# 2022 Florida Atlantic Owls football team

The 2022 Florida Atlantic Owls football team represented Florida Atlantic University as a member of Conference USA (C-USA) during the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by Willie Taggart in this third and final season as head coach, the Owls compiled an overall record of 5–7 with a mark of 4–4 in conference play, placing in a three-way tie for fourth in C-USA. Florida Atlantic played home games at FAU Stadium in Boca Raton, Florida.
During the previous season, on October 21, 2021, Florida Atlantic accepted the invitation to join the American Athletic Conference (AAC) and will become a full member on July 1, 2023. The 2022 season was the program's last as a member of C-USA.

## Preseason
### C-USA media day

The Conference USA media day was held on July 27 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. The Owls were predicted to finish fourth in the conference's preseason poll.
Media poll :
| Predicted finish | Team |
| 1 | UTSA |
| 2 | UAB |
| 3 | WKU |
| 4 | Florida Atlantic |
| 5 | North Texas |
| 6 | UTEP |
| 7 | Charlotte |
| 8 | Middle Tennessee |
| 9 | Louisiana Tech |
| 10 | Rice |
| 11 | FIU |

## Schedule

Florida Atlantic and Conference USA (C-USA) announced the 2022 football schedule on March 30, 2022.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 27 | 7:00 p.m. | Charlotte | FAU StadiumBoca Raton, FL | CBSSN | W 43–13 | 19,571 |
| September 3 | 6:00 p.m. | at Ohio* | Peden StadiumAthens, OH | ESPN+ | L 38–41 | 20,003 |
| September 10 | 6:00 p.m. | No. 21 (FCS) Southeastern Louisiana* | FAU StadiumBoca Raton, FL | ESPN3 | W 42–9 | 17,532 |
| September 17 | 7:30 p.m. | UCF* | FAU StadiumBoca Raton, FL | CBSSN | L 14–40 | 30,991 |
| September 24 | 7:30 p.m. | at Purdue* | Ross–Ade StadiumWest Lafayette, IN | BTN | L 26–28 | 55,137 |
| October 1 | 4:00 p.m. | at North Texas | Apogee StadiumDenton, TX | ESPN+ | L 28–45 | 18,274 |
| October 15 | 6:00 p.m. | Rice | FAU StadiumBoca Raton, FL | ESPN+ | W 17–14 | 21,465 |
| October 22 | 4:00 p.m. | at UTEP | Sun BowlEl Paso, TX | ESPN+ | L 21–24 | 12,796 |
| October 29 | 7:00 p.m. | UAB | FAU StadiumBoca Raton, FL | CBSSN | W 24–17 | 16,138 |
| November 12 | 12:00 p.m. | at FIU | Riccardo Silva StadiumWestchester, FL (Shula Bowl) | Stadium | W 52–7 | |
| November 19 | 3:30 p.m. | at Middle Tennessee | Johnny "Red" Floyd StadiumMurfreesboro, TN | ESPN3/ESPN+ | L 21–49 | 9,958 |
| November 26 | 12:00 p.m. | Western Kentucky | FAU StadiumBoca Raton, FL | CBSSN | L 31–32 $^{OT}$ | 18,376 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Eastern time |||||||

## Game summaries
### Charlotte

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| 49ers | 7 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 13 |
| Owls | 10 | 16 | 7 | 10 | 43 |
at FAU Stadium, Boca Raton, FL
* Date: August 27
* Game time: 7:00 p.m.
* Game weather: 87 °F (31 °C) • Weather: Sunny• Wind: 0 MPH
* Game attendance: 19,571
* Referee: Patrick Foy
* TV announcers (CBSSN): Chris Hassel, Robert Turbin
| Statistics | Charlotte | Florida Atlantic |
| First downs | 11 | 26 |
| Plays–yards | 279 | 482 |
| Rushes–yards | 62 | 218 |
| Passing yards | 217 | 264 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 1 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 25:04 | 34:56 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Charlotte | Passing | Chris Reynolds | 14-19,196 yards, 2 TD |
| Charlotte | Rushing | Shadrick Byrd | 14 rushes, 51 yards, 2 TD |
| Charlotte | Receiving | Grant DuBose | 4 receptions, 89 yards, 2 TD |
| Florida Atlantic | Passing | N'Kosi Perry | 16-22, 256 yards, 1 TD |
| Florida Atlantic | Rushing | Larry McCammon | 14 rushes, 118 yards, 1 TD |
| Florida Atlantic | Receiving | LaJohntay Wester | 4 receptions, 66 yards |
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | Charlotte | Florida Atlantic |
| | | | | | | | 0 | 0 |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 0 | 0 |

### At Ohio

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Florida Atlantic | 10 | 7 | 0 | 21 | 38 |
| Ohio | 3 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 41 |
at Peden Stadium • Athens, OH
* Date: Saturday, September 3, 2022
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: sunny, Temperature:75 °F (24 °C)
* Game attendance: 20,003
* Referee: Tom Stapleton
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Anthony Lima, Je'Rod Cherry
* Pregame line: FAU −6.0 • box score, Ohio notes
| Statistics | FAU | OHIO |
| First downs | 25 | 26 |
| Total yards | 478 | 476 |
| Rushes/yards | 29/114 | 39/131 |
| Passing yards | 364 | 345 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 24–42–0 | 27–34–0 |
| Time of possession | 24:19 | 35:41 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Florida Atlantic | Passing | N'Kosi Perry | 24/42, 364 yards, 5 TD |
| Florida Atlantic | Rushing | Larry McCammon | 14 rushes, 60 yards |
| Florida Atlantic | Receiving | Je'Quan Burton | 5 receptions, 115 yards, 1 TD |
| Ohio | Passing | Kurtis Rourke | 27/34, 345 yards, 4 TD |
| Ohio | Rushing | Sieh Bangura | 23 rushes, 114 yards |
| Ohio | Receiving | James Bostic | 6 receptions, 136 yards, 1 TD |
Ohio recovered from an early deficit and then had to hold on to avoid surrendering a late 17 point lead in winning a shootout against Florida Atlantic. Quarterback Kurtis Rourke and freshman kicker Nathanial Vakos both earned MAC East Player of the Week awards.

