Owls aim for second win against Huskies – UNIVERSITY PRESS

Last week, the Florida Atlantic University football team (1-2, 0-1 AAC) earned its first win of the season after defeating its South Florida rivals, the Florida International University Panthers (1-2), 38-20.

The Owls are back on the road this Saturday to play the University of Connecticut Huskies (1-2) at 7 p.m. in East Hartford, Connecticut.

The Huskies are fresh off a 26-21 loss to Duke University (3-0). UConn led 21-17 in the third quarter, but Duke came back with a field goal in the fourth quarter. Then, with 11:49 left, Duke threw a 20-yard pass for a touchdown, but the two-point conversion was unsuccessful.

Here are the University Press Sports Editor's predictions for Saturday's game against UConn.

Megan Bruinsma, sports editor

The Owls finally proved they could do it, and doing so in a rivalry game was especially important to retaining fan support. Last week's game against FIU finally gave viewers a good look at FAU's offensive scoring capabilities. FAU scored a total of 17 points in its first two games against Michigan State and Army. Against FIU, they doubled their season average in just one game, scoring 38 points.

Cam Fancher moved the ball well and threw for 161 yards and ran in the end zone for two touchdowns. He had no turnovers, a trend that must continue. But the real offensive performance was running back Zuberi Mobley. He was responsible for three of FAU's touchdowns and ran for 134 yards on 20 carries. In the previous two games, he was barely used and had only 10 carries against MSU and three against Army.

FAU has found its defensive flow again. Army's triple option offense clearly threw the Owls' defense off, but after their performance during the FIU game, we can still say that the defense looks solid. They need to be prepared for the rush game, though.

UConn suffered a major fourth quarter collapse that cost them the game. The turning point was when quarterback Terry Moore threw an interception early in the fourth quarter. Duke took advantage of that and scored the touchdown on their drive after the loss that gave them the win.

With UConn's confidence waning and FAU's confidence growing, this matchup promises to be an exciting one. If this game had been played a week ago, I would have said the Owls were done for, but now that they're finding their stride on offense… is a second win in sight?

Forecast: FAU 24, UConn 21

Maddox Greenberg, Editor

After a bitter 24-7 home loss to Army, it was refreshing to see something positive about this 2024 FAU football team. The 38-20 victory over their southern “rival”, Florida International, eased concerns about the offense, more specifically, concerns about Fancher.

But not only that, the defense continued to surprise fans, holding FIU to just seven points until the final seconds of the third quarter. During that time, the defense managed two interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

But that was last week. Next week, FAU travels to East Hartford, Connecticut, for the second time in program history and the first since 2002. UConn, under third-year head coach Jim Mora, is coming off a 26-21 road loss to Duke University in which they came back from 17-0 down to lead 21-17.

This UConn team will not be easy for FAU to defeat, and it was so important for them to get their seventh consecutive Shula Bowl home win to travel with confidence.

UConn’s offense, led by quarterback Joe Fagnano, averaged 30 points per game, 181.7 rush yards per game, 234.33 pass yards per game and had 13 touchdowns this season.

On the positive side, UConn’s defense allowed 31 points per game, 171.3 rush yards per game, 267.67 pass yards per game and 11 touchdowns this season.

For FAU to beat UConn, it will need to trust that the defense will do everything it can to stop Fagnano and get some turnovers. However, the offense will need to build on last week's momentum and win time of possession. UConn's opponents run out the clock by nearly 37 minutes left.

The offensive line needs to provide some gaps for running backs Zuberi Mobley and CJ Campbell Jr. to move the ball forward. More importantly, the offensive line needs to protect Fancher at all costs so he has time to find his receivers.

This UConn defense has only six sacks and seven quarterback hurries and one player with an interception this season. The odds are in the Owls' favor, but they have to take advantage of them, that's the most important thing. Even last week, early in the first quarter, the Owls' offense was a bit shaky, managing three-and-zero on their first few drives.

Although the defense's performance was spectacular, you can't always rely on the defense to bail you out with save-the-day moments like a turnover on a down inside the opponent's 25. When the opponent passes the ball, you have to be careless and drive the ball down the field.

I think this game bodes well for FAU. They just need to do three things: trust the defense to do their job, have the offensive line protect Fancher and give him time in the pocket to find his receivers and secure possession. The weather won't be kind, and neither will the fans, but if teams follow these three concepts, they'll finish the season 2-2 before heading home.

Forecast: FAU 28, UConn 24

John Burke, contributing author

It's never easy to bounce back emotionally after a big win in a rivalry, especially when you have to travel the following week. Saturday's game will be a big challenge for FAU, not only on the field but mentally as well.

The Owls are in high spirits after beating FIU so convincingly last week, but the reality is that this is still a 1-2 football team. They can't afford another loss at this point in the season if they want to bowl this year.

As slight underdogs, FAU needs to put last week behind them and focus on the challenge ahead. UConn also has a 1-2 record this year and will be hungry for a win after their narrow loss to Duke last week.

On offense, FAU needs to build on last week's momentum and continue to run the ball effectively. UConn's defense has not been good against non-FCS teams this year, as both Maryland and Duke have been able to move the ball with great efficiency against them. Maryland in particular had a whopping 629 yards in Week one against UConn, 248 of which were on the ground. If the offense can limit the mistakes and stay ahead of the chains, chances will arise on Saturday.

In defense, the formula should be pretty simple. Eliminate wide receivers Skyler Bell deviate from the game plan and let someone else beat you. Bell is the clear alpha among receivers, as he ranks 12th in the nation with 304 receiving yards this season through three games. He is by far the favorite weapon of QB Nick Evers, who bombarded him with targets last week and threw to Bell on nearly 50% of his attempts.

The quarterback situation is a little uncertain for the Huskies. In their week one game, Evers was replaced due to injury by quarterback Joe Fangnano, who Week two Matchup against Merrimack College. Despite the outstanding performance, Fagnano was again relegated to the backup role when Evers was healthy enough to return Last week against Duke. Neither has looked particularly good against non-FCS schools and this could be a good opportunity for a big day for the Owls defense.

Rank 5th place in the country with 9 forced turnovers, it seems that FAU's defense has done everything but score themselves this year. The key to success on Saturday will be taking Skyler Bell out of the game and potentially doubling him on big possessions and third down attempts. He's the only guy on the Huskies offense that scares me and it will be interesting to see how FAU's secondary fares against the best WR they've played all year.

Overall, this feels like a trap game for FAU. It is strange to comment on a game where you do not favored a game where you can fall into a trap, but the point still stands. I'm curious to see how focused the Owls will be when the contest begins. I think FAU is a better team than UConn, but with everything I just mentioned and the fact that Saturday is a road game in a hostile environment, this feels like a fluke.

The key to victory is simple. Don't lose the ball on offense and don't let Bell beat you on defense. I think FAU will start slow, but the defense will make enough plays to give the offense plenty of opportunities to take advantage of UConn's subpar defense.

Forecast: FAU 20, UConn 17

For information about this or other stories, send an email [email protected] or DM the team on Instagram: Megan Bruinsma (@megan_bruinsma), Maddox Greenberg (@Maddoxblade04).