On a Saturday night in Boca Raton, the FAU Owls made sure not to have a letdown performance.
The Owls faced an FCS opponent in the Wagner Seahawks, and they took care of business with a convincing 41-10 victory. They implemented a consistent game plan on offense and shut down a frisky Wagner offense on defense in the second half.
However, all things were not smooth sailing for the Owls. They had some significant struggles in the second quarter, which could have resulted in a historic upset on Saturday.
What allowed the Owls to find their footing? What issues could plague Florida Atlantic in the future? Follow along as we recap the latest Owls’ victory!
Rushing attack looks much better
In modern football, the running game has become a necessity. From Mel Kiper’s enemy in the Cover 2 defense to the various disguises defensive coordinators utilize, the passing game has become much more difficult. As a result, running the ball against lighter boxes is a surefire way to pick up yardage.
Florida Atlantic understood the advantage of a strong running game against Wagner and, as a result, utilized it to carry them to victory.
The Owls rumbled for 310 yards on the ground and had five different running backs touch the ball during the gem. C.J. Campbell led the way with a dominant performance, racking up 145 yards and two touchdowns on 9.7 yards per carry. He consistently ran hard and downhill, breaking multiple tackles and darting through open rushing lanes. Just like last week against UConn, he looked like the best running back on the team.
Touchdown✌️ for @cjcampbelljr_
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— Florida Atlantic Football (@FAUFootball) September 29, 2024
Handling a smaller workload, Zuberi Mobley had a very efficient performance on the ground. He had 11 carries for 77 yards and a touchdown, which came on a very impressive run where he avoided defenders and reversed fields.
Can't catch @ZuberiMobley2 😤
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— Florida Atlantic Football (@FAUFootball) September 28, 2024
Underclassmen Gemari Sands, Kaden Shields-Dutton, and Xavier Terrell were also effective with their limited touches at the end of the game.
For the Owls to win games going forward, FAU must strive for the recipe they showed against Wagner. Will it be as smooth sailing as it was against the FCS opponent? Absolutely not.
However, the Owls have the talent in their backfield to consistently create big plays. Between Mobley, Campbell Jr., and the young depth pieces, the rushing attack has a variety of ways to hurt a defense. They can use speed, agility, and strength to their advantage and turn the tide in their team’s favor.
It will ultimately come down to the offensive line’s blocking ability and the team’s passing attack to help open the running game. But if the Owls can find a complementary offense to bolster the rushing attack, they will continue to find success for the majority of this season.
Passing attack struggles continue for FAU Owls
Even against a team like Wagner, FAU still struggled to find its footing in the passing game.
Cameron Fancher started off the game hot with a laser across the middle of the field to Omari Hayes, who turned it into a 71-yard gain. However, the Marshall transfer could not do anything too impressive from there.
Fancher did lead another drive that ended with a rushing touchdown, but was mostly throwing short passes in the quick game. He would hit his receivers and let them do most of the work with yards after the catch. When he tried to push the ball down the field, Fancher was still inaccurate for the most part. The most glaring miss was in the red zone, as an under-thrown ball to the end zone was intercepted by a Wagner defender.
Unfortunately, Fancher departed with a sprained thumb in the second quarter. Redshirt freshman Kasen Weisman entered as his replacement and immediately faced some of the same issues that plagued Fancher.
The Colorado transfer could not push the ball down the field, and had to settle for short passes. He played wildly in the first half, scrambling and playing like he was in a video game. The recklessness led to a fumble and a boneheaded interception, both of which Wagner could not fully capitalize on.
And while Weisman gained his footing in the second half, it was through his rushing ability, the short passing game, and the play of his running backs.
Wagner to their credit, did a great job disguising and switching their coverages. Additionally, Tom Herman and company wanted a simple game plan for the Owls this week; as a result, the struggles of Fancher and Weisman passing the ball could be due to a limited play selection.
However, FAU needs to become more explosive if the Owls want to beat AAC opponents in the coming weeks. They cannot rely on the quick game to carry an entire passing attack for four quarters. The game against Wagner is a solid foundation, but Herman and company must find a way to build upon it and find a threatening passing attack to complete their offense.
Hidden issues on defense
Football has a funny habit of hiding things. The box score can tell one narrative, but when combined with more context, it can tell a completely different one.
This applies directly to the FAU defense against Wagner. On paper, the Owls had a dominant performance, only letting up 132 total yards and 20 rushing yards. They stifled any momentum the Seahawks gained and fully flipped the tide in their favor.
However, that does not mean the unit was without issues. Wagner opened up multiple rushing lanes against the Owls, but did not have the speed or strength to exploit them. Receivers were running open downfield, but the quarterback could not hit them. Communication issues and over aggressiveness led to busted coverages and confusion in the secondary.
On occasion, Wagner was able to exploit the Owls on defense, which allowed them to keep the game close in the first half. The Seahawks did not have the overall talent to exploit these flaws, though.
While they were not burned directly, FAU needs to shore up the defensive problems before their conference schedule begins. The ship needs to be as tight as possible against North Texas as if the same issues pop up in two weeks, the Owls could be in some trouble.
Discipline remains an issue
To put it in a simple phrase, the penalties have to be fixed.
Whether it was blatant holdings on defense or false starts on offense, the Owls shot themselves in the foot to the tune of 12 penalties for 90 yards. The undiscipline worked against Wagner, who almost matched the Owls with 10 penalties of their own. In AAC matchups, though, 12 penalties will sink FAU and cause the Owls to lose many more games this season.
Other notes
- Leon Washington Jr. and Marlyn Johnson looked very good at wideout. With all of the injuries, they should get more time with the starters.
- Omari Hayes should not come off the field. He is far and away the best wideout for the Owls this season.
- The quarterback situation is one to monitor going forward. I would love to see Tyriq Starks get some burn as a situational player when he is healthy, in addition to the offense opening up for Weisman.
- Chris Jones is consistently the best defensive lineman for the Owls. When he is rolling, the entire unit feeds off of him. He is a crucial piece for FAU if they want to win more games this season.
