Florida Atlantic had its best game of the season last week when it knocked off rival Florida International, which was previously unbeaten in Conference USA play, 49-14 in Miami.
It was a performance FAU coach Lane Kiffin said should have been the way his Owls (4-5, 2-3 C-USA) should have been playing all year in a season that has seen a dip from 2017, where the team romped through the conference for the C-USA title and a Boca Raton Bowl victory.
Players said the week of practice leading up to the Shula Bowl dominance over FIU was likely the best they had all season.