FAU hopeful of making first road trip in tough test against Marshall
Florida Atlantic coach Willie Taggart held up two crossed fingers for luck in predicting he would have enough players available at No. 22 Marshall on Saturday.
“Right now, in the world we live in, you never know,” Taggart said.
Florida Atlantic has seen one disruption after another during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Owls (1-0, 1-0 Conference USA) had five of their first six games postponed or canceled. The only one they’ve actually played was a 21-17 victory at home over Charlotte on Oct. 3, the first win for their new coach.
Florida Atlantic reported 27 positive virus cases the week that their Oct. 10 game against Southern Mississippi was postponed. There were several more confirmed cases among players a week ago when the Owls were idle. And Taggart said Monday two more players who had previously been in isolation tested positive for the virus.
Now comes the Owls’ first road trip — fingers crossed — against a Top 25 team that should be quite the challenge.
It’s also a test in preparation for the Thundering Herd (4-0, 2-0).
With FAU playing only one game so far, it didn’t give Marshall a lot to look over. So Thundering Herd coach Doc Holliday and his staff went back to watch film from when Taggart was the coach at Florida State and when FAU defensive coordinator
Jim Leavitt held the same position at Oregon a few years back.
“There’s a lot of unknowns,” Holliday said.
Marshall has brushed off the cancellation of three of its own games, reentering the national polls this week following a one-week stay at No. 25 in September after beating then-No. 23 Appalachian State.
Marshall has the nation’s fifth-best defense, allowing 273 yards per game, while scoring at least 35 points in the past two contests behind redshirt freshman quarterback Grant Wells whose played beyond his years.
“They don’t do a lot but they do it really well,” Taggart said. “It’s going to be a big-time challenge for us. The quarterback, he’s the engine behind that. He can make all the throws and he’s pretty good with his feet.”
Amid the stress of the pandemic, playing on the road and against a nationally ranked team, FAU co-offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer is trying to keep the mood light.
“Relax, have fun, because you don’t get very many of these in your lifetime,” Mehringer said.
As a freshman quarterback at Rice, a knee injury ended Mehringer’s playing career and he became a student assistant under offensive coordinator Tom Herman. In 2008, Mehringer underwent emergency brain surgery after a fall. He was unconscious for three days after surgery.
“I’m a great example of, you never when your last one’s gonna be,” he said. “Ignore all the stuff you can’t control, whether
that’s crowd size, venue location, any of that stuff.”
FAU quarterback Nick Tronti rushed for 94 yards on 10 carries against Charlotte. He also threw for 98 yards on 11 completions.
Marshall limited Louisiana Tech to seven rushing yards last week and is third in the nation in rush defense at 68.5 yards per game.
“You’ve got to stop the run, and we’ve done that the last four games,” Holliday said.
ELSEWHERE
UCF: Through four
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games, redshirt sophomore receiver Jaylon Robinson
leads the Knights with 10 plays of at least 20 yards and he has six of their 10 longest plays from scrimmage so far this season.
He’s second on the team in receptions (28) and receiving yards (539) behind senior Marlon Williams.
UCF coach Josh Heupel
said Robinson has earned opportunities to make big plays: “He’s gotten more comfortable in what we’re doing and been a better decision-maker and finding the holes in the zones here the last four weeks. His best football is still ahead of him.”
BYU: Coach Kalani
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Sitake likes the sound of this — about 6,000 screaming fans will be allowed back inside LaVell Edwards Stadium when the No. 12 Cougars face Texas State on Saturday. It’s the first time faces will be permitted in the iconic stadium this season.