Clemson was able to fix some noticeable errors in the first half last weekend to win by 7 touchdowns against an over-matched Charleston Southern Buccaneer team. This week is a little bit of a step up in competition as the Tigers welcome in Florida Atlantic Owls and a known name as head coach.
Here is a look at everything you will need to know about the Tiger’s Week 3 Opponent:
Florida Atlantic University Owls
Location: Boca Raton, Florida
2023 Record – 1-1; Last Week: Loss vs. Ohio University Bobcats 17-10
2022 Record: 5-7 overall; 4-4 in Conference USA
Head Coach: Tom Herman – 1st Season – (Previously: HC – Texas ‘17 – ‘20)
Coach Herman comes to Boca Raton after a stint as a television analyst on CBS Sports Network and a short stint as an Offensive Analyst with the Chicago Bears. Herman is better known as the former head coach at Texas and Houston prior to that stop in Austin. Of course, he was the Offensive Coordinator for Urban Meyer’s Ohio State teams before becoming a head coach. Herman was once considered one of the brightest young offensive minds in the country. He returns to coaching at a place that gave Lane Kiffin a springboard, and the guess is that Herman will use it as a stepping stone as well.
Offense
Offensive Coordinator: Charlie Frye – 1st Season (Prev: Analyst – Penn State)
Coach Charlie Frye was a former Kent State University and NFL quarterback. He started his coaching career in the Florida High School ranks before working his way through the tiers and ultimately getting the coordinator job for Tom Herman at FAU.
The offense struggled last weekend in the second game of the season; a loss to Ohio. Through 2 games, the Owls are averaging 26 points per game. 109 yards rushing and 230 yards of offense through the air.
Here is a look at the projected starters for the Florida Atlantic University Owls as well as some early season, 2023 statistics:
| Quarterback | Casey Thompson | Grad Transfer (Nebraska/Texas) | #11 | 43-67 460 yds; 3 TDs, 3 Ints | 7 att. 18 yds |
| Running Back | Larry McCammon III | RS Senior | #3 | 7 catches, 75 yds | 20 att. 151 yds; 1 TD |
| Running Back | Zuberi Mobley | RS Sophomore | #2 | 1 catch, 7 yds | 16 att. 53 yds. |
| Wide Receiver | Je’Quan Burton | RS Senior | #8 | 3 catches, 56 yds; 2 TDs | |
| Wide Receiver | Tony Johnson | RS Sophomore | #0 | 8 catches, 119 yds; 1 TD | |
| Wide Receiver | LaJohntay Wester | RS Junior | #1 | 18 catches, 156 yds; 1 TD | 1 att. 21 yds |
| Tight End | Kahlil Brantley | RS Sophomore (Miami) | #18 | ||
| Left Tackle | Marquice Robinson | RS Senior | #75 | ||
| Left Guard | Dorian Hinton | RS Junior | #78 | ||
| Center | Federico Maranges | RS Junior | #64 | ||
| Right Guard | Kamaar Bell | RS Junior | #79 | ||
| Right Tackle | Chaz Neal | RS Senior | #71 |
Defense
Defensive Coordinator: Roc Bellantoni – 1st Year – (Previous: Auburn DE Coach)
Roc Bellantoni returned to FAU in the same role he held there from 2014-16. The veteran defensive coach has had stops at Villanova, Utah State, Eastern Illinois, Washington State and Buffalo. The well-traveled coach likes to be multiple in his defensive sets all while trying to disguise where the pressure is coming from.
The defense has given up an average of 18.5 points in their first two outings of 2023. They have given up 131.5 yards per game on the ground and 226 yards through the air. The Owls are even with the turnover margin through week two, having thrown 3 interceptions and picked off 3 balls, as well as caused and had a fumble in each game so far.
Here is a look at the projected starters for the Owls on defense along with some stats from the early season:
| Defensive End | Chris Jones | RS Junior | #49 | 1 Tackle |
| Nose Tackle | Evan Anderson | RS Junior | #8 | 12 tackles; 2 TFL |
| Defensive Tackle | Jacob Merrifield | RS Sophomore | #50 | 2 Tackles; 1 TFL |
| Linebacker | Marlon Bradley | RS Junior | #95 | 8 Tackles; 1.5 TFL; 1 Sack |
| Linebacker | Jackson Ambush | Grad Transfer (Albany) | #43 | 15 Tackles; 1 TFL; 1 INT |
| Linebacker | Eddie Williams | RS Senior | #3 | 16 Tackles; 0.5 TFL |
| Nickleback | Jayden Williams | RS Sophomore | #5 | 7 Tackles; 1 TFL |
| Cornerback | Romain Mungin | RS Senior | #2 | 6 Tackles |
| Strong Safety | Jarron Morris | Grad Transfer (Texas State) | #4 | 8 Tackles |
| Free Safety | Armani-Eli Adams or Dwight Toombs II | RS Senior/RS Junior | #30/#0 | 3 Tackles/8 Tackles |
| Cornerback | Daedae Hill | RS Junior | #6 | 5 Tackles; 0.5 TFL |
Special Teams
Here is a list of the specialists; and yes the K and P are the same person, for the Owls along with statistics from game 1:
| Kicker | Logan Lupo | RS Sophomore | #43 | 1-1; long of 39 yds |
| Punter | Logan Lupo | RS Sophomore | #43 | 9 att. 42.8 yd avg.; long of 55 yds |
| Punt Returner | LaJohntay Wester | RS Junior | #1 | 2 att. 55 yds; long of 29 yds |
| Kick Returner | Kobe Lewis | Grad Transfer (Purdue/Central Michigan) | #5 | 3 att. 64 yds; long of 30 yds |
Summary
This Owls team is a work in progress for Coach Tom Herman, they were able to get a win in their season opener against Monmouth University (NJ) 42-20 and then followed up that performance with a lackluster loss to MAC power Ohio Bobcats 17-10. This will be a big challenge for Herman’s squad. A squad that is made up of a ton of redshirts and grad transfers. It starts at the quarterback position with the much-maligned (and well-traveled) Casey Thompson, at his third school. A talented, and highly-recruited player out of high school that is searching for that fresh start in his grad transfer year.
The Tigers need to play fundamentally sound and not have the boneheaded mistakes that they’ve made during the first two weeks. A good, clean game is on the menu for Coach Swinney’s boys, and if that happens, a comfortable victory should follow.
