BOCA RATON, Fla. (Interstat) — In a high-octane American Athletic Conference shootout that defied pregame projections, the Florida Atlantic Owls rode a dominant first-half offensive explosion and a record-tying performance from running back Kaden Shields-Dutton to outlast the UAB Blazers 53-33 on Saturday at a raucous Flagler Credit Union Stadium.

The game, which saw the teams combine for 86 total points, sailed over the pregame over/under line of 67.5. The result pushed both teams to identical 2-3 records on the season, a mark that belied the offensive fireworks on display.

Florida Atlantic quarterback Caden Veltkamp, a 6-foot-5, 220-pound junior from Bowling Green, Kentucky, was the catalyst for the Owls’ offensive onslaught. He efficiently dissected the UAB secondary, completing 20 of 30 passes for 297 yards and three touchdowns, adding 5 yards on the ground.

The Owls set the tone immediately, scoring touchdowns on their first three possessions. Shields-Dutton, a powerful 5-foot-11, 215-pound back from Orlando, Florida, capped the opening drive with a 13-yard touchdown run. He then plunged in from 2 yards out on the next drive to give FAU a 21-0 lead before the game was 10 minutes old.

UAB, which had been installed as a 4.5-point underdog despite Interstat’s ELO system giving FAU a 65.6 percent probability to win, found itself in a deep hole early. The Blazers’ offense, led by quarterback Jalen Kitna of Tacoma, Washington, struggled to find a rhythm against a swarming Owls defense in the first quarter.

Florida Atlantic’s aerial attack continued to strike in spectacular fashion. Just before the end of the first quarter, wide receiver Easton Messer of Louisville, Kentucky, took a trick-play pass from fellow receiver Jayshon Platt and connected with Platt for a 48-yard touchdown, extending the lead to 28-0.

The Blazers finally awoke in the second quarter, mounting a valiant comeback attempt. Running back Solomon Beebe found the end zone on a 14-yard run, and after a Devin Hightower interception gave UAB the ball back in Florida Atlantic territory, Beebe scored again from 13 yards out. A successful two-point conversion pass from Kitna to Iverson Hooks brought the Blazers within a touchdown at 28-21.

The two teams traded blows for the remainder of the half. FAU answered UAB’s surge with a quick-strike drive, culminating in a 43-yard touchdown pass from Veltkamp to Dominique Henry of Saint Augustine, Florida, to re-establish a 35-21 lead. The Owls took that 14-point advantage into halftime.

Any hopes of a UAB comeback were quickly dampened as Florida Atlantic received the second-half kickoff and engineered a methodical, 10-play, 75-yard drive. Shields-Dutton finished it with his third 1-yard touchdown run of the day, tying a school record for rushing touchdowns in a game and pushing the lead back to 42-21.

UAB responded with a touchdown drive of its own, with Nate Rogers scoring from 11 yards out, but the Owls immediately answered. Veltkamp found a streaking Asaad Waseem of Ocoee, Florida, for a 29-yard touchdown pass. Waseem finished as the game’s leading receiver with 7 catches for 105 yards and that score.

The Blazers added another touchdown late in the third quarter on a 3-yard pass from Kitna to Isaiah Jacobs, but failed on the two-point conversion, leaving the score at 50-33.

The fourth quarter saw the offenses slow and the defenses finally gain a foothold. UAB managed only a 45-yard field goal from Jonah Delange, while Florida Atlantic closed the scoring with a 28-yard field goal from Garrison Smith of Norwalk, Ohio, with under two minutes to play to provide the final margin.

Kitna finished with solid numbers for UAB, completing 29 of 41 passes for 261 yards and one touchdown, but was sacked multiple times and could not keep pace with Veltkamp’s prolific output. The Blazers’ ground game was led by Jacobs and Beebe, but the early deficit forced them into a pass-heavy approach for much of the contest.

Defensively, the Owls were led by a massive performance from linebacker Tyler Stolsky of Portage, Michigan, who racked up 13 total tackles. Defensive end CJ Doggette Jr. of Pickerington, Ohio, was a constant disruptive force, recording four tackles, two sacks, and a quarterback hurry. Safety Jayden Sweeney of Birmingham, Alabama, added six tackles.

For UAB, linebackers Devin Hightower of Twinsburg, Ohio, and AJ Brown of Marietta, Georgia, each recorded seven tackles, with Hightower adding a key interception and a quarterback hurry.

The victory gives Florida Atlantic momentum as they head into a road contest at South Florida next Saturday. UAB, meanwhile, will look to regroup and even its record when it returns home to face Memphis.