Sharrod Neasman won the race. The former Florida Atlantic safety led a red-clad swarm of his teammates across the field to a table draped with a blue cloth and topped by the Don Shula Award.
Neasman grabbed the maple trophy and lifted it skyward as his teammates circled around him, celebrating the recapture of the award after last season's FAU win over Florida International.
This season, the Don Shula Award will reside on the Owls' sideline, FAU's to defend entering the 15th annual Shula Bowl on Saturday at FIU at 7 p.m.
The trophy, constructed with a FIU helmet on one side and an FAU helmet on the other, typically sits in the lobby of the Tom Oxley Athletic Center in Boca Raton, but not this week.