Southern, South Florida, and Southern Miss, which were postponed due to the pandemic.[8][9][10] The Georgia Southern game is now rescheduled for December 5[11] and the Southern Miss game is now rescheduled for December 10.[12] They also added a new game against UMass on November 20 to replace their canceled game against Old Dominion, which was previously scheduled for that same weekend.[13]

DateTimeOpponentSiteTVResultAttendance
October 34:00 p.m.Charlotte
ESPNUW 21–175,657
October 242:30 p.m.at No. 22 Marshall
StadiumL 9–2012,002
October 3112:00 p.m.UTSA
  • FAU Stadium
  • Boca Raton, FL
StadiumW 24–35,026
November 76:00 p.m.Western Kentucky
  • FAU Stadium
  • Boca Raton, FL
StadiumW 10–65,292
November 137:00 p.m.at FIU
CBSSNW 38–190
November 208:00 p.m.UMass*
  • FAU Stadium
  • Boca Raton, FL
CBSSNW 24–25,554
December 56:00 p.m.at Georgia Southern*
ESPN+L 3–203,867
December 106:30 p.m.at Southern Miss
CBSSNL 31–450
December 237:00 p.m.vs. Memphis*
ESPNL 10–252,979
Schedule Source:[14][15]

Game summaries

Charlotte

Charlotte at Florida Atlantic
1 234Total
49ers 10 007 17
• Owls 0 0210 21
  • Date: October 3, 2020
  • Location: FAU Stadium
    Boca Raton, FL
  • Game start: 4:02 p.m. EDT
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 20 minutes
  • Game attendance: 5,657
  • Game weather: 85 °F (29 °C) • Weather: Drizzle • Wind: SSE 10 MPH
  • Referee: Billy Williams
  • TV announcers (ESPNU): Mike Corey (play–by–play) and Jay Walker (analyst)
   
See also: 2020 Charlotte 49ers football team
Pregame line Over/under
FAU −5 62.5[16]
Statistics Charlotte Florida Atlantic
First downs 22 15
Total yards 396 315
Rushing yards 82 217
Passing yards 314 98
Turnovers 1 0
Time of possession 37:49 22:11
Team Category Player Statistics
Charlotte Passing Chris Reynolds 24/32, 314 yards, 1 TD
Rushing Tre Harbison III 17 carries, 49 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Victor Tucker 9 receptions, 118 yards
Florida Atlantic Passing Nick Tronti 11/22, 98 yards, 2 TDs
Rushing Nick Tronti 10 carries, 94 yards, 1 TD
Receiving T. J. Chase 3 receptions, 31 yards, 1 TD

At Marshall

Florida Atlantic at Marshall
1 234Total
Owls 0 630 9
• No. 22 Thundering Herd 7 0103 20
  • Date: October 24, 2020
  • Location: Joan C. Edwards Stadium
    Huntington, WV
  • Game start: 2:30 p.m. EDT
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 11 minutes
  • Game attendance: 12,002
  • Game weather: 52 °F (11 °C) • Weather: Cloudy • Wind: S 6 MPH
  • Referee: Rodney Burnette
  • TV announcers (Stadium): Chris Hassel (play-by-play) and A. J. Hawk (analyst)
  
See also: 2020 Marshall Thundering Herd football team
Pregame line Over/under
MRSH −19.5 50.5[17]
Statistics Florida Atlantic Marshall
First downs 17 19
Total yards 234 385
Rushing yards 86 134
Passing yards 148 251
Turnovers 1 2
Time of possession 33:12 26:48
Team Category Player Statistics
Florida Atlantic Passing Nick Tronti 18/30, 148 yards, 1 INT
Rushing Malcolm Davidson 8 carries, 62 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Jordan Merrell 5 receptions, 48 yards
Marshall Passing Grant Wells 18/31, 251 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing Brenden Knox 25 carries, 101 yards
Receiving Corey Gammage 6 receptions, 79 yards

UTSA

Texas–San Antonio at Florida Atlantic
1 234Total
Roadrunners 0 300 3
• Owls 10 707 24
  • Date: October 31, 2020
  • Location: FAU Stadium
    Boca Raton, FL
  • Game start: 12:00 p.m. EDT
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours & 18 minutes
  • Game attendance: 5,026
  • Game weather: 82 °F (28 °C) • Weather: Humid/Partly Cloudy • Wind: ESE 6 MPH
  • Referee: Chris Bynum
  • TV announcers (Stadium): Chris Vosters (play-by-play) and Max Stark (analyst)
  
