Florida Atlantic Owls: Keys To The Season, Top Game, Top Transfer, Fun Stats
Florida Atlantic Owls: Key To The 2022 Offense
The running game has to be more consistent.
The offensive line play as a whole has to be better after struggling way too much in pass protection and failing to crank up the ground game on a regular basis. The backs are good enough, but they need room to move.
The Owls were feast or famine on the ground. When it didn’t work, it really crashed with four games with fewer than 100 yards and under three yards per carry.
The program is 1-11 in its last 12 games going back to 2015 when it doesn’t get to 100 yards.
Florida Atlantic Owls: Key To The 2022 Defense
Pass rush, pass rush, pass rush.
It was there in 2020 with 25 sacks in eight games, it crushed in 2019 and was relatively solid through the years. Last year, the 1.42 sacks per game were the fewest since coming up with 12 sacks in 12 games in 2012.
To be fair, there were enough running teams on the slate to keep down the opportunities, but the 17 sacks weren’t enough and it showed with the secondary getting hammered for close to 3,000 yards.
Fortunately, there aren’t a slew of high-powered passing teams on the slate for a little while, and then they start to kick in.
So …
Florida Atlantic Owls: Key Player To The 2022 Season
LB Chris Jones, Soph.
The 6-4, 245-pounder plays the hybrid Jack role, and now it’s his job to be more of a disruptive force.
The Owls have size on the inside, and Jaylen Joyner will get behind the line, but Jones needs to be the speed guy who does a whole lot more than the one sack and four tackles for loss from last year.
Florida Atlantic Owls: Key Transfer
OT Brendan Bordner, Sr.
Missouri LB Jamie Pettway should make the bigger impact overall, but Bordner’s emergence is more important for a line that needs to be stronger and better.
The 6-5, 305-pound transfer from Rutgers needs to slide into the left tackle job. That allows Marquice Robinson to either kick inside or work on the right side, and it lets the coaching staff play around with the puzzle to get the right starting five up front.
Florida Atlantic Key Game To The 2022 Season
UAB, Oct. 29
There are a few key parts to this. First, it’s a showdown with a team that might just be the best in Conference USA. Second, it’s a home game before a break, and then a killer finishing kick.
The Owls get a week off after hosting the Blazers, and then come road games at FIU and Middle Tennessee – which shouldn’t be a big deal if everything is working, but they’re road games – before closing with WKU.
Florida Atlantic Owls: 2021 Fun Stats
– Sacks: Opponents 35 for 209 yards – FAU 16 for 116 yards
– Fumbles: FAU 22 (lost 11) – Opponents 14 (lost 6)
– 4th Down Conversions: Opponents 15-of-26 (58%) – FAU 9-of-23 (39%)
O, D Breakdown | Season Prediction, What Will Happen
Florida Atlantic Top 10 Players | FAU Schedule