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BOCA RATON – The numbers suggest FAU quarterback Chris Robison enjoyed a pretty good night.
Coach Lane Kiffin – and Robison, too, for that matter – understand statistics don’t tell the whole story of FAU’s 36-31 loss to Marshall.
Robison completed 21-of-39 pass attempts for 362 yards. He rushed for two touchdowns.
The plays Robison didn’t make, however, cost the Owls dearly on Friday. Following the loss Kiffin made critical comments about Robison’s decision making during the loss.
“You’ve got RPOs,” Kiffin said. “There’s two options on that. You either run or you pass. One of the options is not Hold Onto The Ball. It doesn’t work real well when you do that. We probably did that four or five times, including the safety. That’s disappointing.”
The safety came in the closing minute of the third quarter, giving the Thundering Herd a 22-17 lead.
“It was an RPO and I’m reading the safety but the safety, if he doesn’t come down to play the run, I should hand the ball off and I didn’t hand the ball off – and it resulted in a bad play,” Robison said. “That play is all on me.”
Marshall also sacked Robison seven times, leading to minus 47 yards rushing for the Owls’ QB.
While some of those sacks were unavoidable because of poor offensive line play, Robison contributed to a few of the sacks by attempting to extend plays rather than simply throwing the ball away.
“I’ve got to be a situational master and tonight, at some points, I was trying to do too much with my feet when sometimes in the beginning of the year I would just throw the ball away,” Robison said.
GameBrowser: Marshall (4-3, 2-1) 36, FAU (4-3, 2-1) 31
-Compiled by Matt Wilson
TURNING POINT
After an FAU touchdown gave the Owls a 31-30 lead late, Marshall faced a third-and-nine at its own 24 yard line. Quarterback Isiah Green bought time, scramble first to his left, then reversing to the right side. He ultimately found wide receiver Corey Gammage, who broke a couple tackles to give the Herd a first down. Had FAU stopped Marshall, the Herd faced a do-or-die fourth down. FAU once again missed to tackles, sparking a three-minute drive that culminated with Brenden Knox’s game-winning 17-yard touchdown run.
TRENDING TOPICS
- FAU’s offensive line struggled against the Marshall rush and pass defense. The line gave up seven sacks and 12 tackles for losses. Robison felt pressure all game. The Owls rushing attack was non-existent, accounting for 57 rushing yards.
- FAU succeeded in throwing the ball down the field. Robison threw for 362 yards on 21 completions. He’s now thrown for 300 yards in four of his last five games.
- Penalties affected key FAU drives. The Owls had nine penalties for 90 yards, with 45 of the yards coming from the first drive. The Owls gave Marshall free shots. The Thundering Herd ultimately took advantage.
- The Owls’ tackling issues reappeared on Friday and led to another loss. Brenden Knox averaged 9.6 yards a carry against the Owls. FAU’s defense is now surrendering 164.9 yards per game, which places the Owls eighth in the conference.
KEY STATS
3 – 1-yard rushing touchdowns for FAU – two by Robison.
7 – Sacks of Robison.
11 – Total rushing yards in the first half for FAU.
61 – Yards on one first-quarter reception for tight end John Raine, the longest passing gain of the season for the Owls.
220 – Rushing yards for Marshall running back Brenden Knox.
460 – Total yards for Marshall’s offense.
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