See also: 2020 UTSA Roadrunners football team
Pregame line Over/under
FAU −5 47[18]
Statistics UTSA Florida Atlantic
First downs 16 19
Total yards 230 332
Rushing yards 104 196
Passing yards 126 136
Turnovers 0 0
Time of possession 27:54 32:06
Team Category Player Statistics
UTSA Passing Frank Harris 12/26, 109 yards
Rushing Frank Harris 14 carries, 66 yards
Receiving Joshua Cephus 5 receptions, 63 yards
Florida Atlantic Passing Nick Tronti 11/19, 136 yards, 1 TD
Rushing Malcolm Davidson 14 carries, 115 yards
Receiving Aaron Young 3 receptions, 54 yards, 1 TD

Western Kentucky

Western Kentucky at Florida Atlantic
1 234Total
Hilltoppers 0 033 6
• Owls 0 037 10
  • Date: November 7, 2020
  • Location: FAU Stadium
    Boca Raton, FL
  • Game start: 6:35 p.m. EST
  • Elapsed time: 2 hours & 53 minutes
  • Game attendance: 5,292
  • Game weather: 72 °F (22 °C) • Weather: Rainy and Windy • Wind: E 20 MPH
  • Referee: Jon Noli
  • TV announcers (Stadium): Chris Hassel (play-by-play) and A. J. Hawk (analyst)
  
See also: 2020 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team
Pregame line Over/under
FAU −7 40.5[19]
Statistics Western Kentucky Florida Atlantic
First downs 16 18
Total yards 257 273
Rushing yards 94 165
Passing yards 163 108
Turnovers 0 1
Time of possession 33:49 26:11
Team Category Player Statistics
Western Kentucky Passing Tyrrell Pigrome 19/39, 163 yards
Rushing Gaej Walker 17 carries, 78 yards
Receiving Xavier Lane 7 receptions, 60 yards
Florida Atlantic Passing Nick Tronti 7/16, 108 yards
Rushing Javion Posey 9 carries, 60 yards, 1 TD
Receiving TJ Chase 3 receptions, 47 yards

At FIU

Florida Atlantic at Florida International
1 234Total
• Owls 7 17014 38
Panthers 0 1009 19
       
See also: 2020 FIU Panthers football team and Shula Bowl
Pregame line Over/under
FAU −8.5 41.5[20]
Statistics Florida Atlantic FIU
First downs 21 14
Total yards 450 281
Rushing yards 370 156
Passing yards 80 125
Turnovers 1 0
Time of possession 29:33 27:58
Team Category Player Statistics
Florida Atlantic Passing Javion Posey 10/16, 80 yards, 2 TD
Rushing Javion Posey 18 carries, 140 yards, 1 TD
Receiving TJ Chase 1 reception, 28 yards
FIU Passing Max Bortenschlager 10/18, 82 yards
Rushing D'Vonte Price 26 carries, 178 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Rivaldo Fairweather 6 receptions, 49 yards

UMass

Massachusetts at Florida Atlantic
1 234Total
Minutemen 0 020 2
• Owls 7 0143 24
  
See also: 2020 UMass Minutemen football team
Pregame line Over/under
FAU −32.5 50.5[21]
Statistics UMass Florida Atlantic
First downs 8 16
Total yards 147 368
Rushing yards 62 140
Passing yards 85 228
Turnovers 2 1
Time of possession 25:10 34:50
Team Category Player Statistics
UMass Passing Will Koch 12/22, 67 yards, 1 INT
Rushing Ellis Merriweather 11 carries, 48 yards
Receiving Josiah Johnson 8 receptions, 42 yards
Florida Atlantic Passing Javion Posey 13/27, 203 yards
Rushing Javion Posey 19 carries, 90 yards, 1 TD
Receiving TJ Chase 4 receptions, 79 yards

At Georgia Southern

Florida Atlantic at Georgia Southern
1 234Total
Owls 0 030 3
• Eagles 0 10010 20
  • Date: December 5, 2020
  • Location: Paulson Stadium
    Statesboro, GA
  • Game start: 6:00 p.m. EST
  • Elapsed time: 2 hours & 55 minutes
  • Game attendance: 3,867
  • Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD MPH
  • Referee: T. Livingston
  • TV announcers (ESPN+): Matt Stewart (play-by-play) and Danny Waugh (analyst)
 
See also: 2020 Georgia Southern Eagles football team
Pregame line Over/under
GASO −2.5 42[22]
Statistics Florida Atlantic Georgia Southern
First downs 16 18
Total yards 322 339
Rushing yards 133 269
Passing yards 189 70
Turnovers 4 0
Time of possession 23:15 36:45
Team Category Player Statistics
Florida Atlantic Passing Javion Posey 7/15, 105 yards, 2 INT
Rushing Javion Posey 8 carries, 61 yards
Receiving Jordan Merrell 3 receptions, 67 yards
Georgia Southern Passing Justin Tomlin 3/12, 70 yards
Rushing Justin Tomlin 20 carries, 78 yards
Receiving Logan Wright 2 receptions, 65 yards

