FAU took a trip to San Antonio this weekend and things did not go as planned for the Owls. Despite heading into the matchup coming off their best offensive performance of the season, the Owls were unable to capitalize and offensively reverted back to some of their struggles which plagued them in the early part of the season.
Cam Fancher failed to throw for 100 yards for the second time this season, however he was sacked 6 times which was the most since week 1 and his top WR Omari Hayes was a gametime scratch, which left the offense without their top playmaker and made the struggles go from bad to worse.
Defensively there were some bright spots including multiple turnovers and pressure getting home consistently, however the offensive issues were too much overcome, and it soured a solid performance from the defense.
Time is running out on the Owls to right the ship and win 4 games over the final 5 matchups, however it’s not over yet and if it’s going to happen FAU has to find a way to get consistent performances offensively. How they accomplish that is yet to be determined, however a bye week is an opportunity to address their problems, and they have to capitalize on it.
While the Owls staff works on quelling their issues, let’s take a look at some positives and negatives from FAU’s loss to Utsa.
Owls get their best pass rushing performance of the season
The Owls forced 3 turnovers on Saturday, matching McCown’s interception total coming into the game as Jayden Williams intercepted him twice and Wendol Philord recovered a fumble and returned it for a touchdown.
A big part of the Owls ability to force those turnovers was the consistent pressure that they were able to put on McCown. The Owls recorded their second highest total pressures of the season, recording 18 however they got home and sacked Owen McCown 6 times which was a season high.
It was a team effort in the sack department, as Jacob Merrifield recorded 2, Marlon Bradley had 2, while Jackson Ambush and Jaden Wheeler each had 1 of their own.
For Bradley it was his most impactful game of the season and it has been a long journey recovering from a torn ACL last season, so for him to make an impact in what was one of the Owls most important games of the season to this point was a huge boost and a great sign that he is on his way to being the force he was just a season ago.
The Owls recorded 18 pressures a week ago against UNT, however they were only able to get home once. In their best total pressure performance of the season against FCS Wagner where they recorded 21 pressures, they were also able to only record 1 sack. 3 things that stood out for FAU in their loss to UTSA
This week was a different story as they were able to break through and make it hard for McCown to get comfortable and it resulted in the most turnovers he’s had in a single game all season. Part of that was because 11 different Owls recorded at least 1 pressure, with Marlon Bradley recording a team high 4, while Merrifield recorded the second most with 3.
If the Owls are going to turn things around before the season it’s, it will start with pass rush performances like they got against UTSA, as it resulted in 3 turnovers and a mistake prone Road Runner offense. There are more issues at bay, a lot of which don’t pertain to the defense, however pressure like that will only help this team going forward and a season best pass rush performance against an AAC opponent is a good sign moving forward.
Oline struggles
As previously mentioned, the offense reverted back to some of the struggles that plagued them in the early part of the season. Last week against UNT, the Owls recorded their highest PFF pass blocking grade of the season, an 83, while only allowing 5 total pressures and 3 sacks. This week against UTSA the Owls pass blocking struggled, recording their 3rd lowest grade of the year, a 61.3, while allowing 7 sacks and 22 total pressures.
For UTSA, that was their best performance since week 1 where they recorded 15 total pressures and 7 sacks against Kennesaw State, a team which is currently winless and has struggled against non FBS levels of competition so far.
When asked about what the difference was between last week’s success against UNT and this week’s struggles vs UTSA, Fancher brought up that he was sacked 6 times, noting the difference in pressure.
The struggles for the Owls offensively this season have been noted, but when it has been at its worst is when Fancher doesn’t have time in the pocket. Lack of time forces him to scramble, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as sometimes results in big plays, however when he is contained it can lead to turnovers or incomplete passes.
The FAU offense is dealing with injury issues, lack of consistency in play execution, however pressure on the QB and ensuing sacks is something that will plague the Owls and be hard to overcome. The Owls have had to make some shuffles with Daughtry Richardson missing time, however heading into the remainder of the season the Owls have to find a way to get a group together that can work consistently.
WR injuries affecting the Owls offense
Part of the struggles that have hurt the FAU offense this season have to do with the fact that 4 of their top receivers heading into the season are out for the remainder of the year. Joe Young, BJ Alexander, Ej Horton, and Jayshon Platt are all done for the year, with the first 3 suffering injuries and Platt opting to redshirt.
Against UTSA, the most consistent receiver that has stepped up in lieu of those injuries, Omari Hayes was a scratch due to an injury suffered in practice. Herman was coy about Hayes being out impacting the offense; however, he has been a go to target in a variety of situations for Fancher and the Owls offense and without him on Saturday there was a lack of separation and a go to target in pressure scenarios.
Caleb Coombs stepped up on Saturday, having his best game of the season and being the Owls highest graded offensive player per PFF, recording 4 catches on 7 targets for 61 yards. The old Marshall connection was working between Fancher and Coombs and outside of Fancher’s long TD run, Coombs’s production was the biggest highlight of the day as it gave FAU some hope moving forward.
The only other FAU Wr to record a catch against UTSA was Jabari Smith, who has stepped up throughout the season to be a valuable target for the FAU offense, but overall, he was limited to just 1 catch for 13 yards, and outside of him and Coombs the WR production was non-existent.
Marlyn Johnson, Dom Henry, and George Johnson all received no catches on a single target per person, which can be attributed to the offense’s struggles as a whole, still however there was a lack of separation from the Owls playmakers, and it left the offense struggling to find answers.
The Owls are hoping they can get Hayes back for the matchup with USF on November 1st, especially with a bye-week ahead, however heading into the remainder of the year FAU has to find a way to get production from some of their other WRs. Smith Jr has shown flashes, having solid speed and hands to make an impact in a variety of ways, but Henry, and both George and Marlyn Johnson have had limited impacts since transferring in this offseason and with only 5 games remaining the Owls need to get them going.
If FAU can get consistent production from WRs outside of Omari Hayes it will only help Fancher be more comfortable in true passing situations, something the Owls will need heading into the final stretch of the season.