BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic University football team returned for Wednesday’s practice, a practice that continued to see the challenges, new options, and competition.
QUOTABLE
Defensive Coordinator Todd Orlando
On this week of practice:
“This will be a big test for us. You get into week three of camp, when things get hard, I think a lot of people show their true colors…yesterday was a good practice.”
On what he’s looking for in this Saturday’s scrimmage
“Those guys that are on the cusp of being able to contribute. Anytime you put them in a stadium, you find out a lot more than you do on the practice field. You leave them alone, you let them play, then you find out what they can do best and whether they can help us versus Charlotte. Some of the guys that have been established, how many reps we give them, I don’t know how many they need outside of just being in the environment. We try to do both scrimmages at night just to simulate Charlotte. Those guys that are on the tail end of the bus or are unsure whether or not they’re going to help us, they’re going to get a lot of reps and if they show up, then they’ve earned that right to be on that bus and help us out in any way possible. I think special teams is going to be a big thing for these guys too, so we’ll do a little situational football and see who’ll show up, but it’s the last audition for those guys to see if they can help us.”
On what stood out from last week
“There hasn’t been anything absolutely glaring, but I think some of the guys in the backup roles are starting to really understand where we’re at…We’re 10 days out from playing Charlotte and we better show up. You have to give us confidence that we can put you on the field, so I would say not specifically a positional group, but those guys that are the twos and the threes, I think they understand the urgency about how they have to perform, and we saw that last week.”
On the linebacker room and pass rush
“The pass rush has been good. We have some dynamic guys. I think Eddie [Williams] is one of them, Mojo (Morven Joseph) and [Marlon] Krakue, they have some twitch. I think they’re naturals at doing it, so we got to feature them. You don’t come in and run certain packages if you don’t have the personnel to do it, but since I’ve been here, there hasn’t been one position where we have to modify things.”
On facing FAU’s offense in practice
“Brent [Dearmon] is an outstanding coordinator. He’s going to make you work, but he’s also going to feature the guys he needs to feature. Our skill guys are dynamic, our tailbacks have had an outstanding camp. Sometimes when you have a scheme, you might not have the players to do it, but he has all of the available players. He’s a very dynamic playcaller. I always judge OCs in terms of the way the rhythm of the game goes, and he can keep you very off balance.”
On Redshirt Junior DE Jaylen Joyner
“He’s a guy that I believe has the skillset to be able to do things that are unique for his position. He’s a really sharp guy, football wise, off the field. We’re expecting big things out of that guy.”
Redshirt Sophomore RB Kelvin Dean, Jr.
On how camp is going so far
“I looked at this camp a lot different being one of the vets in my room…I have to help more people instead of just looking to people for help. It’s been a little different this camp, but I feel good being in the shoes that I’m in.”
On potentially being a three down back
“It’s all on tape. I’m working every day. Give me the ball three times straight, you’re going to get some success out of it. I can be that three down back if that’s what we need. I just want to be whatever the coaches need me to be. I just want to be here and help us win. I don’t want to be selfish about it or brag on myself. Whatever the coaches think in their eyes, I just think my work is going to match whatever they think.”
On staying ready for an opportunity
“I always talk to coach Taggart, and he tells me ‘It’s not about where you start, it’s about where you finish.’ So what I do (is) put my head down, keep working and just wait on my opportunity and when it comes, I have to make the best of it every time.”
On Brent Dearmon
“The drive that he puts into his players, his speeches, they make us want to go harder. He drills it into our heads that we need to be fast. We have our intensity periods where we’re going super fast and it’s even faster than you’ll even be allowed to go in a game. They’re preparing us so when the game comes, it’ll be easy.”
ON THE FIELD
- Willie Taggart, Jr. hit both Johnny Ford and Jymetre Hester for 45-yard scoring plays during seven-on-seven
- “Teamwork” saw the defense stop the offense’s first drive, but kicker Morgan Suarez hit a 42-yard field goal to get the offense on the board
- N’Kosi Perry showed patience, called his number for a 30-yard run, moving the offense to the defense’s 30
- From team, the Owls switched fields and began goal line work or trying to score from five yards out. Each unit had five tries. The first teamers saw the offense score on four of the five attempts. Second team defense proved to much for the second team offense winning three of the five battles and the third team suffered a similar fate with the defense stopping three of the five attempts
- The final session was team as well, but the ball was spotted on the 30 and headed the opposite way. Larry McCammon had two long runs and Zuberi Mobley broke through for a long touchdown run
- The defense recovered a fumble at the line of scrimmage and the defensive line wrapped up a running back for a TFL
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
FAU Coaches Radio Show
FAU Television Inside the Owls Burrow
SEASON OPENER
FAU will open the 2022 season on Saturday, Aug. 27, 2022, versus Charlotte at FAU Stadium. The game is scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m. and will be televised on CBSSN and will air locally on Sports640 AM South Florida.
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