Florida Atlantic football answers Charlotte’s threats

Florida Atlantic answered every Charlotte threat Saturday and handed the 49ers a 45-27 homecoming setback at Richardson Stadium.

The Owls responded to Charlotte’s first three touchdowns with a field goal and two touchdowns, and added four other touchdowns in dominating the teams’ Conference USA opener.

The 49ers (2-3, 0-1 CUSA) never had a chance for a repeat of last year, when Charlotte ruined Florida Atlantic’s bowl hopes in the season finale last year on a 56-yard Jonathan Cruz field goal.

The Owls (3-2, 1-0) bolted to a 14-0 lead, then held Charlotte at bay. The 49ers closed to within 24-21 in the third quarter, but Florida Atlantic raced away by scoring the game’s final 21 points.

When Florida Atlantic wasn’t breaking a big-yardage play, Charlotte’s offense was short-circuiting with costly penalties or turnovers. The Owls’ Chris Robison threw for a pair of touchdowns and set up three other scores with long passes.

The Owls jumped to a 14-0 lead, with three plays of 30 or more yards in the first quarter.

The 49ers got on the scoreboard late in the first quarter on a 24-yard pass from Chris Reynolds to Victor Tucker, but Florida Atlantic answered the challenge by driving for a 31-yard Vladimir Rivas field goal and a 17-7 lead.

After misfiring on several drives, the 49ers went 41 yards in four plays late in the first half, scoring on a short pass from Reynolds to Jacob Hunt. That score was set up on a trick play, with slotback Cameron Dollar taking a pitch and then throwing to Reynolds for a 28-yard gain.

But once again, Florida Atlantic responded. The Owls went 75 yards in nine plays, aided by a 49er offside penalty on a fourth-down play, and scored on Robison’s second touchdown pass of the game.

Charlotte recovered an FAU onside kick attempt and moved to the Owls’ 38 with 15 seconds left. But a Reynolds pass was intercepted by Zyon Gilbert, ending the threat.

The game changed when

Florida Atlantic drove 75 yards in six plays for a touchdown in the third quarter, after Charlotte had scored on its first possession of the second half and cut the deficit to 24-21. Robison hit Harrison Bryant on a 57-yard pass play on the drive. The Owls took a 31-21 lead and weren’t threatened again.

Helmet stickers

Chris Robison: Florida Atlantic’s quarterback completed 20 of 27 passes for 312 yards and two touchdowns. It gave Robison 11 touchdown passes in his last three games.

Harrison Bryant: A 240-pound senior tight end, Bryant caught six passes for 96 yards, including a 57-yard catch in the third quarter that led to Florida Atlantic’s fourth touchdown.

Victor Tucker: Charlotte’s sophomore wide receiver had six catches for 115 yards, including a touchdown.

Making sense of the numbers

52: Rushing yardage in the game for Charlotte. The 49ers were averaging a Conference USA-leading 260 yards a game on the ground before Saturday.

6: Alex Highsmith’s sack of Chris Robison was the sixth of the season for the 49ers’ redshirt senior defensive end. That broke the Charlotte single-season record of five, set in 2014 by Larry Ogunjobi, now with the Cleveland Browns.

5: Yards the 49ers were penalized (for offsides) when Florida Atlantic tried to convert a 4th-and-1 from its 34 late in the first half. Given a second life, the Owls drove to a touchdown and a 24-14 lead, after Charlotte had closed to within three points.

Next up

Both teams are off next week and resume play Oct. 12. The 49ers visit Florida International, and Florida Atlantic hosts Middle Tennessee.

Steve Lyttle on Twitter: @slyttle