Defense's revival led Owls' surge
Group was among best down stretch after ranking near bottom in 2016.
To succeed in 2017, Florida Atlantic’s defense had to do one thing: avoid what it did in 2016.
In one of the nation’s most remarkable defensive turnarounds, FAU went from allowing 39.8 points per game last year — sixth-worst among FBS teams — to 22.7 points per game, 37th-best in the country. After allowing at least 30 points in three of its first four games, FAU allowed only one team to hit that mark the rest of the season (North Texas on Oct. 21). The Owls yielded 25 or fewer points in each of their final six games and finished 11-3 with a 10-game winning streak.
“You look at all of us, even all the success we had individually, and we never thought about ourselves as individuals,” said junior linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, now the all-time leading tackler in pro-
gram history. “It’s always been about the team, and that’s unique.”
Below are the final grades for the Owls’ defense and special teams, as well as the midseason grade we gave each of these positions in October.
Defensive line
Redshirt junior defensive end Hunter Snyder finished this season tied for the team lead in sacks (six), and senior defensive tackle Jeremiah Taleni ranked third with five. Sophomore Leighton McCarthy, who played a hybrid defensive end/linebacker role, enjoyed a breakout season with 51 tackles and 4.5 sacks. Junior defensive tackle Steven Leggett also improved and should enter spring camp as a starter.
Midseason grade: A
Final grade: A
Linebackers
Al-Shaair was named firstteam All-Conference USA after continuing to perform at a high level, but the bigger story in the linebacking corps may have been sophomore Rashad Smith. After a mixed freshman season, Smith finished second on the Owls with 96 tackles and tied for the team lead with six sacks.
“Every day since spring, I work,” Smith said. “You just keep working, striving to be the best . ... (I’m a) way better player than last year.” Midseason grade: B+ Final grade: A
Secondary
FAU’s interception numbers were high, an indication of how well the Owls’ secondary handled some quality quarterbacks. North Texas’ Mason Fine, the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year, threw four interceptions in two games against FAU. Marshall’s Chase Litton threw four in a 30-25 loss to the Owls.
Jalen Young (Seminole Ridge) finished with a careerhigh seven interceptions and, depending on how the rest of this year’s bowl games play out, could lead the nation in picks. Midseason grade: C+ Final grade: B
Special teams
The good for FAU’s special teams is that running back Kerrith Whyte (Seminole Ridge) scored the first kickoff return for a touchdown in team history in a Nov. 11 win at Louisiana Tech. The bad is kicker Greg Joseph (American Heritage) missed five of his final nine field goals after going 11 of 12 through the team’s first nine games. Joseph ended the year making 71.4 percent of his field goals, a disappointing finish lost in the team’s high-scoring offense.
Midseason grade: A
Final grade: B