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BOCA RATON – A casual observer might have difficulty picking the NFL-bound tight end on FAU;s roster purely from looking at this year’s statistics.
Harrison Bryant is the All-Conference USA selection, but through the early part of the season it’s John Raine who’s making the biggest plays.
Raine’s 19 receptions on the season lead the Owls and his three touchdown receptions are tied for second most on the team.
For the second consecutive game Raine punctuated the Owls’ first scoring drive, this time by catching a five-yard touchdown pass from Chris Robison to start the scoring in FAU’s 42-7 victory over Wagner.
“He’s got a knack to do a good job down there on those sneak plays like that,” FAU coach Lane Kiffin said.
Raine likely wouldn’t have been in that position had Bryant not been battling a rib injury. A few plays before Raine’s score, Bryant took a hit to the ribs following a catch and run that sidelined him for the remainder of the drive.
“Throughout the first four games John has three touchdown catches and Harrison has none, but I don’t think that has to do with anything just besides who’s in the game at that time,” Robison said. “They can both make the plays.”
While he did return from that initial hit, Bryant took another shot to the midsection in the second quarter and didn’t return after that one, spending the second half on the sidelines in street clothes.
It’s not as though Bryant’s having a bad year. His 249 receiving yards on the season lead the Owls. FAU’s depth at tight end is allowing Kiffin to employ two-tight end sets as an offensive weapon, especially near the goal line.
GameBrowser: FAU (2-2) 42, Wagner (0-4)
TURNING POINT
With two minutes left in the 1st quarter, FAU led 7-0 but looked like it was slowing down against Wagner. Then Deangelo Antoine changed the game. Antoine’s 37 yard touchdown pass opened up the passing game for the Owls. Antoine’s touchdown sparked a first half run where he outscored Wagner 21-0, sending FAU into halftime with a 28-7 lead. Before that drive, FAU only had 62 passing yards. They ended up with 119 which led to the 387 total yards on the night for the Owls
TRENDING TOPICS
- Over the last two games Robison has thrown for 749 yards and nine touchdowns. Last year Robison threw for 2,500 yards and 12 touchdowns in 12 games. So far this season he has 1,100 yards passing and 10 touchdowns, with only one interception, through four games. He’s in a good place right now.
- FAU’s offensive line, even with the win tonight, struggled against Wagner’s FCS-level defense. FAU only gained 120 rushing yards on its 31 carries. Robison spent much of the afternoon running around the backfield fleeing pressure, which did sack him once. With FAU going into conference play, we will see if the Owls can change it up and get more time for Robison and holes for the running backs.
- Linebacker Rashad Smith added to his turnover total today by intercepting his first pass of the season. Smith who also had 10 tackles, including half a sack, now has four turnovers on the season. Smith leads the Owls with 36 tackles and three fumble recoveries, and is now tied for the team lead in interceptions with one.
- True freshman linebacker Eddie Williams made an impact against Wagner. In his first game action, Williams’s four tackles tied for fourth most among Owls. Kiffin said earlier in the week he was looking to incorporate younger players, which means we can be on the lookout for Williams more this year.
KEY STATS
Minus 6 – Total rushing yards by the Wagner offense.
0 – Turnovers committed by the Owls.
4 – Receiving touchdowns by Deangelo Antoine.
5 – Chris Robison passing touchdowns.
11 – Third down conversions on 15 tries for FAU.
12 – Total penalties committed by FAU, totaling 95 lost yards.
87 – Total rushing yards for the Owls’ running back unit, led by freshman Larry McCammon’s 48.
507 – Yards of total offense for FAU.
14,210 – Announced attendance. Actual attendance was closer to half that total.
– GameBrowser by Matt Wilson
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