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Dorvilus: FAU More Confident Than Before



Nexon Drovilus is as veteran as they get for FAU.

Two years ago the tight end was one of the few players on the current roster to see action in the Owl’s 30-14 loss to Auburn.

A lot has changed in two seasons for FAU, and according to Dorvilus it’s only been reflected as a positive. The redshirt senior believes that the Owls are in much better shape heading into a clash with Auburn than they were two years ago, and that starts with the attitude of the program under Carl Pelini.

“We’re a lot more confident,” Dorvilus said. “We know we can score, we know we can stop teams. We know we can do it.”

FAU has never beat an SEC opponent, let alone took down a nationality ranked team. However, the Owls were able to steal a win from an automatic-qualifying school earlier this season against USF which has only provided some credence for the team.

Dorvilus attests that the late-game falters following the win over USF, have only made the message more clear in the locker room and served as an outlook on the rest of the season.

“We work to win, we don’t just work to show up and have a tough game. We show up to win,” Dorvilus said.

FAU will try to back Dorvilus’s words Saturday when the team faces No. 11 Auburn.

While the mentality of the program appears to be in a different place than the last time the two schools met, an argument can also be made on paper. The Owls are statistically stronger defensively than they were in 2011, and much better on offense.

Drovilus, who made his first career start against Auburn in 2011, has also seen his production dramatically rise in recent games. The tight end has caught a touchdown pass in three straight contests, and become a reliable option for sophomore quarterback Jaquez Johnson.

While the increased targets may come across as a positive, it isn’t a primary goal for Dorvilus.

“The numbers don’t matter to me…. I want to win,” Dorvilus said. “If I could trade my three touchdowns for three wins in the last few games, I’d do it.”

Two years ago when FAU played Auburn, the Owls trailed 10-6 at halftime. The Tigers were in the midst of defending their 2010 national title and had overlooked the the first half, but a Graham Wilbert interception to open the third quarter deflated any momentum and resulted in a loss.

Dorvilus believes that he and his teammates learned a lot from that game, and that should pay dividends on Saturday despite the fact that FAU will be heavy underdogs at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

“It’s going to be loud and they’re a lot better team than they were two years ago, so we just have to tune it out and do what we have to do,” Dorvilus said.

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