At Southern Miss

Florida Atlantic at Southern Mississippi
1 234Total
Owls 7 10140 31
• Golden Eagles 10 14147 45
        
See also: 2020 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team
Pregame line Over/under
FAU −8.5 41[23]
Statistics Florida Atlantic Southern Miss
First downs 19 22
Total yards 326 514
Rushing yards 164 305
Passing yards 162 209
Turnovers 1 3
Time of possession 28:41 31:19
Team Category Player Statistics
Florida Atlantic Passing Nick Tronti 17/33, 162 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing James Charles 16 carries, 79 yards, 2 TD
Receiving Brandon Robinson 5 receptions, 72 yards, 1 TD
Southern Miss Passing Trey Lowe 13/19, 209 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing Frank Gore Jr. 9 carries, 111 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Jason Brownlee 3 receptions, 81 yards, 1 TD

Vs. Memphis (Montgomery Bowl)

Memphis vs. Florida Atlantic
1 234Total
• Tigers 10 870 25
Owls 0 0100 10
   
See also: 2020 Memphis Tigers football team and Montgomery Bowl
Pregame line Over/under
MEM −9 52.5[24]
Statistics Memphis Florida Atlantic
First downs 24 19
Total yards 469 290
Rushing yards 185 139
Passing yards 284 151
Turnovers 3 2
Time of possession 30:44 29:16
Team Category Player Statistics
Memphis Passing Brady White 22/34, 284 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing Asa Martin 15 carries, 96 yards
Receiving Javon Ivory 7 receptions, 126 yards, 1 TD
Florida Atlantic Passing Nick Tronti 16/32, 146 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing James Charles 16 carries, 82 yards
Receiving Brandon Robinson 4 receptions, 39 yards

References

  1. ^ "2020 Preseason Football Awards". Conference USA. August 25, 2020.
  2. ^ "Conference USA to hold virtual football media days due to COVID-19". ktsm.com. May 5, 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  3. ^ "2020 FAU Football Schedule Announced". Florida Atlantic University Department of Athletics. January 8, 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  4. ^ Myerberg, Paul. "Big Ten football reduces season schedule to only conference games, maybe setting stage for others to follow". USA TODAY. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  5. ^ Singelais, Mark (July 16, 2020). "Reports: CAA football won't play this fall". Times Union. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  6. ^ "Old Dominion postponing football and fall sports". The Virginian Pilot. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  7. ^ "Football at MT Canceled". Florida Atlantic University Department of Athletics. November 27, 2020.
  8. ^ "Football Game versus Georgia Southern Postponed". Florida Atlantic University Department of Athletics. September 18, 2020.
  9. ^ "The FAU vs USF Football Game has been Postponed". Florida Atlantic University Department of Athletics. September 23, 2020.
  10. ^ "Football vs. Southern Mississippi is Postponed". Florida Atlantic University Department of Athletics. October 8, 2020.
  11. ^ "Football Reschedules Game with Georgia Southern". Florida Atlantic University Department of Athletics. September 30, 2020.
  12. ^ "C-USA Reschedules FAU Football at Southern Miss". Florida Atlantic University Department of Athletics. November 4, 2020.
  13. ^ "Football Inks Deal to Host UMass on Friday, Nov. 20". Florida Atlantic University Department of Athletics. November 6, 2020.
  14. ^ "2020 Football Schedule". Florida Atlantic University Athletics. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  15. ^ "2020 Florida Atlantic Owls Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  16. ^ "Charlotte 49ers vs Florida Atlantic Owls". Odds Shark. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  17. ^ "Florida Atlantic Owls vs Marshall Thundering Herd". Odds Shark. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  18. ^ "UTSA Roadrunners vs Florida Atlantic Owls". Odds Shark. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  19. ^ "WKU Hilltoppers vs Florida Atlantic Owls". Odds Shark. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  20. ^ "Florida Atlantic Owls vs FIU Panthers". Odds Shark. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  21. ^ "Massachusetts Minutemen vs Florida Atlantic Owls". Odds Shark. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  22. ^ "Florida Atlantic Owls vs Georgia Southern Eagles". Odds Shark. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  23. ^ "Florida Atlantic vs Southern Mississippi". ESPN. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  24. ^ "Memphis Tigers vs Florida Atlantic Owls". Odds Shark. Retrieved December 26, 2020.