Kendal Briles to FAU: Latest Contract Details, Comments, Reaction

If it weren't clear already, the Florida Atlantic Owls are going to score often now that Lane Kiffin is at the helm.  

Not only did the Owls tab Kiffin as their head coach earlier in the month, but they named former Baylor Bears offensive coordinator Kendal Briles to the same post on Friday to create one of the most fascinating personnel pairings in college football, according to Sports Illustrated's Pete Thamel. 

"We were very deliberate in our decision to bring Kendal to FAU...completed our due diligence," Kiffin told Thamel. 

Kiffin also called the hire a "home run" after Briles received interest from the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Houston Cougars, according to FoxSports.com's Bruce Feldman. 

Briles' father, Art, was dismissed by Baylor after a sexual assault scandal rocked the university, but Kendal remained with the program during Jim Grobe's stint as interim head coach last season. 

Over the course of the 2016 campaign, Kendal served as the architect of a Bears attack that churned out a 35th-ranked 33.1 points per game. 

And while Briles and Kiffin are both regarded as offensive gurus, it appears the 34-year-old will be allowed to call the shots with the Owls, according to ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit:

However, as Smart Football's Chris B. Brown noted, it will be fascinating to see if FAU embraces Briles' spread philosophy since Kiffin has a history of running a more pro-style system:

"

Even just structurally. Lane is WCO based - rigid routes, reads - while Briles is all fluid vertical read routes and limited concepts

— Chris B. Brown (@smartfootball) December 24, 2016"

But regardless of which tactical approach reigns supreme, FAU is in store for a boost in offensive quality. The Owls ranked 80th among FBS teams with 25.4 points per game in 2016, and their passing attack had to fight to churn out a shade over 200 yards per outing through the air. 

Now in possession of two innovative offensive minds, the Owls should have a nice shot at capturing their first winning season since 2008.