FAU hosts USF in a homecoming showdown this Friday under the lights at 7:30 PM on ESPN 2. A lot is brought to the table in this one, as both teams have struggled this season with USF at 3-4 and FAU at 2-5, but this game presents an opportunity to right the ship.

USF comes into this game off a win where they were able to bounce back, coming back from down multiple scores to defeat UAB 35-25, while FAU comes in off of back to back heartbreakers against UNT and UTSA in which they entered the 4th quarter either leading or tied and ultimately lost both. Although USF heads in with a bit of momentum, they have struggled offensively with Bryce Archie at the helm and it leaves an opportunity for FAU to capitalize and bounce back defensively.

On the other side of things, the past 2 games have been a tale of different stories for the Owls as despite both ending in losses, against UNT the Owls had a huge game offensively with Cam Fancher having a career day, and against UTSA the offense sputtered, gaining less than 100 yards through the air. USF has struggled defensively this season, especially against the pass, so if FAU is able to find their mojo, this can be a game where they get back on the right track.

Nothing is a given however, as FAU has been plagued with inconsistencies on both sides of the ball, but with only 5 games remaining it becomes now or never for the Owls to put it all together. Facing off against an in-state rival who will also be looking to turn the tides of their season, there is no better opportunity to turn it around, but let’s take a look at 3 things that will go a long way in helping the Owls pull out the homecoming victory.



How does FAU stop the USF offense

USF comes into this matchup scuffling offensively following the injury to Byrum Brown, as Bryce Archie has failed to bring the same level of explosiveness to this Bulls offense that Brown brought, especially with his legs.

Archie took over mid way through the Tulane game and completed 4 of 10 passes for 41 yards, recording no rush attempts in what ended in a 45-10 Tulane victory. USF only had 57 yards rushing as a team in that one and similar issues plagued them 2 weeks later against Memphis, as Archie completed 22 of 41 attempts for 234 yards, no touchdowns and 1 interception while only rushing it 3 times for 2 yards as the Bulls rushed for 31 yards in a 21-3 loss.

The Bulls bounced back in their next one however, coming from behind to defeat UAB 35-25, behind 201 yards and 2 TDs from Archie, as although he completed only 51% of passes, he got comfortable and made plays when it mattered thanks to 166 yards and 3 TDs on the ground as a team. Kelly Joiner had 94 yards on 15 carries and 2 TDs and it was the first time since week 3 the Bulls recorded over 100 yards rushing, which was also the last time they won.

In this one, FAU has to find a way to stop their backs as a big part of how Tulane and Memphis shut them down entirely was their ability to make them one dimensional, which with Archie at the helm is catastrophic for the Bulls. The Owls have allowed 150+ rushing yards to all but 2 of their opponents this season, however last week against UTSA they held them to only 3.9 yards per carry, which forced Owen McCown into some tough situations and they capitalized, forcing 3 turnovers and 6 sacks.

The Owls are a top 25 team in the country in terms of turnovers forced and coming off one of their best pass rushing performances of the season they are in a prime position to cause havoc and put Archie in some uncomfortable situations. For FAU to really stymie this USF offense they have to be able to shut down the Bulls backs, forcing Archie and the USF offense to be one dimensional, which they haven’t shown is a scenario they can win under.

The Bulls still have Sean Atkins at receiver which even if the offense is one dimensional he is capable of making explosive plays so it's imperative the Owls keep him in check. Outside of him however, this Bulls pass game has been really inconsistent under the tutelage of Archie so if the Owls can shut down the run there is opportunity for a big day for the FAU defense.

If the defense does their job how does the offense capitalize

If the Owls are able to limit USF offensively, the Up-Tempo pace of the Bulls offense could allow for FAU to dominate the time of possession. For them to do that however, it will require them to dominate on the ground, something Zuberi Mobley, CJ Campbell, along with Cam Fancher have been able to do with ease at times this season.
The Owls have rushed for 150 yards or more in all but one of their games this season, which was week 2 against Army, so as of recently the Owls have been finding a lot of success on the ground. Even when the Owls backs have been bottled up like last game against UTSA, Cam Fancher provides an equally dangerous threat on the ground and he has been able to hurt teams with his rushing ability.

USF has only allowed 150 rushing yards to Alabama, Miami and Tulane this season, holding Memphis to 139 and less than 5 yards per carry, however star back Mario Anderson was ejected for spitting. The Bulls have been relatively sound against the run this season, however teams have been able to find success albeit sometimes in limited capacities.

Having multiple options, including Fancher who brings a different kind of threat to the run game is going to be a huge factor in the Owls ability to find success in this one. If FAU is able to rotate between Mobley and Campbell, while also getting solid contributions from Fancher they should be able to scrape together yardage in this one, as all the teams who have found success against USF have had 3 players with 5 carries or more, something the Owls have done in every game this season.

There is no guarantee that the Owls are going to dominate on the ground in this one, but if they are able to, there is an opportunity to control the clock. With USF’s offensive struggles and fast pace, the Owls can limit their chances to find their momentum by dominating the trenches and keeping the ball out of their hands, but they will have to work past a stout Bulls defense to do so.



Can the pass game return to form

Against North Texas in week 7 the Owls got their best passing performance of the season as Fancher was able to complete 22 of 31 passes for 351 yards and 3 TDs. Despite the Owls loss in that one, it was back to back performances dating back to Wagner where they put together strong passing performances, something prior to these 2 games they were unable to do.

In week 8 however, the Owls reverted back to their early season struggles as Fancher completed only 9 of 19 passes for 96 yards, playing clean football with no interceptions but lacking consistency. The struggles were not solely on Fancher as adding to the Owls injuries at WR, both Milan Tucker and Omari Hayes missed the game due to injury which left FAU lacking severely at slot, one of the most important spots in the Owls passing game.

Both Hayes and Tucker are expected to return for the game against USF, however potentially in a limited capacity, but nevertheless having them in any amount would be huge for an offense needing a spark.

What plagued the Owls against UTSA outside of injuries was the amount of pressure Fancher faced, as he was sacked 6 times and pressured 17 total times and against UNT he was only pressured 5 times and sacked twice. USF is going to bring a similar amount of pressure to UTSA as they are coming off their best FBS rushing performance against UAB, recording 32 and they have recorded at least 10 pressures in all but 2 games this year. With that in mind it will be imperative for the Owls pass protection to return to form, which will be a big part of the pass game bouncing back.

With the Owls getting their weapons in Hayes and Tucker back, improved protection will be priority number one to getting the pass game back on track but outside of that the Owls getting consistent yardage on the ground will be equally important to set up manageable situations through the air. FAU isn’t at a point where they can rely on the pass game to stretch the field, however if the run game is rolling, the deep pass can potentially open up if FAU forces USF to overcommit to the run.

The Owls have shown they are capable of putting together a solid pass attack, doing it in back to back games against Wagner and UNT, however outside of that they have been inconsistent. This game is a chance to prove that the UTSA performance was a fluke and that they have indeed found their mojo offensively, but it will require execution and mistake free football, something that at times has been lacking from the FAU offense.