The Owls set sail to San Antonio for a battle with a UTSA squad who has failed to meet expectations, sitting at 2-4 like FAU, however this game is a chance for both sides to change the tide of their season.
UTSA has failed to put it altogether in a few portions of their game, with Owen McCown struggling to fill the large shoes of Frank Harris, while defensively their pass coverage and pressure struggles has allowed opposing offenses to carve them up at times.
In a positive light their run defense has been sound, while their run game offensively has been a big bright spot of this squad, having rushed for 100+ yards in all but one of their games.
FAU heads in off their best offensive performance of the season, but a late collapse allowed UNT to steal a win in Boca Raton. Now the Owls will look to bounce back defensively and replicate their offensive success, however that may have to come with a backup quarterback.
Overall this game will be a test for both sides as they look to turn their respective seasons around before it’s too late, but for the Owls it’s arguably the biggest game of the Herman era and if they’re going to make a push for a Bowl game it will start here.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at 3 things to keep an eye on as both of these squads look to right their ships before time runs out.
What will the Pass game look like?
Last week the Owls were able to debut a pass game that was as explosive as any FAU offense has been since the Lane Kiffin days. This week against a UTSA team which has struggled against the pass, there is an opportunity to build on that, however a turf toe injury to Cam Fancher has left the Owls in an interesting position headed into a pivotal matchup.
Fancher (photo right above, Rick Henderson) has not been ruled out and it’s worth noting that the Owls have sent him out there banged up this season, however a turf toe injury would severely limit his ability to make an impact with his legs if he’s not fully healthy.
Kasen Weisman (photo left above) would start in place of Fancher and the Owls saw a lot of good out of their redshirt-freshman gunslinger in their win over Wagner as he was able to lead multiple scoring drives in a second half comeback, however there were also some early mistakes that in an AAC matchup will be magnified in intensity.
After shaking off some rust, Weisman was able to command the offense at a high level even averaging a depth of target at 9.6 which prior to the last game was the highest of the season. If he’s thrust into action in this one, there may be bumps in the road similar to early on vs Wagner, however in a conference matchup it will have to be limited and snuffed out as quickly as possible, otherwise UTSA will capitalize.
If Fancher is able to go, the only question the remains would be if he is fully healthy, as a Fancher with a diminished running ability can’t command the offense in a way he did last week. If he is fully able to go with no restrictions, the Owls should be in a great position to build on their success from last week, however if he isn’t, Weisman should be able to lead the offense to some form of success, it just may come with some bumps in the road.
If Weisman is starting, the FAU receivers have to be able to make plays in open space and he will need to find a safety valve early on to help him find his rhythm. Omari Hayes continues to step up to be the number 1 guy in the WR room and this game he will need to find ways to get open and help out his young QB if he ends up thrust into the starting role.
Hayes’ involvement no matter who is at quarterback is paramount to the Owls success against UTSA and alongside him Wyatt Sullivan will also need to build on his 70 yard and a score performance from a week ago, as an involved tight end bodes well for a FAU offense who needs play makers to assert themselves down the final stench of the season.
Can the Owls backs replicate their Success against a solid Run defense
With potential injury issues at bay the contributions from both CJ Campbell and Zuberi Mobley will be largely important to the Owls ability to put together an offense capable of beating UTSA.
FAU has been able to rush for 100+ yards as a team in every game this season except Army and as of recently, the backs have been able to add a very important complementary portion to this offense and at times has even been the focal point.
It’s looking to be an unstoppable force Vs an immovable object, as UTSA has held every opponent since week 3 under 100 yards rushing, including an ECU team with a very talented back in Rahjai Harris.
FAU needs to be the team to break their recent trend of success and with 2 backs finding a lot of success over the past 2 games, the Owls have the talent to accomplish that. Both Mobley and Campbell have averaged 5+ yards per attempt on the season and each bring a different skill set to potentially hurt the Road Runners, but the Owls have to set them up to do so.
The running back role in this offense isn’t mainly a complementary role, as Campbell and Mobley have combined for 33 first downs on the season , showing a Willingness to use them in important situations and in this one FAU will need them to do exactly that.
If FAU is able to run the ball successfully, that will open up the pass game and no matter who is taking snaps at QB, a successful ground game could help the Owls pull out the road win.
How does the FAU defense look to slow down the UTSA offense?
UTSA comes in with an offense, which just looking at the stats is much better than their record displays. QB Owen McCown has thrown for over 1000 yards, 10 TDs and only 2 picks and UTSA has rushed for over 100 yards in every game since week 2, including against #1 Texas.
However, despite the success of the Road Runners offense at times, they have overall been inconsistent and it has cost them some games. Last week against Rice, the offense looked as good as it has against a quality FBS opponent as McCown had 3 TDs, no turnovers, and UTSA was able to run for over 100 yards, but a late defensive collapse made it all for not.
Now heading into a matchup with an FAU team which has been generous at times this season, UTSA will be looking to build on their success from last week, so the question then moves to how will the Owls slow them down.
It will start with the Owls finding their stride against the run, as despite UNT being down to their 3rd and 4th string backs last week, the Mean Green still rushed for 148 yards, including multiple big stops late when the Owls needed a stop.
UTSA will bring a dual-threat run game to the table, with both Robert Henry and Brandon High finding similar success to Campbell and Mobley and with similar skill sets, as Henry is more of a bruiser, while High has more explosiveness to his game.
If FAU is able to find a way to limit them and force McCown to throw it more than he expected to, that could make him uncomfortable and potentially force turnovers, although he has been sound in the INT department, with only 2 on the year. What could also help the Owls frustrate McCown would be pressure, which Chris Jones and Chisom Ifeanyi have been excelling at bringing off the edge and a big game from those 2 would help the Owls immensely.
Whatever the case, if FAU is able to slow down a portion of UTSA’s offense and force them to get out of character, that is something that won’t bode well for a Road Runner team still trying to form an identity. FAU will need a solid defensive performance to potentially help an offense which may be handicapped due to injuries, but if the offense is able to have some form of success, a big showing from the Owls secondary and Edge Rusher’s could help them steal a road on the win.