BOCA RATON — Warnings about “rat poison” and outside noise from Florida Atlantic head coach Lane Kiffin aren’t stopping the Owls’ defense from talking themselves up.
First, senior cornerback Herb Miller proclaimed the Owls were not only the best team in Conference USA, but the “Alabama of Florida.” Now, defensive end Leighton McCarthy isn’t hiding his optimism about what FAU can do as an encore after going 11-3 in 2017, winning both the Conference USA Championship and the Boca Raton Bowl.
“We’re trying to be number one in the nation on defense,” McCarthy said.
A lofty goal, especially given the Owls play in C-USA as opposed to a Power Five conference, where the country’s top defenses usually hail from.