It’s deja vu all over again! The FAU Owls jump out to a first-half lead in their matchup against the USF Bulls on Friday. They looked great on the offensive side of the football, especially with their ground attack. The passing game was working and close to firing on all cylinders. On defense, the coverage was relatively strong and limited the opposing passing attack to a small amount of passing yards.
But, it eventually all went off the rails. There is usually an inflection point in the game where the momentum changes. After that, FAU falls apart.
The defense gains an inability to stop the run, letting teams gain endless yards in that area. The team forgets how to make adjustments and repeats the same mistakes. They lose all the confidence that they showed in the previous portions of the game.
If that sounds familiar, it is because it’s what happened against North Texas, UTSA, and now USF. The Owls started strong but fell apart late, and they are left picking up their pieces in the aftermath.
What were the positives? What were the negatives? Follow along to find out what occurred in FAU’s latest crushing loss.
The C.J. Campbell Show
An overwhelming positive from the game was the continuation of C.J. Campbell‘s breakout season.
Against the USF Bulls, the former Florida State running back exploded for 168 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns. He was explosive on the ground, racking up 90 yards on 12 carries to average 7.5 yards per carry. Campbell Jr. looked shifty, explosive, and smooth on every carry, especially on his touchdown runs.
Keep toting It CJš¤@cjcampbelljr_ pic.twitter.com/jbkjFlRnUP
— Florida Atlantic Football (@FAUFootball) November 2, 2024
What was even more impressive was Campbell Jr.’s hands. The running back showed smooth route running, sudden change of direction ability, and massive explosiveness. The play where this was on display was his long touchdown reception; Campbell Jr. had smooth route running and massive burst to run away from the USF defense.
ANOTHER ONE š¤Æ
Third TD on the night for @cjcampbelljr_ !
šŗ ESPN2#WinningInParadise pic.twitter.com/Ah1vjrS6C2
— Florida Atlantic Football (@FAUFootball) November 2, 2024
After the game, head coach Tom Herman called Campbell Jr. an “unbelievable” leader and young man and spoke about why he loves him as a player.
“He is so versatile. [Campbell] is great out in space; he is good in between the tackles. He is good in protection and has great hands. He continues to warrant more touches … we will continue to find ways to get him the ball.”
Florida Atlantic head coach Tom Herman spoke to the media after the Owls' loss to the USF Bulls. Calling it a rivalry matchup all week, Herman addresses the loss and the interesting situation between him and coach Golesh after the game. (Via @BPok24) pic.twitter.com/Qb14Ogiyke
— The League Winners (@LeagueWinnersFB) November 2, 2024
Combined with Zuberi Mobley‘s productive game on the ground, these numbers should have been enough to keep the game competitive, if not winning it outright. However, the Owls dropped the game in considerable fashion, mainly due to defensive errors late in the game.
For FAU to win going forward, Campbell Jr. has to be the offensive lynchpin. He is turning into a budding star for the program and, as a result, must be peppered with targets and touches for the team to be competitive.
Fancher continues to improve
The box score may not fully show it, but the FAU quarterback is continuing to improve.
Against USF’s defense, Cam Fancher completed 22 of 42 passes for 306 yards and one touchdown. Most of these inaccuracies occurred late in the game against the Bulls when the outcome was already decided. Fancher was running for his life behind the offensive line and had to attempt to make things happen down the field. This resulted in sacks, missed passes, and possible turnover-worthy plays.
However, Fancher displayed a smoothness and calmness when playing from a normal game script. His accuracy has improved on certain passes, specifically the ones where he is on the move. Fancher is more decisive and confident when making these throws, allowing the playbook to open up more for the Owls’ offense.
The Owls are forced to punt after the ensuing series of plays. Nice placement and touch on Fancherās next row passes, but even better coverage from USF.
— Brandyn Pokrass (@BPok24) November 2, 2024
Fancher is also much more confident about the offense as a whole. He is trusting his receivers to make plays. He trusts his rushing ability to allow him to flip fields and gain free yards. As a result, things are clicking much faster for the Owls on offense.
Unlike earlier in the season, these losses are not on the quarterback. Sure, he plays a huge role in it and deserves some blame. But Fancher consistently leads the offense and puts up points on the board. He is doing his job, and if the rest of the team and coaching staff follow suit, FAU will be in a good position.
Some defensive flashes
The defense was not all bad on Friday night. Cornerback Kahzir “Buggs” Brown had multiple pass-breakups, including on one pass deep down the field that would have been a touchdown otherwise. Cornerback Lawrence Johnson also had a huge pass breakup on the same possession that Brown had one of his PBUs.
FAUās secondary just had a lockdown drive against a USF offense trying to shot play down the field. Kahzir āBuggsā Brown had a huge PBU on first down, while Lawrence Johnson had a rangy play to break up what might have been a TD. The Owls take over on offense once again. #FAU
— Brandyn Pokrass (@BPok24) November 2, 2024
Cameron Goggins also had a good game in coverage, shadowing the opposing receivers very well and making some tackles in space when challenged.
Safety C.J. Heard was vital for the defense once again. He had 13 total tackles and seven solo tackles, with many of them coming as a last-resort player for the defense. Despite one missed tackle that resulted in a touchdown, Heard was one of the best defensive players on the field for the Owls.
Jackson Ambush also displayed some nice flashes, finishing with 1.5 tackles for loss and six total tackles.
The overall unit was not great, but there were nice flashes and individual performances. Going forward, the goal will be for those performances to transfer to a better group performance.
An utter collapse from the defense and coaching
Once again, the same issues beat the FAU Owls.
The team could not stop the run once again. USF ran for 319 yards on the ground, headlined by both of the team’s starting running backs averaging over six yards per carry. Nay’Quan Wright ran for 117 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. Meanwhile Kelley Joiner had 89 yards and a touchdown on 11 attempts.
That does not include Ta’ron Kieth, who started a drive with the easiest 40+ touchdown he will have in his entire life. The FAU Owls could also do nothing about the quarterback run, as Bryce Archie found multiple lanes by executing a simple read option.
Additionally, the Owls did not adjust enough in the second half. They left Fancher out to dry, namely by not giving him easy answers against third-down blitzes or trying to take advantage of stacked boxes. The weird playcalling caused the offense to sputter out for the rest of the game.
Worst of all, FAU could not handle adversity.
They could not handle the adversity of converting a third-and-one and a fourth-and-one. The had brutal play-calls and brutal execution all over the place. Once the turnover was official, the Owls turned over and knew they were in trouble. There was barely any fight left once the lead was extended to 10.
FAU could have taken the points and kept its momentum. They could have given the ball to Campbell Jr. twice instead of getting cute and losing out. They could have buckled down and not let USF take the lead.
Instead, the FAU Owls lost this game. Tom Herman and his staff repeated the same mistakes. The players repeated the same mistakes. It has become a pattern of who Florida Atlantic is in 2024. If the FAU Owls want it to change to more positive vibes, they have to win against their competition for the rest of the season.
