A hunger to not be ‘horrible’
Owls defense eager to change Kiffin’s early evaluation of it
BOCA RATON — Florida Atlantic coach Lane Kiffin had a simple evaluation of FAU’s defense through its first two games.
“Horrible,” Kiffin said, before he pointed out the Owls are tied for 125th out of 130 FBS teams in total defense. “Obviously not very pleased.”
His candid analysis isn’t surprising. Allowing the third-most points (93) through the first two games of the season — albeit against two top-25 programs — warrants that response.
Kiffin said he was disappointed by his team’s tackling and finishing of drives in a 48-14 loss to No. 17 UCF on Saturday. He was so embarrassed by the Owls’ play that he apologized to the team’s fans and “the people who got us here, from the president down.”
Redshirt sophomore cornerback James Pierre said the defense had similar feelings
“We felt bad,” Pierre said. “We felt like we beat ourselves. We weren’t more hungry than they were. And you can see that. They were more hungry and ready.
“Them coming onto our home turf and running us off the field — they were doing everything right and we weren’t doing everything right.”
Pierre added he was kind of glad the embarrassment happened because it showed the Owls the work they have to do to get better. He’s noticed a different attitude among the unit during practice this week, mentioning that senior safety Da’Von Brown is one of the players showing that he cares more than the coaches care.
“That’s the first thing they preach to us on Sunday,” Pierre said. “Somebody’s got to care more than the coaches care. We got a lot of people stepping up who care more than the coaches.”
FAU has shown glimpses of solid defensive play.
The Owls held Ohio State to 17 points in the final 50 minutes of their 45-21 season-opening loss to the Buckeyes. They held UCF scoreless on four consecutive drives in the first half.
FAU isn’t hanging its hat on those moments, though. The Owls know there are plenty of improvements that need to be made. They’ve already allowed five touchdowns of more than 30 yards, including three against UCF.
Pierre believes the defense allowed so many explosive plays in the beginning of the season because the team was both too emotional and and thinking too much.
But the Owls’ defensive improvements depend on more than play-calling or correctly judging a route.
They’ll need to address the lack of discipline shown when three FAU defensive backs — Pierre, Chris Tooley and Korel Smith — were flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct against UCF.
“It’s just competing,” Pierre said. “We’re competing. [You] play football and things happen, but some plays we were doing was kind of selfish, and we had to calm down and relax.”