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Navy Sinks Owls in 2017 Season Opener



The longest game in FAU football history also featured a pair of their lengthiest plays recorded.

With numerous weather delays due to lightning in area, the contest clocked in at a staggering five hours and 44 minutes.

But in the end Navy came away with a 42-19 victory in a game that didn’t end until early Saturday morning.

For the weeks prior, perhaps the biggest story reverberating around FAU football was the quarterback position.

In the end, coach Kiffin opted to hand the starting job to Dwyer graduate Daniel Parr, his second ever start.

Overall, Parr had a good night going 19-of-30 for 281 yards, two touchdowns and an interception - including a stretch of 13 completions in 14 attempts for a combined 179 yards.


Perhaps most importantly, he was also 7-of-8 for 62 yards on third-down pass attempts.

Parr’s connection with Willie Wright for a 95-yard touchdown pass to put the Owls on top 10-7 marked the longest offensive play for FAU.

However, this joy was short-lived as the Midshipmen came back three plays later to regain the lead behind their quarterback’s 40 yard run down the middle of FAU’s defense.

They added another touchdown with eight seconds left in the 1st half to put their lead to 21-10.

Navy (1-0) would make it a 28-10 affair before Greg Joseph's 54-yard field goal gave the Owls’ a second offensive record for the night. That kick surpassed Mitch Anderson's 53 yarder, which fittingly also came against Navy back in 2012.

Unlike the competition which racked up 416 yards, the Owls managed only 40 yards rushing as a team - a weakness which Kiffin later pointed to during his post-game press conference.

“I was not pleased with the lack of running in the first half of the game”, Kiffin said. “I felt like Nick Saban”, he followed jokingly.

“By no means did we play well on defense, but I did think we played well at times on defense.”

Though Kiffin did admit that today’s game was “embarrassing” he also pointed out that it isn’t indication for the future.

“I said this this week - this game will not define this team because it's such an abnormal game, and I said win or lose."

Indeed it was.

Though not the yardage leader, Tight end Harrison Bryant (pictured) was the most efficient receiving option FAU had on the night while rumbling for 50 yards on just two catches.

Parr also hit DeAndre McNeal for a 62-yard touchdown before the weather rolled in again, causing a one-hour, 43-minute delay.

Kerrith Whyte led the running back corps with six carries for 36 yards.

Defensively, Azeez Al-Shaair recorded a team-high 14 tackles while Rashad Smith picked up 10, including a tackle for loss.

FAU (0-1) goes to Wisconsin next Saturday September 9th for a 12:00 PM kick-off against the Badgers which can be seen on the Big Ten Network.

Rating

Unrated