BOCA RATON, Fla. – A sluggish beginning proved too much to overcome as the UAB football team suffered a 53-33 defeat at the hands of Florida Atlantic on Saturday night at Flagler Credit Union Stadium.
The Owls (3-3, 2-1 American) quickly established a commanding lead, jumping out to a 28-0 advantage early in the second quarter and maintaining control throughout the contest. FAU accumulated 492 yards of offense compared to UAB’s 329, and a season-high 14 penalties hindered the Blazers’ (2-4, 0-3 American) efforts.
UAB’s offense was led by Solomon Beebe, who paced the team in both rushing and receiving yards, finishing with 119 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns.
FAU’s passing game proved decisive, with the Owls throwing for 345 yards and four touchdowns. Quarterback Caden Veltkamp completed passes for 297 yards and three touchdowns.
Beebe sparked a UAB rally late in the second quarter, scoring consecutive rushing touchdowns of 14 and 13 yards to cut the deficit to 28-14 with 3:15 remaining in the half. The second score was made possible by an interception from Devin Hightower. However,FAU responded with a 43-yard touchdown pass on 4th-and-5 with 1:29 left,extending their lead to 35-14 at halftime.
The teams exchanged touchdowns in the third quarter,with UAB successfully converting two 2-point attempts and FAU converting one,resulting in a 50-30 score heading into the final quarter.
A field goal from each team in the fourth quarter finalized the score at 53-33.
UAB will return to Protective Stadium next Saturday to face No. 24 Memphis, with kickoff scheduled for 3 p.m. on ESPN2.
