Casey Thompson, Daniel Richardson still battling to be FAU's starting quarterback

BOCA RATON — With the start of the season less than a month away, Florida Atlantic conducted its first scrimmage of the preseason Saturday morning as part of the school’s “Fan Fest.”

Players from the football team, women’s soccer and cross-country were on hand to sign autographs at FAU Stadium. Fans also got to see a taste of what’s to come for the Owls ahead of the 2023 season under new head coach Tom Herman. 

The defense won 24-20 in the scrimmage as the points were determined by the coaching staff’s metrics. Points were earned in different ways, such as explosive plays, first downs and interceptions.

Here are three things we learned from the first FAU scrimmage:Quarterback competition heats up

One of the key storylines heading into the season was the quarterback room and who will separate themselves as the starter.

It’s expected to come down to graduate transfer Casey Thompson and Daniel Richardson. However, it won’t be shocking to see Thompson under center to start Week 1 (Sept. 2) against Monmouth.

Even though he missed the whole spring, Thompson looked exceptional Saturday as the former Texas and Nebraska QB is gaining chemistry with the skill position players. He excelled in red-zone situations and made some notable plays with receivers LaJohntay Wester and BJ Alexander.

Herman said that it’s been mostly a smooth transition for Thompson as the two have familiarity from their time together with the Longhorns.

“Knowing him for as long as I have, I think one of the attractions of coming to FAU was that any other offense would probably be a pretty steep learning curve,” Herman told The Palm Beach Post. “Is this the same offense from three years ago when we were last together? No. But, conceptually and from a philosophical, 30,000-foot view, it's very similar.”

Having played in the spring, Richardson showed that he has chemistry with the offense and he also made some solid plays. On the other hand, he did make some mistakes, including an interception to end the scrimmage on a high note for the defense.Both alternated between the first team throughout the scrimmage, so the battle remains. Herman said that he expects to know the starter after the second scrimmage next weekend.

Owls' defense shows up

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While there are still question marks around the defense for FAU, that unit had a solid day during the scrimmage.

To Herman, the defense dominated the first half and he said he was pleased.

“The offense battled back a little bit there in the red zone, we put the defenses back against the wall, but I thought they actually responded pretty well. Holding the offense to a bunch of field goal attempts rather than a touchdown, so that was good to see,” Herman said. “I thought we flew around. I thought we're much deeper … they're better for having been through our summer development and then some of the transfers and freshmen that we brought in are really gonna contribute, especially on that side of the ball.”

One of the many plays made by the defense was the interception by sophomore linebacker Jaylen Wester to end the scrimmage. Herman said that he’s been impressed with Wester, who has “grown up over the summer.”

“He'd be the first to tell you he was a bit of a knucklehead when he first got here. He had a hard time adapting, but this fall camp, he’s been doing things our way, the team's way,” Herman said. “And I don't wanna throw too much sugar at him, but you know, he's had a good nine days and I'm proud of him for the growth and maturity that he has shown over the last few months.”

Wester, brother of receiver LaJohntay, received Conference USA all-freshman honors as he came alive toward the end of last season and is looking to keep up that momentum.

Owls reaching Herman’s standards

Herman has reiterated on multiple occasions what mindset he wants to see from his team heading into the season.

The phrases “mentally tough” and playing with “fanatical effort” always come up. Herman said both were present during the scrimmage.

“We talked yesterday and today as a staff and to the team that you know if I'm a player on the football team, my effort, intensity, physicality and attention to detail on every single play is a direct reflection of my commitment to the team and the love that I have for my teammates and coaches,” Herman said. “That's the foundation of our program. It's one of our demands, but I felt that today. I did feel a renewed sense of urgency out there.”

Herman acknowledged that they’re not there yet, but they’re progressing.

“Having done this now for seven years as a head coach, something like that, this is about right. We're not behind, but we're not ahead and that's OK. Still got some battles to sort out but we got another week and then we go into mock game week,” Herman said. “Next scrimmage is going to be big. It’ll be a line of demarcation, if you will, from the five practices leading up and then the scrimmage. We're gonna have to make some decisions going into that mock game week.”

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: FAU Owls starting QB remains tight between Casey Thompson, Daniel Richardson