Owl's eyes on prize
FAU rolls in Shula Bowl, will host C-USA Championship game.
BOCA RATON — For the first time in program history, Florida Atlantic will play for a Conference USA title.
The East Division champion Owls brought the Don Shula Bowl trophy back to Boca Raton with a 52-24 rout of Florida International on Saturday night and will host North Texas in the conference title game on Dec. 2.
On FAU’s senior night, fifth-year wide receiver Kalib Woods continued a hot streak with seven catches for 172 yards and two touchdowns. FAU (8-3, 7-0) totaled 572 yards of offense on a night where quarterback Jason Driskel set a career high with four touchdown passes.
Here are five takeaways from the Owls’ seventh consecutive victory under firstyear coach Lane Kiffin.
1. Singletary keeps motoring.
Not even a normally stingy run defense could stop Devin Singletary. Running for more than 100 yards and multiple touchdowns yet again, the former American Heritage star finished with 164 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries. With a strong final three games, Singletary — who has 1,524 rushing yards this season — can pass Charles Pierre for second place in FAU career rushing yards (3,065) and maybe reach 2,000 for the season.
2. Driskel continues to build momentum.
With the exception of a second-quarter interception, Driskel played another strong game, finishing 18 of 25 with 239 yards, the four TD throws, and another 43 yards on the ground. Most important for Kiffin, Driskel moved to 7-1 as a starter this season.
3. Seniors have big showing.
After a ceremony honoring seniors and graduate students, those playing in their final regular-season home game made their presence felt. In addition to Woods’ strong game, defensive tackle Jeremiah Taleni had a sack and running back Gregory Howell Jr. ran for 45 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback-turned-receiver John Franklin III added 50 rushing yards.
4. Penalties continue to hurt.
FAU’s offensive line hasn’t made many mistakes this season, but false starts and holding calls are frequently popping up. FAU entered Saturday averaging 5.8 penalties per game and finished with eight, a disappointing stat that won’t go unnoticed by Kiffin and the coaches.
5. Rashad Smith has become a star.
Fellow linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair led the Owls with 14 tackles, but sophomore Rashad Smith produced another big game. Smith, who entered Saturday with 69 tackles, recorded eight stops and three sacks, one of which forced a fumble that put the Panthers (6-4, 4-3) deep in their own territory.
After opening this spring with uncertainty at the position behind Al-Shaair, FAU will enter 2018 with maybe Conference USA’s best linebacking corps.