The FAU Owls return home to Boca Raton, Fla. in what will be their last game of the regular season against Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) on Saturday.

Entering the home finale on a three-game losing streak with the hopes of bowl eligibility still possible, head coach Willie Taggart said that it all starts with him to make sure that the team doesn’t lose their competitive edge throughout the season, especially during practice sessions.

“From that standpoint, it can never be that way. You [have] to always have that competitive edge throughout the year. Not just a year, but just in general,” Taggart said. “You want to be able to play and make the plays that you’re supposed to, so we’ve got to get back to that and make sure [we’re] holding guys accountable to doing what they’re supposed to.”

Middle Tennessee has the same record as FAU, coming off a 50-10 blowout victory against Florida International University and a 24-17 defeat to Old Dominion University. Taggart gave his regards to their defense, ranked 73rd in the country in points allowed per game with 26.64.

“They’re very aggressive on defense and they’ve done a great job of getting the ball back for their offense,” Taggart said. “To get us another game, it is very highly important that we be smart with the football and take care of the football and not give [MTSU] extra possessions.”

Considering the three-game skid and the inability to score over 20 points for three consecutive matches, Taggart understands the frustration from the fans and everyone else with how the team has performed recently. 

“Everybody’s frustrated because we all care and we all want to do it right but winning is earned; you [have] to go earn it. [We have] to go get it and we understand that and we’ll do what we have to do,” Taggart said.

The Owls will take on the Blue Raiders at FAU Stadium in Howard Schnellenberger Field this Saturday, Nov. 27 at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on Stadium.

Richard Pereira is the Sports Editor for the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected] or tweet him @Rich26Pereira.