Photo Via FAU Athletics Dept.
FAU shipped up to San Antonio this weekend and battled hard against UTSA, however as the story has been going for the Owls, they ran out of gas late. It was a tie ball game headed into the 3rd however UTSA out scored FAU 14-0 in the 4th and went on to win 38-24, turning their season back onto the right track and sending the Owls into misery.
Sometimes when it rains, it pours and for FAU Football this season, at times it has felt like one big storm. After the offense had their best performance of the season last week, the Owls reverted back to their old ways, recording 6 3-and-out’s including 4 consecutive ones in the second half, which stymied the Owls as a whole and allowed UTSA to control momentum and the flow of the game.
Owls QB Cam Fancher finished with 96 total passing yards on the day, completing only 47% of his passes, however he was sacked 6 times and pressured many more, which made for an overall inefficient day passing the ball. He was still able to make a huge impact with his legs rushing for 56 yards and 2 TDs, which wasn’t a guarantee with his turf toe injury headed into the week. However outside of Fancher, the Owls run game was unable to get going as Zuberi Mobley had 8 touches for 41 yards, while CJ Campbell had 9 carries but only recorded 19 yards.
Defensively, the Owls did have major bright spots, as Jayden Williams snagged 2 INTs while Wendol Philord returned a fumble for a touchdown, however they struggled against the pass for the second week in a row, allowing UTSA QB Owen McCown to throw for a career high 340 yards and allowing multiple big plays which helped UTSA jolt their offense.
FAU was able to bring pressure recording 4 sacks on the day and multiple other pressures, but it wasn’t enough to slow down McCown and this high octane UTSA offense. Its back to the drawing board for a defense which was uber successful in the beginning of the season, however now after back to back barrages through the air they find themselves reeling and need to use this bye week to turn things around.
Now sitting at 2-5, FAU will need to find a way win 4 games in 5 tries following next week’s final bye week of the season, but even if that is not attainable, there is still progress that needs to be made before heading into the offseason and year 3 of the Herman era. Progress isn’t definable when trying to build a football program, but the Owls haven’t found a way to close out ball games and will need to figure out how to do that over the final 5 weeks.
With only a short amount of time to find on the field success, Tom Herman has to move quickly in finding a solution to the Owls problems. Herman knows what his team is capable of, however what they practice at times has not translated to the game, which has led to errors in game and with that in mind, Herman mentions that some of the decision that need to be made revolve around playing guys that will execute consistently.
“It was difficult and a lot of respect to coach Traylor and his program the way that their guys play a ton of respect and they won tonight and that he found a way to make sure that his guys played their best at at critical times and we didn’t and unfortunately you know I think it’s easy to stomach losses when you play clean you get just outmatched but it’s hard hard to because I know how we practice,” Herman said.
“I know how they’re taught and so at some point you know it’s it’s always going to fall on me right and we’ve got to make harder decisions heading into these last five weeks we’ve got two weeks to figure that out but we’ve got to play the guys that can consistently at least just do what they’re taught to do and if we can figure that piece of the puzzle out we’re going to have a chance and I’m angry that we didn’t tonight in the second half and it happened in the first half.”
“There were some errors that were masked but it’s one thing to get beat it’s another to feel like the opponent executed better than you and I know what we’re teaching and I know how we practice that and so I just have to evaluate how we get the right guys on the field that can execute at a very very consistent rate.”
1st Quarter
UTSA deferred their choice to the second half, which gave Cam Fancher and the FAU offense the ball with an early chance to build off their momentum from last week.
The Road Runner defense wasn’t going to let that happen early on however, as on the first play of the game they brought pressure and almost got home, sending Fancher scrambling back to the 10 before he threw it away. On second down, they stuffed CJ Campbell at the line for no gain which brought up the unfortunate 3rd and long. Fancher gave it his best on 3rd and 10, dashing to the 8 and trying to flip forward for a first, but he was unable to reach the sticks and it forced an Owl punt on a 3 and out.
