FAU seeks momentum for conference play
BOCA RATON — The Florida Atlantic football team has moved on from the euphoria surrounding coach Lane Kiffin’s first victory.
No more celebrating, no more elation. The goal now is to continue building, and the first chance to do so is Saturday at Buffalo. The Owls want to keep the momentum going in their final non-conference game before opening up Conference USA play next week against Middle Tennessee State.
“It’s going to keep the momentum going,” running back Gregory Howell Jr. said. “One, it feels good. It gives you confidence … It’s only going to make us more focused week in and week out. Momentum is something that, it’s hard to stop. We’re trying to clean the slate.”
The Owls are going for the second consecutive victory, something the players have rarely experienced. They have only won backto-back games once since 2014. That occurred last season when they defeated Rice and UTEP in consecutive weeks.
“I think that’d be our second two-game winning streak, so I’d feel good,” FAU linebacker Rashad Smith said.
More importantly, a win would put the Owls in better position to end their bowl game drought. They haven’t played in the postseason since the 2008 Motor City Bowl. A victory Saturday would mean the Owls only have to split the remaining games to reach six wins to become bowleligible.
“You want, obviously, to go into conference play feeling good about where you are as a team,” junior linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair said.
Although the players are already thinking ahead, Kiffin prefers to take a different approach. He refuses to let one game define the season.
“I don’t think like that,” Kiffin said. “One game is all that matters. We play one game a week and that’s the one game that matters. I’m not going to start trying to figure out, ‘Well this game.’ We just need to go into this game and do whatever it takes to win, and hopefully we improve and play really well.”
What Kiffin has done the past week is create an environment where the team isn’t still harping on last week’s impressive victory against Bethune-Cookman. The Owls set the school record for rushing yards and recorded their first shutout since 2005.
“That’s why you can’t get too high on close wins and too low on close losses because sometimes you can play real well and lose or vice versa,” Kiffin said.
The Owls will have to contain Buffalo quarterback Tyree Jackson if they want to leave with a win. A 6-foot-7, 245-pound sophomore, Jackson is one of the most physically imposing players FAU will face this season. He’s completed 40 of 74 passes for 588 yards and three touchdowns. Jackson has also run for 189 yards and two touchdowns.
“I think this quarterback’s really good,” Kiffin said. “His completion percentage isn’t very good, but when you watch the tape this guy throws some balls all over the place. He looks like [former NFL quarterback] Dan McGwire or something. He’s a giant. We’re going to have to do a good job in coverage and the guy can run, too. We’ll have our hands full.”
srichardson@sun-sentinel .com