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2019 Florida Atlantic (FAU) Offense - Lane Kiffin

In 2019, the Florida Atlantic Owls’ offense, led by head coach Lane Kiffin and offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr., was a dynamic, no-huddle spread unit that powered the team to an 11-3 record, a Conference USA (C-USA) championship, and a 52-28 victory over SMU in the Boca Raton Bowl. Kiffin’s high-tempo system, refined from his Alabama and USC days, ranked 21st in FBS, scoring 36.4 points per game, 30th in total yards (436.6 per game), 38th in passing (252.2 yards per game), and 34th in rushing (184.4 yards per game), per Sports-Reference.com. The offense’s success, driven by quarterback Chris Robison and a versatile attack, marked FAU’s second double-digit win season under Kiffin, cementing his legacy before his departure to Ole Miss.

Kiffin’s spread offense, called by Weis Jr., operated from shotgun with 11 personnel (1 RB, 1 TE, 3 WRs) on 65% of snaps, using no-huddle tempo to average 73.9 plays per game (24th in FBS), per PFF. The system blended Air Raid passing concepts—quick screens, slants, and deep posts—with a zone-read run game, incorporating RPOs (run-pass options) on 20% of plays, per The Palm Beach Post. Pre-snap motion and jet sweeps created mismatches, while Robison’s pre-snap reads adjusted plays on 60% of snaps, per ESPN. The offense ranked 23rd in third-down conversions (43.5%) and 18th in red-zone touchdown percentage (65.3%), showcasing efficiency despite losing stars like Devin Singletary, per Miami Herald. Kiffin’s tempo, praised by SBNation as “extreme,” was the propeller, with the offensive line enabling clean pockets and running lanes.

Sophomore quarterback Chris Robison was the catalyst, throwing for 3,701 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions, with a 61.2% completion rate, earning C-USA Honorable Mention, per FAUSports.com. His 22 touchdowns and 5 interceptions in C-USA play led the conference, per Clarion Ledger. Tight end Harrison Bryant, the John Mackey Award winner and FAU’s first unanimous All-American, led with 65 catches for 1,004 yards and 7 touchdowns, thriving in the red zone, per Wikipedia. Wide receiver Willie Wright had 58 receptions for 622 yards and 4 touchdowns, while DeAngelo Antoine (42 catches, 611 yards, 6 TDs) and Tavaris Harrison (32 catches, 486 yards, 3 TDs) added depth, per Miami Herald. Running backs Malcolm Davidson (711 yards, 9 TDs), Larry McCammon III (324 yards, 4 TDs), and BJ Emmons (349 yards, 6 TDs) replaced Singletary’s production, combining for 2,580 team rushing yards (4.8 yards per carry), per FAUSports.com. The offensive line, anchored by Brandon Walton, allowed 24 sacks and powered the ground game.

Standout games included a 49-6 C-USA Championship win over UAB, with 585 total yards (286 passing, 299 rushing), and the Boca Raton Bowl, where Robison threw for 305 yards and 2 touchdowns, per Clarion Ledger. A 41-3 rout of Southern Miss saw 464 yards and 6 touchdowns, per ESPN. The offense struggled in a 40-7 season-opening loss to Ohio State (229 yards, 3 turnovers) and a 45-27 loss to UCF (384 yards, 2 interceptions), highlighting limitations against elite defenses, per SBNation.

The offense faced a major overhaul after losing NFL-bound stars Singletary, Kerrith Whyte, and receiver Jovon Durante, forcing Kiffin to rely on freshmen like Davidson and transfers like Emmons, per Miami Herald. Robison’s adjustment to Weis Jr.’s play-calling, after Kendal Briles’ 2017-18 tenure, took time, with early negative plays (8 sacks in Weeks 1-2), per ESPN. The lack of a dominant rusher, compared to Singletary’s 1,348 yards in 2018, led to a 34th-ranked run game, per Sports-Reference.com. Kiffin’s recruiting, with C-USA’s top 2019 class, mitigated depth issues, per SBNation. His decision to delegate play-calling to Weis Jr., hired in 2018, allowed focus on program-building, per FAUSports.com.

The 2019 FAU offense capped Kiffin’s transformative three-year tenure (26-13 record), delivering the program’s two best seasons (11-3 in 2017, 2019) and two C-USA titles, per Clarion Ledger. The 506 points scored set a school record, and Bryant’s Mackey Award marked a program first, per Wikipedia. Kiffin’s “Lane Train” brand, amplified by a 50-3 Boca Raton Bowl win over Akron in 2017 and the 2019 title, elevated FAU’s national profile, per FAUSports.com. His departure to Ole Miss after the UAB win left a legacy of offensive innovation, with Weis Jr.’s system influencing future C-USA coaches, per The Palm Beach Post. For FAU, 2019 was a pinnacle, proving Kiffin’s spread offense could thrive in a mid-major, setting a high bar for successor Willie Taggart.

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