Conference USA Championship 2019: 3 takeaways from FAU’s win

FAU came out determined for their second Conference USA championship in three years under Lane Kiffin. Here are three things we learned.

The big story coming into the Conference USA championship game had nothing to do with the actual rosters of either C-USA East winner FAU or C-USA West champ UAB. Instead, it was all about Owls coach Lane Kiffin and whether this would be his last day at the helm in Boca Raton before jumping ship for another Power Five opportunity.

It proved not to be a distraction for the Owls on Saturday in front of a partisan crowd at FAU Stadium. Earning the right to host the  C-USA championship game, FAU made short work of UAB in a runaway 49-6 victory at home.

The Owls racked up nearly 600 yards of offense against the Blazers. FAU’s defense held UAB to just 223 yards when the Blazers had the football. Special teams came through as well for the Owls as they pulled away and pulled off a rout to win the title.

Losses to Ohio State and UCF to open the season put FAU into an 0-2 hole in September, but they won 10 of their last 11 contests to reach the postseason with double digits in the win column. While the New Year’s Six is out of reach, the Owls could land in the final edition of the College Football Playoff Top 25 after earning the C-USA crown. Here are three more things we learned in Boca Raton on Saturday.