FAU offense aims to prevent regression
BOCARATON— Florida Atlantic offensive coordinator Travis Trickett rose from his navy blue chair to demonstrate his goals for his offense as it moves past consecutive losses and prepares for Saturday’s game against Ball State.
“When you play a game, those last two weeks don’t cause you to do this,” Trickett said as he stepped backward.
In the past two weeks, FAU’s offense has totaled 17 points and 425 yards. It has as many turnovers as it does third-down conversions (five). Trickett wants his offense not to deteriorate but, at the very least, to remain static. Then he returned to his original position.
“If anything you’re here,” Trickett said. “Next week, we got to take another step. That’s all we got to worry about is that next step.”
To take that next step against Ball State on Saturday evening, the Owls’ offense cannot turn the ball over four times as it did against Kansas State or average 1.4 yards per rush as it did against Miami.
Both Owls coach Charlie Partridge and Trickett said the F AU offense had already been severely simplified to compensate for an evershifting offensive line and overall ineffectiveness. The scheme is not failing, they said. They players need to execute it.
“There is a point where you can only simplify it so much,” Partridge said.
Much of the offensive responsibility falls on quarterback Jason Driskel’s shoulders. He accounted for all five turnovers this season (three interceptions and two lost fumbles), while completing 60.4 percent of his passes. He has two passing touchdowns and one on the ground.
Against Kansas State, Driskel’s four turnovers became 21 points for the Wildcats as FAU suffered its worst loss in program history, a 63-7 defeat. Trickett said he wished the first interception would not have happened, but he understood it. The other three were “self-inflicted.”
Trickett said protecting the ball is something the Owls practice constantly, charting every rep and ensuring “an immediate punishment at the end of the practice that they don’t want any part of.”
“We have done a great job all spring and fall camp to not turn the ball over,” Trickett said. “That was a very out of character situation for us. That’s why it was so disheartening. It really was, because it was very out of character.”
Driskel’s subpar performance left fans clamoring for backup Daniel Parr to take the reins.
Partridge did not insert Parr until 11 minutes remained in the fourth quarter. Parr directed three drives, going 1 of 4 for 4 yards.
On Monday, Partridge declined to go into specifics about what Parr needed to improve.
“He’ll grow. Daniel’s a talented young man, but operating the offense is part of being quarterback. As he grows into that, then he’ll have abetter chance of stepping out there on the field.”