Getting to know Michigan State football's Week 1 opponent Florida Atlantic
Michigan State football’s opening game under Jonathan Smith is finally upon us as the Owls of Florida Atlantic head to East Lansing Friday night. This may be one of the easiest games on MSU’s schedule this year, but they won’t be an easy win by any means.
Florida Atlantic brought in 16 transfers this offseason and we know Michigan State was one of the most active programs in the country in the portal, so all of that turnover between these two teams means that anything is possible Friday night as they learn how to play together.
But before the game gets here, let’s take a look at the Florida Atlantic program and see what we can learn about the Owls.
Recent Florida Atlantic history
Florida Atlantic is a surprisingly new team to the college football world. They didn’t start playing football until 2001 and began at the FCS level. From there they quickly joined the FBS in 2004 and have slowly climbed their way up the conference ladder where they now find themselves in the American Athletic Conference for the second season.
FAU has had some great seasons over the years including winning 11 games in 2017 and 2019, but that hasn’t been the case recently. Since there last 11 win season in 2019, FAU has failed to win more than five games in a season.
Now while that also applies to Michigan State as well (outside of 2021), the Owls’ schedules clearly are much easier than Michigan States, so five wins for the Spartans is much better than five wins for FAU.
Florida Atlantic is entering its second season under Tom Herman, who is a former Texas Longhorns coach. So he clearly is a well respected head coach and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him turn it around at FAU eventually.
Key players to watch
Florida Atlantic brought in 16 transfers this offseason in the portal, and that group is led by starting quarterback Cam Fancher. He joins the Owls from Marshall is the definition of a dual-threat quarterback.
Last year the threw the ball for 2,162 yards and 11 touchdowns while also rushing for 273 rushing and four more touchdowns on the ground. However, Fancher also threw 11 interceptions last season so hopefully Michigan State can force some turnovers of their own.
FAU did lose their top receiver to Colorado in the portal, but head coach Tom Herman has publicly identified who his breakout candidate is at the position. Jayshon Platt is a junior with the Owls and only caught two passes last year, but Herman expects him to have a massive year this season.
Lastly is a star linebacker for the Owls in Jackson Ambush. He led the team in tackles last year at 89 which was good enough for seventh-best in the American Athletic Conference. He is someone the Michigan State offensive line will have to be conscious of as he can break up any play he’s on the field for.