C-USA FB: East Division Summer Notes

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FLORIDA ATLANTIC
Lane Kiffin’s first season saw Florida Atlantic become the second school to finish the regular season undefeated in conference play and win the C-USA Championship Game.  The Owls captured their second conference title, the first since joining C-USA and first since 2007. FAU remained a perfect 3-0 in bowl play by defeating Akron in the Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl, 50-3.  Statistically, the Owls finished in the top-25 in 16 team categories, including: No. 2 in passes intercepted, No. 5 in first down offense, No. 6 in rushing offense, No. 8 in kickoff return defense, red zone offense and turnovers lost, and No. 9 in total offense and turnover margin.
 
Florida Atlantic will enter the 2018 season with the second-longest winning streak in the FBS at 10 games.  Only UCF (the Owls week four opponent) has a longer streak at 13 heading into the 2017 campaign.  Florida Atlantic, which had the second-most successful first year coach in Lane Kiffin (1103), opens the 2018 season at Oklahoma, the team with the most successful first-year coach last season (Lincoln Riley at 12-2).
 
Running back Devin "Motor" Singletary was named C-USA MVP After scoring a nation-leading 32 rushing touchdowns last season (nine more than any other player) and 33 total TDs (five more than any other player).  He scored more rushing touchdowns last year (32) than previous school career record-holder Alfred Morris had in four years from 2008-11 (27).  Singletary also topped 100 yards in each of the final 11 games of the season for the Owls.  Both the rushing TD’s and total TD’s are new C-USA records in those categories, breaking records held by UCF RB Kevin Smith, now his running backs coach. Singletary finished fifth nationally with 1,920 rushing yards and FAU was sixth nationally in rushing at 285.9 yards per game.
 
Senior LB Azeez Al-Shaair was a first team All-Conference USA selection who set a new FAU single-season record with 147 tackles.  He posted nine games with double-digit stops and also helped the defense with 11 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, four passes defended and one forced fumble.  Al-Shaair already holds the schools’ career tackles mark with 354.
 
Senior S Jalen Young was second in the FBS with seven interceptions last season, returning those picks for 121 yards and a touchdown.  He tied a school record with three interceptions against Marshall and had two more INTs in the C-USA Championship Game victory over North Texas.  Young added 77 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss.

read more:  http://conferenceusa.com/news/2018/7/5/football-fb-east-division-summer-notes.aspx