No. 20 Southeastern falls at FBS Florida Atlantic

BOCA RATON, Fla. – The No. 20/21 Southeastern Louisiana University football team’s second game versus an FBS opponent resulted in a 42-9 loss to FAU Saturday evening at FAU Stadium.

Kickoff was delayed nearly two hours due to lightning in the area. Once the game got under way, the host Owls (2-1) racked up 631 yards against the visiting Lions (0-2), who were limited to 246 yards of total offense.

Anthony Britton Jr. led Southeastern with 12 tackles. Herman Christophe and Garrett Crawford each intercepted passes, while John Graves III was credited with a sack.

Cephus Johnson III (5-for-13, 86 yards) and Eli Sawyer (12-for-20, 116 yards, 1 TD) shared quarterbacking duties for the Lions. Ivan Drobocky hauled in a touchdown for SLU.

Zuberi Mobley (20 carries, 146 yards, 1 TD)) and Larry McCammon (15-125-1 TD) led a potent FAU rushing attack. N’Kosi Perry completed 18-of-30 passes for 259 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Lajohntay Wester was Perry’s top target, grabbing eight balls for 140 yards and a pair of scores.

FAU drove into Southeastern territory on the opening drive of the game, but Christophe stepped in front of a short Perry pass for the first interception by the Lions of the young 2022 season.

After the Lions went three-and-out, FAU got on the board. Mobley hauled in a 14-yard screen pass from Perry and walked in for a score and a 7-0 Owls’ lead with just under eight minutes left in the opening quarter.

The teams traded empty possessions until FAU added to its lead early in the second quarter. Lajohntay Wester ran under a 36-yard pass from Perry to give the Owls a 14-0 cushion with 12:52 left in the first half.

SLU got on the board on its next drive – a nine-play, 73-yard march highlighted by a 35-yard pass from Johnson to CJ Turner. The Lions were kept out of the end zone and had to settle for a 19-yard Mateo Rengifo field goal that cut the lead to 14-3 with 8:41 remaining in the opening half.

FAU answered with a nine-play, 70-yard scoring drive. Perry scampered in from two yards out to give the Owls a 21-3 lead with 4:23 left in the opening half.

The Owls padded their lead on the final play of the first half. McCammon powered in from a yard out to give FAU a 28-3 advantage at the break.

After the teams traded empty possessions to start the third quarter, the Owls added to their lead midway through the period. Mobley ran around right end from four yards out to put FAU up, 35-3, with 7:57 left in the third period.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, Crawford intercepted Perry and returned it 26 yards, but was stripped by Javion Posey and FAU regained possession. Two plays later, Wester ran under a 42-yard scoring toss from Perry to put the Owls up, 42-3, with 13:45 remaining.

Southeastern cut into the lead with a 14-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. Drobocky hauled in a 13 yard scoring toss from Sawyer to cut the lead to 42-9 with 7:56 left in the contest.

Saturday’s trip to Lafayette will be the first of two games versus FBS opponents to open the year for the Lions. SLU heads to Florida Atlantic Sept. 10 for a 5 p.m. (CST) contest that will be televised on ESPN+ and can be heard on the Southeastern Sports Radio Network.

SLU – 0 3 0 6 – 9 (0-2)
FAU – 7 21 7 7 – 42 (2-1)

Scoring Summary
1st Quarter
FAU – Mobley 15 pass from Perry (Suarez kick), 7:53
2nd Quarter
FAU – Wester 36 pass from Perry (Suarez kick), 12:52
SLU – Rengifo 19 FG, 8:41
FAU – Perry 2 run (Suarez kick), 4:23
FAU – McMammon 4 run (Suarez kick), 0:00
3rd Quarter
FAU – Mobley 4 run (Suarez kick), 7:57
4th Quarter
FAU – Wester 42 pass from Perry (Suarez kick), 13:45
SLU – Drobocky 13 pass from Sawyer (Rengifo kick failed), 7:56

SLU FAU
FIRST DOWNS 15 32
RUSHES-YARDS (NET) 24-44 57-366
PASSING YDS (NET) 202 265
Passes Att-Comp-Int 33-17-0 31-19-2
TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS 57-246 88-631
Fumble Returns-Yards 0-0 0-0
Kickoff Returns-Yards 2-32 2-49
Punt Returns-Yards 0-0 3-9
Interception Returns-Yards 2-33 0-0
Punts (Number-Avg) 7-46.9 1-39.0
Fumbles-Lost 1-1 1-0
Penalties-Yards 10-75 8-69
Possession Time. 24:41 35:19
Third-Down Conversions 2-for-12 11-for-17
Fourth-Down Conversions 2-for-2 1-for-3
Red Zone Scores-Chances

RUSHING: SLU – Washington 7-33, Johnson III 5-8, Graham Jr. 7-7, Britt 4-(-1), Sawyer 1-(-3). Totals 24-44. FAU – Mobley 20-146, McCammon 15-125, Scott III 8-43, Armes 2-16, Perry 4-14, Taggard Jr. 5-12, Johnson 1-6, Wester 1-2, Posey 1-2. Totals – 57-366.

PASSING: SLU – Sawyer 12-20-0-116-1, Johnson III 5-13-0-86-0. Totals 17-33-0-246-1. FAU – Perry 18-30-2-259-3, Taggard Jr. 1-1-0-6-0. Totals – 19-31-2-265-3.

RECEIVING: SLU – Turner 3-52, Larvadain 1-34, Drobocky 2-32, Massey 3-25, Robinson 3-24, Sharp 2-14, Lewis 2-13, Washington Jr. 1-8. Totals – 17-202. FAU – Wester 8-140, Posey 3-42, Johnson 2-37, Evans 2-25, Mobley 1-14, Platt 2-12, Armes 1-(-5). Totals – 19-259.

A – 17,532.