UTSA moved with a purpose on their first possession of the day, getting 17 yards on back to back completions from Owen McCown to Chris Carpenter, and 16 yards on back to back carries from McCown and rob Henry. That moved UTSA past midfield, and the Owls defense forced a 3rd down on the next set of downs, however McCown scrambled once again for 9 yards and picked up a first down.
A pass interference penalty on the next set of downs brought the Road Runners inside the 20, however the Owls defense held, forcing 2 short runs and an incompletion which forced a 33 yard FG attempt, which they converted on to go up 3-0 with 6:25 remaining.
3 and outs were a big problem for the FAU offense early this season and early on the plague returned, as on their second drive of the day FAU was able to get nothing. On a designed run for Fancher on first he was stuffed for a loss of 2, his second down deep shot to Dom Henry fell incomplete and he was sacked on 3rd, taking up a little more than a minute before punting back to UTSA with not much to show offensively.
The defense for FAU needed a stop, and after a bit of a bend allowing a first down, the Owls locked up, forcing 3 straight incompletions and getting the ball back with 2:35 to play in the quarter.
Things were looking bleak once again as 2 short runs brought up a 3rd and 6 for the FAU offense, however the Owls were not phased. On 3rd down, Fancher stepped up, ran and kept running, rushing 76 yards all the way to the end zone for the longest QB rush in FAU history. That gave FAU their first lead of the day, 7-3 with 1:47 remaining.
UTSA went back to work and got the big play rolling, on 3rd and 11 McCown found star TE Oscar Cardenas over the middle for a gain of 30 and that sparked the offense. Just 2 plays later, on the first snap of the second quarter, McCown dropped back and gave his TE Pat Overmyer a jump ball which he came down with in the end zone for a touchdown, giving UTSA the lead with 14:59 remaining in the half.
2nd Quarter
FAU got back to work with some pep in their step to star the second quarter, the Owls got a first down on a PI penalty which moved them near mid-field, and the very next play Zuberi Mobley broke a 35 yard run which got the Owls well past mid-field with momentum. The ensuing play, Fancher found Coombs for a gain of 12 which set up FAU inside the 20. The Owls 6 yards, which brought up 4th and 1 from the 6. UTSA held, forcing an incomplete pass on 4th and giving the Road Runners the ball back with the lead with 11:27 remaining.
The Owls defense had the O’s back, as on the first play McCown threw a wobbler which was intercepted by Jaden Williams at the 30 and returned back all the way to the 3, giving FAU another opportunity near the goal line.
This time the Owls were ready to roll, as on 3rd and goal from the 6, Fancher scrambled to the left and dashed into the end zone for his second TD of the day, giving the Owls a 14-10 lead with 9:39 to play in the 2nd.
The Owls defense was riding with momentum following the INT and ensuing TD, as they forced a 3 and out quickly, allowing just a short rush and forcing 2 incompletions.
Following a kick catch interference pass penalty, FAU had the ball near mid-field and after a 26 yard completion from Fancher to Caleb Coombs the Owls had it 1st and 10 at the UTSA 33. The drive stalled following that, however Carter Davis converted on a 50 yard FG, which gave the Owls a 17-10 lead with 7:12 remaining.
On the ensuing drive, the Owls defense was riding with momentum allowing 2 rushes for no gain and on 3rd and long, McCown found Jayden Williams in the FAU secondary once again, and Williams returned it back to the UTSA 14 with 5:43 to play.
Photo Via FAU Athletics Dept
The Owls got it down to the UTSA 5 yard line, however on 3rd and goal Fancher was sacked and he fumbled, which was recovered by UTSA at the 12, giving the Road Runners a chance to tie before half with 3:21 remaining. This was the second red zone possession of the day FAU failed to capitalize on and after the game FAU Coach Tom Herman says he needs to figure out how to eradicate mistakes like that going forward.
