It’s do or die time for FAU, as FCS Wagner comes to town with the Owls needing a win, a dominating one at that, to prove their early season struggles are behind them.
Changes have begun to be made, as Kasen Weisman was announced to be receiving an expanded role at QB following an array of offensive struggles to start the season.
Defensively, the Owls have been gashed in the run game multiple times this season and have struggled with missed tackles, leading this to be a week the Owls have to dominate to get back some of the momentum they gained after the FIU victory.
An FCS school should be a game where FAU is able to dominate and see what the best version of their offense and defense looks like, however with the struggles FAU has had they can’t overlook anybody.
This week will be one to see what FAU brings to the table, as a dominating performance shows signs of life and the potential to fight for a bowl game, while a loss sends the season spiraling into disarray.
What to watch for
Kasen Weisman
FAU has struggled offensively to start the 2024 season as each game has started with a 3-and-out and the struggles have carried throughout.
With that in mind Tom Herman decided it was time for a bit of a change, announcing Kasen Weisman would see an expanded role during a scripted portion of the game.
Cam Fancher will also see significant playing time, however Weisman will have his chance to show what he can do and hopefully spark the offense into building some consistency.
As the 27th ranked dual-threat QB in 2023, Weisman committed to Colorado, redshirting this past season and transferring to FAU, where he has impressed and rose up the depth chart in a short time, now seeing action just 5 weeks into the season.
Weisman isn’t expected to come in and completely change the style of offense for the Owls, however he is a more natural pocket passing quarterback, while also having the speed to run and keep the FAU offense diverse.
FAU is already dealing with an injured WR corps so stretching the field isn’t a guarantee for whoever they put out at quarterback, but the goal is Weisman will be able to put some life into a passing offense which only had 10 yards at the half against UConn.
One thing that has stuck out in comments from Weisman’s family and coaches is his confidence, which will be an important trait for the young gunslinger to have in what will be his first game with a true role.
If Weisman is confident in his throws and is able to command the offense without an issue, also with greater success they’ve had in the past few weeks, the QB job could once again become a battle heading into a bye.
Who steps up at WR or TE if the pass game improves
The aforementioned injuries at the WR position have definitely contributed to the Owls struggles in the pass game and although not the sole issue, it is something that has definitely impacted the offense in a negative way.
At wide receiver, BJ Alexander and EJ Horton were 2 potential starting options on the outside prior to the season and both suffered season ending injuries requiring surgery before week one and against FIU Joe Young landed awkwardly after a late catch, injuring his knee, which will also need surgery that will keep him out indefinitely.
Marlyn Johnson, Omari Hayes and Milan Tucker have been the Owls most productive WRs so far this season, with Jayshon Platt, Caleb Coombs, George Johnson and Dom Henry all rotating in consistently. None of them have established themselves as a go-to guy in this offense however, and it’s left FAU lacking a target in critical situations.
Jabari Smith Jr. was identified as the next WR up by Tom Herman in the weekly presser, as he saw an up-tick in playing time during the second half against UConn, hauling in his lone target for 26 yards.
This needs to be a game where FAU establishes a go-to guy, it’s been needed all season however this is FAU’s final tune up game before conference play so it is now or never.
Omari Hayes played 42 snaps in week 1, however he saw that drop to 22 in week 2 and down to 17 in week 3 before rising back to 22 last week against UConn. He has been the Owls most productive receiver to this point, as the FAU slot man has hauled in 13 of 16 targets for 145 yards and a TD.
Hayes saw his snap count tick back up following a bit of a down-stretch over the past 2 games, and against Wagner FAU has to find a way to get him the ball and let him find a consistent role in this offense.
Tight Ends
In what has been a surprise early in 2024, FAU hasn’t featured their tight ends nearly as much as was expected heading into the season following Zeke Moore’s breakout freshman year.
The unit has dealt with injuries across the board, as Moore has missed time with a shoulder injury, Elijah Brown (photo top right, Rain Hayles) suffered a concussion, and Khalil Brantley also missed time and FAU hasn’t been able to overcome those injuries to involve their TEs in the offense.
After a freshman year in which Moore earned the trust of his coaches and carved out a role, finishing with 13 catches for 66 yards and 2 TDs, he’s been the only TE to record a catch so far this year with 2 catches for 4 yards.
Moore could be a valuable safety valve for Weisman during his time at QB. Although the sophomore TE hasn’t broken through yet, he has shown his ability to make an impact over the middle and very well could get involved in the pass game in this one.
Elijah Brown and Khalil Brantley both see snaps in a rotational role at tight end and although it’s unlikely either has a huge impact in this one as FAU looks to find new ways to ignite the offense it’s possible they see an up-tick in snaps.
Can the Owls stop the run
The biggest issue for the defense this season has been their struggle against the run as besides the FIU game, the Owls have given up 400 yards twice and allowed Michigan State to break off multiple big runs.
Missed tackles have been a part of that struggle with FAU recording 17 against UConn, their second double digit missed tackle performance of the season.
Wagner is going to try to run the ball in this one, as both Rickey Spruill and Sekou Kamau are averaging over 6 yards per carry, with Spruill having 2 scores and 5 runs of 10 plus to his name.
They are going to give FAU a true battle in the trenches, as the Seahawks are currently running with a backup QB and although they’ve been relatively successful in the pass game, their RBs look to be much more reliable against an Owls defense that has struggled.
FAU has to find a way to prevent runs from getting to the second level, as the Owls DBs have been solid in run defense but they have been called on due to an abundance of runs reaching the secondary.
FAU has the size to dominate the trenches in this one and even against a talented RB duo, the Owls should be able to power their way into the backfield and snuff out a majority of runs. However, if FAU struggles to stop the run against an FCS school there are serious problems at bay that will lead to some bye-week soul searching.