On Tuesday, the Owls returned to practice following their 42-20 victory over the Monmouth University Hawks last Saturday, and are now preparing to take on the Ohio University Bobcats.
The offense lit up the scoreboard for the Owls, putting up 14 points early in the first quarter and another 14 before halftime last Saturday. FAU scored two touchdowns in each of the first three quarters.
Junior running back Larry McCammon ran for 125 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. Redshirt sophomore Tony Johnson, junior LaJohntay Wester, redshirt senior Je’Quan Burton and McCammon all found a way to get involved as the offense tallied 493 total yards. Johnson caught five receptions for a team-high 91 yards and two touchdowns; Wester caught a team-high six receptions for 55 yards and a touchdown; Burton caught three passes for 56 yards and two touchdowns; and McCammon caught four passes for 59 yards.
Graduate quarterback Casey Thompson led the Owls to victory in his debut, going 20-for-25 with 280 yards, five touchdowns, and an interception while also rushing three times for 18 yards. Thompson finished the game with a quarterback rating of 83%.
Despite all of that, the offense was the star of the game. Now, FAU meets their next challenger: th Ohio Bobcats of the Mid-American Conference (MAC).
Thompson was not the only one making his debut last Saturday. Head coach Tom Herman, too, returned to college football for the first time in two years. Herman brought several new members to the coaching staff, including offensive coordinator Charlie Frye, who last served as the OC at Penn State University.
At practice today, some Owls wore red and white for offense and defense, while others wore black jerseys to simulate Ohio players.
Frye addressed the media at Tuesday’s practice, and while pleased with the offense’s performance, he did bring up areas where they could take a step forward.
“It takes an offense to protect the quarterback,” said Frye. “So, it’s something we’re always emphasizing, always having hot periods and communicating that way. Having blitz pickup all spring and all summer so that we give them the best chance to go out there and do that.”
Frye also talked about the significance of Purdue University graduate transfer running back Kobe Lewis’ return, after missing Week One due to rib injury precaution.
“Kobe’s been a very vocal leader for our unit since he’s got here. He gives us that tough mindset, you know, he’s a really tough player. Runs really hard, blocks hard. Everything he does is 100 miles an hour, so I know he was itching to get back, and it will be good to have him back.”
After his two-touchdown performance on Saturday, Johnson was also available to the media on Tuesday and mentioned the “chip on your shoulder” attitude in the locker room.
“We feel good,” stated Johnson. “I say the problem isn’t more of a get-back. It’s more of–we know we’re a different team than last year, so we’re ready to show everybody that. We still got a taste in our mouth [from] the guys here last year. We just want to go out there and play our brand of football and show everybody who the new FAU is.”
Maddox Greenberg is the Sports Editor for the University Press. Email [email protected] or DM via Twitter @MaddoxGreenberg and Instagram @maddoxblade04 for information regarding this or other stories.
