Three things we learned from FAU vs. Michigan State

Last season, FAU finished 4-8 under new head coach Tom Herman. Heading into 2024, the Owls were expected to be in a second rebuilding year with the underrated headman at the helm.

As mentioned at the top, the Owls were expected to get blown out by their Big Ten opponent. However, on the road, they held their own.

Florida Atlantic had several opportunities to win the game late after pulling within six points late in the third quarter. Unfortunately, the offense couldn't get that last breakthrough moment.

If you were to take a look at the team numbers, you'd notice how close this game was. Despite leading for the entire contest, Michigan State was never able to take over at all and the game seemed in doubt the whole way.

The Owl defense was the biggest reason as to why the Spartans surprisingly struggled. The unit picked off two passes, forced two fumbles, and recovered one of them. They also allowed only three third-down conversions on 13 tries.

Time of possession was extremely close to being equal as well. Despite the offense struggling, they did show flashes in what could be an improved year. The front five still struggled to prevent the Spartans from getting to the backfield.

In their only game against a power conference opponent, FAU was able to stay in the contest the entire way. They proved to be a formidable opponent in a setting where not much was expected. They put up a good fight against it when it wasn't expected.

In a weak American Athletic Conference, FAU could make some noise after this performance.

Michigan State also finished with a 4-8 record last year. One of the biggest problems that the Spartans had in 2023 was staying disciplined. Last year, Michigan State committed a total of 84 penalties for 728 yards.

The team averaged seven of those per game as well as 60.7 penalty yards per game. This was one of the key elements that the team needed to fix if they wanted to have a more successful 2024 campaign.

In Jonathan Smith's first game as MSU coach, he didn't see an improvement in this aspect. Of course, it's only the first game of the season but this is ludicrous.

One of the reasons FAU was able to stay in the game was because of undisciplined play by the Spartans. In tonight's contest, MSU racked up 10 penalties for 110 yards.

A few of the errors came on late hits to the Owls' quarterback Cam Fancher. Malik Spencer was ejected from the game for targeting while trying to deliver a blow after Fancher started a slide.

On the two scoring possessions FAU had, penalties were committed that enabled the Owls to do so. On FAU's sixth possession, they were aided by an illegal use of hands penalty on Ben Roberts. This enabled FAU to kick a field goal to pull within 13.

Then, on the Owls' only touchdown drive in the third period, D'Quan Douse was called for a face mask penalty. To make it worse, the mistake happened on a third down situation inside the Michigan State 35-yard line.

Needless to say, this wasn't a great way for Michigan State to start their year. They shouldn't have struggled being disciplined against a perceived inferior FAU team.

The Spartans start Big Ten play next week against Maryland. These issues need to be cleaned up in a hurry. If these problems persist, it could be another long football season in East Lansing.

This is especially true since they have a tough conference schedule. Games are often given away, and this is one reason that will make a team lose.

Lastly, the play from both quarterbacks was subpar at best. This was especially the case for Spartan slinger Aidan Chiles. He completed just 10 of 24 passes for 114 yards. He threw two terrible interceptions.

One was on the first play of the game and the second came on a third down at the FAU 5-yard line. The second pick occurred with just under three minutes remaining in the third period.

This, along with the aforementioned face mask penalty on Douse, led to the Owl touchdown that made the Spartan faithful extremely anxious. Chiles only averaged 4.8 yards per completion and couldn't hit any deep shots.

The longest completions Chiles had were two 22-yard completions to Michael Masunas and Aziah Johnson. Some of his throws were underthrown and inaccurate as well.

To be fair, it was the sophomore's first collegiate start. However, he should've had a better day against a Group of 5 team.

On the other hand, FAU's Cam Fancher put up a similar stat line. He completed 12 of 25 passes for 116 yards. He also threw two picks but at least had a touchdown toss, something Chiles didn't do. Fancher faced similar problems as well as he didn't hit deep shots himself.

He averaged just 4.6 yards per completion. One thing that Fancher did face was a relentless pass rush. The junior Marshall transfer got sacked seven times last night. His longest completion was a 28-yard strike to Omari Hayes.

That play didn't occur until the fourth quarter. Needless to say, both quarterbacks need to step up their play at some point if they want to lead their respective teams to a good year. Just getting over 100 yards while throwing interceptions won't get it done.

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