Seminoles aim to improve vs. Cards
back to that. Just try to capitalize on the things I can do [better].”
Last year Louisville pulled the rug out from under FSU by hitting a 34-yard field goal with five seconds left in the game. The ’Noles lost 31-28.
Both schools have changed a lot since then, and after the departure of former Heisman-winning quarterback Lamar Jackson, Louisville is still trying to develop a strong leader on offense.
The Cardinals have two dual-threat quarterbacks — sophomore Jawon Pass and freshman Malik Cunningham. Louisville coach Bobby Petrino said he has an understanding of who will start against FSU, but he declined to publicly announce his decision.
Florida State has spent the past week watching film, preparing for the quarterback duo.
“You’ve got to understand that Pass is one guy and Cunningham’s another guy,” FSU defensive coordinator Harlon Barnett said. “We’ve got to recognize who’s in the game and what they bring to the table. They are different in a lot of ways and so you got to be aware of who’s in the game.”
Pass has played in each game this season, going 38-of-75 passing for 454 yards. Cunningham jumped over Pass and earned the starting job against Virginia last week. He briefly played against Indiana State and Western Kentucky earlier in the season. Cunning is 22-of-34 passing for 198 yards.
When/where: 6 p.m., Johnny Murfeesboro, Tenn.
TV: Stadium (Facebook)
Radio: ESPN West Palm 106.3 FM
Weather: 60 degrees, 10 percent chance of rain. Online: Coverage at sunsentinel.com/fau.
Quick slant: The Owls open Conference USA play and their conference title defense at Middle Tennessee State. Last year, this same game was the one that propelled them to an unbeaten conference record after a 1-3 start in non-conference play.
About FAU (2-2): The Owls come in excited to begin play against conference rivals. They were battle tested out of conference, traveling to play No. 6 Oklahoma and No. 13 UCF and should see nothing of the caliber of either one of those teams throughout the Conference USA slate. FAU ran the ball as effectively as it has all year last week against the Knights. Now the Owls look for better quarterback play from Chris Robison, who threw three interceptions, and need more from their defense.
About Middle Tennessee (1-2): The Blue Raiders lost games against SEC opponents Georgia and Vanderbilt but beat up on Tennessee-Martin in Week 2. They throw the ball plenty with quarterback Brent Stockstill, coach Rick Stockstill’s son who leads the program all time in passing yards and touchdowns. “Red” Floyd Stadium,
Three things to watch
1. With every rushing touchdown junior running back Devin “Motor” Singletary scores, he’s moving up college football’s career list. He’s currently tied for 22nd with LaDainian Tomlinson and can catch names like Tony Dorsett, Tim Tebow and Marshall Faulk on Saturday.
2. Robison, a redshirt freshman, needs to prove he can play well on the road. He faces a Blue Raiders defense that likes to blitz. Look for him to try and find receivers winning one-on-one matchups.
3. The Owls’ defense needs to tackle in space as MTSU gets the ball out to receivers quickly, apply pressure when Stockstill holds on to the ball on longerdeveloping plays and force turnovers, which it hasn’t done much of thus far.