Taggart, Owls to open 2020 C-USA slate at home

Former USF, Western Kentucky coach to lead defending conference champions

BOCA RATON, Fla. – New head coach Willie Taggart will lead Florida Atlantic against Charlotte in the Conference USA opener on the first Saturday in October.

The complete C-USA schedule for the 2020 season was released Wednesday.

FAU will open C-USA play at FAU Stadium against the 49ers on Oct. 3, one week after concluding its non-conference slate against South Florida.

The Owls will hit the road for games at Southern Mississippi and Marshall -- the only C-USA team to beat them last year -- in October before returning home to face UTSA on Halloween.

FAU hosts Western Kentucky on Nov. 7, one week before its annual “Shula Bowl” rivalry. The Owls, winners of three consecutive blowout games against Florida International, will take the short trip south to Miami on Nov. 14.

The home schedule concludes with a visit from Old Dominion in the second-to-last game of the season. FAU will end the regular-season schedule at Middle Tennessee.

Taggart will lead the Owls against two teams he previously coached -- USF and Western Kentucky, his alma mater. He coached the Hilltoppers when they won the first game ever played at FAU Stadium in 2011.

OpponentDateLocation
at MinnesotaSept. 3Minneapolis
Stony BrookSept. 12Boca Raton
at Georgia SouthernSept. 19Statesboro, Ga.
USFSept. 26Boca Raton
CharlotteOct. 3Boca Raton
at Southern MissOct. 10Hattiesburg, Miss.
at MarshallOct. 24Huntington, W.Va.
UTSAOct. 31Boca Raton
Western KentuckyNov. 7Boca Raton
at FIUNov. 14Miami
Old DominionNov. 21Boca Raton
at Middle TennesseeNov. 28Murfreesboro, Tenn.

The Owls won their second C-USA championship in three seasons under Lane Kiffin last year. Taggart, fired by Florida State in November, was hired to replace Kiffin, who left to take the Ole Miss job.