Florida Atlantic 30, North Texas 20

9/22/2007 10:57 PM

DENTON, Texas (AP) -Rusty Smith threw for 322 yards and a touchdown to lead Florida Atlantic past North Texas 30-20 Saturday night.

One game after registering a school-record 463 yards in perhaps the biggest victory in FAU history, a 42-39 thriller over Minnesota, Smith turned in his second-best career effort.

North Texas quarterback Daniel Meager threw for 301 yards and a touchdown in his first game since setting a school record with 601 passing yards, but he was intercepted three times.

The Mean Green (0-3, 0-1 Sun Belt) stayed winless in the first season under Todd Dodge, who made the rare jump from high school coaching to the highest college division.

The Mean Green led 20-13 after three quarters, but Smith directed the comeback by Florida Atlantic (3-1, 2-0), with 10 of the 17 fourth-quarter points coming off turnovers.

Tavious Polo had two interceptions for the Owls, including one in the end zone early in the fourth quarter, after he tied a school record with three against Minnesota. FAU's subsequent drive ended with Warley Leroy's third field goal, a 29-yarder, to make it 20-16.

Minutes later, Smith connected with Cortez Gent on a 74-yard touchdown for Florida Atlantic's first lead. Gent finished with four receptions for a game-high 96 yards.

FAU's second blocked punt of the game, with 6:21 remaining, became the defining moment. There was a lengthy video review to determine whether North Texas should have been awarded possession after the block, but the ruling went to the Owls.

Starting from the Mean Green 18, FAU took a 10-point lead several plays later on DiIvory Edgecomb's 7-yard run with 3:36 remaining.

North Texas gained just 21 yards in the fourth quarter until driving 70 on its final possession, but Thomas Moreland's 25-yard field goal attempt sailed wide right with 39 seconds left.

Mean Green running back Jamario Thomas, the nation's leading rusher in 2004 as a freshman, scored his first touchdown since early last season on a 40-yard run in the second quarter to give North Texas a 17-3 lead. He finished with 117 yards on 14 carries.

A blocked punt by Tarvoris Hill set up FAU on the North Texas 18. Charles Pierre scored on a 9-yard run on fourth down to pull the Owls within 17-10.

North Texas had gone 33 straight games, and Truman Spencer 142 punts, without having a punt blocked.