FAU Interim Head Coach Chad Lunsford took to the podium for the first time in his new role Tuesday afternoon. Lunsford spoke on a variety of topics related to his new role, speaking on his past experience as both an interim and head coach, while also talking about how he’ll maintain the program for the future.
It has been a tumultuous season for FAU as they’ve struggled on the field and now a litany of changes have occurred, but Lunsford is determined to lead this group to a positive finish. The Owls will face off against an interim coach against Charlotte this weekend at home and then head on the road to Tulsa for the final game of the season, which gives 2 opportunities to end the year on a good note.
Presser Notables
Lunsford opening statement
“College football is a tough business, and, you know, I can’t start anything out without thanking coach Herman. Very grateful to coach Herman and his family. He didn’t know me when he took the job here and had the opportunity to stay. And I will always be grateful for that and I learned a lot under Coach Herman. And, you know, coming here as a former head coach, I was really looking for an opportunity to go learn under some other people. And man, you know, Coach Herman was really awesome for me, you know, so I really owe him a lot, and I want to give him his respect. Unfortunately, in this business, changes do happen, and that’s tough. That’s tough on the players. That’s tough on the staff. You know, the players are uncertain, and staff and their families, their wives. You know what’s next. But I do know this. I know that it is very important that we all step up and we do it for the student athlete, and then we also do it for FAU. And I think that given the opportunity, because I have been in this role before being an interim head coach and then going on to be a head coach, I have some experience in it, and probably the great thing is, is I’ve probably learned what not to do the first time doing it. So, I just want to be able to use those experiences. I want FAU to finish strong. I want FAU to be very proud of us, but also for these seniors, for this team, to have a chance to finish on a high note, and that’s the biggest thing. It needs to be about them and all of us as a staff. It never needs to be about one individual so excited for that opportunity,” Lunsford said.
Lunsford on the practice mentality
“That was the biggest challenge to our team today. Put it all out of your mind. Go out there, enjoy each other, enjoy the support that we’ve been blessed to be a part of. And I thought the guys really did that. I thought they came out with a lot of energy. You know, I saw a lot of guys really just step up and go, You know what? We’re going to go make the most of this day. And I talked about, hey, let’s, let’s enjoy each moment. Let’s don’t get too far ahead, right? And they did a good job with that today,” Lunsford said.
Lunsford on how the firing and his decision to take the interim job
“Brian, first off, told me the decision that he had made, and then asked if I would like to step up and take the Interim role. You know that it was probably a no brainer for me, and I don’t know how people will take that, but I just think when you’re called to coach, it’s about being a servant leader. It’s about trying to impact others. And, you know, obviously, I’ve got to walk the walk. I can’t just talk the talk. And you know, sometimes when you decide, hey, I’m going to take the interim spot, if it’s offered to you, it maybe makes that picture down the road a little bit more blurry, too, but that’s not who I am, and I just wanted to step up, do my part. Help this staff, help these players go out on a high note, and I’m just going to work my butt off and see what I can do,” Lunsford said.
Lunsford on the health of the QB room
Well, I mean, I think Kasen is kind of a day to day, and possibility for this game maybe, but definitely trying to get it back for Tulsa, but it’s day to day. But obviously we’re having to start right now with Tyriq and I think that’s a good thing. I think Tyriq did a tremendous job last week, especially when the moment was there, and have him make plays in big moments, and he did that, so we have all the confidence in the world with him and go out there and help us play the best we can,” Lunsford said.
Lunsford on his on-field approach for the final 2 weeks of the season
“I think the biggest thing for us is playing complimentary football, if we’re not the most explosive offense right now, we got to make sure we get our defense off the field. We got to establish a run game, you know. And we got to try to get explosive plays when we get explosive plays, but I think we got to play complimentary football. The offense needs to go out there with the mentality, hey, I’m going to end every drive in a kick, some type of kick. We’re not going to turn the ball over. We’re not going to give them things. We’re going to make sure that we keep our defense off the field. We’re going to play a great field position battle. And then when we hit our plays and we get points on the board, we’re not going to be surprised by that, you know, and then defensively, obviously, getting them in a situation where they’re not playing as many plays, but also to them getting off the field on third downs. You know, that was the biggest thing that came out of last week’s game, because coach Harris did a tremendous job with the game plan. Now we got to get our players to make sure they execute on those third down plays, and that’s been a big emphasis this week as we go as well. You know, there’s a lot of things, but you gotta focus on certain things. You don’t want to make that so broad that Okay? Now we’re all over the place, right? It’s very important that we really hone in on what we’re gonna focus on, and then go play hard, play fast, and play with a big time energy and play complimentary football,” Lunsford said.
Final Thoughts
Lunsford has a positive mentality heading into the final few weeks of the year and will look to find a way to lead this squad to victory for the first time in 5 weeks. With previous experience as both a head and interim coach, Lunsford knows how to navigate this situation as best as possible.
We shall see what comes on the field, but Lunsford is looking to maintain positivity both on and off it with FAU having a strong recruit class, which is important for both FAU and his future career aspirations. FAU will take on Charlotte at 3 pm from FAU Stadium in a game where both teams will be battling to end the season on a high note.
