Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Running game leading to bullish second halves
BOCA RATON — At the heart of Florida Atlantic’s two-game win streak has been the running game, a known strength for the Owls entering the season.
More so than simply the production running backs Devin “Motor” Singletary and Kerrith Whyte have provided, there’s the residual effect of wearing down opposing defenses with the physical style of offense that makes it easier for FAU’s offense as the game progresses.
“We definitely sensed that throughout the game,” said Singletary, who finished Saturday’s 34-15 win over Western Kentucky with 148 rushing yards and two touchdowns. “We knew we were pounding them. We knew they were breaking down. And fourth quarter, that’s what we do. We got to finish, handle business.”
Both of the touchdown runs for Singletary, who leads the nation with 20, came in the second half. Whyte, who racked up 163 yards on the ground, had 77 of them come on a scoring scamper through a gaping hole late against a worn-out Hilltoppers’ defense.
“The guys in front of me did an excellent job, but [I] got the ball, pressed and I just seen a wide-open lane, Whyte said. “[Wide receiver Jovon] Durante did a good job blocking downfield, and I had the easy part – just run.”
A similar impact was seen in the Shula Bowl victory against FIU, when the Owls finished with a 35-0 second-half scoring run, spearheaded by the ground game, in the 49-14 win.
Singletary is sixth in the nation at 1,169 yards rushing through 10 games, as FAU prepares to play at North Texas on Thursday night. However, Whyte is also within striking distance of a 1,000-yard season. The two enjoy each other’s success, as Singletary exhibited by running down the sideline with Whyte on his long gallop.
“I’m running down the sideline with him,” he said.
Their effectiveness helps the quarterback play too, regardless of whether that’s Chris Robison or De’Andre Johnson. Both played against Western Kentucky.
“It makes my job easy,” said Robison, who was 17-of-21 passing for 231 yards. “I hand the ball off to them, they break it. Playaction pass and everything’s open on the back end. It makes my job really easy.”
Sharp opening drives:
The win over Western Kentucky also marked the third consecutive game where the offense came out charged on its opening drive for a touchdown.
“We just come out fired up. We’re ready to play,” said Robison, who quarterbacked the first drive the past two games. “We know what we can do, and if we continue to have the same mindset on every other drive as the first drive, then we’ll probably destroy teams.”
Whyte scored from 8 yards out to cap FAU’s opening possession on Saturday. The previous week, it was Singletary, recovering his own fumble in the end zone. In the Owls’ last loss, to Louisiana Tech, Rafe Peavey was in at quarterback to start and led FAU to its initial score while Robison was hampered by an ankle injury.
While opening hot, the offense seems to hit a lull after that and before the second half, at least in finishing off drives. The team’s ensuing three trips to the red zone, all before halftime, resulted in a missed field goal, a made field goal and a Johnson interception after his touchdown run was called back due to an illegal block below the waist by Singletary.
Defense finding its
groove: Those same three games, the Owls’ defense has allowed just under 17 points per game — a far cry from the 37.5 opponents were averaging against FAU in the first seven, through the loss at Marshall.
“Our mindset was just to come out and dominate,” said senior cornerback Shelton Lewis after Saturday’s game. “We’ve had a rough season, and we just wanted to come out and show the world how we play and how we’re a dominant defense.”
Lewis had an interception in the second quarter that helped keep the Hilltoppers from snagging momentum after the red-zone interception thrown by Johnson. He said the Owls have been playing a little more zone, which allows defensive backs to keep their eyes on the quarterback and make a play on the ball sooner.