MIAMI — Kejon Owens rushed for 173 yards and two touchdowns, and FIU used a dominant third quarter to pull away for a 38-28 victory over Florida Atlantic in the annual Shula Bowl on Saturday night at Pitbull Stadium.

Owens scored from 4 and 1 yards out, while quarterback Keyone Jenkins added a rushing touchdown and threw a 26-yard scoring pass to Alex Perry as the Panthers (2-1) outscored FAU 21-0 in the third quarter to seize control . Anthony Carrie capped the decisive frame with a 1-yard touchdown plunge, stretching FIU’s lead to 38-21.

Florida Atlantic (1-2) had built a 21-17 halftime edge behind quarterback Caden Veltkamp, who threw touchdown passes of 23 yards to Easton Messer and 32 yards to Xavier Terrell, and added a 10-yard rushing score. Veltkamp finished with 343 yards through the air, but his three interceptions proved costly .

The Owls pulled within 10 on Jarvis Johnson’s 4-yard punt return touchdown with 7:45 left, but FIU’s defense clamped down from there. The Panthers intercepted Veltkamp three times and forced a turnover on downs twice in the second half to secure their second straight Shula Bowl win .