Florida Atlantic vs. Wyoming Recap 2014: Owls Lose Late To Cowboys, 20-19

The Florida Atlantic Owls lost to the Wyoming Cowboys on Saturday, 20-19, in a heartbreaker. A fumble by quarterback Jaquez Johnson with two minutes left in the game was recovered by the Cowboys. Wyoming quarterback Colby Kirkegaard took advantage of the late turnover and connected with Dominic Rufran for an 85 yard reception that put them in great field position. The Cowboys connected on a short field goal to put the game away.

Wyoming running back Shaun Wick picked up 111 rushing yards for the Cowboys, while D.J. May added another 71 yards on the ground. Wide receiver Dominic Rufran totaled 110 receiving yards on the day, with the majority coming on the play after the fumble recovery.

With two minutes and Wyoming having only one timeout left in the game, all FAU had to do was take a knee and the game would be over. Instead, quarterback Jaquez Johnson took a run to the left and coughed up the ball in the red zone. The Florida Atlantic defense had just stopped Wyoming on 4th and 22 to take over on downs, but the Owls couldn't manage the game for the victory.

FAU running back Jay Warren finished his day with over 100 rushing yards and a firm grasp on the top of the depth chart. No Owl receiver completed over 30 received yards and the yellow play-calling by offensive coordinator Brian Wright left much to be desired by the end of the game. Florida Atlantic heads back to Boca next week to take on UTSA in their first Conference USA match-up of the season. The Owls are 1-3 and winless on the road.

Game Notes:

• Jaquez Johnson had a solid game on the ground. Through the air, though, he was awful. The offensive line gave him enough time to complete a few poised throws, but for some reason, Quez just wasn't on his game.
• Obviously, the big play here is the fumble with two minutes left in the game. I understand the play-call, but at the same time, I do not understand it. The Owls could have just taken a knee, but in the majority of cases, a dive can supplant a kneel-down. I am just shocked that this even happened.
• Lucky Whitehead tore it up in the return game today. He continues to impress me as punt returner and slot receiver. Although, his fumble in the first quarter is definitely unexcusable and that will need to be taken care of for conference play.
• The defense wasn't awful. When they brought the house on blitz plays, they looked like a solid unit, but when they only applied pressure with the front four, it was mostly forgettable. Trey Hendrickson was huge today.
• The huge gain by Rufran to put the Cowboys in scoring range was unacceptable. I still don't believe it happened. I don't believe any of this even happened. What even is existence?