BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) FAU coach Lane Kiffin sees the program he’d like his Owls to become in No. 18 UCF.
UCF travels to FAU on Saturday, winners of 23 consecutive regular-season games and 26 of its last 27 overall.
”I think it’s the program that every Group of Five program aspires to be,” Kiffin said. ”They’ve won as many games as anybody in the last couple years in the country.”
Kiffin’s first season gave the Owls hope that they could quickly replicate the success of their neighbors to the north. However, the Owls followed an 11-3 record and first Conference USA title in 2017 with a 5-7 effort last season.
”They are a great team, a great program, been winning for a long time, have done it over decades,” Kiffin said. ”We haven’t yet. We did it for a year.”
Central Florida pummeled Florida A&M 62-0 in its season opener. FAU fell behind No. 5 Ohio State 28-0 in the first 10 minutes of its season opener before the Owls’ defense improved a bit in what became a 45-21 loss.
”After that they played extremely physical, settled into their game plan,” UCF coach Josh Heupel said. ”I thought they handled the running game from Ohio State from the second quarter on really well. Didn’t give up big plays in the passing game. They are an experienced group on the back end – a lot of the same guys who played from a year ago.”
UCF is the first ranked team to visit Howard Schnellenberger Field, which opened in 2011. The Owls have never beaten a ranked team on any field.
With fewer than 500 tickets remaining Friday morning, FAU officials are optimistic they’ll sell out their 29,495-seat stadium for only the second time.
”We have a lot of guys that are from down in that area,” Heupel said. ”We have a large fan base. We expect a lot of our fans to show up and be wearing black and gold on Saturday night.”
BAYLOR SPEED
Both offenses trace their roots to Art Briles’ ultra-uptempo Baylor offenses. Kiffin hired former Baylor offensive coordinator Kendal Briles, Art’s son and current FSU coordinator, for the same position at FAU in 2017. The Owls’ 2019 offensive scheme is a blend of Kendal’s and Kiffin’s principles. UCF offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby also served as an assistant on Art Briles’ Baylor staff.
QB CONTEST
Notre Dame transfer Brandon Wimbush beat out true freshman Dillon Gabriel to start the season opener at quarterback. Wimbush completed 12-of-23 passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns against the Rattlers. Gabriel also impressed, missing on only four of his 13 passes while throwing three touchdowns.
”Both of them earned the opportunity to continue to play football for us,” Heupel said.
EARLY LOSS
Kiffin hoped former Alabama running back BJ Emmons would anchor a running back rotation this fall, but Emmons broke an ankle on his first carry against Ohio St. and is expected to miss the season.
STOUT FRONT
Having lost three starters and a key reserve to graduation, UCF entered the season with an unproven defensive line. The replacements fared well in Week 1, as the Knights allowed Florida A&M only 96 yards of total offense.
FAMILY AFFAIR
The athletic director’s stadium suite boxes will pit brother against brother when UCF’s Danny White visits brother Brian for the first time. Danny holds a 1-0 advantage following last season’s 56-36 victory in Orlando.
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