What to Know About Michigan State's Opponent, Florida Atlantic

The Michigan State Spartans will finally begin the Jonathan Smith era this Friday at Spartan Stadium against the Florida Atlantic Owls.

Michigan State is nearly a two-touchdown favorite on several sportsbooks, but the Owls may not be an easy team for the Spartans to handle.

Tom Herman is the Owls’ head coach. He has had success at higher collegiate levels with Houston and Texas. In his eight-year career, he has a 58-30 record and five bowl victories.

While Herman has work to do to rebuild FAU, his coaching expertise should test Smith and the Spartans.

Let’s look at a few things to know about Herman’s Owls as they visit East Lansing later this week.

A new QB in town - The Owls lost Daniel Richardson and Casey Thompson this offseason, prompting them to look for a new starting quarterback.

They found it in Marshall transfer Cam Fancher, who has 3,766 passing yards and 21 touchdowns in his career. He also has five rushing touchdowns.

Fancher is a shifty runner with solid left-handed mechanics. The Spartans must be ready to handle him through the air and on the ground.

Tough secondary - The Owls have a few talented defensive backs, including Daedae Hill, who made the AAC’s Preseason Second Team. He finished his junior season with 39 total tackles and two interceptions.

The Spartans are looking to improve offensively with lots of new pieces, including at quarterback. They could have a tough introduction against a group that will be stingy in the defensive backfield.

Herman’s impact - The Owls’ coach has been known to engineer excellent offenses in the past.

It has yet to be seen if he will do that at Florida Atlantic, and the Spartans hope he won’t find offensive fire in this game.

The Owls have a lot of offensive production to replace, including wide receiver LaJohntay Webster, who transferred to Colorado. Having a new starting quarterback and replacing passing game production can be difficult.

While Herman often gets his offenses going, it may take more than one game in his second season.

The Spartans have a tough game to open Smith’s tenure in East Lansing, as Herman and his squad will be ready. Michigan State has the talent edge, but the game will not be easy.

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