Casey Thompson throws 5 TD passes as Florida Atlantic opens season with 42-20 victory against Monmouth

BOCA RATON — The Tom Herman era got off to a solid start Saturday night as Florida Atlantic bulldozed past Monmouth 42-20 on Howard Schnellenberger Field.

Herman said that he felt the performance encompassed this past year's preparation and he was enthused with the final result, but he also acknowledging there are aspects to clean up.

“I was really happy with the way we started,” Herman said. “We've got a lot of film that we can learn from and there's no doubt in my mind that our guys will be better for having gone through kind of a bit of a roller coaster of a game like this.”

Here are three takeaways from the win:

Casey Thompson sharp in first FAU game

In the long awaited debut for quarterback Casey Thompson, the transfer didn’t disappoint, throwing for a school record-tying five touchdowns and 280 yards.

Thompson, who guided the offense to 493 total yards, said he felt good to have a performance like this after an offseason where he went through rehab for surgery he had on his shoulder last December.

“Just to fight back from an injury, the long days of rehab and doing treatments three times a day for the last nine or 10 months, but today, it was really good to kind of get back into that game environment,” Thompson said. “I really felt the best was when I took a few hits, that's when I knew that I felt comfortable, so I was really excited to be back out there and obviously, it was a good win.”

The Nebraska transfer looked cool, calm, and collected Saturday night as he spread the ball around to his various weapons. His only mistake was his one interception toward the end of the third quarter when FAU had a comfortable lead. “I felt like I had a pretty good game. It could be better. It could have been great," he said. "There was three or four throws that I left out there that I can make if I just get my feet right and put the ball accurately to the spot it needs to be. And then with the one turnover, obviously you know I need to make a good decision. It wasn't a matter of missing the throw or being accurate, it was just a decision.

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"They came and they played us differently than we thought they were going to and they made in-game adjustments so they started bringing a lot of pressure and blitz.”

A taste of what's to come on offense 

Larry McCammon came into the season with credentials to be a top running back and he showed it against the Hawks. He rushed for 125 yards and a touchdown to go along with four receptions for 59 yards. He was incredibly efficient as he averaged 9.6 yards per carry.

Herman said McCammon played to the ability they’ve been seeing in the offseason.

“He just got great body control, good vision. I thought he was a little impatient in the run game tonight so I'll see a little bit more on film,” Herman said. “But I thought Larry showed kind of everybody what we've seen for nine months, which is he's an all purpose guy who can catch, block, who can certainly run between the tackles when you get them on the perimeter.”

The wideouts were just as explosive as advertised and it went beyond FAU’s best receiver, LaJohntay Wester, who had six catches for 55 yards and a touchdown. Je’Quan Burton (three receptions, 56 yards) and Tony Johnson (five receptions, 91 yards) each scored twice for the first time in a collegiate game.

“I thought we came out pretty fast, I thought we did that on the first two drives. We just got to do better finishing,” Burton said. “I just made the plays that came to me.”

An up and down night for the defense

There were question marks heading into the season on defense. Saturday night, there were positives and some negative as well.

Stopping the run was crucial to keeping Monmouth, an FCS school, at bay, mostly containing containing Jaden Shirden. The junior running back, who rushed for more than 1,700 yards last season, was held to 66 yards.

Herman said that the defense against the run was impressive whether it was an FCS team or not.

“I don't care what conference they’re in or what level they play, [Shirden] certainly had our ears perked up the entire couple weeks of preparation and I thought our defense responded well,” Herman said. “Not just the 66 yards, but 2.8 yards per carry. You know they tried to feed him and we did a really good job.”

Linebacker Jackson Ambush, another transfer, led FAU with seven tackles. Defensive tackle Evan Anderson added six, including one for a loss.

Ambush and junior linebacker Jarret Jerrels (who had an interception) said that while they like how they handled the run, there were mistakes made in the passing game during Monmouth’s three scoring drives.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Tom Herman era starts with a win as FAU Owls defeat Monmouth Hawks