FAU rolls past ULM 45-17 as Veltkamp throws two touchdowns

Florida Atlantic used a busy second quarter and a sustained rushing advantage to beat UL Monroe 45-17 on Saturday night. The Owls finished with 577 yards, including 245 on the ground, and held the Warhawks to one field goal after an explosive first half. Caden Veltkamp threw two touchdown passes, both to Dominique Henry, while Easton Messer returned a punt 73 yards for a score. ESPN’s final box score and scoring log put the result beyond a single offensive matchup.

The first quarter ended tied 7-7. AJ Johnson’s eight-yard run gave FAU the first lead, and ULM replied with a one-yard touchdown pass from Aidan Armenta to Jase Hoath. The Owls moved ahead for good early in the second when Veltkamp hit Henry from 26 yards. Messer’s punt return made it 21-7 less than three minutes into the quarter. ULM answered almost immediately on Armenta’s 75-yard pass to LT Robinson, keeping the contest within a touchdown for a moment.

FAU broke that exchange with two more second-quarter touchdown drives. Ethan Ervin ran in from two yards, and Leonard Farrow added a one-yard score with five seconds left before halftime. Abram Murray’s 39-yard field goal in between accounted for ULM’s final points. Henry then caught a 36-yard pass from Veltkamp for a third-quarter touchdown, and Collin Rogers’ 29-yard field goal in the fourth completed the scoring. The Owls were up 35-17 at the break and never allowed ULM back into the end zone.

Veltkamp completed 30 of 39 passes for 313 yards without an interception in the final box. Ervin ran 21 times for 139 yards and a touchdown; Kelby Valsin caught nine passes for 123 yards. Armenta was efficient enough for ULM at 23-for-29 for 278 yards and two touchdowns, but the Warhawks had only 54 rushing yards as a team. FAU converted 11 of 20 third downs, against four of 13 for ULM, and neither side committed a turnover.

The FAU athletics department had billed the trip to Monroe as the programs’ first meeting since 2012. Saturday’s game became a test of whether ULM could keep trading explosive plays after Robinson’s long score. It could not. The punt-return touchdown gave the Owls a possession-free score, and their running game kept producing while ULM’s stalled. The result is a substantial road win built from multiple phases, with Henry’s second touchdown removing any lingering doubt in the third quarter. The recorded scoring plays show the Owls did not need a final-quarter touchdown to secure the margin; the fourth-quarter field goal was their only late addition.