BOCA RATON – Three days removed from Saturday’s statement win over Middle Tennessee, Lane Kiffin saw an FAU team still reveling a little too much in that victory.
Having seen enough, Kiffin called the entire team together during a blustery Tuesday practice, letting them know how he felt.
“I think they were just going through the motions and feeling good about themselves instead of really working really hard,” Kiffin said. “They fixed it after that.”
It’s understandable that the Owls would want to savor a victory. They’re coming off three consecutive 3-9 seasons. The 38-20 victory over MTSU that moved FAU to 1-0 in Conference USA play was only the first against an FBS team this season.
“I think that’s just a continual goal of getting our guys to understand how to handle success and stop focusing on last game, stop listening to people around them telling them how good they played,” Kiffin said. “Get ready to play good again or else you’re not going to play well.”
Overall Kiffin tabbed Tuesday’s outing as an “average practice,” noting that after he called the Owls together the effort and execution improved.
On Saturday at Old Dominion FAU will try to win consecutive games for the first time in the Lane Kiffin era. Florida Atlantic only managed that feat once under previous coach Charlie Partridge, that coming last year.
The Owls had a shot at back-to-back wins earlier this season following a blowout victory over Bethune-Cookman, but FAU delivered what Kiffin termed an “embarrassing” effort in a loss to Buffalo.
“I just think it’s not [being] used to handling success,” Kiffin said. “You’ve got to do it every week. If you’re not prepared to play you are going to lose.”
FAU has yet to win on the road under Kiffin, losing to Wisconsin and Buffalo.
Saturday will likely mark the first road game the Owls are favored to win this season.
“We’re on the right track, now we’ve got to do it two weeks in a row,” Kiffin said. “We’ve got learn how to handle success.”
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