Lane Kiffin emphatically closed his first season at Florida Atlantic on Tuesday night with a dominant 50-3 bowl victory over Akron then proclaimed afterward, "We're just getting started."
The win in the Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl, on the same FAU Stadium field where the Owls play during the regular season, came hours after Kiffin agreed to an extension that will keep him at the school through 2027.
Rewind to a year ago, when FAU took a chance on hiring Kiffin, who had failed in three previous jobs as a head coach. Nobody could have expected the season would play out the way it did: FAU won 11 games (its school record in FBS), captured the Conference USA championship and made its first bowl appearance since 2008.
All the while, Kiffin brought attention to himself and his program with his prolific tweets, poking fun at former boss Nick Saban, ex-employer Tennessee and just about anything else that struck his fancy. But all that attention galvanized interest in FAU, and so did the way the Owls began to win -- with an up-tempo offense that refused to slow down or back down.
What the nation saw Tuesday against Akron is the way Kiffin has built this team -- scoring without regard for the score. That means going for it on fourth down, not to mention attempting onside kicks and two-point conversions no matter the lead.
"We expect to play this way, and we're just getting started," Kiffin said about the big bowl win.
Getting the contract extension indicates as much.
With fans behind him chanting "10 more years," Kiffin explained why he wants to stay with the Owls.
"They came to me with it," he told ESPN of the extension. "We're very appreciative. The university feels good about what's going on here. We're changing the way people think. I'm just glad our players can play on this stage and completely dominate a good team. They wanted to leave no doubt. We want to make sure at the end of the year everybody says, 'We don't want to play FAU.'"
Kiffin also made sure to mention his brother Chris, FAU's defensive coordinator. Tuesday marked the third straight game the Owls have held their opponent under 20 points.
"My brother is probably the star of the game, only giving up three points," Kiffin said. "Awesome night, but this is about the players, been through a lot, and they completely dominated everybody they played."
The players on the field further proved why Kiffin is only getting started. Quarterback Jason Driskel, named the game's offensive MVP, returns next season. So does running back Devin "Motor" Singletary, who moved into third place all time on the single-season rushing touchdown list with 32. He ended the season with 12 straight 100-yard rushing games and is sure to start the season with far more national attention than when he started this year.
And FAU is poised to sign recruits Wednesday, the start of the new early signing period in college football.
"Someone asked me before the game, 'What would you say to the recruits?'" Kiffin said. "I say, 'Watch the next 3½ hours, and you'll figure it out.'"