When Florida Atlantic's offense has been able to string together first downs, a rhythm develops: move the chains, rush to the line, snap the ball, repeat.
But in the past two weeks, both FAU losses, first downs have been inconsistent. Each opening drive has offered promise, puncturing the opponents' 40-yard line behind quick first downs. Then they fizzled, and the Owls could not resume the success.
The Owls have only converted 23.5 percent of third downs, ranking 125th out of 128 teams. FAU has also be unable to get into decent third-down situations. Against Miami and Kansas State, on average, the Owls had to gain 8.