SportsDirect Inc. staff
Nov 29, 2013
Florida Atlantic 21, Florida International 6: Jaquez Johnson passed for 218 yards and three touchdowns as the host Owls became bowl eligible with the Conference USA win over the Panthers.
Damian Fortner rushed for 100 yards on 19 carries and senior defensive end Martin Wright had 4.5 sacks for Florida Atlantic (6-6, 4-4), which claimed the Shula Bowl trophy with the win. The Owls, who finished the season with four straight victories after the resignation of head coach Carl Pelini on Oct. 30, became bowl eligible for the first time since 2008.
Jonnu Smith caught five passes for 44 yards and Austin Taylor kicked field goals of 35 and 43 yards for Florida International (1-11, 1-7), which finished with only 132 yards in total offense. The Panthers ended the season with seven straight losses after a 24-23 win at Southern Miss (0-11), which brings a 23-game losing streak into its season finale at UAB on Saturday.
Johnson sandwiched touchdown passes of 11 yards to tight end Nexon Dorvilus and 59 yards to wide receiver William Dukes around Taylor's 35-yard field goal to give Florida Atlantic a 14-3 halftime lead. The Owls made it 21-3 in the third quarter when Johnson connected with Alex Deleon on a 23-yard touchdown.
Taylor finished the game's scoring with a 43-yard field goal with 11:02 left. Florida Atlantic finished with 431 yards, including 252 passing, but also had three turnovers.