Back-to-back-to-back plays in the final minute of game time right before halftime turned a tied ball game into a two-touchdown affair.

And from there, SMU fell into an abyss early Saturday evening.

The Boca Raton Bowl was supposed to be one where SMU showed the college football world its emergence. Instead, it was FAU, the host team of the bowl, not only holding down home-field advantage but also doing so in convincing fashion.

SMU fell to FAU, 52-28, Saturday in front of an announced attendance of 23,178 at FAU Stadium. A resurgent, 10-win season for SMU ended with a painful loss that seemed to be decided by three plays in the last 60 seconds of the first half.

With the teams tied at 14, FAU capped a seven-play, 75-yard drive with a 15-yard touchdown run by James Charles. The very next play, SMU's first with a minute on the clock, Shane Buechele threw an interception to FAU linebacker Rashad Smith, who set up the Owls' offense at the SMU 13-yard line.

The next play, Chris Robison connected with Brandon Robinson for a 13-yard touchdown strike. Just like that, SMU was down, 28-14, with only 36 seconds remaining until halftime -- and the Owls to receive the ball first in the second half.

From there, FAU saw an uptick, while SMU couldn't get out of neutral on both sides of the ball. SMU had two turnovers on the day, and both of those resulted in FAU touchdowns.

Offensively, the Owls finished the game with 521 total yards, and Robison completed 27 of 37 passes for 305 yards and two touchdowns -- his numbers coming mostly in the first three quarters.

With the win, the Owls improved to 11-3 on the season. This was an FAU team playing without several starters playing for various reasons ranging from academic suspensions to skipping the game for personal reasons.

Buechele threw for 303 yards and a touchdown, and James Proche had nine catches for 86 yards and a score, as SMU finished the year 10-3.