2020 Florida Atlantic Owls football team

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.

2020 Florida Atlantic Owls football
Montgomery Bowl, L 10–25, vs. Memphis
ConferenceConference USA
DivisionEast Division
2020 record5–4 (4–2 C-USA)
Head coach
Co-offensive coordinatorClint Trickett (1st as coordinator, 4th overall season)
Co-offensive coordinatorDrew Mehringer (1st season)
Defensive coordinatorJim Leavitt (1st season)
Home stadiumFAU Stadium
(Capacity: 29,419)
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  
Old Dominion†   –      –  
West Division
UAB xy$  3 –1     6 –3  
UTSA  5 –2     7 –5  
Louisiana Tech  4 –2     5 –4  
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 has suspended the 2020 football season.
Rankings from AP Poll.

Previous season

The Owls finished the 2019 regular season 11–3, 7–1 in CUSA play which they finished in first place in the East Division, the programs second second division title. Florida Atlantic played against UAB in the conference championship game. The Owls played in the game for the second time in three years and defeated the Blazers.[1] The team was invited to play in the Boca Raton Bowl against SMU, where the Owls took their eleventh win of the season.[2]

Preseason

Awards

Listed in the order that they were released

Player Position Year
Desmond Noel OL Senior

[3]

CUSA media days

The CUSA Media Days was be held virtually for the first time in conference history.[4]

Schedule

Florida Atlantic announced its 2020 football schedule on January 8, 2020.[5] 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.[6][7][8][9]

The Owls also had games scheduled against Georgia Southern, South Florida, and Southern Miss, which were postponed due to the pandemic.[10][11][12] The Georgia Southern game is now rescheduled for December 5[13] and the Southern Miss game is now rescheduled for December 10.[14] 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.[15]

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 31NoonUTSA
  • 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:[16][17]

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 lineOver/under
FAU −562.5[18]
StatisticsCharlotteFlorida Atlantic
First downs2215
Total yards396315
Rushing yards82217
Passing yards31498
Turnovers10
Time of possession37:4922:11
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
CharlottePassingChris Reynolds24/32, 314 yards, 1 TD
RushingTre Harbison III17 carries, 49 yards, 1 TD
ReceivingVictor Tucker9 receptions, 118 yards
Florida AtlanticPassingNick Tronti11/22, 98 yards, 2 TDs
RushingNick Tronti10 carries, 94 yards, 1 TD
ReceivingT. J. Chase3 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 lineOver/under
MRSH −19.550.5[19]
StatisticsFlorida AtlanticMarshall
First downs1719
Total yards234385
Rushing yards86134
Passing yards148251
Turnovers12
Time of possession33:1226:48
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
Florida AtlanticPassingNick Tronti18/30, 148 yards, 1 INT
RushingMalcolm Davidson8 carries, 62 yards, 1 TD
ReceivingJordan Merrell5 receptions, 48 yards
MarshallPassingGrant Wells18/31, 251 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
RushingBrenden Knox25 carries, 101 yards
ReceivingCorey Gammage6 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: Noon 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 lineOver/under
FAU −547[20]
StatisticsUTSAFlorida Atlantic
First downs1619
Total yards230332
Rushing yards104196
Passing yards126136
Turnovers00
Time of possession27:5432:06
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
UTSAPassingFrank Harris12/26, 109 yards
RushingFrank Harris14 carries, 66 yards
ReceivingJoshua Cephus5 receptions, 63 yards
Florida AtlanticPassingNick Tronti11/19, 136 yards, 1 TD
RushingMalcolm Davidson14 carries, 115 yards
ReceivingAaron Young3 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 lineOver/under
FAU −740.5[21]
StatisticsWestern KentuckyFlorida Atlantic
First downs1618
Total yards257273
Rushing yards94165
Passing yards163108
Turnovers01
Time of possession33:4926:11
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
Western KentuckyPassingTyrrell Pigrome19/39, 163 yards
RushingGaej Walker17 carries, 78 yards
ReceivingXavier Lane7 receptions, 60 yards
Florida AtlanticPassingNick Tronti7/16, 108 yards
RushingJavion Posey9 carries, 60 yards, 1 TD
ReceivingTJ Chase3 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 lineOver/under
FAU −8.541.5[22]
StatisticsFlorida AtlanticFIU
First downs2114
Total yards450281
Rushing yards370156
Passing yards80125
Turnovers10
Time of possession29:3327:58
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
Florida AtlanticPassingJavion Posey10/16, 80 yards, 2 TD
RushingJavion Posey18 carries, 140 yards, 1 TD
ReceivingTJ Chase1 reception, 28 yards
FIUPassingMax Bortenschlager10/18, 82 yards
RushingD'vonte Price26 carries, 178 yards, 1 TD
ReceivingRivaldo Fairweather6 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 lineOver/under
FAU −32.550.5[23]
StatisticsUMassFlorida Atlantic
First downs816
Total yards147368
Rushing yards62140
Passing yards85228
Turnovers21
Time of possession25:1034:50
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
UMassPassingWill Koch12/22, 67 yards, 1 INT
RushingEllis Merriweather11 carries, 48 yards
ReceivingJosiah Johnson8 receptions, 42 yards
Florida AtlanticPassingJavion Posey13/27, 203 yards
RushingJavion Posey19 carries, 90 yards, 1 TD
ReceivingTJ Chase4 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 lineOver/under
GASO −2.542[24]
StatisticsFlorida AtlanticGeorgia Southern
First downs1618
Total yards322339
Rushing yards133269
Passing yards18970
Turnovers40
Time of possession23:1536:45
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
Florida AtlanticPassingJavion Posey7/15, 105 yards, 2 INT
RushingJavion Posey8 carries, 61 yards
ReceivingJordan Merrell3 receptions, 67 yards
Georgia SouthernPassingJustin Tomlin3/12, 70 yards
RushingJustin Tomlin20 carries, 78 yards
ReceivingLogan Wright2 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 lineOver/under
FAU −8.541[25]
StatisticsFlorida AtlanticSouthern Miss
First downs1922
Total yards326514
Rushing yards164305
Passing yards162209
Turnovers13
Time of possession28:4131:19
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
Florida AtlanticPassingNick Tronti17/33, 162 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
RushingJames Charles16 carries, 79 yards, 2 TD
ReceivingBrandon Robinson5 receptions, 72 yards, 1 TD
Southern MissPassingTrey Lowe13/19, 209 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
RushingFrank Gore Jr.9 carries, 111 yards, 1 TD
ReceivingJason Brownlee3 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 lineOver/under
MEM −952.5[26]
StatisticsMemphisFlorida Atlantic
First downs2419
Total yards469290
Rushing yards185139
Passing yards284151
Turnovers32
Time of possession30:4429:16
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
MemphisPassingBrady White22/34, 284 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT
RushingAsa Martin15 carries, 96 yards
ReceivingJavon Ivory7 receptions, 126 yards, 1 TD
Florida AtlanticPassingNick Tronti16/32, 146 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
RushingJames Charles16 carries, 82 yards
ReceivingBrandon Robinson4 receptions, 39 yards

