The “Hoot” on FAU’s Promising 2018 Football Season
Pictured: #57 Defensive End Dalton Hustad and #69 Offensive Line Dacoda Weaver with an aspiring young Owl
In Boca Raton, the FAU Owls went from weeks of enduring an intense training camp, to an open scrimmage this past Saturday, to the well-attended preseason Meet & Greet on Sunday with passionate fans of these Palm Beach County football stars.
In 2017, then new head coach Lane Kiffin led FAU to a 11-3 record (up from a 3-9 record in 2016), with his team scoring more touchdowns than all but four programs nationwide. Over the final 10 games, FAU performed as one of the best teams in the country, and star running back Devin Singletary impressed fans as one of the most talented players that season.
According to SB Nation, FAU was one of the best teams in the country during the 2017 season from September 30 onward, even if the Owls didn’t have a chance to prove it against power-conference teams.
The stats say it best:
FAU, first 3 games vs. (0-3): Avg. score: Opp 36, FAU 21 | Avg. yards per play: Opp 6.3, FAU 5.6 | Avg. percentile performance: 33% (42% offense, 18% defense)
FAU, last 10 games (10-0): Avg. score: FAU 46, Opp 21 | Avg. yards per play: FAU 7.1, Opp 5.1 | Avg. percentile performance: 86% (85% offense, 64% defense)
As a seven-year head coaching veteran with three seasons under Nick Saban and a well-known strong personality in college football, Lane Kiffin came to Boca Raton to bring FAU to the top, and it seems like South Florida is ready to jump on the “Lane train”.
Defensive back Marcus Lafrance—FAU's top-ranked commit in the class of 2019 who holds offers from Miami, Texas, Nebraska and others—explained to Bleacher Report how Lane Kiffin’s high caliber coaching was a large part why he verbally committed to the Owls, "He is what I need in a head coach," Lafrance says. "He teaches his guys like they're his sons. I don't just want a head coach, but a father figure who cares about education and morals more than football."
This year, the defense returns 10 starters and will take on an identity shift- from a “bend-don’t-break” style to Tony Pecoraro’s more aggressive tactics. Running back Devin Singletary returned along with 35 three-star signees from the past two classes and a couple of new transfers to beef things up even more. FAU has two chances to score colossal road upsets at Oklahoma and UCF before hopefully capitalizing as the C-USA favorite. One thing's for sure, people all over Palm Beach County are hoping aboard the "Lane Train", and it's bound to be an exciting season!!
The first FAU football game of the 2018 season is Saturday, September 1st at 12:00 pm AT The University of Oklahoma, and will be aired live on FOX Television, as well as on 106.3 FM Radio. You can also stream it online via TuneIn.
Florida Atlantic University is conveniently located in Boca Raton Florida east of I-95 between Spanish River Boulevard and Glades Road. The FAU Stadium address is at 777 Glades Road in Boca Raton.
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