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Game Preview: FAU vs MTSU

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Game Preview: FAU vs MTSU



Owls hit Murfreesboro hoping to eliminate recent mistakes and win turnover battle

With only two games left in the season, Florida Atlantic football travels to Middle Tennessee State this Saturday in a must win game. The Blue Raiders 4-6 (3-3) are coming off a 27-26 victory over Western Kentucky and much like the Owls, still have hopes of making a bowl game.

FAU fell 51-17 to Texas last weekend and with only four wins thus far, the team will need to win its final two games to reach bowl eligibility. The first stop in that stretch lies with the Blue Raiders, who have had their fair share of struggles this season.

Middle Tennessee State owns the nation’s worst turnover margin at -19 and has had a bad habit of giving the ball away to opponents while not forcing turnovers of their own.

The Owls know that winning the turnover battle will be a key to victory on Saturday and for the defense that will start upfront with the Blue Raider’s quarterback Dwight Dasher. A year ago the senior leader gashed the Owls defense for 108 rushing yards, including a 74-yard touchdown scamper to propel a 27-20 win.

This season however, Dasher hasn’t quite put the numbers up that many would expect of the preseason conference offensive player of the year, throwing 12 interceptions to only three touchdown passes. Defensive coordinator Kirk Van Valkenburgh and FAU players are aware of this year’s stats but they still remember the big play from a year ago.

“That’s what he is capable of. He can be contained for 50 plays but for one play and he can turn the thing (game) around. That’s the problem, that is what he presents to you all the time,” Van Valkenburgh said of Dasher.

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