Kiffin’s presence made it easy for Peavey to transfer
SMU grad will compete for a spot at quarterback
BOCA RATON — For new Florida Atlantic quarterback Rafe Peavey, it was an easy decision.
When the opportunity to play for Owls coach Lane Kiffin presented itself, Peavey leaped at the chance. After leaving SMU last season, he recently joined FAU as a graduate transfer.
“Not going to lie, it was really coach [Lane] Kiffin,” Peavey said. “I wanted to come play for him, and learn from him. He came here and won (11) games his first year, so that’s pretty remarkable and shows how great of a coach he is.”
Peavey will compete with Deurday’s ’Andre Johnson and Chris Robison for the starting job. Last year Peavey completed 4-of-4 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown in three backup appearances. In Sat- scrimmage, he threw a short touchdown pass to receiver James Brunson.
“I consider myself a dual threat, so if the play breaks down I can try to make something happen with my feet,” Peavey said. “I’m not always the guy that has to stay in there, even though I like to. But at the same time, if everyone is covered downfield, I’m not afraid to go take off and try to get what I can.”
The 6-foot-1, 205-pound Peavey was a three-star recruit coming out of high school in Bolivar, Mo. He played one season at Arkansas before spending the last two years at SMU.
He has no regrets about his well-traveled playing career.
“I went to Arkansas out of high school, and that’s where I met my fiancée,” Peavey said. “Then went down to Southern Methodist and got an $80,000-a-year education, got my degree from there in economics, and then came here. … I think there’s a reason for everything, and I don’t always have to know the answer, my answer just has to be yes when I feel called to go somewhere or do something.”
Kiffin said Peavey has quickly picked up the offense. Saturday was only his third practice.
“I think he’s done that in practice,” Kiffin said. “It’s not like this was a lot different. We didn’t tackle, so it’s not a whole different than our normal practice. He’s been doing that. He has quick feet, keeps his eyes down field and he’s been coached really [well] by someone at some point.”
Peavey said it’s now just a matter of adjusting to his new receivers. He is already starting to realize some of their tendencies.
“You can’t get enough routes with these guys,” Peavey said. “Back at SMU, you got all summer with the guys. That’s going to be my biggest thing, just getting more routes and seeing what players run which routes well. … I thought our offense moved the ball well. I thought we got lined up and we were pretty efficient in getting in a lot of plays in a short amount of time.”
The other adjustment is being able to keep up with the Owls’ fast-pace offense.
They often utilize the nohuddle.
“I’m just trying to get used to this offense with the tempo,” Peavey said. “Just trying to take advantage of the defense when they get tired. We want to be at our best when they start getting
tired because that’s when they slow down the blitzes. The faster we can go, the simpler the defensive calls are going to be.”