References
  1. "UAB vs. Florida Atlantic – Game Summary – December 7, 2019 – ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
  2. "SMU vs. Florida Atlantic – Game Summary – December 21, 2019 – ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  3. "2020 Preseason Football Awards". Conference USA. August 25, 2020.
  4. "Conference USA to hold virtual football media days due to COVID-19". ktsm.com. May 5, 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  5. "2020 FAU Football Schedule Announced". Florida Atlantic University Department of Athletics. January 8, 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  6. Myerberg, Paul. "Big Ten football reduces season schedule to only conference games, maybe setting stage for others to follow". USA TODAY. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  7. Singelais, Mark (16 July 2020). "Reports: CAA football won't play this fall". Times Union. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  8. "Old Dominion postponing football and fall sports". The Virginian Pilot. Retrieved 2020-08-10.
  9. "Football at MT Canceled". Florida Atlantic University Department of Athletics. November 27, 2020.
  10. "Football Game versus Georgia Southern Postponed". Florida Atlantic University Department of Athletics. September 18, 2020.
  11. "The FAU vs USF Football Game has been Postponed". Florida Atlantic University Department of Athletics. September 23, 2020.
  12. "Football vs. Southern Mississippi is Postponed". Florida Atlantic University Department of Athletics. October 8, 2020.
  13. "Football Reschedules Game with Georgia Southern". Florida Atlantic University Department of Athletics. September 30, 2020.
  14. "C-USA Reschedules FAU Football at Southern Miss". Florida Atlantic University Department of Athletics. November 4, 2020.
  15. "Football Inks Deal to Host UMass on Friday, Nov. 20". Florida Atlantic University Department of Athletics. November 6, 2020.
  16. "2020 Football Schedule". Florida Atlantic University Athletics. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  17. "2020 Florida Atlantic Owls Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  18. "Charlotte 49ers vs Florida Atlantic Owls". Odds Shark. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  19. "Florida Atlantic Owls vs Marshall Thundering Herd". Odds Shark. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  20. "UTSA Roadrunners vs Florida Atlantic Owls". Odds Shark. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  21. "WKU Hilltoppers vs Florida Atlantic Owls". Odds Shark. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  22. "Florida Atlantic Owls vs FIU Panthers". Odds Shark. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  23. "Massachusetts Minutemen vs Florida Atlantic Owls". Odds Shark. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  24. "Florida Atlantic Owls vs Georgia Southern Eagles". Odds Shark. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  25. "Florida Atlantic vs Southern Mississippi". ESPN. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  26. "Memphis Tigers vs Florida Atlantic Owls". Odds Shark. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
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