Florida Atlantic running back Alfred Morris said he isn’t one to dwell on statistics, especially when his team has yet to win a game this season.

Last week against Arkansas State, who are the Sun Belt leaders, Morris became the first back to put up more than 100 yards rushing, finishing the game with 163.

Morris also accounted for two of the Owls’ three touchdowns in the 35-21 loss, scoring his 26th career touchdown to pass Doug Parker for the FAU record.

“To be able to be the first back to rush for over 100 yards, I’m just thankful,” Morris said after the game. “It feels great, but it’s bittersweet. I wanted the win.”

The senior back eclipsed 3,000 career rushing yards in the first half, finishing the game with 3,048. He is 22 yards away from surpassing Charles Pierre as FAU’s all-time leading rusher.

Morris is confident that he can get the record when FAU plays rival FIU in the annual Shula Bowl.

“If I can get the record – and I’m pretty sure I am – it will be nice, but I would rather just win,” he said.

 

If one were to take a look inside the Florida Atlantic locker room, one might guess that they had just upset the defending National Champion Auburn Tigers.

While the Tigers (3-1) ultimately prevailed 30-14, the Owls (0-3) did get their upset.

They upset the downright ugly expectations set for this game.

“There’s a great deal of happiness in the locker room,” said FAU coach Howard Schnellenberger. “They feel that this game, following the first two blowout games, gives us a reason to have self-confidence.”

It most certainly does.

FAU’s defense struck on the first play from scrimmage when linebacker Cory Henry intercepted Auburn quarterback Barrett Trotter.

The turnover led a Vinny Zaccario 39-yard field goal and a 3-0 lead for the Owls, their first lead of the season.

The lead lasted 11 plays before Trotter found wide receiver Emory Blake for a 10-yard touchdown. Field goals by Cody Parkey (41-yards) and Zaccario (43-yards) made it 10-6 Auburn at the half.

“It felt good to stick around with an SEC team in the first half,” quarterback Graham Wilbert said.

After holding the Tigers scoreless in the second quarter, the FAU defense couldn’t stop Auburn’s offense as they scored 20 unanswered en route to a 30-6 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

FAU went 12 quarters before it scored its first touchdown of the season. Wilbert found running back Alfred Morris for a 12-yard score to bring the Owls to within 16 points, after a successful two-point conversion.

Unfortunately the upset fell short, but you couldn’t tell from the attitude of the players

“I refused to go down on the play,” Morris said. “I knew we needed a spark.”and coaches.

One thing is clear, FAU took a giant step toward bettering their football team.

The offense was able to move the chains, gaining 153 yards of offense after mustering a mere 48 yards against Michigan State two weeks ago. Wilbert, despite tossing three interceptions, looked comfortable when rolling out of the pocket. He completed 20-of-31 passes for 191 yards a touchdown, along with those three picks.

But perhaps the most encouraging thing to take out of the offense was the return of running back Alfred Morris. Morris, who was limited to 40 yards in the first two games, rushed for 85 yards on 15 carries and had four catches for 43 yards and a touchdown.

“It was bittersweet, but it was a party when we scored,” Morris said.

The defense showed that it will be a force to be reckoned with once conference play begins. The Owls have four interceptions in three games, including one against the Tigers, and showed that their switch to a 3-4 defense is paying off. They were able to pressure Trotter and force the Tigers to boot three field goals.

Sun Belt play begins next week, when the Owls take on Louisiana-Lafayette, and it looks as if this FAU team finally has some life.

GAME BALLS

Offense: ALFRED MORRIS

Morris had his best game of the season, rushing for 85 yards on 15 carries and had four catches for 43 yards. He caught a 12-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Graham Wilbert, the offense’s first touchdown of the season.

Defense: CORY HENRY

The linebacker made a statement on the opening play from scrimmage when he intercepted Tigers quarterback Barrett Trotter and set up a 39-yard field goal by Vinny Zaccario.

Special Teams: VINNY ZACCARIO

Zaccario had the Owls only points of the first half. His 39-yard field goal gave FAU a 3-0 lead in the first quarter. He added a 43-yard field goal in the second quarter.

Florida Atlantic Senior Alfred Morris is one of 52 candidates for the Doak Walker Award, which is presented to the nation’s top running back.

Morris, who led the Sun Belt in rushing in 2009 (with 1,392 yards), fought hard behind a lackluster offensive line in 2010 (managing 928 hard-fought yards) and is poised for another successful season in 2011.

The ten semifinalists will be announced on Nov. 11 and the winner will be announced live on ESPN on Dec. 8.

Read the press release here.

After being held out for most of the spring drills thus far in April, senior running back Alfred Morris returned to the practice field and endured his first contact of the spring on Wednesday afternoon.

 

Morris missed the last three practices with what was diagnosed as a back strain, which happened when he was lifting weights prior to the start of spring practice.

Morris’ participation in contact drills on Wednesday, and what is sure to be Friday, is an indicator that he will undertake in the first of three scrimmages scheduled for the spring on Saturday.

“I wouldn’t want to not practice at all before heading into a scrimmage,” Morris told FAU Owl Access. “I’d probably get beat up pretty bad. That wouldn’t be fun at all.”

While Morris watched from the sidelines, it allowed younger backs like Damian Fortner and Travis Jones to get an increased amount of reps. And they took full advantage.

Those reps are likely to increase as spring wears on, running backs coach David Serna told FAU Owl Access.

The Owls return to the practice field on Friday at 3:30 p.m. on the field behind the Oxley Center.