After an impressive victory against Rice last week, the Florida Atlantic Owls play host the the UAB Blazers in a American Conference showdown in Week 7. Head coach Zach Kittley and company will look to continue their momentum in conference play. However, they will need to stop what’s normally a high-powered UAB offensive attack. It’ll be an interesting matchup between two programs looking to prove themselves. With that in mind, let’s dive into this FAU vs. UAB 2025 game preview.
Florida Atlantic Owls vs. UAB Blazers: Game History and Excerpts
These two American Conference opponents have played each other 10 times. And, it’s been relatively tight contests between the two. Currently, FAU holds a 6-4 advantage over the Blazers. However, UAB won the last game between these two teams in 2023. The last four matchups have been won by the home team, so that bodes well for Coach Kittley and the Owls entering Week 7.
An interesting note is that outside of one matchup, the winning team has scored more than 30 points in the series history. This means that points are expected to be put on the board, and the winner should have a lot of them. Entering this matchup, Coach Kittley knows the importance of getting another conference victory, and gaining momentum as they enter a tough part of their schedule.
“I think [this matchup] is going to be a little tough to be honest with you,” began Kittley at his weekly press conference. “Just because we have been facing so many run-first, run-heavy teams … these guys are the opposite. They are more pro-style in their approach, but it’s pro-style pass. It’s Coach Dilfer’s background. Being a Super Bowl winning quarterback and playing in the NFL forever, he’s got a wide range of offensive knowledge. They’re a full progression-based offense kind of like we are here. You see the quarterback stand and dig in the pocket and taking his drops and fully progressing; left to right, right to left, full field reads. There are a lot of similarities to that, but we haven’t faced a team that wants to throw the ball first. This will be the first time we will see that. Luckily for our defense, they do see that against us.”
The Blazers are 1-4 all-time in Boca Raton, but they’ll look to change that on Saturday.
FAU vs. UAB 2025 Preview: Keys to the Game
Key Players for UAB
It’s not a secret that UAB wants to throw the football. Yet while the UAB offense is centered around quarterback Jalen Kitna, running back Jevon Jackson will be key for the Blazers in this contest.
Florida Atlantic is expecting [the obvious] pass-heavy approach of UAB in this matchup. Because of that, the success of Jackson will be paramount in the offense’s success. While the running back averages less than 75 yards per game, he actually boasts 5.9 yards per carry. So in reality, the Blazers can run the football – if they want to. And in order to keep FAU’s defense honest, running the football more than normal may actually help UAB in Week 7. Yet, it remains to be seen if they actually do that.
On defense, linebacker Devin Hightower will be key for the Blazers. He currently leads the team in tackles (35), and has been the team’s most consistent player on defense. Hightower will be responsible for stopping things over the middle of the field, and negating the rushing attack of Florida Atlantic. If he can stop plays from reaching the second level of the defense, it could spell trouble for the Owls.
Key Players for FAU
Like UAB, there’s no secret that Florida Atlantic wants to pass the football. Quarterback Caden Veltkamp had his struggles to start the year, but has started to put it all together as they near the midway point of the season. While the running game will also be important for the Owls to keep UAB honest, the offense will need to put up a lot of points against the Blazers. Veltkamp is completing the most passes per game in the nation (28.8), and is ranked ninth nationally in yards per game (297.6). Making the correct reads and a dicing up a susceptible secondary of the Blazers will be paramount in an Owls victory.
Speaking of secondaries, FAU’s will be key in this contest. UAB loves to throw the ball, which means they’ll be tested throughout the game. Xavier Daisy has been the Blazers’ latest receiving threat, and stopping him will force Jalen Kitna to look elsewhere. Because of UAB’s high-volume passing approach, FAU’s secondary can’t be fooled on play action. They need to stay disciplined in the backend. If they bite on any sort of window-dressing by the Blazer’s offense, they will get torched by Kitna and company. Discipline has been a problem for the defense all year. They can’t afford to have issues on that end in this contest.
2025 Game Preview: How FAU Wins vs. UAB in Week 7
To win this game, Florida Atlantic needs to put up a lot of points. While UAB hasn’t been a powerhouse from a point-scoring perspective, they are a dangerous passing attack. Putting their fate in the hands of their defense isn’t ideal. Instead, Kittley, Veltkamp, and company will need to have their offense firing on all cylinders. If they aren’t able to put up at least 30 points in this contest, they may not win it.
Florida Atlantic doesn’t need to be balanced in this game, per se. However, they must remain disciplined. That goes for both sides of the football. On offense, they can’t commit unnecessary penalties. False starts, and other mistakes that will create long down-and-distance will only create problems.
On defense, they have to stay disciplined from a penalty perspective, but from a concept perspective, too. Unnecessary roughness penalties or discipline-related flags can’t happen against UAB. Furthermore, the team has to stay disciplined on the backend. They have to play UAB’s receivers tight, and can’t get roped into play-action or misdirection. The Blazers want to attack down the field. If FAU let’s them by making mistakes, the game will be over before it begins.
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