South Florida Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach (Sunday)
Owls search for answers after tough loss
Defense bent too much while struggling offense was either hit or miss
BOCA RATON — Florida Atlantic found out just how much its defense can bend on Friday.
FAU coach Lane Kiffin has used the phrase “bend-but- don’tbreak” to describe the team’s defensive unit this season. And during the Owls’ 36-31 loss to Marshall at FAU Stadium, their first Conference USA loss of the season, the Thundering Herd showed what happens when they bend too far
FAU (4-3) has struggled to contain chunk plays all season and Marshall (4-3) exploited those shortcomings. The Owls’ typically stout rush defense allowed redshirt sophomore running back Brenden Knox, Conference USA’s top rusher, to record 210 rushing yards on 20 attempts in the final three quarters.
Knox finished the game with 220 yards on 23 attempts with two touchdowns. He had seven rushes for 10 or more yards, with five of them coming in the second half and three in the fourth quarter.
FAU had a hard time bringing players to the ground, especially in the final quarter, with Knox, redshirt sophomore quarterback Isaiah Green and multiple receivers routinely breaking tackles to keep plays alive.
Green took advantage of FAU’s blown secondary coverage and connected with junior wide receiver Willie Johnson for a 60-yard, go-ahead touchdown 54 seconds after the Owls’ took a 24-22 lead in the fourth quarter.
“We didn’t bend, we gave up explosive plays,” Kiffin said. “I can’t even imagine how many missed tackles we’ll total up tomorrow.”
But the Owls’ defense doesn’t deserve all of the blame for the loss. Kiffin acknowledged that outside of early penalties, FAU had a strong defensive start to the game.
For the second consecutive week, FAU’s offense stagnated and struggled to capitalize on opportunities.
The Owls gained 126 yards on 31 total plays in the second and third quarters. They only recorded a field goal, their lone score in the middle two quarters, after junior linebacker Akileis Leroy intercepted Green during the second quarter with FAU starting its ensuing drive on Marshall’s 26.
FAU was 3 of 10 on third downs through the game’s first three quarters (and finished 6 of 14), and failed on both of its fourth-down conversion attempts.
Starting-quarterback Chris Robison’s performance was more pedestrian than his final stat line (21 of 39 for 362 yards for two rushing touchdowns) showed. He rushed for minus-47 yards on 14 attempts and Kiffin criticized his decision making on run-pass-option plays.
“I gotta be a situational master,” Robison said. “Tonight at some points I was trying to do too much with my feet. I put a lot of what had happened tonight on me just from not playing smart.”
The redshirt sophomore quarterback had a difficult, but achievable, challenge in leading FAU 67 yards in 36 seconds with one timeout to fight off defeat.
But Robison’s pass intended for Mitchell was intercepted on the Owls’ first play of their final drive to seal FAU’s first C-USA loss of the season and snap the team’s four-game winning streak.
“I think we left a lot on the field, especially on the offensive side,” Robison said. “We gotta get better at that.”
The Thundering Herd didn’t play a spectacular game. They simply took advantage of opportunities that the Owls presented them with — something FAU struggled to do. Marshall outplayed FAU in nearly every phase of the game.
It’s a testament to FAU’s internal fortitude that it stuck around for so long and had a chance to win late. How the Owls respond to this loss will define their season more than the four-game winning streak did.
They’ll match up against Old Dominion next Saturday on Kornblau Field at S.B. Ballard Stadium and Western Kentucky, the top team in the C-USA East Division, on Nov. 2 before returning to FAU Stadium on Nov. 9 to play FIU in the Shula Bowl.
FAU must come out of this loss a better team. Losing could help them address their defense and hit-or-miss offense in the next three weeks before their next bye week.
How successful the Owls are doing that will determine whether they’re competing in the C-USA Championship game on Dec. 7, or watching from home for the second consecutive season.