Owls’ QB situation remains unsettled
BOCA RATON — Florida Atlantic coach Lane Kiffin’s decision to start Jason Driskel over incumbent starter and Dwyer graduate Daniel Parr on Saturday night against Buffalo likely caught many by surprise.
Following the Owls’ third loss in four games, one in which Driskel was mediocre for the first 45 minutes in a 34-31 loss, Kiffin made it clear he was far from impressed with his new starting quarterback. He said a starter for Saturday night’s home game against Middle Tennessee will be determined later this week.
“He missed some big plays, he’d be the first to tell you,” Kiffin said of Driskel on Monday. “You miss plays sometimes, you miss a slant pass, we all do that; that’s a 10-yard gain. We missed touchdown plays.”
In his first start since last November’s 77-56 season finale loss to Middle Tennessee, Driskel finished 17 of 29 for 150 yards and an interception.
In the fourth quarter, Driskel completed eight of 12 passes for 86 yards in leading FAU on a 75-yard drive to bring the Owls within three points.
Nearly intercepted on the Owls’ first play from scrimmage, Driskel was picked off by Bulls safety Ryan Williamson two plays later. Several of offensive coordinator Kendal Briles’ play calls involved deep passes, an area where Driskel has long struggled.
Kiffin cited one such play involving receiver Willie Wright where, had Driskel connected with the freshman following a “a double move on the safety,” it’d have been an “easy touchdown.”
“I think those are where it was really tough for him because he missed wideopen guys that were huge plays,” Kiffin said. “He managed the game fine as far as getting us in the right plays ... he ended the game well.”
After inconsistent performances from Parr against Wisconsin and Bethune-Cookman, Kiffin said he opened the competition last week and decided on Driskel as his starter by Wednesday night.
Though Kiffin opened his press conference saying the loss to Buffalo was behind the Owls, the first-year coach acknowledged that the final result still stung days later.
“It was very disappointing,” Kiffin said of the loss. “Surprising, because I thought we played extremely poor in the first game and I felt like we improved up in Wisconsin, especially defensively. Put together in our third game the most complete game by far and we’re on track ... and we go up (to Buffalo) in a game that I really felt like if we keep improving, we would win.”
Noteworthy: Kiffin said running back Gregory “Buddy” Howell Jr. and linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair (shoulder), neither of whom played Saturday night, are both day-to-day. An official injury diagnosis for Howell has not been released.