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Air Force @ FAU Game Thread - September 9, 2018

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Right now, if he is correct about the "W" I'd take it covering or not.  My hope is first games are where eggs are laid and overconfidence shows up the most.  Our D was an expected strength, so just get back to finding the ball and tackling and let's get the win.

And on O, run the sh!t out of it with Motor and DJ.  Just my opinion, but we should run 20 of the first 25 plays and hopefully score 3 times.

As for the crowd, I am still a new Owl fan and was actually dissapointed last year.  I have season tickets and will be at 5 of the 6 games regardless, but any guesses on attendence given it will be hot/hot/hot for a 2 PM kickoff and this past weekend's performance?
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d-owl said

Cool, np – thanks for the info.
Posted On: Sep 2nd 2018, 8:52 PM #380123

Just found out that this game will be on FaceBook as well - so you are all set!

Waiting for the actual "page" to visit and will circle back once we have it…
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playing at 2 pm in Boca Raton 90 deg 90% humidity should help the owls

FAU - THE REAL SLEEPING GIANT
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Owldad, if I recall you are from the Orlando area. I don't know how UCF did it, but their plan to increase attendance has worked. UCF is the talk of the town. Yes, they had some success. But so have we. We need to string a few winning seasons together. Starting this weekend. And yes, a two o'clock start time couldn't be more miserable for the fans. Sitting on a metal stadium in 95 degree heat. It may be an advantage to our players. But I thought we addressed the problem with 2 oclock starts a couple of years ago. My prediction,, lightening delay.
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Local Owl said

Owldad, if I recall you are from the Orlando area. I don't know how UCF did it, but their plan to increase attendance has worked. UCF is the talk of the town. Yes, they had some success. But so have we. We need to string a few winning seasons together. Starting this weekend. And yes, a two o'clock start time couldn't be more miserable for the fans. Sitting on a metal stadium in 95 degree heat. It may be an advantage to our players. But I thought we addressed the problem with 2 oclock starts a couple of years ago. My prediction,, lightening delay.
Posted On: Sep 4th 2018, 6:01 AM #380175
Well we have had lighting delays at all kick off hours the last couple years.

This 2PM start will be the only day time kick in the between this year and last year.

The coaching staff asked for a day time kick. Are you supposed to say no to Lane? Sorry Lane you can't have a competitive advantage because a few thousand babyish fans will leave at half.
Atleast they did not put the game a noon. You can still wake up take your time and tailgate a few hours.
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I am not complaining about the time (well, I am - but I don't really mind and I will be there).  I prefer a 2 o'clock game on Saturday over some of these other crazy week-night games we see lots of other teams having to play for TV.  Most teams play several mid-day games per season, and for fans last year was purely a luxury.

@Local Owl - yes, I live in Orlando, and you are correct that UCF has done a great job pushing the "local team" marketing and turning it into good crowds.  But of course it helps that they just went undefeated with a NY6 win.  But the last 2+ years there were ads on the radio, billboards, etc. trying to drive excitement.  UCF plays in a bigger conference, has a longer history and success, and of course they have a crazy student population (and alumni base).  I also think the teams they play in the AAC are not all household names, but are more recognizable than many in CUSA.

All that said, they are not too far removed from a winless season in 2015 that included a loss to FCS Furman.  So they have been doing something right since then on top of getting better on the field to drive attendance.  I know there are lots of ways to spend your entertainment dollars in the Boca area, but there are lots of ways to do that here as well.

Enough of UCF in the Air Force thread (don't want Rick coming down on me  :Big-Grin: ).  I don't have any idea what this weekend's crowd will look like, but I think the performance will be a huge driver of what the rest of the crowds look like this season.  Play well and bring back the excitement from the end of last season, and week #1 against a team the Owls were way over-matched against will be a distant memory.  Lay an egg and the crowds will dwindle.  I believe we are going to have better pure talent, but FAU will have to execute and stay at home on D to control the option and will need to just out-athlete the guys on O to remind us of how good players like Singletary, Wright, etc. are.
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I am a third generation Floridian. Noon, two, Four…makes no difference to me.  And yes, south Florida fans are fickle. I work every Saturday morning. Noon starts rush me. Two is fine. I guess my point was more on how to grow a fan base the way UCF has. Last New Years I was driving through Orlando and the radio station I had on kept running promos calling UCF , "Orlando's Home Town Team ". Even stuck in my head.  I'll be in my seat at 1:45.
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Air Force does not have huge linemen like OU. I guess you would expect that in the Air force Academy. No room for 6-4 325 lb pilots in the cockpit.
I saw 3 linemen 300 lbs and over on their roster. Two o-line and one d-line. FAU has 11 300+ lb linemen according to the roster. 4 are true freshmen.

2018 Football Roster - Air Force Academy

The one thing that concerns me is what we saw with Navy last year. Not a huge team but a discipline team. Well coached. That made the difference. Air Force will probably be similar.

FAU - THE REAL SLEEPING GIANT
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I tend to not put a ton of emphasis on pure size/measurements - big guys (especially on the O-line) would typically be a bad fit for the triple option.  The size of guy the military academies can get in are the driving factor on why they run the TO in my opinion.  The number of 300-pounders will most likely have little relevance to this game, and an undersized guy like Al-Shaair who has a relentless motor is more important than 350-lb guys who can't tie their shoes.  Not saying we have them, but AF, Navy, Army - those guys have very specific lineman in mind.

On the defensive side, I hope that their D-line being undersized would be a place that we can take advantage.  That is why I said something about Motor and DJ running the ball.  I'd like to see Motor get 30 carriers, DJ get 10, Willie/WRs get a few on jet sweeps/reverses, etc.

Your last point is SPOT ON - expect a very disciplined team who is going to stay with their scheme on offense.  Stop it, stop it, stop it, stop it, miss an assignment - long run and/or TD.  Stop it, stop it, stop it, cheat to the run - long throw over your head for a huge gain and/or TD.  They will be committed to their gameplan, will not blow many assignments, and will most likely not self-destruct.  So FAU needs to score early, avoid quick 3-and-outs (because AF will try to control the clock and limit the number of possessions we have), and TACKLE!!!
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AF did beat Stony Brook (FCS) 38-0 but were NOT great on O. One TD was a pick 6 by the D and they gained just over 350 yds. total O vs. FCS team. Last year they beat VMI (also FCS) in season opener 62-0 with over 650 yds. total O.

Not making any judgements but IF we tackle on D we should be good. Stony Brook tackled awful, like many teams did week one!
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