Owls tired of coming close earning victory
Owls can match last season’s win-total with win
At this point, being close isn’t enough for Florida Atlantic linebacker Azeez AlShaair.
He is tired of hearing all the talk about how the Owls almost came away with a win this week or that week. Al-Shaair, the team’s emotional leader, is ready for the next step.
No more moral in narrow defeats.
“All of those games last year that were so close, so close, everybody’s pissed off from that,” Al-Shaair said. “Pissed off. Tired of being the guy, that says, ‘Oh, FAU came close.’ “
What better chance to show that than at Saturday’s game at Old Dominion? It was another game last season the Owls felt they were a few plays from victory. Last year, they lost four games by less than a touchdown.
“I don’t want to be that team anymore, and I don’t think anyone else on this team wants to be known for that,” Al-Shaair said. “So every game is that type of game, so the mentality never changes.”
Last year, the Owls jumped to a 14-3 lead against Old Dominion before suffering yet another second-half letdown. The Monarchs scored 22 points in the third quarter and never looked back in their 42-24 victory.
“We’re not focused on last year,” said quarterback Jason Driskel, who will make his third consecutive start since replacing Daniel Parr. “We know what happened and what could have happened and all that stuff. victories We’re focused on this week going 1-0.”
The Owls are attempting to start conference play with two victories for the first time since joining Conference USA in 2013. They face an Old Dominion team that is coming off a bye week and searching for answers. The Monarchs have lost their past two games to North Carolina and Virginia Tech by a combined score of 91-23.
Still, coach Lane Kiffin refuses to allow his team to get overconfident. The Owls are in no position for that, considering none of the players on the roster have won more than three games in a season at FAU.
The Owls aren’t taking the opponent lightly, because Old Dominion won 10 games last year and finished second in the conference. A win Saturday would show the Owls are perhaps ahead of schedule under Kiffin. They would have already tied last year’s win-total.
“They are a very wellcoached team,” Kiffin said. “Second year in a row with the least penalties in the conference. There is no secret why they won 10 games. They are really wellcoached. They led the conference in turnover margin. They led the conference in least penalties. They have really good defensive linemen, especially defensive ends.”
Kiffin also said he is concerned with Old Dominion freshman quarterback Steven Williams Jr. He took over the starting job in the second half of the North Carolina loss. In high school, Williams was one of the top rated players in the Washington D.C. area and threw for 73 touchdowns in his final two seasons.
“I know they have been banged up on offense, but the new quarterback seems to be a special player,” Kiffin said. “Obviously, he will be playing in this league a long time. He is just a freshman. He was a great player in high school, [41] touchdowns as a junior in high school. I’m sure they are excited about him. We will have our hands full, and it is a tough place to play. They went 6-0 at home last year.”