Battle of the Owls: Florida Atlantic storms back to defeat Rice 51-49

BOCA RATON – A wild homecoming victory over Rice has put Florida Atlantic one win away from bowl eligibility for the first time since 2020.

>Despite giving up over 600 yards of offense, FAU scored seven touchdowns - three rushing, three passing and on special teams - to defeat Rice 51-49 on Saturday.

>FAU (5-2, 2-1) still had difficulty stopping Rice's (1-7, 0-4) running game, going down 14-0 early in the first quarter. However, the home team fought back, passing for more than 300 yards, forcing a turnover and a safety and going 4-for-4 in the red zone in a key shootout victory.

>“At the end of the day, we had to find a way to get the stop. They got down the field late, we got the stop and that's what I'm proud of,” FAU Coach Zach Kittley said.

Record day for Easton Messer

>The dynamic duo of Caden Veltkamp and Easton Messer continued to shine Saturday afternoon, Veltkamp throwing for 331 yards and three touchdowns. Veltkamp threw an interception at the end of the first half, but he also had a QB sneak for a touchdown.

>“I have to be smart with the football there because if we scored there at the end of the half, then we go out up 2 scores and we get the ball coming out and we have a chance to go up 3 scores," Veltkamp said. "But other than that, and the first drive, I played well for 3 quarters for the most part.

>But the real star was Messer, who tied a school single-game record with five touchdowns. He was all over the place as he ran the ball from the backfield, lined up at wide receiver and returned punts and amassed 262 all-purpose yards.

>Messer had 12 catches for 162 yards and two touchdowns, two rushing touchdowns on three carries and even returned a punt 82 yards for his second return touchdown of the season.

>Per @ESPNInsights, Messer is the only FBS player in the last 20 seasons with two rushing touchdowns, two receiving touchdowns and a punt return touchdown in the same game.

>“I'm never surprised by anything that he does," Veltkamp said. "He works harder than anybody I’ve ever been around. I'm super proud that he got to display all facets of his game today.”

>Even after his historic performance, Messer was still critical of himself.

>“It's kind of weird 'cause I think simultaneously, it felt like one of the worst games I played personally and one of the best," Messer said. "The stats were good, but I started the game with some uncharacteristic drops. I really just looked at that as an opportunity to lead by example, and show my teammates that it really is the next play mentality. Just make plays whenever they come your way,”

>Kittley was moved to tears talking about Messer postgame.

>“He's such a selfless football player," Kittley said. "He doesn't really care how many touches he gets, he just wants to win. And I trust him a lot. He can do everything for your team, man.”

>FAU also spread the wealth. Kelby Valsin caught seven passes for 78 yards, and Branden Hoch started FAU’s comeback with a 30-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter, the first of his career for the former West Boca standout.

>“He’s a guy that you're going to look out for the next couple years," Kittley said of Hoch. "Hopefully he stays here with us, man. 
He's going to be a 75- to 80-catch guy in a year or two. I believe that about him.”

FAU run defense still needs improvement FAU’s run defense has plagued it all season, going back to Week 1 when the Owls gave up 281 rushing yards in a loss to Florida. That negative trend continued when they gave up 246 rushing yards the next week against Navy.

>After a few strong defensive performances, the run defense is struggling again. After allowing 479 rushing yards to Army two weeks ago, Florida Atlantic allowed 467 rushing yards against Rice.

>Rice QB Gael Ochoa ran for 259 yards and four touchdowns. Ochoa had 19 rushing yards on the season before Saturday’s game.

>The competition only gets stronger. FAU will not play a team with a losing record the rest of the season with a Thursday night game at North Texas up next.

>“We’re lucky we got a noon kick (against Rice). We can get our guys more time to rest and recover and our coaches more time to game plan," Kittley said. "We’ve got to practice, but I also have to make sure our players are healthy and fast for Thursday."

>This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Battle of the Owls: Florida Atlantic storms back to defeat Rice 51-49