BOCA RATON – If Saturday’s scrimmage is any indication De’Andre Johnson will not be FAU’s starting quarterback when the Owls’ open their season against Navy on Sept. 1.
He may not even be the backup.
Johnson, who played with the first team, struggled through what might have been his worst day as an Owl, completing only a handful of passes while failing to lead the offense on a scoring drive.
FAU’s offense only managed five touchdowns during the first scrimmage of the fall to feature live tackling. Kiffin said the offense isn’t where he wants it to be, but didn’t criticize Johnson in particular following the scrimmage.
“I can’t answer that until I watch the film,” Kiffin said. “There’s too much stuff. You’ve got to know reads and route depths. Until you watch the film that’s too hard to answer.”
FAU’s defense dominated the afternoon much like it did during the spring game.
“It was good for (the offense) to see that we’ve got a long way to go,” Kiffin said. “Way too many turnovers. I thought guys played hard at times but they definitely didn’t master the situations.”
Johnson, a former Florida St. quarterback who transferred to FAU from East Mississippi where he starred in the Netflix docu-series Last Chance U, did show elusiveness while running the ball, but he consistently overthrew his intend targets – something that’s been a problem for him all fall.
Jason Driskel led the offense on two scoring drives as did Daniel Parr, with one culminating in a touchdown pass to newly-reinstated wide receiver Kamrin Solomon. Fourth stringer Steven Frank piloted one touchdown drive.
“Obviously when the head coach comes in here and says that we’re not where we need to be, he doesn’t take that lightly and we don’t either,” Driskel said. “We need to be more explosive – run game, pass game – down the field and that will open up everything else underneath.”
Kiffin isn’t sure why the Owls’ offense lags behind the defense.
“You’d like to think that wasn’t the case,” Kiffin said. “We’ve got to figure that out. We should be more effective. That was where our strength was supposed to be with the returning players. We’re not playing today, but I would have thought we’d be further along – especially with how well we started the spring.”
Johnson did move the Owls inside the 10 during the two minute drill, but as time expired he forced a pass intended for tight end John Raine that Shelton Lewis intercepted.
“I was trying to bait him a little bit on that because I was supposed to have the No. 1 (receiver) that went outside and he threw it to the No. 2 receiver.”
The Lewis interception was one of three turnovers that occurred either at the goal line or in the end zone.
Malik Vigille scooped up a Tyrek Tisdale fumble that occurred when the running back attempted to stretch the ball across the goal line and returned it to midfield.
Khamal Ellison, who switched from running back to defensive back last week, intercepted a Parr pass intended for Denzel Houston in the end zone.
“Just trying to make too many things happen and not taking what’s there,” Kiffin said.
While Kiffin was pleased to see the defense show the ability to make plays in the red zone, he thought the Owls, as a whole were “sloppy” when it came to tackling.
“Too much high tackling,” Kiffin said.
Sunday is an off day for FAU. The Owls return to the practice field on Monday.
HARD KNOCKS at the OX: Saturday’s FAU Scrimmage Report
Making Plays: Defensive tackle Jeremiah Taleni sacked De’Andre Johnson on back-to-back plays. …Pico Harrison made a terrific leaping catch along the sideline off a Jason Driskel pass, keeping the first touchdown drive of the afternoon moving. …Buddy Howell ended that drive with a two-yard TD run off a direct snap – the lone rushing touchdown of the day. Jason Driskel made a big play with his legs, tracking down an errant snap, then racing down the sideline to turn a third-and-15 into a first down. …Damian Horton and Joe Pohiva also notched sacks. …Kris Harris stopped Tyrek Tisdale on a fourth-and-one. …Henry Bussey made a fine over-the-shoulder catch on a bomb from Driskel during the two-minute drill that set up his touchdown catch from five yards out. …Parr completed his two-minute drill with a nine-yard TD pass to tight end John Raine. If the play looked familiar it’s because Parr successfully ran the same play for a touchdown a week ago at Hadley Park, connecting then with tight end Harrison Bryant.
Tracking the Depth Chart: With Azeez Al-Shaair present but sidelined for an undisclosed reason, linebacker Khantrell Burden worked alongside Hosea Barnwell with the first team. Burden delivered the biggest legal hit of the day when he blasted Henry Bussey, who was attempting to catch a pass across the middle. …It’s uncertain where Karmin Solomon will settle into the depth chart, but he has the advantage of having learned the offense during the spring. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Solomon with the first team sooner rather than later. …Kiffin announced that cornerback J’Quan Napier, who had spent time as a fill-in on the second team this fall, had elected to transfer.
Newcomer Watch: Wide receiver Denzel Houston continues to make plays when given the opportunity. He caught a 32-yard touchdown pass from Steven Frank on Saturday. …Jalen Kinder, generously listed at 5-foot-9 an 180 pounds, elicted oohs and ahhs from the crowd with a kick-off return that went from sideline to sideline. He didn’t gain much yardage, but he slipped several tackles.
Instant Message: “I know what we want them to be. We want to be physical. We want to be fast, play fearless, but I can’t say that we do that right now.” – FAU coach Lane Kiffin assessing the Owls after 15 fall practices.
Bonus Instant Message: “No cow. No longhorns. There’s no Bevo out there, but I’m pretty sure there’s some Owls pretty close nearby. I can honestly say that.” – FAU WR DeAndre McNeal, a former Texas Longhorn, responding to a reporter’s joke that, unlike Texas’ football stadium, FAU’s doesn’t have a “cow” on the sideline. Saturday marked McNeal’s first game-type action at Howard Schnellenberger Field.
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