The FAU Owls (1-0, 1-0 C-USA) started the 2022 campaign with an impressive conference victory, cruising past the Charlotte 49ers 43-13 Saturday night at FAU Stadium in Boca Raton, Fla.
Here are the three big takeaways from their first win of the season:
The Offense Looks Brand New
The common theme on offense last season was their inability to move the ball. They often would attempt to open drives with a bubble screen or run between the tackles, which would frequently leave them behind the chains and forced to pick up large chunks of yards on second and third down.
In offensive coordinator Brent Dearmon’s first game calling plays for FAU, he took a completely different approach.
On the Owls’ first play from scrimmage, Dearmon dialed up a 3-vertical, play action pass where graduate N’Kosi Perry found redshirt freshman wide receiver Jahmal Edrine down the right sideline for a 33-yard gain.
After taking another shot downfield on second down that went incomplete, junior running back Larry McCammon III took a handoff 52 yards for a touchdown, tying the score at seven and completely shifting the momentum in the Owls favor. It was as efficient of an opening that head coach Willie Taggart could have asked for.
From the first drive it was evident that the play calling had improved since last season, and over the course of the rest of the game it became abundantly clear that Perry is much more comfortable in the new offense.
One of the major critiques of Perry’s game in seasons past is that even in situations where his team had control of the game, he didn’t look poised, or “in control”. It often seemed like he was hesitant to make deeper throws downfield, which led to many drives stalling and ending in a punt.
The complete opposite was true on Saturday night. Perry looked confident and poised on nearly every throw downfield and it led to him finishing the night with 16 completions on 22 attempts for 256 yards and a touchdown, along with a touchdown on the ground.
McCammon Looks Like RB1
When speaking to the media on the Monday prior to the game, Taggart confirmed that McCammon would be the starting running back against Charlotte. This came as a surprise with redshirt junior Johnny Ford returning after going for 831 yards and five touchdowns last season.
Taggart did state that they were going to take more of a running back-by-committee approach, adding, “You’re going to see a lot of Johnny [Ford], you’re probably going to see a lot of guys.”
However, after it was reported an hour prior to kickoff that he was doubtful for the game, Ford spent the entire game on the FAU sideline, not in uniform for undisclosed reasons.
Despite Ford’s absence, the entire running back room had a solid night, led by McCammon who had the 52-yard touchdown run on the opening drive and finished the night with 14 rushing attempts for 118 yards.
Freshman Zuberi Mobley also had 11 attempts for 22 yards and a touchdown early in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, sophomore Marvin Scott III also saw playing time with 10 carries for 37 yards.
Having too many viable running backs is a good problem to have; and after his performance on Saturday, Dearmon shouldn’t have a problem with McCammon being RB1, and Ford being used solely as a third down back, or for specific packages.
Secondary May Not Be As Troublesome As expected
There were worries about experience at the cornerback position outside of junior cornerback Romain Mungin, as he was the only returner with much valuable experience.
However, redshirt freshman Jayden Williams and sophomore Justin McKithin eased some of those worries with both of their performances.
Williams was targeted three times, allowing only 18 yards, tallying five tackles, two QB hurries, and a huge third down sack in the second quarter, earning him a 76.9 PFF grade.
McKithin also had an impressive body of work with three tackles and the first interception of his career, a 63-yard pick-six that put FAU ahead 26-7 going into halftime.
Mungin accounted for three tackles, and held Charlotte’s standout wide receiver Grant DuBose in check for the most part when covering him, besides the touchdown he allowed on a broken play in the first quarter.
Redshirt junior safety and team captain Teja Young also had a solid outing that night that included three tackles and a pass breakup.
There shouldn’t be much too much stock put into the improvements FAU showed on Saturday as it is only one game, however, Charlotte is a formidable, conference opponent.
They stood out in areas where many expected them to struggle, so this was definitely a step in the right direction and exactly what Taggart wanted to see heading into a very tough stretch of opponents in the coming weeks.
The Owls will now prepare for their first road matchup of the season against the Ohio University Bobcats next Saturday, Sep. 3. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. and will be broadcasted on ESPN+.