Kiffin patient with QB situation after drubbing
BOCA RATON — Florida Atlantic coach Lane Kiffin has been here before.
A year ago, he dealt with a quarterback struggling while making his first start. As with that case, Kiffin said it’s way too early to contemplate if it’s time to make a change.
The Owls lost 63-14 Saturday at No. 7 Oklahoma but the coaching staff hasn’t thought about replacing starter Chris Robison.
“We have not discussed that yet,” Kiffin said. “We’ve obviously been here before and watched the film. We haven’t examined how we’re going to examine our personnel yet.”
Last year Kiffin waited three games before demoting opening starter Daniel Parr. He will take the same approach with Robison, a freshman who made his first start at the Division I-A level. It also came against his former team.
Robison signed with Oklahoma out of high school, but was dismissed for violating team rules last summer as a freshman. He transferred to FAU and spent a season on the scout team because he was ineligible due to NCAA rules.
Robison had his moments, finishing 15 of 26 for 157 yards. He mostly struggled in his first collegiate appearance, which was expected against a defense as talented as Oklahoma. The Sooners qualified for the College Football Playoff a year ago.
“There’s a lot that goes into that,” Kiffin said. “You’re going into a hostile place versus a lot of good players, national television, making your first start as a freshman. You could tell how he played at times, forcing things.”
Robison was one of the three quarterbacks to play against the Sooners. Shortly before kickoff, it was announced he would become FAU’s first freshman quarterback to start the opener since Rusty Smith did against Clemson in 2006.
With the outcome against Oklahoma already decided, Kiffin went to graduate student and SMU transfer Rafe Peavey in the third quarter. Peavey completed 2 of 3 passes for 24 yards and an interception. He was a surprise selection as the No. 2 quarterback because De’Andre Johnson was in contention for the starting job through the spring and fall training camp.
A Florida State transfer, Johnson finally made his way in the lineup in the fourth quarter. He completed 1 of 3 passes for 11 yards and ran for 39 yards on nine carries.
With the Owls facing Air Force Saturday at FAU Stadium, Kiffin appeared like he would wait until later in the week before evaluating the quarterback position.
“There weren’t a whole of lot of snaps,” Kiffin said. “Peavey only played a couple snaps … De’Andre made some good plays with his feet.”
The passing game wasn’t the only area to struggle. Running back Devin “Motor” Singletary had his least productive game in nearly a year. He finished with just 69 yards on 18 carries. It was the first time he was held under 100 yards since last year’s 31-14 loss at Wisconsin Sept. 9.
“You’ve got to learn from it,” Kiffin said. “We didn’t play well in all three phases of the game.”
Kiffin appeared more disappointed in the defense, especially considering it returned 10 starters. The Sooners tallied 650 total yards, with most of it coming with their backups playing against the FAU starters.
“It’s hard to say anyone played well on defense,” Kiffin said. “Maybe [linebacker] Rashad Smith, that’s about it.”
Kiffin said the mismatch felt like last year’s 69-31 victory against North Texas in the regular season. This time, the Owls were on the receiving end of being outplayed in every facet.
“Definitely was,” Kiffin said. “Hadn’t been in that situation like where the game got out of hand like that.”