FLORIDA ATLANTIC FOOTBALL FAU at Ball State 2019 FLORIDA ATLANTIC Primary Contact: Assistant AD Katrina McCormack - E: [email protected] | C: 561-251-5588 | O: 561-297-3163 Secondary Contact: Assistant Director Jonathan Fraysure - FOOTBALL E: [email protected]; C: 561-430-7148 COVERING THE TEAM - RADIO 0-2 0-0 C-USA Fox Sports 640 South Florida 2019 Play-by-Play ............................................ Ken LaVicka Analyst ....................................................... Kris Bartels FAU at Ball State Pre/Post-game/Engineer .................... Mike Mreczko Second Meeting/Adding a State – The Needing to Replace – The Owls tallied COVERING THE TEAM - T.V. Owls are traveling to the state of Indiana 2,941 rushing yards in 2018. That is the ESPN+ for the first time. Today’s game is the sec- good news. The challenge in 2019 will be Play-by-Play ................................................Jim Barbar ond meeting between the two schools. Ball replacing 87.7 percent of the offense lost Analyst ...............................................Mark Herrmann State won the first game, in Boca Raton, to graduation or to the NFL draft. The 31-21 on Sept. 24, 2016. It is the sixth wide receiver room is in a similar situation meeting between the Owls and a MAC needing to replace nearly 40 percent of the HISTORY VS. BALL STATE school. FAU is 2-3 all-time versus the op- 2018 production accumulated by gradu- Series: This is the second meeting between the two posing league. ates and transfers. On the defensive side schools. There are 18 Owls who were on the roster in 2016. John Raine collected his first collegiate recep- of the ball, the Owl fare slightly better. The tion in the Ball State contest. Becoming a Leader – Senior safety defense lost nearly 35 percent of its pro- Da’Von Brown transformed himself in duction, but welcomes the return of senior AN OWL WIN WOULD... the offseason, knowing the Owls needed Rashad Smith, who had a team-leading 86 • Be the program’s 93rd win a leader. Brown dove into his playbook tackles a year ago. • Be FAU’s first win in the state of Indiana in the offseason, learned the new system • Would move the Owls to 1-2 under a new defensive coordinator (his Aussie Connection – Confidence in the • Would improve FAU to 3-3 verus MAC Opponents fourth in as many years), and drew his first kicking game was not something the Owls collegiate start versus Ohio State and his headed into the offseason with. The Owls ’19 CONFERENCE USA STANDINGS second versus UCF. Brown backed up his looked down under for the answer by sign- vocal leadership with eight tackles includ- ing punter Matt Hayball. Hayball, whose TEAM C-USA OVERALL ing one for a loss of a yard at OSU and he more natural boot is a rugby style, tallied EAST DIVISION W L W L WKU 0 0 1 1 added six versus UCF. nine punts in game one, with a long of 70 Charlotte 0 0 1 1 yards. His 47.2 yard average was critical Marshall 0 0 1 1 Old Dominion 0 0 1 1 Dissecting the Running Back Room – in the first half, a half that saw his number Middle Tennessee 0 0 1 1 All eyes are on the FAU running back called eight times. In the Owls’ 19-year Florida Atlantic 0 0 0 2 FIU 0 0 0 2 room. How would the Owls replace Devin history, just one other player has used a WEST DIVISION W L W L Singletary, the program’s all-time rush- rugby style. Mickey Groody (2007-11) UAB 0 0 2 0 Louisiana Tech 0 0 1 1 ing leader and Kerrith Whyte, the only adopted the style late in his career to avoid North Texas 0 0 1 1 player to ever return a kickoff for a score? pressure. The only other international Southern Miss 0 0 1 1 The answer – they won’t, but heading into kicker to dot FAU’s roster was Greg Joseph UTSA 0 0 1 1 UTEP 0 0 1 1 game one versus Ohio State the Owls had (2013-17) was born in South Africa, Rice 0 0 0 2 planned for a three-headed monster. FAU but grew up in Boca Raton and played would start with James Charles, shift to American football in high school at nearby ’19 SCHEDULE AND RESULTS newcomer BJ Emmons and get some time American Heritage-Delray. Date Opponent Location Time/Result in for freshman newcomer Larry McCam- Aug. 31 at No. 5 Ohio State Columbus, Ohio L, 45-21 Sept. 7 No. 18 UCF BOCA RATON, Fla. L, 48-14 mon III. Charles’ start went off as planned. Sept. 14 at Ball State Muncie, Ind. 2 p.m. Emmons entered the game, had a recep- Sept. 21 Wagner BOCA RATON, Fla. 6 p.m. tion and one carry for a gain of a yard and Sept. 8 at Charlotte* Charlotte, NC 3:30 p.m. suffered a broken