Florida Atlantic met up with South Florida (6-1, 3-0 American) in Tampa to renew a brewing rivalry against their cross-state opponent. In a game that was expected to be a loss, FAU was able to make it a one-score deficit in the second-half, but all momentum went to USF.
The Bulls ultimately dominated and earned a 48-13 victory over the FAU Owls.
Coach Kittley's Comments
Opening Statement
“It starts with just a complete and total lack of run game tonight. 30 carries for 23 yards, probably the worst I’ve ever had in my career. So here we’ve got to get a ton better. Just lack of explosive plays. We’ve done a really good job in the past few weeks of being able to create some explosive plays and get the ball moving downfield, and we just weren’t getting that done tonight.”
“And again, I think that starts first and foremost with the run game, because when you’re averaging less than a yard per carry, right there, puts a lot of pressure on your quarterback. He feels like he’s got to do a ton. And you look up and you threw the ball 58 times, and that’s not what you want. You don’t want to have to throw the ball that much. And so starts with a run game, and then just, just penalties, self inflicted wounds just killed us all night in all phases, in my opinion, you know? And that’s a place we’ve got to get a ton better.”
Third Down Defense
“That’s what is so frustrating tonight… Those first two drives, they continued to drive because they got a third and nine, and third and 11 back to back. And so those are the ones we’ve got to [clean up]. The third and ones are tough. The third and fours are tough, but those third and longs, we got to clean those up. And again, in practice, we’ve done a really good job. And again, some of that starts with rush lanes, and for the lack of pass rush.”
Game Recap
First Quarter
It looked easy for USF as on their opening drive they scored thanks to a Byrum Brown 22-yard scamper up the middle. The Owls responded with a nice drive of their own as the passing attack led FAU down to the Bulls 27. From there, it was the Bulls defense that stood up and held Florida Atlantic to a 45-yard Garrison Smith (pictured above, FAU Athletics) field goal, 7-3 USF.
South Florida marched down the field to the Owls 28 before a 43-yard field goal was missed wide-right. Florida Atlantic only went backwards on the ensuing drive as they punted the ball away to begin the second.
Second Quarter
Starting the second, USF worked down the field but were stopped on a third and short. Prior to the snap of the 4th and one, FAU was called for a false start as they had a simulated cadence penalty called. The following play, South Florida scored a 19-yard passing touchdown from Byrum Brown to Jonathan Echols.
On the kickoff, USF surprised everyone with a surprise pooch kick and recovered. They then went down the field and were stopped at the one on third and goal. On the 4th & goal, OL Cole Skinner came in and pounded it in for another Bulls score, 21-3.
The remainder of the half saw Florida Atlantic earn opportunities but penalties ended up costing the Owls. Smith drilled a field goal at the end of the half to keep the Owls within two possessions, 21-6.
Halftime Notes
Halftime Stats#USF 21 - #FAU 6
— FAU Owls Nest (@FAU_Owls_Nest) October 19, 2025
Owls have 6 penalties worth 40 yards.
-4 rushing yards… yikes.
Defense has allowed over 240 yards with 164 coming by way of the Bulls run game. pic.twitter.com/X5pYrlZpBO
Third Quarter
Florida Atlantic stomped down the field and scored on the opening drive of the third as Michael Kirch’s three-yard reception made it a one score game at 21-13.
The remainder of the third saw the Bulls score 10 unanswered as USF ended the quarter leading 31-13.
Fourth Quarter
With momentum on their side, South Florida tacked on another 17-unanswered as the Bulls were able to play their backups and rest their starters before the eventual 48-13 victory over FAU.
Standouts & Stats
On the evening, USF outgained the Owls 522 to 312. Only 23 of the 312 yards came from the running game for Florida Atlantic. LB Tyler Stolsky was the team’s leading tackler as he earned 11.
The Owls leading receiver was Asaad Waseem as he had eight receptions for 56 yards. Easton Messer finished right behind Waseem in yardage with 54. The leading rusher was Kaden Shields-Dutton with seven rushing attempts for 25 yards.
Offense
Self-Inflicted Wounds
Florida Atlantic finished the contest with nine penalties worth over 70 yards. In the first half, FAU had six penalties with five of those being false start penalties. It was clearly a problem for the offense and it made multiple drives harder than they needed to be.
Multiple times in the game were the Owls in a fourth and short and a false start made it a 4th and 6. It’s one of those things that while not a total game changer, it would have kept FAU in the contest a lot longer.
Caden Veltkamp’s Performance
It was a decent night for Veltkamp who finished with a completion percentage of 70 and had a touchdown pass. In prior games this season, if the Owls were down by multiple scores and needing to come back, Veltkamp had been prone to making mistakes, but the team captain remained calm. It helps when the Owls scheme screens into the offense to act as a way to compensate for the run game as well.
O-Lines Struggles
The false starts by the entirety of the offense were mentioned earlier, but the offensive line did not earn their keep this weekend. Allowing 11 tackles for loss and five sacks is simply inexcusable. The sack number was the oddity as the front five allowed just six sacks in the season’s entirety entering Saturday.
With captain Alex Atcavage out, the offensive line is banged up but the truth of the matter is that’s simply college ball. We should see a better looking FAU o-line next week, but when injuries start plaguing a younger team, then things can turn sour.
Defense
Byrum Brown and the Story of the Dual-Threats
A problem Florida Atlantic has had all season is facing the dual-threat quarterback. Saturday night was no exception. Brown finished with a completion percentage of 58, had three passing touchdowns and earned 256 yards passing. That does not include the other 111 yards and touchdown the Bulls quarterback earned with his legs as well.
It was known Brown would be a handful, but to limit his big plays was key. Instead, on the first drive of the game, Brown scored a 22-yard rushing touchdown. Now to the Owls credit, the USF quarterback is simply one-of-a-kind this season and has shown out in every South Florida win. Trying to stop him was going to be a challenge, but after Memphis and Maryland, it is clear FAU does not have the tools to stop a playmaking quarterback this year.
Pass Rush Struggles
The Owls earned one sack on the night and only three tackles for loss. At times, Brown seemed to have all day to throw the ball. The size of USF’s front compared to Florida Atlantic’s was noticeable and it showed the discrepancy between the two programs as of now. This will be something that will be improved over time, but seeing how weak of a push the d-line had is demoralizing. Especially with opponents like Navy on the horizon.
Special Teams
It was a good night for the special teams unit as K Garrison Smith went two for three on field goals, P Logan Lupo had five punts averaging 44 yards, and PR Easton Messer nearly added a returning touchdown to his name. Sadly for the Owls, all facets of the game had their miscues and even that possible touchdown was called back.
Closing Remarks
This contest is not what any Owls fan wanted, but it does make it clear that Zach Kittley still has a lot of work to do to put FAU near the top of the conference. The remainder of the season lies ahead for Florida Atlantic and the Owls still have bowl game aspirations. Expect this game to be a stepping stone for FAU and marker for the team throughout the remainder of the year.
Look Ahead
Florida Atlantic (3-4, 2-2 American) will hit the road and head back to Maryland as the Owls will face off against Navy (6-0, 4-0 American). Coming off the bye it will be a fresh Midshipmen team. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 pm and the contest can be seen on CBS Sports Network.
