Not to be outdone by the school “across the street”, Florida Atlantic also made a celebrity head coach hire when it some how managed to land former Oakland Raider/Tennessee/USC head man Lane Kiffin. While many speculate that this is a short term stop for Kiffin in an effort to rehabilitate his coaching reputation, Kiffin steps into a pretty situation with the Owls.
This is one of several crossover matchups this year between AAC and Conference USA. The teams have met one time previously in 20012 when Navy beat FAU 24-17 in Annapolis, the Middies failing to cover as a 16-point favorite. Florida Atlantic plays its home games at FAU Stadium in Boca Raton which opened in 2011 and seats 30,000. The Friday kickoff is at 8:00 PM EST and will be shown on ESPNU and Direct TV channel 208.
Navy is off a 9-5 year and winning the AAC Western Division. At one point the Middies were 9-2 with upset victories over Houston, Memphis, and Notre Dame. Quarterback Will Worth was leading an offensive juggernaut before getting hurt on the first series of the AAC championship game. Worth would be out for the year and Navy subsequently lost its final three games including their rivalry game with Army snapping the Middies 14-game winning streak.
Florida Atlantic comes off a 3-9 year that saw the Owls lose several close decisions but gained valuable experience along the way. Departed coach Charlie Partridge was an excellent recruiter but unfortunately won’t be around to see his work as Kiffin takes over 17 experienced returning starters, the majority of which are sophomores and juniors. DeAndre Johnson, a Florida State transfer will take over at quarterback and Devin Singletary returns after becoming the first freshman to rush for over 1000 yards for the Owls.
Navy looks to be in a rebuilding year with just 11 returning starters but Ken Niumatalolo is one of the top coaches the game and seemingly wins 8 or 9 games regardless of what they put out on the field. The Middies would be well served to win here as they have two very winnable home games on deck before traveling for their late September showdown at Tulsa.
This Lane Kiffin’s debut and obviously the first home game of the new regime. Energy in the stadium will be through the roof and the Owls definitely have the personnel to play with the Middies. FAU has a money game at Wisconsin on deck but then play Bethune Cookman and Buffalo so a win here could have the Owls 3-1 and flying high headed to a home date with a very good Middle Tennessee State Blue Raider outfit.
We’re going to grab double-digit points with a very live home dog. Other than its first game back in 2001 when Howard Schnellenberger was hired to start a football program, this is the biggest game in school history. Navy is very good, won’t be pressured but may take a couple of games to settle in with new QB Zack Abey. If the Middies were ever ripe to be picked, this is the spot.