Taking control
UCF will test Owls’ erratic starter Robison
BOCA RATON — Florida Atlantic starting quarterback Chris Robison has had peaks and valleys through his first starts.
He had a rough go his first time out, a record-breaking performance in his second start (and first at home) and then a return back down to Earth last Saturday. Robison and the Owls can hope that alternating pattern continues into Friday night’s showdown at No. 16 Central Florida, and he turns in a stellar outing in a nationally televised game on ESPN.
The redshirt freshman and Oklahoma transfer will have to put together a performance like he did against Air Force in Week 2 if FAU is to go into Orlando and top the Knights. UCF owns college football’s longest win streak at 15, and opponents have been stacking the box against junior running back Devin “Motor” Singletary.
“He’s going to have to calm down, you know, be under control a lot more like he was in Game 2,” Owls coach Lane Kifthree fin said. “Too fast with everything in Game 1, missed some things and kind of sped up everything. He’s going to have to play great.
“He’s doing well [in practice], but he practiced really
well last week too and didn’t play that great, so we’ll see,” Owls coach Lane Kiffin said.
Against Bethune-Cookman on Saturday, Robison threw one touchdown and two interceptions and completed 16 of 27 passes for 171 yards. That coming after his 471-yard passing performance, an FAU single-game record, the previous week. Before that, it was a scoreless first half, down 42-0 in the blink of an eye against his former team in Norman, Okla.
For Robison, whose passion shows on the field, it’s important to control his emotions in order to play his best.
“Coach Kiffin said playing with emotion can be good if your emotion is in the right place,” Robison said. “As long as my emotion is with the team, our team, and not with people in the stands or the other team, then I think it’s a good thing.”
Teammates have trust in him, something Robison says he has felt from both players and coaches alike since he won the starting job.
“He’s focused. He’s ready to play,” redshirt junior receiver Tavaris Harrison said. “He’s been making throws in practice, so it’ll translate over to the game.”
Offensive linemen have noticed his command of the huddle— and the no-huddle when going up tempo.
“He brings a lot of juice to the offense,” left tackle Reggie Bain said. “He wants us to get up and get going.”
A fast start is what Robison says would be key against a Knights defense that attacks the gaps up front and mixes in a lot of coverages.
“That’s the most important thing for us,” he said. “As an offense, our game is tempo, so once we get the first first down we just start going.”
Ex-Bama great works out
Former Alabama Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram worked out at FAU on Tuesday as he continues to sit out his fourgame suspension with the New Orleans Saints for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drug policy.
Ingram was on the practice field working with Owls assistant coaches, according to FAU.
“He’s ’Bama family,” said Kiffin, the former Crimson Tide offensive coordinator. “Even though we weren’t there at the same time, came back a lot and got a chance to spend some time together.”
During Ingram’s suspension, he’s not allowed to visit Saints’ practice facilities.