Players benefiting from new system

BOCA RATON — Florida Atlantic coach Lane Kiffin refuses to take too much credit for the turnaround.

At 3-3, the Owls are off to their best start since 2007, when they finished 8-5 and won the New Orleans Bowl under Howard Schellenberger. By midseason, they have already reached the highest season win total former coach Charlie Partridge’s teams achieved.

While he is benefiting from several of the players Partridge recruited, Kiffin said they are simply thriving in a different system.

“I don’t look a lot into that,” Kiffin said. “By coming in and saying, “OK, this is who we are until we coach them.’ I’m not saying we are better or worse than any coaches. I just think that you have to see how guys are in your systems. Sometimes people play better in certain systems.”

Kiffin did say the team he inherited may have been more talented than he expected when he accepted the job last December. He has been pleasantly surprised by the number of players who have exceeded his expectations.

“But, I would say on that, probably yes from the standpoint of the offensive line,” Kiffin said. “I think watching the backs I knew what they were, but the offensive line is playing a lot better. They did that down the stretch, they played a little better last year, too, than they did early on, especially the last game of the year.”

Next game: FAU vs. North Texas, Oct. 21, ESPN3, WTCN