FAU looked to turn a corner on Saturday as the Owls defeated FCS Wagner in dominating fashion 41-10. FAU battled past some early struggles to dominate the Seahawks in the second half, shutting them out 24-0 and executing on all facets.
Kasen Weisman (photo above, Angelina LaBelle) made his extended debut, taking over on the first full drive of the second quarter and remaining in for the rest of the game due to a finger injury to Cam Fancher. He pushed past 2 first-half turnovers to lead 4 scoring drives in the second half, finding ways to impact the game through the air and with his legs, including his first career TD, a 4 yard run.
Defensively, FAU allowed less than a yard per carry and only 20 rushing yards total, shutting down what was a pretty forceful rushing attack coming into the game, albeit at the FCS level.
It was an important game for FAU and although there shouldn’t be too much stock put into an FCS victory, the Owls showed resilience and now the process turns into how they replicate that during conference play.
Before we close the door on the Owls second victory of the season, let’s take a look at what stood out inside the numbers for FAU in week 5.
The Owls find their pass game
Right out of the gates on Saturday FAU showed an explosive ability that had been missing prior to this game, as Cam Fancher dropped back in the pocket, stood in and fired a strike to Omari Hayes over the middle which he took inside the 5 for a 71 yard gain on the first play of the day.
That was the longest passing play of the season for FAU and it carried from there as although the Owls didn’t go bombs away, both Fancher in limited action and Weisman were able to execute the short game and involve multiple receivers.
Fancher completed 6/8 passes for 48 yards on throws 10 yards or less also throwing 1 INT, while completing both of his passes 10 yards or longer for 89 yards.
Weisman completed all 4 of his passes 10 yards or less for 57 yards, while completing 2/4 passes 10 yards or longer including an INT right before the end of the first half, Weisman also attempted the Owls lone pass of the day longer than 20 yards which fell incomplete.
In terms of pressure, Weisman was under pressure on 38.5% of his snaps, which led to some inaccuracies as he completed only 1 of 5 passes under duress for 15 yards, including his INT, but 6/8 in a clean pocket for 83 yards.
In a quarter and change of action, Fancher was under pressure 25% of the time, completing 2 of 3 passes for 33 yards, while in a clean pocket he connected on 7 of 9 passes for 117 yards, however also throwing an INT.
A big problem for FAU this season has been finding ways to turn passes short of the sticks into first downs and for Weisman that wasn’t an issue. He finished with the Owls longest average depth of target of the season, averaging nearly a first down on every target at 9.6 ADOT, with the previous highest coming from Fancher in week 1 at 8.4 and this week Fancher was at 6.5 and he has not had an ADOT above 8 since week 2 against Army.
An underrated bright spot was that Fancher and Weisman were able to feature 6 different receivers, making the most out of a room that has been stretched extremely thin following redshirts and injuries.
Both Fancher and Weisman looked solid at times in week 5 and now heading into the bye and beyond, the Owls will have a decision to make at the quarterback decision and whether they want to implement a 2 quarterback system or name a starter.
Both Owls RBs dominate the trenches
When the FAU offense is succeeding it’s going to be in large part due to their success on the ground and against Wagner Zuberi Mobley and Cj Campbell Jr did exactly what they were supposed to do… dominate.
Cj Campbell Jr rushed it 15 times for 145 yards and 2 TDs, his highest totals of the season and he was bullying Wagner in the trenches, averaging 6.21 yards after contact per attempt, finishing with 6 runs of 10 plus while also forcing 5 missed tackles.
Zuberi Mobley wasn’t as explosive, but still efficient, finishing with 11 carries for 77 yards and a score, averaging 5.25 yards after contact per attempt, finishing with 4 runs of 10+ and forcing 5 missed tackles.
As an offensive line, FAU recorded their highest run blocking grade of the season per PFF, finishing with a 78.6, which was down to 64.2 after getting it up to 74.8 against FIU. 4 out of 5 starting offensive lineman finished with a run blocking grade above 70, while Wyatt Sullivan and Elijah Brown who played the majority of snaps at TE both finished with run blocking grades above 70, with Sullivan recording a team high 81.9.
Whatever the situation ends up being at quarterback, FAU has 2 backs that are capable of grinding out yards and producing big plays. If the offensive line is able to create push during conference play, this is a unit that the Owls will have to rely on and look to lead the way as the pass game continues to develop.
Young Owls get playing time
FAU got to see some of their depth in action against Wagner during the second half and Tom Herman was pleased with what he got to see as the young Owls were making plays during live action.
At Quarterback, Carson Cruver received his first reps of the season, taking over for Kasen Weisman on the final drive. He completed his lone pass attempt for 9 yards, while leading a unit that grinded out the final minutes of the game without giving the ball back.
It was a big day on the ground not only for Campbell and Mobley, but for reserve backs Gemari Sands, Xavier Terrell, and Kaden Shield-Dutton who all got their first extended action of the season. Sands finished with 5 carries for 22 yards and his first career TD on 4th and goal from the one, Terrell had his chances on the goal-line but was unable to punch it in, finishing with 3 carries for 6 yards, while Shield-Dutton stepped in on the final drive, finishing with 4 rushes for 14 yards.
At receiver, Leon Washington JR., Buck Mitchell, and Jett Coolman all saw action, with Washington playing an extended role with Weisman on the field, playing 18 total snaps catching both of his targets for 18 yards. Coolman and Mitchell played 5 snaps on the final drive, with Coolman on the receiving end of Cruver’s pass attempt.
At O-Line, FAU was able to get valuable reps for their backups, with Keon Rohe stepping in for 7 snaps at Tackle, Okino King having 15 at Center, Ovie Dubre getting 6 at guard, Ja’Kavion Nonar playing 3 at tackle, and Woody Jean subbing in at guard for 6 snaps.
On the defensive side of the ball, Kiemar Richardson and Gavench Marcellin both got in on the line, with Marcellin off the edge recording 2 tackles and Richardson on the interior getting 1, all 3 of those tackles on run plays which were shut down for 3 yards or less.
At linebacker, Char’Quez Lee stepped in at MLB, recording 3 tackles in 3 total snaps, while Zyere Horton and Makai Sawtelle also stepped in at MLB playing 3 and 10 snaps respectively.
Lawrence Johnson played the most out of the reserve DBs, getting 16 snaps at safety and recording 1 tackle. Behind him in snaps, Cam Goggins played 9 snaps at CB, recording a tackle and allowing 1 catch for 4 yards. Lastly in the secondary, Mike Wright, Antonio Smith, and Fabian Scott all played 3 snaps and did not record any statistics.
It was a solid opportunity for FAU to get game reps for their younger players and many were able to capitalize on their extended action by making plays that could potentially earn them more playing time in the future.