Tag: FAU

Sep 15, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; National Football League member Ray Lewis stands on the field before the game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Las Vegas Raiders at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Report: Ray Lewis is potential FAU head coach candidate

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis is a potential candidate to fill the head-coaching vacancy at Florida Atlantic, according to an ESPN report.

No formal communication or interview has taken place as of Wednesday morning, according to CBS Sports.

Second-year coach Tom Herman was fired Monday after going 6-16 in his short tenure at the Boca Raton school.

Lewis, 49, won two Super Bowls during a storied 17-year career with the Baltimore Ravens, who picked him in the first round of the 1996 NFL Draft. He’s a 13-time Pro Bowler and seven-time First-team All-Pro who was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018.

Among other NFL records, Lewis has the most tackles and most solo tackles in league history and is the only NFL player to have at least 40 career sacks and 30 career interceptions.

However, Lewis has no coaching experience at the pro or collegiate level.

According to ESPN, a hire of Ray Lewis could be modeled after the success of Deion Sanders, another Pro Football Hall of Fame defender who was hired at the collegiate level with no coaching experience. In two seasons at the helm of the Colorado Buffaloes, Sanders has led the team from a 1-11 record before his arrival to fighting for spot in the Big 12 title game with an 8-2 record (6-1 Big 12). He previously coached at Jackson State.

Since his retirement from the NFL, Lewis has worked in multiple media positions, including several years for ESPN.

Lewis grew up in Lakeland, Fla., and played two seasons of college football at Miami.

–Field Level Media

Nov 1, 2024; Boca Raton, Florida, USA; Florida Atlantic Owls head coach Tom Herman walks on the field before the game against the South Florida Bulls at FAU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

Reports: FAU fires coach Tom Herman in 2nd season

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Florida Atlantic has fired head coach Tom Herman in just his second season, multiple outlets reported Monday.

Associate head coach Chad Lunsford will be named interim head coach for the Owls’ final two games.

Herman finishes with a 6-16 record in Boca Raton, Fla.

The news comes two days after the Owls lost to Temple in overtime, 18-15. The loss dropped FAU to 2-8 and 0-6 in the AAC. Temple fired head coach Stan Drayton on Sunday.

Herman, 49, is owed a buyout of more than $4 million, according to the USA Today database.

FAU hired Herman in 2023. He went 32-18 in four seasons at Texas but was fired after a 7-3 stint in the 2020 COVID season. Herman led the Longhorns to a bowl win in each of his four seasons.

Herman went 22-4 as head coach in Houston from 2015-16. He is 5-1 in bowl games overall, though not at FAU.

–Field Level Media

Michigan State's head coach Jonathan Smith watches over the action during the first day of football camp on Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in East Lansing.

Aidan Chiles, new-look Michigan State to test mettle vs. FAU

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Oregon State wasn’t one of the former Pac-12 teams that joined the Big Ten this season. The Beavers, however, will have two prominent former members making their Big Ten debuts on Friday night.

New head coach Jonathan Smith was hired as Michigan State’s head coach after leading Oregon State to winning records over the past three seasons. Sophomore quarterback Aidan Chiles followed him to East Lansing, Mich. and he’ll start in the Spartans’ home opener against Florida Atlantic on Friday night.

Chiles has so impressed his new teammates that he’s already been named one of the team’s captains.

“I think he’s definitely ready for this,” Smith said. “He’s a competitive player. And a true competitor understands it’s not going to go perfect every snap, and things are going to take place. There’s gonna be some really good plays, too. But there’s nothing like experience. And the guy’s been out on the field playing big-time football before.”

Chiles appeared in nine games as a freshman in a backup role. He completed 24-of-35 passes for 309 yards and four touchdowns. None of his attempts were picked off.

The Spartans are coming off a woeful 4-8 season and Chiles will be just one of many new faces suiting up this fall. A whopping 38 players departed via the transfer portal. Smith and his staff brought in 61 newcomers either as transfers or freshmen.

Florida Atlantic is coming off a 4-8 season, including losses in its last four contests. The Owls also will have a new starting quarterback in Cam Fancher, a Marshall transfer. He threw for 2,162 yards last season with 11 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

The Owls also faced a Big Ten team last season, dropping a 23-17 decision at Illinois.