### No. 21 (FCS) Southeastern Louisiana

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 21 (FCS) Lions | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 9 |
| Owls | 7 | 21 | 7 | 7 | 42 |
at FAU Stadium, Boca Raton, FL
* Date: September 10
* Game time: 5:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 17,533
* Referee: Joe Lehring
* TV: ESPN3

### UCF

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Knights | 7 | 9 | 14 | 10 | 40 |
| Owls | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
at FAU Stadium, Boca Raton, FL
* Date: September 17
* Game time: 7:30 p.m.
* Game weather: 79 °F (26 °C) • Weather: Sunny• Wind: W 4 MPH
* Game attendance: 30,991
* Referee: Kevin Randall
* TV: CBSSN
* Statistics
* First downs
* Plays–yards
* Rushes–yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: comp–att–int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| UCF | Passing |
| UCF | Rushing |
| UCF | Receiving |
| Florida Atlantic | Passing |
| Florida Atlantic | Rushing |
| Florida Atlantic | Receiving |
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | UCF | Florida Atlantic |
| | | | | | | | 0 | 0 |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 0 | 0 |

### At Purdue

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Owls | 0 | 13 | 7 | 6 | 26 |
| Boilermakers | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 |

### At North Texas

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Owls | 7 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 28 |
| Mean Green | 7 | 21 | 14 | 3 | 45 |
at Apogee Stadium, Dallas, TX
* Date: October 1
* Game time: 4:00 p.m.
* Game weather: 83 °F (28 °C) • Weather: Sunny• Wind: S 10 MPH
* Game attendance: 18,274
* Referee: Joe Lehring
* TV: ESPN+
| Statistics | FAU | UNT |
| First downs | 24 | 21 |
| Plays–yards | 432 | 481 |
| Rushes–yards | 137 | 300 |
| Passing yards | 295 | 181 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 2 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 26:26 | 33:24 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Florida Atlantic | Passing | N'Kosi Perry | 26/50, 295 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT |
| Florida Atlantic | Rushing | Larry McCammon | 15 rushes, 79 yards |
| Florida Atlantic | Receiving | LaJohntay Wester | 10 receptions, 113 yards, TD |
| North Texas | Passing | Austin Aune | 14/20, 180 yards, 3 TD, INT |
| North Texas | Rushing | Ikaika Ragsdale | 16 rushes, 119 yards, TD |
| North Texas | Receiving | Roderic Burns | 3 receptions, 69 yards |
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | Florida Atlantic | North Texas |
| | | | | | | | 0 | 0 |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 0 | 0 |

### Rice

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Rice Owls | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| FAU Owls | 0 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 17 |

### At UTEP

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Owls | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| Miners | 0 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 24 |

### UAB

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Blazers | 0 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 17 |
| Owls | 10 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 24 |
| Statistics | UAB | FAU |
| First downs | 23 | 16 |
| Total yards | 472 | 359 |
| Rushing yards | 280 | 162 |
| Passing yards | 192 | 197 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 36:00 | 24:00 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UAB | Passing | Jacob Zeno | 18/32, 192 yards, TD |
| UAB | Rushing | DeWayne McBride | 24 rushes, 168 yards, TD |
| UAB | Receiving | Trea Shropshire | 2 receptions, 60 yards |
| Florida Atlantic | Passing | N'Kosi Perry | 14/25, 197 yards, 3 TD |
| Florida Atlantic | Rushing | Zuberi Mobley | 7 rushes, 57 yards |
| Florida Atlantic | Receiving | Je'Quan Burton | 2 receptions, 55 yards, TD |

### At FIU

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Owls | 21 | 10 | 14 | 7 | 52 |
| Panthers | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Statistics | FAU | FIU |
| First downs | 25 | 14 |
| Total yards | 385 | 277 |
| Rushing yards | 281 | 203 |
| Passing yards | 104 | 74 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 4 |
| Time of possession | 32:52 | 27:08 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Florida Atlantic | Passing | N'Kosi Perry | 14/21, 104 yards, 2 TD |
| Florida Atlantic | Rushing | Larry McCammon | 26 rushes, 104 yards |
| Florida Atlantic | Receiving | Tony Johnson | 2 receptions, 43 yards, TD |
| FIU | Passing | Grayson James | 9/26, 56 yards, 2 INT |
| FIU | Rushing | Lexington Joseph | 11 rushes, 87 yards |
| FIU | Receiving | Tyrese Chambers | 2 receptions, 28 yards |

### At Middle Tennessee

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Owls | 7 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
| Blue Raiders | 14 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 49 |

### Western Kentucky

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Hilltoppers | 0 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 32 |
| Owls | 0 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 31 |

## Coaching staff

| Name | Title |
| Willie Taggart | Head coach |
| Raymond Woodie | Associate head coach / outside linebackers and recruiting coordinator |
| Brent Dearmon | Offensive coordinator / quarterbacks coach |
| Todd Orlando | Defensive coordinator / linebackers coach |
| Chad Lunsford | Tight ends coach / special teams coordinator |
| Ed Warinner | Run game coordinator / offensive line coach |
| Derrick Gibson | Safeties coach |
| Billy Gonzales | Wide receivers coach |
| Brandon Harris | Cornerbacks coach |
| Kevin Patrick | Defensive line coach |
| Donte Pimpleton | Running backs coach |