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BOCA RATON – Becoming bowl eligible tonight against Marshall isn’t exactly FAU’s goal.
The Owls are thinking much bigger than that.
“We have not used that all that much because that’s not really a goal that I would have for our team,” FAU coach Lane Kiffin said. “I’ve got a lot higher goals than that.”
Like a Conference USA championship.
Yes, a win over Marshall would all but assure FAU a postseason berth. More importantly, it would give FAU an almost insurmountable advantage over Marshall, widely considered the best team in Conference USA, in the battle to claim C-USA’s East Division title.
Reaching the Conference USA title game? That’s a goal the Owls can embrace.
“We’ve prepared for this,” FAU running back Devin Singletary said. “This has always been our mindset as a team, even with the coaches, to takeover the conference.”
The Thundering Herd rebounded from last year’s disappointing 3-9 record to win six of their first seven games before Saturday’s shocking loss to FIU, a defeat Kiffin called “a fluke.”
A traditional C-USA power, Marshall won at least 10 games from every year from 2013-15, finishing te 2014 season ranked in the Top 20. The Owls have never beaten the Thundering Herd in four tries.
“We’ve got to earn their respect,” FAU running back Buddy Howell said. “They probably don’t respect us. They probably feel like we’re the same old FAU like everybody else thinks. We’ve just got to go out there and compete, and just do what we do.”
A win over Marshall would give FAU a 5-0 start to conference play for the first time in program history. The Owls haven’t won five consecutive games since 2004, back when they were begging the transition from FCS to FBS.
Within C-USA play a victory would give FAU a two-game lead over Marshall with three games to play, plus the Owls will hold the tiebreaker over the Thundering Herd.
“This game will determine a lot with the conference championship,” FAU linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair said. “Everybody who’s any part of Conference USA sports in general or football understands the significance of this game.”
KEYS TO THE GAME: FAU (5-3, 4-0) vs. Marshall (6-2, 3-1)
VS 
Marshall (6-2, 3-1 C-USA)
vs. FAU (5-3, 4-0 C-USA)
- When: Friday, 6 p.m.
- Where: Howard Schnellenberger Field
- Radio: ESPN West Palm (106.3 FM)
Key for the Owls: Marshall boasts one of the best defenses in the nation. FAU owns one of the best offenses. The Owls can’t count on another 40-, 50- or 60-point offensive outburst against a Marshall defensive that ranks No. 15 nationally, so the Owls are going to have to do some work defensively, too. Marshall has only allowed three sacks on the season. The Owls may not sack QB Chase Litton, but they do need to make him uncomfortable.
Key for the Thundering Herd: Slow down FAU’s running game. The yard-churning, point scoring production of Devin Singletary and Buddy Howell is no longer a secret. Marshall will try to force FAU quarterback Jason Driskel to win the game through the air. He can do it, and has done it, but Driskel has yet to do it consistently.
Banged Up: Stopping FAU’s running game may be a little easier that expected. During his weekly radio show on Wednesday, FAU coach Lane Kiffin told ESPN West Palm’s Ken LaVicka that Singletary did not practice this week and that Howell was also banged up. Singletary carried the ball a career-high 36 times in Saturday’s win over WKU and certainly was at least a little sore in the days that followed, but Kiffin may be employing a little gamesmanship here. The photo in this story shows Singletary participating in a drill Monday. Singletary may well have been held out of contact drills later in practice. They take place after practice is closed to the media. As for Howell, he did leave Saturday’s game with an apparent knee injury but did return. He was delayed before meeting with the media earlier this week because he stopped in the trainer’s room for extra treatment.
Altered Scheduled: Playing on Friday as opposed to Saturday prompted Kiffin to move the Owls’ practice schedule forward one day. He elected to have the Owls rest closer to Friday’s game as opposed to immediately after Saturday’s win. As a result, the Owls treated Monday as though it were a Tuesday, Tuesday as a Wednesday and used Wednesday as their limited walk-through practice. “Some people say, alright, we want to make sure we get our bodies back for that Tuesday practice,” Kiffin said. “I just thought it was better to be tired early and get the legs back later than the other way around.”
Getting Basic: Since FAU entered Conference USA play this season the Owls’ base 4-3 defense became a 4-2-5, providing an extra defensive back on the field to counter the additional receivers featured in C-USA spread offenses. On Friday FAU may play more 4-3 than it has in recent weeks in an attempt to shut down Marshall’s ground attack. Normally an inside linebacker, Kris Harris could see some time as an outside linebacker this week in a run-stopping role.
Special Play: FAU kicker Greg Joseph and punter Ryan Rickel received national recognition this week. On Monday the Ray Guy Award committee named him to their watch list. Thursday brought news of Joseph being one of 20 semifinalists for the Lou Groza Award. The Thundering Herd are no slouch on special teams, either. Marshall ranks No. 14 nationally in kickoff return defense and No. 17 nationally in net punting.
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