BOCA RATON, FL – After the Don Shula Trophy had resided at the FIU football facility for a year, the Florida Atlantic Owls snatched it back in 2026 with a 16-10 win over the Panthers in Week 3.
FAU vs. FIU 2026 Shula Bowl Recap
Takeaways for FIU Panthers
It’s Time to Think About What’s Next For FIU
On a day when FIU had 357 total yards of offense, their starting quarterback threw for over 250 yards, and their top wide receiver had a career day, you’d assume FIU won the game. However, that was not the case.
The Panthers committed eight penalties, struggled on the ground game and the Florida Atlantic defense had five quarterback hurries that led to four tackles for loss and one sack.
“If I gotta be public enemy number one to make that happen, then I’ll be public enemy number one because this is the last time I lose a game because we played poorly,” FIU head coach Willie Simmons said postgame.
According to Simmons, postgame feelings were “natural” and included warranted anger and frustration. Veterans on the FIU football team called out moments throughout the week when certain players may not have been bought into what was being preached, not making enough of a sacrifice, and not taking this game as seriously as they should’ve. No names were mentioned throughout Simmons’ comments.
Lack of Run Game Leads to Offensive Struggles
FIU ran the ball for 95 yards. Anthony Carrie led the way with 44 rushing yards, right behind him with tight end James Resar with 17, and that came off a fake punt.
Carrie and Lyons finished the weekend as the two worst-running backs in Conference USA, per Pro Football Focus. Lyons ran for 15 yards on seven carries.
“Another subpar day rushing the football,” Simmons said. “95 yards, running back averaging over 2.3 yards per carry. Third week in a row that we’ve struggled running the football. Got to figure out, schematically, what it’s going to take for us to run the ball, because JJ (Kohl) throwing the ball 40-plus times a game is not the recipe for success.”
JJ Kohl Cannot Be Blamed
JJ Kohl threw three interceptions in the first quarter of the 2026 Shula Bowl. He finished the night completing 22 passes for 262 yards and ran for the Panthers’ only touchdown of the game. Over three games, Kohl has thrown for 930 yards, second in Conference USA.
“The downside of playing quarterback is that the stats are going to say three interceptions,” Simmons said. “I’ll look at the film and see that every interception wasn’t on him.”
Kohl’s struggles aren’t all on him. FIU currently has the third-worst rushing offense in Conference USA at 109.7 yards per game. Simmons made the analogy that Kohl is like a car with a flat tire, which is the running game. He leads Conference USA with 129 pass attempts.
On top of that, at halftime, Kohl had to receive an X-Ray on his chest, which came out negative.
“He was pretty banged up before halftime,” Simmons said. “They were going in for an X-ray on the rib. It was negative, so there was no fracture, but he was in pain, so he played the whole second half in pain. JJ is a warrior. He’s shown that, pulling the ball down, running it, taking hits. He’s our run game right now.”
Kohl currently has 73 rushing yards, third on the team. He is also averaging 3.8 yards per carry.
Defense Keeps Panthers in the Game
Florida Atlantic finished Saturday’s game with 258 total yards of offense, their lowest mark this season. FAU quarterback Caden Veltkamp was limited to 202 passing yards and no passing touchdowns, his lowest totals since November 29 of last season against East Carolina.
This marks the second time in 2026 that FIU does not allow a passing touchdown, both against teams in the American Conference (USF 9/5).
Leading the way was nickelback Deandre Boykins with eight total tackles and one pass breakup. FIU’s defense finished the night with five tackles for loss, three sacks and five pass breakups.
Takeaways for Florida Atlantic
FAU Defense Steps Up
In a game that was a true defensive battle, the unit for the FAU Owls carried the team to victory. For starters, the Owls forced three interceptions and scored 10 points off of them. Bo Simpson-Nealy had a great read in coverage that led to an interception, while he had the key pressure that led to a Jonathan Bax interception early in the game. Chris Tooley III, off a PBU from Damarius McGhee, snagged the interception that set up the Owls’ only touchdown of the night.
The Owls were stout against the run in the trenches, only allowing 95 total yards and 2.7 yards per carry. Blake Burris and Josh Roberts were stellar in the trenches once again, making plays in every facet of the game. Jay Crable was a force on passing downs, while Earl Miller and Eynce Sledge had key run down contributions. Joseph Sipp Jr. and Leon Hart Jr. were everywhere once again. Both players had at least five tackles on Saturday night. Khmari Johnson, when on the field, was great as well.
In coverage, Simpson-Nealy and Tooley III were the obvious standouts. Damarius McGhee had a critical fourth-down pass breakup in the end zone. Wallace Foster IV was shutdown in coverage and Travis Jackson made some impressive tackles. Alston Ware and Derrick Rogers Jr., when on the field, stood out for the Owls as well.
Heading into the rest of the 2026 season, there is a good chance that the Owls run into another game or two where the offense is not operating at peak capacity. With a game like the 2026 Shula Bowl under their belt, FAU seems to be well prepared to thrive in the face of adversity going forward.
Owls Lack Punch in the Run Game
It has been somewhat of a recurring issue, but the FAU run game struggled massively on Saturday night.
Outside of Caden Veltkamp’s sacks, the Owls ran for 80 yards on 2.9 yards per carry. Ethan Ervin could not get going, while Leonard Farrow, Brady Tillman, and Kaden Shileds-Dutton did what they could with limited work.
In a vacuum, the FAU running back room is extremely talented. All four players have the ability to lead the room and dominate the touches for the rest of the season. However, they are all stuck in a rotation at the moment, and no one outside of Ervin has shown any truy momentum just yet.
With ULM and an FCS game on the horizon, the Owls need to figure out the running back room ahead of the resumption of American Conference play.
Penalties Remain An Underlying Issue
FAU, for all of their successes on Saturday, left the door open for FIU with the amount of penalties they committed.
The Owls totaled 10 penalties for 81 yards, which occurred on both sides of the ball. Some were procedural, while others resulted from sloppy play. FAU committed false starts, illegal shifts, personal fouls, and holdings throughout their matchup with the Panthers.
Thanks to their defensive domination, FAU was just able to survive their lack of discipline and attention to detail when it comes to penalties. Against better opponents, the Owls will suffer for these kinds of mistakes on a consistent basis. As a result, FAU has some work to do to clean things up in the penalty department over the next few weeks.
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