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FAU 51, LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE 29

Smith's arm helps Owls take off

Rusty Smith threw for a season-high 359 yards, and the Owls rolled up a school-record 624 yards on offense in a rout of the Ragin' Cajuns.

Palm Beach Post

Florida Atlantic quarterback Rusty Smith was wondering what it would be like for his offense to play for an entire game the way it did during a stellar second quarter at North Texas eight days ago.

It didn't take long to find out.

The Owls had a record-setting day offensively Saturday on the way to a 51-29 victory over Louisiana-Lafayette at Cajun Field.

The Ragin' Cajuns had no defense for the Owls' big three of Smith, running back Alfred Morris and receiver Chris Bonner.

``This turned out to be a marquee day,'' FAU coach Howard Schnellenberger said. ``For the first time this season we raised our level of play.''

The Owls (2-4, 2-1 Sun Belt Conference) gained 624 yards, smashing the school record of 591 against Florida A&M in 2004.

Smith threw for a season-high 359 yards and four touchdowns, Morris ran for a personal-best 181 yards, and Bonner equaled his personal best set eight days ago with 134 receiving yards, on two catches, both for touchdowns.

The Owls scored on every possession in the second half with the exception of the final drive, when they let the clock expire.

``We're clicking on all cylinders,'' Bonner said.

Even the Owls' embattled defense could feel good about this performance. The Ragin' Cajuns (4-3, 2-1) had 372 yards of offense, 89 fewer than FAU had allowed per game.

The defense, though, cannot be faulted for ULL's first touchdown, which came after it received the ball on the FAU 18-yard line following a fumbled punt return.

After allowing touchdowns on Lafayette's first two series of the second half, the defense forced two punts and a fumble in the final three drives as the Ragin' Cajuns managed just 30 yards.

``We did play better than we played in any game this season, and we made big stops when we needed to,'' linebacker Michael Lockley said.

Morris has become the team's most valuable and irreplaceable player. He leads the Sun Belt Conference in rushing and now has 705 yards.

He scored on a 17-yard run early in the second quarter that gave FAU a 20-14 lead, one it did not surrender. The extra point was blocked and returned by Dwight Bentley (Pahokee High) to make the score 20-16. Morris' 48-yard touchdown run capped the scoring.

``Alfred Morris is just phenomenal right now,'' Bonner said. ``I feel sorry for the Sun Belt because they have two more years of him.''

Bonner, who turned 23 Saturday, continued his breakout season with his second consecutive 134-yard game, including touchdown catches of 70 and 64 yards.

This time, though, he needed just two catches -- both scores -- giving him five this season, one behind Morris.

``Chris had an outstanding offseason this year,'' Smith said. ``He really put in a lot of hard work.''

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