FAU Owls Fall 48-41 at North Texas Despite Record Nights from Messer and Veltkamp

Florida Atlantic came up short, 48-41, against North Texas in Denton, Texas, on Thursday night, in a battle between the top two American Conference offenses, Florida Atlantic University Athletics reported. The Owls fell to 5-3 overall and 2-2 in conference play, while the Mean Green improved to 6-2 and 4-0. FAU opened its scoring with Caden Veltkamp finding Branden Hoch in the end zone, and a 30-yard Collin Rogers field goal gave the Owls a 10-3 lead at the end of the first quarter; the teams went into the locker room tied at 24.

The record nights came in the loss. Fifth-year receiver Easton Messer set the program record for receptions with 16, catching every target thrown his way, for 189 yards and three touchdowns; his 16 catches are the most by an FBS player in 2026, tied with only Miami's Malachi Toney, and his 189 yards were the third most in program history, FAU reported. Graduate quarterback Caden Veltkamp finished 37-for-56 for 452 yards and five touchdown passes, the five scores tying the program record he has matched twice previously; he is the first FAU quarterback with multiple 400-yard passing games, and his 452 yards were the fourth most in a Florida Atlantic game.

Playing through rain in the third quarter, FAU fell behind 34-24 before Kaden Shields-Dutton took a 22-yard shovel pass for a touchdown, and a 34-yard strike to Messer - his record-breaking 16th catch and Veltkamp's fifth touchdown pass - closed the gap to three with seven minutes to go. A late North Texas touchdown pushed the margin back out, Rogers answered with a 43-yard field goal to make it a one-score game, and the ensuing onside kick bounced the other way as time expired. Next up, the Owls host UTSA on Thursday, Nov. 5, at 7:30 p.m. on Howard Schnellenberger Field at Flagler Credit Union Stadium in Boca Raton, in a game FAU says will be its first non-bowl home game to air nationally on ESPN's main channel.