BOCA RATON, Fla. (Interstat) — Caden Veltkamp threw for 247 yards and four touchdowns, and Florida Atlantic rolled past Texas Southern 66-10 on Saturday at FAU Stadium. The Owls improved to 4-1 with their fourth win in five games, while the Tigers fell to 1-4. Florida Atlantic scored in every quarter and pulled away with a balanced offensive attack, strong special teams and a defense that kept Texas Southern out of the end zone after the early going. The game was a non-conference matchup in the Football Bowl Division. Veltkamp, a 6-foot-5, 220-pound quarterback from Bowling Green, Kentucky, completed 13 of 16 passes and also rushed twice for 2 yards. His four touchdown passes helped the Owls post their highest point total of the season.

Florida Atlantic set the tone immediately when Leonard Farrow returned the opening kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown. Collin Rogers made the extra point. Texas Southern responded with Miguel Arana III’s 44-yard field goal, but Farrow answered again by returning a kickoff 92 yards for another Florida Atlantic touchdown. The Owls then sacked Cam’Ron McCoy for a 7-yard loss. Veltkamp closed the first-quarter scoring with a 19-yard touchdown pass to Easton Messer. In the second quarter, Veltkamp found Kelby Valsin for a 55-yard touchdown. Texas Southern got on the board again before halftime when Athean Renfro Jr. ran 11 yards for a score, and Arana added the extra point. Florida Atlantic added a 47-yard field goal from Rogers in the third quarter, a 22-yard touchdown run from B. Tillman later in the third and a 1-yard touchdown run from A. Brown in the fourth. The Owls kept adding points as the game wore on, and the Tigers could not keep pace.

Veltkamp’s performance came after he threw for 314 yards and two touchdowns in the previous game at Louisiana-Monroe. Drew Devillier also played quarterback for the Owls and completed 4 of 7 passes for 54 yards while rushing once for 1 yard. Dominique Henry caught two passes for 33 yards. RJ Garcia II had one reception for 19 yards, Branden Hoch had one catch for 16 yards, Antojuan Woody had two catches for 9 yards, and Peter Cannon had one reception for 6 yards. Florida Atlantic’s offense consistently moved the chains and turned scoring chances into points. The Owls also controlled the clock in the second half and protected their lead.

Texas Southern’s best offensive success came on the ground, where Renfro rushed 20 times for 101 yards and one touchdown. He also caught one pass for 19 yards. Cam’Ron McCoy, a 6-foot-1, 190-pound quarterback, completed 17 of 27 passes for 158 yards and rushed eight times for 5 yards. Roriyon Richardson led the Tigers’ receivers with six catches for 61 yards. Zyion Claville added three receptions for 32 yards, Daveon Walker had two catches for 22 yards, and Fatu Mukuba had four receptions for 23 yards. Mukuba also rushed once for 16 yards. Xavier Phipps caught one pass for 1 yard, and Nelson Peterson Jr. rushed once for 6 yards. David Kency carried seven times for 14 yards, while Jacob Washington had five rushes for 13 yards. The Tigers moved the ball in spurts but could not finish drives consistently.

Special teams played a major role for Florida Atlantic. Farrow’s two kickoff returns for touchdowns highlighted the effort. Reed Chandley punted three times for 112 yards for the Owls. Collin Rogers handled extra points and field goals. For Texas Southern, Brian Mays punted seven times for 247 yards, and the team added one punt for 38 yards. Mukuba returned four kickoffs for 92 yards, and Danny Green Jr. returned one kickoff for 20 yards. Arana made a 44-yard field goal and added an extra point. The Tigers struggled to contain Florida Atlantic’s return game early, and the Owls took advantage with quick points.

Defensively, Texas Southern was led by Langston Howell and Fabian Wells, who each recorded six tackles. Ryan Robinson Jr. and Aaron Kizzee added four tackles apiece. Quinton Murray, Joel Williams and Jacob Williams each finished with three tackles. Jordan Thompson and MJ Hinson had two tackles each. Garfield Lawrence also recorded two tackles. Kalvin Green had one tackle and one sack. Nathan Morcom, Nico Guerra, Donovan Jones, Amare Garrett, Thurman Rayborn and Josh McCarter each had one tackle. For Florida Atlantic, Zyere Horton had six tackles. Khmari Johnson, JK Johnson and Wilky Denaud each had five tackles. Derrick Rogers, Nick Toussaint, Nate Fischer, Tito Nunez, Josh Roberts and Char’Quez Lee each recorded one tackle. The Owls’ defense limited Texas Southern after the Tigers’ early scoring chances.

The Owls entered the game after a 45-17 win at Louisiana-Monroe and have won four of their first five games. Texas Southern had lost to Alcorn State 43-40 in its previous game and has dropped four of five to open the season. Florida Atlantic’s other results this season include a 16-10 home win over Florida International, a 38-30 home win over Navy and a loss at Florida. Texas Southern opened the season with a 42-30 home win over North Carolina Central before losses to Prairie View, UTEP and Alcorn State. The Tigers are scheduled to host Mississippi Valley State next. Florida Atlantic is set to visit Army next. The matchup at FAU Stadium was played in Boca Raton, Florida, and gave the Owls their highest point total of the season. Florida Atlantic’s depth allowed it to rotate players throughout the second half.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Florida Atlantic 45, Texas Southern 28. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Florida Atlantic with a 96 percent probability to win. Texas Southern had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of +47.5. The total score of 76 went under the over/under line of 62.5. Florida Atlantic’s victory came despite the pregame projections that gave Texas Southern a favorable spread. The Owls’ decisive win exceeded the simulator’s projected margin and kept them undefeated at home.