The first half was ugly. No one associated with Miami's defense will disagree.
Against FAU early Friday night, the Hurricanes looked confused, lining up in the wrong alignment more than once. They missed several tackles and couldn't stop the Owls on third down, allowing FAU to extend drives on 5 of their 8 chances. Meanwhile, Owls running back Jay Warren totaled 132 yards on 11 carries before leaving the game with a torso injury. One of those carries — a 9-yard run early in the second quarter — tied the game at 17 and by halftime, the Owls had outgained Miami 292-231.