For the second-straight game WKU battled down to the wire, but the Hilltoppers ultimately came up short Saturday afternoon in Boca Raton, Fla., dropping a 29-23 contest to Florida Atlantic. In a back-and-forth game, WKU held one lead, had the score within two points on two separate occasions and also brought it to a one-possession game with 4:59 left to play, but could not come out on top.

WKU has lost the last two games by a combined total of just nine points and drops to 0-11 overall and 0-7 in league play, ahead of Thursday night’s season finale at home against Arkansas State. Florida Atlantic moves to 4-7 on the year and 4-3 in the conference with the victory.

"We were really close on some plays, but once again we had a string of something here, something there that hurt us,” WKU head coach David Elson said. “We could not capitalize on the momentum we had. Give FAU credit, they did a good job of getting first downs at the end and running out the clock. We have to show a whole bunch of mental toughness and keep coming back and grind one out."

The Owls outgained the Hilltoppers in total yardage, 427-368, but WKU held a 201-161 advantage in rushing yards. Kawaun Jakes was 19-28 for 146 yards and one touchdown through the air on the day, and Bobby Rainey rushed for a career-high 144 yards on 15 carries, an average of 9.6 yards per carry. Rainey’s previous career high was 134 yards, set in the team’s last outing on November 14 at ULM.

"It would feel really good to have a career-high in rushing yards if we had won, but we lost so I'm not really feeling anything right now,” Rainey said. “The chemistry of our offensive line and running backs is getting better. Repetition is the key. However, it is very frustrating to get so close and not get the result that you want."

"Bobby (Rainey) is a heck of a player and hard to bring down,” Elson said. “I am proud of the way he fought and the way a lot of our guys fought."

Three Hilltoppers hauled in four passes each, with Jake Gaebler, Seth Tamme and Marcus Vasquez combining for 111 yards and two touchdowns on 12 catches. Gaebler’s 43 receiving yards on the day move him into sixth place on the WKU career receiving-yards list, passing Porter Williams. He now has 1,858 receiving yards in his career and is just nine yards shy of passing Alan Mullins for fifth place all-time.

Casey Tinius was three-for-three on field goal attempts, including a career-long connection from 47 yards, and added two extra points. He has now made seven field goals in WKU’s last two games.

Florida Atlantic was led by quarterback Jeff Van Camp’s 16-30 passing effort, accounting for 266 yards and three touchdowns. Alfred Morris rushed for 122 yards on 25 carries for the Owls.

Florida Atlantic jumped on the scoreboard first just 3:55 into the opening quarter, with Van Camp completing a 16-yard pass to Lester Jean to cap an eight-play, 65-yard drive. The point-after attempt was blocked, keeping the score 6-0 in favor of the Owls. The Hilltoppers covered 35 yards in six plays following the Florida Atlantic touchdown, but the drive was halted when the Owls recovered a fumble after a completed pass from Jakes to Derrius Brooks.

The Owls capitalized on the turnover, with Ross Gornall kicking a 20-yard field goal after the Florida Atlantic offense chewed up the next 5:27, covering 64 yards in 13 plays. Florida Atlantic held a 9-0 lead after the first 15 minutes.

WKU concludes the 2009 season on Thursday, December 3 with a 6:00 p.m. home contest against Arkansas State. The game will be televised by the Sun Belt Conference Network, marking WKU's sixth televised game.