FAU Wins 57-50 OT Thriller :: Rusty Smith throws five touchdown passes including the game-winner to lead the Owls past FIU in overtime and become bowl eligible.

Rusty Smith throws five touchdown passes including the game-winner to lead the Owls past FIU in overtime and become bowl eligible.

Nov. 29, 2008

Final Stats

Shula Bowl Action Photo Gallery

MIAMI (AP) -Rusty Smith threw five touchdown passes, including the game-winner in overtime, to lead Florida Atlantic to a 57-50 victory over Florida International on Saturday.

After the teams scored a combined 56 points in the fourth quarter, Florida International (4-7, 3-4 Sun Belt) won the coin toss in overtime but elected to play defense first. Florida Atlantic (6-6, 4-3) scored on Smith's 9-yard pass to Cortez Gent on its first possession.

The Golden Panthers followed that by throwing three incomplete passes during their possession, and a sack of Paul McCall by the Owls' Daniel Joseph on fourth down sealed the win for Florida Atlantic.

Smith finished 25-for-50 for 389 yards with one interception for the Owls. Gent caught seven passes for 108 yards with three touchdowns, and Jamari Grant had seven receptions for 80 yards and two touchdowns.

McCall was 27-for-47 for a school-record 400 yards with four touchdowns and one interception for Florida International.

T.Y. Hilton had 99 yards on four receptions, scoring three touchdowns for the Golden Panthers - two of them through the air. Greg Ellingson had 138 yards and a score on seven receptions, and Darriet Perry carried the ball 16 times for a game-high 115 yards and two scores.

Trailing 36-22 in the fourth, Florida Atlantic scored two touchdowns in a span of 56 seconds.

The first came on a fourth-and-10 from the Florida International 20-yard line when Smith threw a pass that was tipped by several players and then caught in the back of the end zone by Gent with 6:49 to go.

On Florida International's ensuing possession, Corey Small intercepted McCall and returned it 25 yards to tie the score at 36 with 5:53 left.

The Golden Panthers answered on McCall's fourth touchdown pass, a 29-yard toss to Ellingson that made it 43-36 with 3:49 left. Following an interception by Florida International, Perry's second touchdown of the game made the score 50-36 at 3:09.

Florida Atlantic scored its next two touchdowns in less than three minutes to send the game into overtime.

Smith threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Gent with 2:08 left. After a successful onside kick, Smith's 11-yard touchdown pass to Grant tied it at 50 with 18 seconds left.

Fans who take the Shula Bowl ticket to the FAU women's basketball game scheduled for 5 p.m. Sunday versus the University of Texas at FAU Arena will get in for one dollar.