“We fumbled in the red zone that was huge and and then we gave up a 95 yard drive for a touchdown, so when you’re playing on the road and playing really good teams you can’t can’t afford those kind of mistakes and we made them and I got to figure out how to not make them in the future,” Herman said.
UTSA wasn’t going to squander their chance, as on 3 of their first 4 plays of the drive the Road Runners got a gain of 14+ which moved them past mid-field. After the FAU defense brought up a 3rd down, McCown found Willie McCoy over the middle for a gain of 26, which set them up with a first down at the Owls 23. 3 plays later the Road runners found pay dirt, as McCown found Jamel Hardy in the right corner of the end zone from 10 yards out to even the game up at 17 with 46 seconds remaining. After a rush and a knee from FAU, that was our score at the break, which set up for a battle in the second half.
3rd Quarter
UTSA started with the ball after deferring the opening coin toss and they went to work looking to take the lead.
After 2 short runs brought up 3rd and 6, McCown found his sweet spot, a wide open man deep over the middle in Houston Thomas for a gain of 41 yards. 2 plays later, McCown found his man over the middle once again, this time Carpenter on a slant for a gain of 19. 2 carries of 5 yards from McCown and Henry brought it to the 1 and 2 plays later Henry crossed the goal line from a yard out, giving UTSA a 24-17 lead with 11:19 remaining in the 3rd.
The Owls needed a response, having surrendered 14 straight points dating back to the first half and they came out hot, as on the first play of the drive, Fancher found Jabari Smith who made a nice snag. That was all for the Owls as Fancher was sacked for a loss of 9 and the Owls were unable to recover from that, punting a few plays later. The Owls were flagged for Kick-catch interference on the punt, which gave UTSA the ball at their own 28 with 8:42 to play. Sacks were a big issue as the Owls allowed 6 of them on the day and after the game Fancher mentioned that the pressure was different than what UNT brought to the table.
“6 sacks, the rush getting back there and me not getting the ball out into my playmakers hands fast enough for them to do something,” Fancher said on what was different between the UNT and UTSA offensive out puts.
The Owls defense was ready to play, as they stuffed Brandon High on first down, Phil Dunnam broke up a McCown pass on second down, and on 3rd Jace Wilson dropped an out-route which forced a Road runner punt. This time, UTSA was flagged for Kick-Catch interference, which gave the owls a first down at their own 42 with 8:09 to play.
Looking for their first score of the second half, the Owls went back to work. Scoring was the plan, but UTSA came with a response sacking Cam Fancher on a 3rd and 3 which forced another Owls punt after another FAU 3 and out. The punt was clean this time, and UTSA went back to work with 6:12 to play and the ball at their own 14.
UTSA looked to have something rolling, getting 12 yards from Carpenter on a ball from McCown and a few plays later McCown found Hardy for a gain of 33 which brought UTSA inside the FAU 40. However 2 plays later, disaster struck for the Road runners as McCown attempted a backwards pass under pressure which bounced around in the backfield before being scooped up by Wendol Philord and returned 49 yards to the house for an FAU TD, which tied the game at 24 a piece with 3:58 to play.
The Road Runners quickly picked up a first down on their next set of downs, getting 7 on a rush from High and 12 on a pass from McCown to Thomas, however after that the Owls defense responded. On the ensuing set of downs, McCown’s first down attempt was incomplete, second was a short gain to Hardy, and on 3rd Marlon Bradley took him down in the backfield for his second sack of the day, giving the Owls the ball back at their own 10 with 1:07 remaining following a UTSA punt.
Then Owls rushed it twice with Campbell to close out the quarter, setting up a 3rd and 6th to open up the 4th.
4th Quarter
The Owls opened the 4th with a 3rd down and were unable to convert as Fancher’s pass fell incomplete, giving UTSA the ball back with 14:46 remaining tied up at 24.