“It’s going to be a really difficult place to play,” head coach Tom Herman said of this year’s opener. “I know Coach Smith does a phenomenal job and will have those guys ready. It poses unique challenges, too, in Week 1 to (face) a brand new staff. Very little of our film study has been on Michigan State.”

–Field Level Media

Florida Atlantic quarterback Casey Thompson (11) passes during the second quarter against Monmouth at FAU Stadium on Saturday, September 2, 2023, in Boca Raton, FL.

FAU QB Casey Thompson, former Longhorn, commits to Oklahoma

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Casey Thompson, who spent three seasons playing quarterback at Texas, is heading to the other side of the Red River rivalry and joining Oklahoma.

The Florida Atlantic transfer announced his commitment to the Sooners on Thursday. He is a native of Oklahoma City.

“Dear Oklahoma, I’m coming home,” he posted on social media with images of him in Oklahoma gear.

It’s likely Thompson will enter 2024 as the backup to Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold, who is taking over for Dillon Gabriel.

Thompson’s 2023 season was cut short when he tore an ACL in the Owls’ third game of the season Sept. 16 against Clemson. He finished the interrupted campaign with 509 passing yards, five touchdown and five interceptions.

Thompson threw for 2,422 yards, 30 touchdowns and nine picks in 19 games at Texas from 2019-21. He transferred to Nebraska in 2022 and played in 10 games, throwing for 2,407 yards, 17 TDs and 10 picks.

–Field Level Media

Nov 18, 2023; Boca Raton, Florida, USA; Florida Atlantic Owls wide receiver Tony Johnson (0) is tackled while running the ball against the Tulane Green Wave the first half at FAU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

No.24 Tulane stays perfect in AAC, tops Florida Atlantic

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No. 24 Tulane held serve in its battle for the American Athletic Conference crown, defeating host Florida Atlantic 24-8 in Boca Raton, Fla., on Saturday.

Michael Pratt threw for 252 yards and three touchdowns for the Green Wave (10-1, 7-0 AAC), who kept pace with UTSA (7-0) atop the conference. The leaders will meet at New Orleans on Friday.

Chris Brazzell II caught seven passes for 103 yards and one touchdown, Chris Carter had the other two scoring receptions and Makhi Hughes picked up 72 yards on 21 carries.

Pratt completed 21 of 28 passes and set the school record for yards passing at 9,248, surpassing Patrick Ramsey’s 9,205.

The Green Wave’s defense, which entered the game fourth in the nation in run defense at 82 yards per game, held the Owls to 32 yards rushing among 234 total yards. Tulane amassed 336 total yards.

Daniel Richardson completed 24 of 31 passes for 202 yards with one touchdown and one interception for Florida Atlantic (4-7, 3-4), which lost any hope of bowl-game eligibility. LaJohntay Wester, who entered leading the AAC in catches (93) and receiving yards (1,042), added 11 and 86, respectively.

Leading 14-0 at the break, Tulane held Florida Atlantic to a three-and-out to start the third quarter and then took up nearly six minutes in going 55 yards, capped by a Pratt’s 8-yard touchdown pass to Carter.

After another Owls three-and-out, the Green Wave chewed up another 6:14, pushing their lead to 24-0 on Valentino Ambrosio’s 20-yard field goal.

Florida Atlantic broke the shutout with its own six-plus-minute drive. Kahlil Brantley caught Richardson’s 4-yard touchdown toss, and Devin Price caught the two-point conversion to make it 24-8 with 8:58 remaining.

Tulane scored touchdowns on back-to-possessions in the first half. Pratt hit Carter for a 9-yard touchdown to cap a five-play, 77-yard drive with 5:10 left in the first quarter.

After the Green Wave’s Tyler Grubb sacked Richardson for a 2-yard loss on fourth-and-2 to regain possession, they went 58 yards on nine plays, this time cashing in on Pratt’s 9-yard toss to Brazzell.

Florida Atlantic’s best chance to stay in the game came on its next drive, which covered 73 yards on 19 plays. The Owls picked up six first downs, including one on a fourth-and-1 conversion from the Tulane 16. But they stalled on fourth-and-goal from the 2.

Tulane led in total yards at halftime 183-137.

–Field Level Media

Sep 23, 2023; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini tight end Tip Reiman (89) makes a catch during the first half against the FL Atlantic Owls at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Illinois hold off Florida Atlantic, 23-17

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Luke Altmyer passed for 303 yards and a touchdown to lead Illinois to a 23-17 win against visiting Florida Atlantic on Saturday afternoon.

