Saturday presented an opportunity for Florida Atlantic to celebrate a milestone -- the 100th football game since the program's launch.

Regrettably for the Owls, there were too many instances that recalled the formative days.

A defense that was on the field for 84 plays against Wyoming. A dozen penalties. Special teams follies. Players who appeared less accustomed to the South Florida swelter than their Rocky Mountain counterparts.

It all added up to a 30-28 defeat at Lockhart Stadium that no Owl wants to commemorate.

``It was a very difficult game to stand on the sideline and watch,'' coach Howard Schnellenberger said, ``because of the ineptitude of our football team -- particularly on defense.''

The crusher was a 12-play, 91-yard Wyoming drive for the decisive points, capped by Alvester Alexander's 15-yard rumble around the left side of a gassed FAU defense to the end zone with 4:29 remaining.

`VERY FRUSTRATING'

The Owls could get no closer than the Wyoming 47 on their ensuing possession -- undone twice by penalties. A frantic attempt by the defense to win the ball back went for naught when officials kept the clock running after quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels apparently had been knocked out of bounds in the final minute.

``Very frustrating,'' said receiver Cortez Gent, who caught four passes in his return from a two-game suspension. ``I guess we need to go back to the drawing board.''

The Owls fell to 0-4 for the first time since 2006, the last year they didn't produce a winning record. FAU opened last season 1-5, then rallied to a 5-1 finish that earned it a Motor City Bowl invitation.

With all the self-inflicted wounds, that doesn't appear likely in 2009.

``We have the potential and ability to play with anybody,'' defensive end Nick Osborne said. ``The thing is, we're not getting the reward and it's easy to hang your head. We've got to keep our heads up.''

FAU's Tavious Polo took an interception 16 yards for a touchdown, and Rusty Smith threw for 235 yards and an 18-yard scoring strike to tight end Darian Williams that put the Owls ahead 28-24 with 11:59 left.

But the Owls also had those penalty issues -- four alone for defensive linemen jumping offside. The Cowboys (3-2) also scored a touchdown off a fake field goal -- called back by penalty -- and gained an extra possession when they beat FAU to a pooch kickoff.

TELLING IT LIKE IT IS

``We looked like third-graders out there,'' Schnellenberger said of his special teams.

The coach, now 48-52 at FAU, also suggested there were times when Wyoming ``just lined up and hoped we'd jump offsides.''

Alexander scored three touchdowns on the ground for Wyoming, and Carta-Samuels threw for 223 yards and added 69 more on 20 rushes. The freshman quarterback ran for 30 yards on the decisive drive.

Wyoming's 84 offensive snaps were one fewer than last year's opponent high for FAU when FIU took 85 in their Shula Bowl matchup. This time, though, the Cowboys' no-huddle spread attack often kept the Owls from rotating fresh legs onto the field.

Six FAU players were helped off the field with cramps, and the Owls struggled at times to get lined up before the snap.

``We think we're a well-conditioned team, but it was still a little tough,'' Osborne said.

Play was held up 15 minutes in the first quarter as FAU defensive tackle Jarvis Givens was face-down on the ground after trying to get to Carta-Samuels.

Givens was placed on a backboard and taken to Broward General Hospital, where tests showed no serious damage. Schnellenberger said after the game that Givens sustained a ``burner'' and already had been released from the hospital.

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