An end has come to the Lane Kiffin era at FAU, but as they say, the show must go on. The Owls will have their hands full as they matchup with SMU in the Boca Raton Bowl.
The Owls started the season 0-2 and rebounded for a solid finish and a Conference USA Championship. SMU started out 8-0 and faltered down the stretch with losses to 17th ranked Memphis and 23rd ranked Navy.
Leading the Mustangs offense is Texas transfer, Shane Buechele, one of the most potent passers in college football. He has racked up 3,626 yards through the air, 8th most in the country and most in the American Conference. He has tallied 33 TD passes to just nine interceptions.
Buechele is complemented with the help of wideout James Proche, who has an NCAA 15th best 1,139 yards receiving. This is not a one-headed SMU attack, though, as they have trust in Xavier Jones out of the backfield. The senior sits 2nd in the country with 21 rushing TDs, complimenting his 1,249 yards on the ground this season.
We may see a heavier load than usual for Jones, as the Mustangs will look to keep the ball away from FAU’s Meiko Dotson. The Senior corner leads the NCAA with nine interceptions and had two pass deflections. He will have help up front in pass rusher Leighton McCarthy, who leads the owls with six sacks so far this season.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Owls average 443 yards per game, 34th in the country. They are led by Sophmore Chris Robison, who sits 12th in the country with 3,396 passing yards to go with his 26 TD passes and just six interceptions. Robison is complimented most often by tight end Harrison Bryant, who leads the team with 1,004 yards and 7 TDs.
On the ground, the Owls don’t have a thousand-yard rusher to flex on. However, what they do have is a well-rounded stable of rushers, that have helped the team compile 2,136 yards on the ground to go with 29 rushing TDs.
It should be interesting to see how the FAU offense fares against SMU, who have allowed a dismal 438.7 yards on an average per game to their opponents.
Kickoff is set for 3:30 pm Eastern time from FAU Stadium in Boca Raton, Florida. You can tune in to the game on ABC.
Written by Adrian Beecher
