BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic University football team will have a new task, and that is playing winning football on the road. The Owls will travel to Athens, Ohio for a 6 p.m. contest versus Ohio, and the task at hand will be putting back-to-back outstanding performances together with the only difference being away from “Paradise.”
The matchup is the first between the two schools. The last time FAU went on the road to face a MAC opponent, the Owls came away with a 41-31 win over Ball State, a game that saw FAU wide receiver John Mitchell accumulate 124 yards and three touchdowns.
QUOTABLE
Offensive Coordinator Brent Dearmon
On making the decision to coach in the booth during game
“I think we have a lot of really good coaches that have a lot of good experience, so what we we’re trying to do was figure out where everybody was going to be best instead of just me. Coach (Billy) Gonzales does a good job on the field communicating with receivers. Coach (Chad) Lunsford is our special teams coordinator, so you want that guy on the field, you always want your o-line coach to be right there in the face of the o-linemen, and then coach (Donte’) Pimpleton does a really good job on the field. So, it wasn’t just me, it was knowing our group of coaches and what they’re good doing as a whole. That played a big role in me going upstairs.”
On scoring on seven drives
“It’s a great first step. You really had 10 drives in that game, because the last drive we took a knee. The biggest stat that I told our coaches is we only had five negative yards the whole game. If we can eliminate TFLs and the negative plays, we can be a pretty good football team. We’d like to get seven points instead of three inside the five-yard line down there, but as a whole, we were pleased with our guys.”
On Junior RB Larry McCammon III being an all-around back
“The fact that he helped out in pass protection a lot, those are the things that don’t go noticed. We were worried about (Charlotte’s) two pass rushers last week, so Larry stayed in a lot on the pass pro. Some of those big third down pickups that N’Kosi (Perry) makes those throws on, Larry’s helping out in the pass pro and chipping defensive ends. The unseen things are what you don’t appreciate so much about Larry sometimes. (He) ran the ball hard, and does a great job catching the football out of the backfield, so he’s really an all-around back and he’s helping our team right now.”
On bringing the momentum on the road
“Our big stress to our guys this week is not about who we play, it’s about how we play. We’re playing another new DC, so we’re getting really good at who we are and putting our guys in situations where it doesn’t really matter what we see on the other side of the ball. We’re trying to figure out ways this week to give our guys adversity, so when you face those adverse situations between travel, having the opposing team’s bench behind you, maybe get some crowd noise, we need to put our guys in situations like that this week.”
On QB N’Kosi Perry and the depth of the wide receiver room
“He feels good about all of those guys. One guy that we’re ready to get back is Jordan (Young). He suffered a little setback and injury in camp, but we’re expecting him back here pretty soon, so add one more guy to the arsenal there. I thought those guys played really well. N’Kosi went 16/22 and he missed four shots. He had a really good day overall, and I think we have deep ball receivers that can take the top off coverages. We’re really excited about that group.”
On having experienced players
“The thing that we don’t always think about on our side of the ball that we have to appreciate is the number of reps our offensive line has taken in college football. You can play younger running backs and receivers, but when you have an experienced o-line group that has seen everything there is in football over the last few years, that really helps you. Our guys did a great job. The other night, we saw an even front, we saw an odd front, they got in a bear front about seven or eight times in the game. We saw pressure from the field, we saw pressure from the boundary, and those guys had seen all of that throughout their career. Having an experienced o-line is really the biggest thing.”
On Ohio’s defense
“They’ve got 10 guys on defense that are in their fifth year, so they have a really experienced group on their side of the ball that’s played a lot of football games. Their two linebackers are good football players, #32 (Bryce Houston) was just a team captain. They had to replace one safety, but the guy who’s played behind him played a lot last year and I think their d-line is solid as well. I think they’re pretty good up the middle. You try to build a football team like you do a baseball team, right up the middle. If you have good catchers, pitchers, middle infielders, and center fielders, you’re usually pretty good in baseball.”
Redshirt Junior WR Je’Quan Burton
On stepping up in the opening game
“It was a big game for us, a conference game coming out in the season opener. We lost two in the stadium last year, so a big emphasis was coming out and winning back over our stadium and that’s what we did.”
On winning a conference game
“We’re taking every conference game and every game day-by-day.”
On competing for playing time in a crowded wide receiver room
“Our room is super deep. We have young talent. Every day, you are going to be working. You might be a one tomorrow and then the next day you might be a two or three. The competition is great in that room and it’s good for us.”
On spreading the football around
“That’s how our offense is run. We have a new OC, Brent Dearmon, and that is his offense. You want to get everybody involved, that’s big in the run game and pass game. You’re going to see that a lot.”
On scoring a touchdown
“It felt good. All of the work we put in during the summer right after the season, it felt good to get that first one, but I plan on having many more.”
On dynamics of playing on the road
“We just need to be us. We have a new team this year. Everything is different. Everybody is responding different from every other team I’ve ever been on. I feel like right now we are more mature, more ready. I feel like we have the team to go out and win on the road, win at home, win whenever in any circumstance.”
On younger receivers stepping up
“It felt good. Just to see Jahmal (Edrine) open up the game with that big catch, to see Tony (Johnson) take the bubble down the sideline and catch that ball across the bubble, it was huge. It made me smile, honestly.”
On how this offseason program differed from last year
“For me, it was getting my body out there. That was a big emphasis for me. I sat down with Joey (Guaracio) and asked ‘what can we do to make sure I’m good?’ and we went through that and did that and it showed.”
HOUSEKEEPING
Johnny Unitas Award List – Last week, Owls’ quarterback N’Kosi Perry was named to the prestigious Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award List. It is the largest selection of active quarterbacks in the history of the award, representing 76 schools around the nation.
College Color Days – College Colors Day Celebration! The intercollegiate athletics National celebration kick-offs this week. The day celebrates and promotes the traditions and spirit that make college great by encouraging students, faculty, staff, alumni and fans to wear their favorite college’s (Florida Atlantic) apparel of their favorite college throughout the day. FAU’s event is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 2 from 11:30am-1:30pm on the Diversity Housing Lawn.
C-USA Players of the Week – Congratulations to Justin McKithen and Morgan Suarez for their accomplishments being recognized by the league as C-USA Players of the Week.
Author John Gordon Addressed the Team Last Week
MARK YOUR CALENDARSFAU Coaches Radio Show
For free mobile listening of all game broadcasts and coaches shows, FAU fans can download the Varsity Network app for iPhone or Android. The app features instant access to free gameday audio streams and the ability for fans to receive push notifications to remind them of games starting or upcoming audio broadcasts. Local fans can tune in to Hubbard Radio (Fox Sports South Florida 640 AM) to follow the team.
FAU Television Inside the Owls Burrow
This week’s show will include a sit down with Hagerty Family Head Football Coach Willie Taggart. Show host and producer Frank Forte and Taggart will review last week’s 43-13 victory over Conference USA opponent Charlotte. The duo will preview the task ahead and this week it is a road game versus Ohio. Guard Kamaar Bell is the first player to be featured in “Pads Off”. Wide receiver coach Billy Gonzalez is mic’d up, and linebacker Eddie Williams will be featured. Here is a preview:
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.
TICKETS
To purchase FAU tickets, call 1-866-FAU-OWLS or click HERE or HERE. Individual tickets are now on sale as well. Call the FAU ticket office, today, to secure your tickets. Stay informed by reading FAUSports.com, or through football’s Twitter and Instagram accounts @FAUFootball.