Altmyer completed 25 of 36 passes, including eight for 120 yards to Isaiah Williams. Griffin Moore hauled in a 46-yard touchdown pass for Illinois (2-2), which finished with 510 total yards.

Reggie Love III had 85 of the 207 rushing yards for the Illini.

Daniel Richardson made his first start at quarterback for FAU after Casey Thompson tore his ACL in last Saturday’s loss to Clemson and the junior transfer from Central Michigan completed 28 of 49 passes for 256 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.

LaJohntay Wester caught 13 passes for 137 yards and one touchdown for the Owls (1-3).

Illinois started slow offensively and trailed 10-0 after the first quarter.

The Illini were stopped on downs on their opening drive and Altmyer lost a fumble on the second when he was sacked by Xavier Peters and Jayden Williams recovered at the Illinois 28-yard line.

Richardson quickly hit Wester for a 21-yard gain to the 7, but the Owls had to settle for a 22-yard field goal by Logan Lupo for a 3-0 lead with 3:14 left in the opening quarter.

FAU started its next drive at the Illinois 38 following a 20-yard punt return by Wester that included an unnecessary roughing penalty on Illinois.

Three plays later, Richardson hit Wester for a 19-yard touchdown strike on the final play of the first quarter, stretching the lead to 10-0

The Ilini began chipping away when Altmyer hit Moore for a 46-yard touchdown pass to cut the lead to 10-7 with 12:46 left in the first half.

Illinois took its first lead of the game 14-10 on a 7-yard touchdown run by Altmyer with 1:45 left before halftime.

The Illini scored on their first drive of the second half when Aidan Laughery ran into the end zone from 3 yards to make it 20-10.

Caleb Griffin tacked on a 44-yard field goal with 3:57 left in the third quarter to stretch the lead to 23-10.

The Owls had the ball in the red zone twice in the third quarter, but was stopped on downs the first time and Richardson was intercepted in the end zone on the second trip.

They scored with 4:19 left in the game on a 9-yard touchdown pass from Richardson to BJ Alexander to cut the lead to 23-17.

–Field Level Media

Sep 16, 2023; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions defensive end Adisa Isaac (20) tackles Illinois Fighting Illini quarterback Luke Altmyer (9) as he passes the ball during the second half at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Illinois QB to ‘swallow the frog,’ face FAU

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Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer was benched after throwing four interceptions during Saturday’s home loss to No. 7 Penn State, but offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. is “certainly confident” Altmyer can regroup.

“You process it,” Lunney Jr. said. “You go in and swallow the frog. You have to eat it, watch it, learn from it.”

Altmyer and the Fighting Illini (1-2) look to end a two-game skid when they host Florida Atlantic this week.

The Owls bring plenty of speed and perimeter athletic ability to Champaign. The personnel presents a challenge to an Illinois defense that has lost defensive backs Matt Bailey (shoulder) and Demetrius Hill (torn ACL) to season-ending injuries.

“Offensively, the big question will be how Luke comes back and responds. I called him on Saturday,” Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema said. “Let him know where I was at, how he was feeling. Sunday was a tough day for everybody, I like the demeanor we were in Sunday.”

Illinois had five turnovers against Penn State, but a disciplined defense that committed zero penalties helped the team stick around for a portion of the game.

Illinois defensive coordinator Aaron Henry lauded the efforts of defensive lineman Johnny Newton, who had six tackles, including one for a loss, while staying disruptive at the line of scrimmage.

“As he continues to play that way,” Henry said, “we have a chance to win every football game.”

Florida Atlantic (1-2) also tries to rebound as it visits a Power Five opponent for the second week in a row. The Owls fell behind 34-0 at halftime of their Sept. 17 game at Clemson on the way to a 48-14 defeat and lost quarterback Casey Thompson to a season-ending knee injury.

“I know the scoreboard is awful and the way we looked for a lot of the first half was awful, and our guys responded for the most part,” Owls coach Tom Herman said.

“We are going to really do a good job of accentuating and promoting the guys that upheld our standard and our culture regardless of the scoreboard and also make sure we point out the guys that did not.”

Wide receiver LaJohntay Wester would figure to belong in the former category after contributing 12 receptions for 108 yards. A junior, Wester recorded his first career game of at least 10 catches while becoming the program’s all-time receptions leader with 163.

