Kiffin still searching for starting quarterback
BOCA RATON — With less than two weeks until Florida Atlantic opens at Oklahoma, Lane Kiffin is still searching for his starting quarterback.
After holding a scrimmage on Saturday night, which was closed to media and the general public (parents and donors were allowed to watch), Kiffin said on Sunday’s media day that the quarterback evaluation is still ongoing. Redshirt junior De’Andre Johnson is competing with redshirt freshman Chris Robison and graduate transfer Rafe Peavey (SMU) to start on Sept. 1.
“I thought they did some good things yesterday moving the ball,” Kiffin said. “Really, all three guys did some decent things. All took equal reps with the ones, twos, and threes, so they all had a fair evaluation.”
FAU did not provide statistics for how each quarterback performed.
Peavey said he thought the scrimmage went “really well.” Though he’s only been at FAU for less than two weeks, Peavey has quickly grasped offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr.’s prostyle offense and displayed improved accuracy last week.
“We moved the ball really well when I was in there,” Peavey said. “I did a good job just protecting the football.”
Saturday’s scrimmage was a live contact practice, allowing the team’s non-quarterbacks to be tackled. Increased pressure in the trenches again led to “outof-rhythm plays” and multiple turnovers.
Kiffin added he may decide to change how reps are divided, “to where now, they’re all at equal-thirds.”
“We would like to have a quarterback answer a long time ago in every quarterback competition,” Kiffin said. “I think I said the other day, I don’t know how but this is the sixth straight year with a new quarterback where we’ve been. That’s gotta be a record.”
Kiffin’s streak of new quarterback extends to the 2013 season at Southern Cal, when the Trojans replaced Heisman finalist and thirdround pick Matt Barkley with Cody Kessler. FAU has not had a quarterback start consecutive season-openers since Jaquez Johnson started three straight from 2013-15.
Who’s calling plays? Kiffin and Weis each declined to say who will call plays come the season-opener, though FAU’s first-year offensive coordinator repeatedly called his head coach a “brilliant offensive mind.”
Kiffin did not call plays last season, though he admitted to “tinkering” with Kendal Briles’ schemes and plays. Briles took the same position with the University of Houston in January.
Saturday scrimmage: The Owls will practice at FAU Stadium on Saturday. That practice likely will be the Owls’ final scrimmage before the regular season begins a week later. A time has not yet been decided and it is not known if the scrimmage will be open.
Early study: As FAU transitions into prepping for the Sooners, the Owls also will take time to watch film on another opponent. FAU hosts Air Force and the triple-option on Sept. 8. Defensive coordinator Tony Pecoraro said the Owls’ experience last year in a 42-19 loss to Navy (another team that runs the triple-option), will be helpful during those practices.
Several FAU players, including All-CUSA linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, said they had either never faced a triple-option team or hadn’t played one since high school before taking on the Midshipmen.
“It’s not like, ‘OK, this is the first time maybe in my college career where I’ve faced that style of offense,’ ” Pecoraro said. “It’s different. The speed of it is different, how they block you is different, the play selection that you get is different . ... Definitely, it helps coming into a situation that they’ve already faced that style last year.”