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2019 Boca Bowl Game Thread - SMU @ FAU - Dec 21st @ 3:30 PM

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2019 Boca Bowl Game Thread - SMU @ FAU - Dec 21st @ 3:30 PM



The Matchup: SMU (10-2) vs. FAU (10-3)


When: Saturday, December 21st, 3:30 PM

Where: FAU Stadium

Weather: Current Conditions @ FAU Stadium

The Series: This is the first meeting between the two programs.

SMU Team Site: Here



SMU Notables

The Mustangs went 10-2 during the regular season, the most wins since 1984, marking their sixth 10-win season in program history. SMU was 6-2 in American Athletic Conference play, also the most conference wins in a season since 2010 when SMU went 6-2 to win the Conference USA West Division.
 
This is the Mustangs' second bowl appearance in three seasons, and the first time they have clinched a berth under Head Coach Sonny Dykes. This will be the 17th bowl appearance for SMU, with the Mustangs holding a 7-8-1 all-time record.

Nine Mustangs earned All-AAC honors including first-team selections James Proche, Shane Buechele, Xavier Jones and Patrick Nelson. Kylen Granson, Jaylon Thomas, Rodney Clemons, Delontae Scott and CJ Sanders were named to the league's second team. Proche (Biletnikoff), Buechele (Maxwell, Davey O'Brien) and Jones (Doak Walker) were all finalists for national awards at their respective positions.
 
SMU only lost by one score in its two losses on the road. SMU is ranked sixth in NCAA scoring offense, averaging 43.0 points per game. The team is looking for its first bowl win since the 2012 Hawai'i Bowl when it defeated Fresno State, 43-10.


FAU Notables

The Owls are led by redshirt sophomore quarterback Chris Robison, who has completed 264 of 434 pass attempts for 3,396 yards and 26 TDs. Robison was named the 2019 C-USA Championship game MVP as he found eight receivers in the game, connecting with four for scores, including John Mackey finalist Harrison Bryant. Bryant is just the third Owl to surpass 1,000 receiving yards in a season and the third C-USA tight end to ever reach that plateau. A newcomer to the team this season, DeAngelo Antoine, etched himself in the FAU and C-USA record books in the title game with a 75-yard touchdown, which was not only FAU's longest play of 2019, but it also matches the longest pass reception ever recorded in a C-USA Championship game.  
 
Robison will also have the opportunity to hand off to a number of running backs that have teamed together to rush for 2,136 yards and 29 TDs this season, despite extended injuries to three of the four starting backs. Sophomore Malcom Davidson leads the squad with 711 yards, an average of 7.0 yards per carry, and has scored nine times. Redshirt junior James Charles has been with the Owls the longest and had added 359 yards and three TDs on 69 carries. True freshman Larry McCammon III returned to the field last Saturday with two carries for nine yards. He adds 91 carries, 324 yards and seven TDs to the total while junior BJ Emmons, who broke his ankle the second play of the season, has returned to shoulder the weight of late with 34 carries for 165 yards and five touchdowns.
 
Defensively, the Owls show strength on all three levels and from sideline to sideline. Junior linebacker Akileis Leroy leads the team with 101 tackles, including 15.5 tackles for loss, of which 7.5 are sacks. Fellow linebacker and senior Rashad Smith, who is second on the squad with 98 tackles, leads the nation with four fumble recoveries, while redshirt junior defensive back Meiko Dotson leads the nation with nine interceptions, paving the way for the Owls, who set a program high with 21 single-season interceptions. Up front, seniors Tim Bonner and Ray Ellis team with redshirt junior Leighton McCarthy for 14.5 sacks.
 
The 2019 Boca Raton Bowl will be the fourth bowl appearance for the Owls and the second in Boca Raton. The Owls, who began playing football in 2001, captured the 2007 New Orleans Bowl with a 44-7 win over Memphis. One year later, just the second year the program was eligible to be considered for bowl selection, FAU qualified again for a bowl and downed Central Michigan, 34-21 in the Motor City Bowl. In 2017, head coach Lane Kiffin guided the Owls to an 11-3 record, in his first season as the Owls' head coach. That record included a 50-3 win over Akron in the Boca Raton Bowl.


Game Information

TV: ABC

Radio: 640 The Hurricane

Stats: Here

Opening Line: FAU +3.5




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DC Glenn Spencer weighs in on the upcoming Boca Bowl game and the state of the team from a motivational standpoint as we prepare to enter game week. He also shares that there is a lot of possibility he returns next season:

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Game Week begins tomorrow and the Thread is now OPEN!

Go Owls!

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Has anyone bought tickets yet? I’m wondering what section to schools tickets are in? Is anyone planning to tailgate before the game? I’m excited to come back down for a game I haven’t been to Boca in a while. 
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So... anyone knows what to expect from Charlie Weiss Jr. on Saturday? My understanding was that Kiffin called the plays... am I wrong?
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I've been a season ticket holder since day one. I didn't pre buy my seats because I was hoping I would be traveling to a far away destination bowl. Once we we announced , I bought tickets. They were emailed today. I paid for side line seats. Best option available. I'm about on the five yard line. My season tickets are the 45. Sorry FAU.  This is bad business. U know they had little to do with it. But the stadium will be half full and this is the best they could do. BUY THEM AT THE WINDOW!!
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Local Owl said

I've been a season ticket holder since day one. I didn't pre buy my seats because I was hoping I would be traveling to a far away destination bowl. Once we we announced , I bought tickets. They were emailed today. I paid for side line seats. Best option available. I'm about on the five yard line. My season tickets are the 45. Sorry FAU.  This is bad business. U know they had little to do with it. But the stadium will be half full and this is the best they could do. BUY THEM AT THE WINDOW!!
Posted On: Dec 16th 2019, 2:55 PM #392369



I appreciate the reply. I just called the ticket office today and got 6 tickets. Based on the limited amount of options for me it seems like there might be decent attendance. But the young man told me that most of the Hyundai deck seats are reserved for corporate sponsors. So that leads me to think there might be a lot of empty seats on Saturday. 
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Local Owl said

I've been a season ticket holder since day one. I didn't pre buy my seats because I was hoping I would be traveling to a far away destination bowl. Once we we announced , I bought tickets. They were emailed today. I paid for side line seats. Best option available. I'm about on the five yard line. My season tickets are the 45. Sorry FAU.  This is bad business. U know they had little to do with it. But the stadium will be half full and this is the best they could do. BUY THEM AT THE WINDOW!!
Posted On: Dec 16th 2019, 2:55 PM #392369

Give the FAU ticket office a call today and ask if they can move you to a certain section. I called them on Friday to purchase and asked to be seated in either 107 or 207. I got the email today and I am in 207 (Same section as my season tix). Paradise Club members are supposed to get priority, and I was told if i want to move seats to just give them a call.
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City of Boca Raton Library card gets you free tickets…just an FYI. 
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Just saw that Harrison Bryant might not play in the bowl game. Hopefully it won’t hurt the team too much. Having raine be the starter could be great for some experience for next season 
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