Owls linebacker Jackson Ambush had a game-high eight tackles.

Saturday marks the first meeting between Illinois and Florida Atlantic.

–Field Level Media

Sep 16, 2023; Clemson, South Carolina; Florida Atlantic quarterback Casey Thompson (11) is hurt in the game with Clemson during the second quarter against Florida Atlantic at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY NETWORK

Report: FAU QB Casey Thompson tore ACL

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Florida Atlantic starting quarterback Casey Thompson tore his ACL during Saturday’s game and is done for the season, ESPN reported Monday.

Thompson took a hard hit in the second quarter of the Owls’ 48-14 loss at Clemson on Saturday, leaving the game after spending several minutes on the turf. He did not return. He had thrown two interceptions to that point.

He was replaced by Daniel Richardson, who threw for 120 yards and a pick the rest of the way.

Thompson, a sixth-year player, was in his first season at FAU after stops at Texas (2019-21) and Nebraska (2022).

He’s thrown for 5,338 career yards and 52 touchdowns against 24 interceptions.

–Field Level Media

Sep 9, 2023; Clemson, South Carolina, USA; Clemson wide receiver Beaux Collins (80) celebrates with quarterback Cade Klubnik (2) and teammates after his touchdown during the third quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY Sports

Clemson feels chemistry developing with FAU up next

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Clemson survived a shaky first half to earn its first win of the season, a 49-point victory over Charleston Southern that soothes some of the sting from the Tigers’ loss to Duke in the opener.

“We responded and it was good to see them do that, especially at quarterback,” coach Dabo Swinney said. “We really were playing well everywhere except for a couple mistakes, but they were very costly and that’s exactly what happened last week.”

Now the Tigers (1-1) shift their focus to Florida Atlantic, who enter the game on the heels of a disappointing 17-10 loss to Ohio. After the Owls jumped out to an early 10-point lead, the Bobcats rattled off 17 straight points to take down FAU.

Defensively, the Owls (1-1) tallied six tackles for loss, three turnovers and a sack, which gives coach Tom Herman a reason to believe in his team moving forward.

“I told our team that I still believe,” Herman said. “I’ve been doing this a long time and our best is really good. I’m confident that we’ll have learned the lessons that were presented to us tonight and be better because of it.”

After the Buccaneers took the lead in Death Valley following a Leon Thomas pick-six, Clemson responded with 45 unanswered points to put away their in-state opponent. Sophomore quarterback Cade Klubnik was encouraged by the offensive performance and senses chemistry is developing at the right time for the Tigers.

“I have so much confidence in the preparation that we’ve had,” Klubnik said. “I feel like we really had two bad plays the whole game and other than that I think we played a freaking great game on offense.”

And Klubnik is right to have confidence in an offense that nearly recorded 700 yards in their highest-scoring output since 2020.

While the offense remains under intense scrutiny, the Clemson defense showed serious teeth last week. The unit recorded 10 tackles for loss, forced eight three-and-outs, intercepted a pass and registered two sacks while allowing just 73 total yards.

Saturday’s matchup is an unfamiliar one to both programs, with the lone previous meeting coming in 2006, a game in which the Tigers recorded a 56-0 shutout.

–Field Level Media

Florida Atlantic quarterback Casey Thompson (11) participates during practice at the Schmidt Family Complex, Thursday, August 3, 2023 in Boca Raton.

Transfer QB Casey Thompson to start for FAU

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Former Texas and Nebraska quarterback Casey Thompson was pegged as the starter for FAU to open the season.

Thompson started 10 games for the Longhorns in 2021 and 10 for the Cornhuskers in 2022. He’ll be QB1 again in his sixth and final season of eligibility.

The Owls begin the 2023 season under former Texas head coach Tom Herman, who nabbed Thompson from the transfer portal on May 10, well after the completion of spring football practices.

A graduate transfer, Thompson considered Notre Dame and a return to Nebraska before committing to Herman, for whom Thompson played at Texas. He competed with Daniel Richardson for the right to start Sept. 2 when Monmouth visits FAU.

Thompson had a Big 12-best 24 TD passes for the Longhorns in 2021.

Herman said Monday that Thompson’s familiarity with the offense, though differently schematically than it was three years ago, eased his learning curve.

–Field Level Media