ankle. McCammon took Oct. 12 Middle Tennessee* BOCA RATON, Fla. 4 p.m. Oct. 19 Marshall* (HC) BOCA RATON, Fla. 6:30 p.m. the ball for his turn and proved to be the Oct. 26 at Old Dominion* Norfolk, Va. 3:30 p.m. projected bright spot. McCammon had a Nov. 2 at WKU * Bowling Green, Ky. 4 p.m. team-leading 11 carries for a total of 22 Nov. 9 FIU * (Shula Bowl) BOCA RATONN, Fla. 6 p.m. yards and his first collegiate touchdown. Nov. 23 at UTSA * San Antonio, Texas 6 p.m. Nov. 30 Southern Miss * BOCA RATON, Fla. 3:30 p.m. Dec. 7 C-USA Championship TBA TBA 2 *C-USA Opponents Harrison Bryant Named C-USA Media Predicts a Third Preseason C-USA Place Eastern Division Finish for Florida Atlantic University senior tight end Harrison Bryant was named to the 2019 Conference USA Football Preseason the FAU Owls Team, as announced by the league on July 12. The team was Florida Atlantic University football has been picked to finish chosen by the league’s 14 head coaches. third among the Conference USA Eastern Division members, by Bryant is expected to return and hold down his role as the the league’s selected media members, announced C-USA on July Owls’ starting tight end for the third consecutive season. Bryant 16. started each of the team’s 12 games a year ago and finished his The Owls, who received three first place votes, finished 2018 junior campaign with the second most receiving yards and the with a 5-7 record and posted a 3-5 mark in C-USA play. FAU is second most receiving touchdowns on the team. The Georgia predicted to finish behind Marshall, picked to win the East with native uses his size to provide protection, and consistent hands 14 first place votes, and FIU, which had nine votes. to make him a quarterback favorite. He has played in 35 games FAU will host both Marshall and FIU in 2019. The Owls will over the last three seasons, improving his production in each. play host to Marshall on Friday, Oct. 18 at 6:30 p.m. and will Bryant has a career total of 1,133 yards receiving and nine host FIU, in the 18th Annual Shula Bowl, on Saturday, Nov. 9 at scores. 6 p.m. CBS Sports Network will carry the Marshall contest while “I want to thank the coaches that selected me for this award STADIUM is scheduled to broadcast the Shula Bowl, an event as well as my teammates, coaches and support staff that has that the Owls have won 12 of the 17 meetings, including a 49-14 helped me grow on and off the field the past for years,” said Bry- victory a year ago, in Miami. ant. The Owls are expected to be led by seniors Harrison Bryant (TE), who was a preseason C-USA selection, and Rashad Smith Notes on the Preseason Team (LB). The duo represented FAU at the 2019 Football C-USA Me- • Bryant is the first FAU tight end to be selected to a C-USA dia Day event held in Dallas, Wednesday, July 17 and Thursday, preseason team July 18. • Six of FAU’s previous preseason selections have been drafted FAU will open its season Saturday, August 31 at Ohio State. or signed a NFL free agent contract The noon game will be broadcast on Fox. The C-USA season • Four previous selections are currently on an NFL contracts opener is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 28 at Charlotte. That • The only year FAU did not have a player selected for the Charlotte contest will be the first FAU game to air on NFL Net- preseason team (2017), the squad finished 11-3 and captured work. It also marks the first time the Owls ended a conference the league title season versus the same opponent that they opened league play with the following season. Regardless of the back-to-back league Previous Preseason C-USA Selections encounters, both teams will be vying for the opportunity to play 2013 - Andrae Kirk (LB) in the Saturday, Dec. 7 C-USA Championship game. 2014 - Andrae Kirk (LB), D’Joun Smith (DB) 2015 - Cre’Von LeBlanc (CB) 2016 - Trey Hendrickson (DL/C-USA Preseason Defensive Play- er of the Year), Dalton Schomp (P/C-USA Preseason Co-Special Teams Player of the Year), Reggie Bain (OL), Azeez Al-Shaair (LB), Ocie Rose (S), Jalen Rose (S) 2017 - None selected 2018 - Devin Singletary (RB/C-USA Preseason Offensive Player of the Year), Azeez Al-Shaair (LB/C-USA Preseason Defensive Player of the Year), Lane Kiffin (HC/Preseason Coach of the Year) 3 The Latest News/Trends Back-to-Back C-USA Top Recruiting Classes - Lane Kiffin Catching the Ball – Head Coach Lane Kiffin is accustomed to surprised prognosticators his first season with the quality of battles at the quarterback spot.