Owls Record-Setting Offense Rolls in Win Against Charlotte
By: Jack Rubin
You may not be able to tell based on head coach Lane Kiffin’s monotone reaction to Saturday’s game, but under a partly cloudy sky and 8,330 fans in Charlotte, North Carolina, Florida Atlantic University won their eighth straight game.
“We didn’t play very well today,” Kiffin remarked. “The good thing about that is, we have a team that has high standards for themselves. It’s not a very happy locker room, if you walked by, you’d think that we lost… they’ve come a long ways. The standards have changed here.”
FAU did not get off to their typical scorching hot start, but the Owls did not waste any time on their second possession, capped off by a Devin “Motor” Singletary touchdown. They would not relinquish their lead for the whole afternoon, winning by a score of 33-12.
Photos via FAU Football.
Quarterback Jason Driskel threw just four incompletions on the day. His two touchdowns over 245 yards propelled the Owls, and he was neither sacked nor intercepted in the game. Meanwhile, the Owls’ defense was dominant, forcing four sacks.
Stating that standards have changed is a wild understatement for the program. With the win, the Owls finished the season undefeated in conference play with a 9-3 overall record. It is the program’s second nine-win season ever, their first since the 2004 season, while becoming the seventh team to finish undefeated in C-USA play in conference history.
Lane Kiffin’s offense has been nothing short of prolific this season, spiking national interest in the beachside program. The only way to effectively contextualize the magnitude of what FAU accomplished this regular season is to list the all-telling stats.
The Owls rank eighth in college football in points per game, posting 39.3 per contest. That lead C-USA, as did their yard per game total, clocking in at 480.2.
No one was more impressive this season than sophomore running back Devin Singletary, a player who truly deserves national attention. Singletary led the nation in rushing touchdowns (26) and points per game by a single player (13.5). He ranks fourth in total rushing yards while commandeering the Owls to have the sixth best rushing offense in college football. FAU’s 283.4 rushing yards per game are 93 yards more than the next best team in C-USA.
2017 has been a full-scale overhaul of the old and a massive installation of the new for Florida Atlantic football. The program established itself as a real competitor in South Florida, and it will be interesting to see what Lane Kiffin does with a full winter to recruit in the area.
The Owls will look to put an exclamation point on the season with a C-USA Championship on Saturday, Dec. 2. North Texas stands in their way with a matching 9-3 record. FAU routed the Mean Green to the tune of 69 points on Oct. 21 but will need one more win for their first conference championship.
