FAU Football: The Owls look to win two straight games against Western Kentucky
Malcolm Davidson should have a big game against a struggling WKU defense.
Head coach Willie Taggart faces his alma matter Saturday against Western Kentucky. Wide Receiver Aaron Young (center) has one touchdown reception on the season. Photo by Alex Liscio.
November 6, 2020
After a convincing 24-3 victory last week against UTSA, the FAU Owls (2-1, 2-1 C-USA) look to remain undefeated at home on Saturday against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (2-5, 1-2 C-USA).
FAU’s defense has been solid all season. Last week, they held UTSA to three points and 230 yards of offense. They also limited the nation’s leading rusher, running back Sincere McCormick, to 58 yards rushing and zero touchdowns.
With the offense as inconsistent as it’s been this season, FAU’s defense has shined. Expect them to turn in another strong performance this week as WKU has struggled on offense.
WKU will likely rely heavily on the run game as running back Gaej Walker has had some solid performances recently. He has rushed for 274 yards this season, but 163 of those have come in the last two games.
Hilltoppers quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome has split time with fellow quarterback Kevaris Thomas but Pigrome looks to start this week. Pigrome has passed for 738 yards, eight touchdowns, and zero interceptions on the season but he has only completed 58.7% of his passes.
As the team’s second-leading rusher, with 246 yards, Pigrome is most effective running the ball.
While their offense has been middle of the pack, WKU’s defense has arguably been its biggest problem. This season, WKU has allowed 29.7 points and 375.6 yards per game.
On the ground, WKU’s defense is giving up 4.7 yards per attempt and 185.7 rushing yards per game. Through the air, they have given up 190 yards per game and a completion percentage of 57.8 percent.
FAU has run the ball with great effectiveness this season with running back Malcolm Davidson leading the way with 195 yards rushing and a touchdown on 7.5 yards per rushing attempt.
While FAU quarterback Nick Tronti and the receiving corps have gotten better every week, FAU’s running game has produced consistently positive results. Expect them to feed Davidson early and often against a struggling WKU defense.
The game will kick off Saturday, Nov. 7 at FAU Stadium at 6 p.m. It will be broadcast on the streaming service Stadium.
Trey Avant is a staff writer for the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected] or tweet him @TreyAvant3.
