The FIU Panthers focused on stopping this FAU Owls power back in Saturday’s Shula Bowl

FIU defensive coordinator Brent Guy has had a recurring nightmare this week.

“When you see No. 5 in your dreams,” Guy said, “it’s not a nice dream.”

No. 5 is Florida Atlantic University running back Devin Singletary, a 5-9, 200-pound junior from Deerfield Beach.

Singletary led the nation last season with 32 rushing touchdowns, and he hasn’t slowed down since.

On Saturday night at 7:30, Conference USA East-Division leader FIU (6-2, 4-0) will host FAU (3-5, 1-3) in the 18th annual Shula Bowl, and stopping Singletary will be “Job One” for the Panthers.

For his career, Singletary has rushed for 3,776 yards — including 1,918 last year — 59 touchdowns and a 6.1 average.

This season, he got off to a slow start but has still rushed for 837 yards, 15 touchdowns and a 5.0 average. He was held to under 85 yards in each of his first three games but has rushed for over 100 yards in four of his past five contests.

“He’s one of the best running backs I’ve seen the past two years, and I don’t care what program you’re talking about,” FIU coach Butch Davis said. “He’s explosive and fast with great vision. He deserves all the recognition he gets.”

Singletary is coming off his best game of the season, running for 171 yards and a 9.0 average last week against Louisiana Tech.

He’s so good that even though the FAU Owls have slumped since winning Conference USA last year, Singletary is capable of being a one-man wrecking crew, potentially taking a sledgehammer to FIU’s dream of claiming the league title for the first time in school history.

“[If you’re the Owls], sometimes you don’t have to block them all because [Singletary] will make someone miss,” Guy said. “We can’t let him hit gaps or get to the edges.

“He’s a great jump-cutter. He finds daylight, and he runs to it.”

Guy said FAU also has a package of jet sweeps that the Panthers must be ready for, and the Owls also play fast.

“The scheme, the tempo and that running back,” Guy said, “all of that makes for a long week for a defensive coordinator.”

FIU, which has won four straight games and clinched bowl eligibility by the earliest date in school history, will be the favorite on Saturday. But Davis said his defense has had some issues tackling this season, and Singletary will look to exploit the Panthers if that trend continues.

Last season, Singletary ranked second in the nation in broken tackles, and he was No. 2 in breakaway yards, defined as runs 15 yards or longer.

“We’d like to minimize yards after contact,” Davis said. “You would think [Singletary] just outruns guys. But he’s a physical runner. He runs through arm tackles.”

If FIU is able to contain Singletary, they could make life difficult for the Owls. FAU quarterback Chris Robison, who missed most of last week’s 21-13 loss to Louisiana Tech due to an ankle injury, completed 33-of-40 passes for 471 yards and three touchdowns, with no interceptions, in a 33-27 win over Air Force on Sept. 8.

Robison, a former four-star recruit and an Oklahoma Sooners transfer, also passed for 339 yards and two TDs, with no interceptions, in a 32-21 win over Old Dominion on Oct. 6.

But outside of those two stellar games, Robison has been shaky, passing for three scores while suffering 10 interceptions while participating in five losses in six games.

Davis, who has built a defense around defensive tackle A.J. Johnson and middle linebacker Sage Lewis, wants to see his unit play with discipline.

“Do your job – don’t guess,” Davis said. “When you guess, you leave gigantic holes. We have to have gap control.”

This story was originally published November 1, 2018 at 9:00 AM.