UTSA moved efficiently, getting 17 yards on 2 passes to Carpenter and Wilson and a 24 yard rush from Robert Henry, which gave the Road Runners a first down at the FAU 25. The Owls defense responded however, stuffing Henry and forcing 2 McCown incompletions which brought up 4th down. UTSA converted on a 41 yard field goal with 11:21 remaining to give the road runners a 27-24 lead.
FAU looked to respond, however they started with a major step back as Fancher was sacked on first down for a loss of 13, which they were never able to recover from. The Owls went 3-and-out on their first extended action of the quarter, punting back to UTSA. Unfortunately for FAU, their punt was blocked which set UTSA up at the Owls 24 with a chance to go up 2 scores and potentially put this game away.
The Road Runners picked up a first down getting 5 yards on a Henry carry and 8 on a keeper from McCown, however the Owls defense bounced back once again following that. They stuffed Henry on first down for only 2 yards and after 2 McCown incompletions that brought up 4th down. Tate Sandell converted on a 27 yard field goal, which put UTSA up 30-24 with 8:02 remaining.
FAU needed a response on the ensuing drive, but they were unable to get one, as another first down sack of Fancher set them back and they were unable to recover as on 2nd and 3rd down he tossed incompletions, which resulted in an Owls punt, which UTSA returned back to their own 38.
UTSA went back to work quickly, converting a 3rd down on another pass over the middle, once again to Houston Thomas, a few plays later Brandon Rush took a carry for 18 yards which set UTSA u well past midfield inside the FAU 30. After FAU was able to limit Rush on a carry, and tackled Carenter behind the line it brought up a 3rd and 8 where Rush did everything himself, taking it 29 yards to the house and giving UTSA a 38-24 lead with 2:32 remaining.
That would do it for the Owls, as Fancher was able to pickup a first down on the next drive, however a few plays later he was injured and Kasen Weisman took over, ultimately throwing an interception which would allow UTSA to kneel out and win 38-24. It comes down to the little things and according to Fancher, the Owls problems this season come down to mistakes.
“1 or 2 guys have a couple hiccups, including me, that’s whats hurting us is our consistency in details,” Fancher said.
Final Thoughts
This was another game where it looked like FAU had a chance to win before ultimately falling short. As the Herman era marches on and the culture continues to develop, it must be a priority of the program to figure out how to win these close battles and turn FAU into a contender instead of a pretender.
FAU had a chance to go up 2 possessions in the first half and found themselves within the UTSA 10 yard line twice, however both times they walked away with 0 points with UTSA forcing a fumble and a turnover on downs. The resilience of UTSA to force those stops, despite the early mistakes of the offense, and finding a way to shift momentum is why this program has been successful for a large part of the Traylor era and the culture they have built is something FAU has to aspire for.
There were bright spots in this game, with Marlon Bradley having his biggest performance of the season with 2 sacks, Jayden Williams recording 2 interceptions, while Fancher broke off the longest QB run in FAU history with his 76 yard TD scamper in the 1st quarter, however the Owls haven’t found a way to turn those bright spots into victory and it is leaving them in a tough spot.
The lack of execution at times is also a problem, as in this one there were multiple blitzers who got to Cam untouched, multiple busted coverages defensively and even though it may just be one person making a mistake, it costs the team as a whole. Execution is something that is tough to fix, but FAU will have to find a way with only 5 games remaining.
These final 5 games are important as not only for the potential push for a bowl game which would require 4 wins in 5 games, but also for FAU just to find something to hang their hat on heading into next season. Rome was not built in a day is the age old saying and it holds true, however by year 3 the foundation was set and by next season, year 3 of the Herman era, not only does FAU hope to have the foundation set, but also all of the little things that go into finding ways to win ball games.
No one knows what the final 5 weeks of the season hold for FAU, however the Owls will need to batten down the hatches and find a way to win games, even if a Bowl Games falls out of reach, fighting to the end and figuring out how to win will be paramount for this program over the final few weeks.