8/26/2024 | Football
BOCA RATON, Fla. – Florida Atlantic’s football team has gone to the practice fields nearly a dozen times, and you would think each day is similar to the last. That is not the case for the Owls.
On Monday, which is really a normal game week Tuesday workday, the Owls concluded the special teams meeting with Hagerty Family Head Football Coach Tom Herman asking redshirt junior linebacker Makai Sawtelle to the front to demonstrate a play. Before Sawtelle started, Herman bit into a Subway sandwich and complained that it wasn’t made correctly. Sawtelle was an on-campus summer worker at the sub shop. Upon further inspection of the sandwich, the linebacker discovered a note that read, “Congratulations, you are on a full scholarship.” Following the special team meeting celebration and one-on-one congratulations with teammates, the Stuart, Florida native, whom Defensive Coordinator Roc Bellantoni described as “someone who never makes a mistake. It means he is paying attention and doing his job,” then had a chance to call his father with the news before practice.
Following practice, Coach Herman, redshirt junior quarterback Cam Fancher, and redshirt junior Jayden Williams, two of the team’s four captains, joined media members for the program’s first media session, aired live on ESPN+. Click HERE to watch.
ON SOCIAL
More than proud of our guy @makai12swat
Earned It!#TriCountyTakeover#WinningInParadise pic.twitter.com/MZuOatiTs1– Florida Atlantic Football (@FAUFootball) August 26, 2024
QUOTABLE
Hagerty Family Head Football Coach Tom Herman
On preparing for Michigan State
“I’m really excited. I haven’t seen half of this team play in a game live. Half of this team did not play football for FAU [last year]. They were either in high school or playing for another school, so all I got to do was watch them on film. It will be fun to take this team into a hostile environment. Certainly, I respect the heck out of Michigan State and their tradition and their fanbase. It’s going to be a really difficult place to play. I know Coach Smith [Michigan State Head Coach Jonathan Smith] does a phenomenal job and will have those guys ready. It poses unique challenges, too, in Week 1 to [face] a brand new staff, very little of our film study has been on Michigan State. We watched them early to study personnel matchups, but beyond that, we’re watching Oregon State and Minnesota videos. It’ll be interesting to see what new wrinkles each side of the ball has, knowing the personnel side is different as well.”
On being able to run the ball
“We want to run the football. We’re going to be better in that facet this year compared to last year. How much better? I don’t know. This is going to be as good of a front seven that we’ll play all year, but I think we’re very simple in our gameplan. The offensive line and tight ends and backs feel really comfortable. We haven’t installed a new run in weeks, so they’ve been doing the same thing over and over again. We’re not built to drop back 50 times a game, so when we throw the ball on first and second down, a lot of it’s going to be off-the-run action, so you better be able to run the ball for it to matter.”
Redshirt Junior QB Cam Fancher
On starting the season
“It’s a blessing just to have the opportunity to go play the game of football and do the thing that we love. The offense and the team are excited to go and have the opportunity to not beat up on our guys but maybe go beat up on some other opponent.”
On expecting the unexpected
“It’s just locking in on your job and responsibility, play in and play out. There is a lot of unknown. We see what we see on film but it’s a new year and it’s Week 1 so you always have to be ready to adjust to anything that they show and then just rely on your rules that you’ve been coached up to all spring, all fall, and all camp. Just rely on that and rely on your preparation at the end of the day.”
Redshirt Junior S Jayden Williams
On being named a team captain
“It’s really an honor just to know that my guys believe in me that much to allow me to be a captain on that team. Everyone who voted for me, I really appreciate it, and I really take pride in being a captain for this team.”
On how camp has gone
“We were big on tightening the screws, and I think we tightened a lot of screws this camp. We built bonds. We built connections, and I think that’s what it’s going to take us where we want to go, and that’s winning a championship.”
VIDEO RECAP
COMPLETE SCHEDULE
Click HERE.
MILITARY APPRECIATION DAY
Florida Atlantic’s football home opener is set for Saturday, Sept. 7, at FAU Stadium versus Army West Point. The Owls will celebrate Military Appreciation Day as the Black Knights come to Boca Raton. For more information, click HERE.
PRACTICE HIGHLIGHTS
- QB Fancher hit junior WR Jayshon Platt 40-yards downfield
- RB Gemari Sands found the sideline, beat his defenders, and scored
- Fancher had another explosive play with a 40-yarder to redshirt sophomore WR Omari Hayes
SEASON TICKETS
2024 season tickets are available for as low as $75. To purchase season tickets, click HERE.
Recent alumni and Florida Atlantic faculty/staff can access discounted season tickets as low as $50. To learn more, submit your info HERE or visit HERE to make a purchase today.
VIP group experiences with discounted tickets are available now, including pre- and post-game field access, halftime team tunnels, fundraising opportunities, and more. If you have a group of 15 or more who are interested, sign up HERE.
FAU Alumni and Community Engagement will host two away events. The first is October 19th, when the Owls travel to San Antonio to face host UTSA. The second will be before the November 16th game versus Temple in Philadelphia. For more information, email alumni.affairs@fau.edu.
INSIDE THE OWLS BURROW
Inside the Owls Burrow enters its ninth season. The show originates on Bally Sports Florida but can be viewed on fausports.com and YouTube. Episode 3 airs this week on Bally Sports Florida on Thursday, Aug. 29th at 2 and 7 p.m. p.m. and will re-air on Friday, Aug. 30 at 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
This week, Hagerty Family Head Football Coach Tom Herman will talk about the season opener at Michigan State slated for 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 30, in East Lansing, Michigan. The game will air on the Big Ten Network. Senior linebacker Desmond Tisdol will be featured in “Pads Off”, while Michael Cibene, the Owls Edge Rushing Coach is “Wired for Sound”. The show will also catch up with former Owl Defensive Lineman Daniel Joseph, who now lives in Washington, D.C. where he is a lawyer.
RADIO SHOW
The Florida Atlantic Coaches Show, presented by Duffy’s Sports Grill, debuts for the 2024-25 season on Wednesday, Aug. 28, from 12-1 p.m. at the Duffy’s Sports Grill on St. Andrew’s Boulevard in Boca Raton.
Hagerty Family Head Coach Tom Herman is the featured guest throughout the fall, joined on the first show by Vice President and Director of Athletics Brian White, along with host and voice of the Owls Ken LaVicka as they preview the 2024 season and get you set for the season opener at Michigan State on Friday, Aug. 30.
The show then airs on the flagship station of the Florida Atlantic Sports Network, FOX Sports 640 South Florida, on Thursdays from 6-7 p.m.
Fans are encouraged to attend and listen live as Herman and LaVicka discuss the team, the next week’s opponent, and other highlights across the department while taking advantage of Duffy’s lunch and beverage specials.
BROADCASTS
Television outlets are listed on the schedule page. Wire-to-wire radio coverage will air on Fox Sports South Florida 640 AM. Ken LaVicka and FAU alum Chris Newbold will have the call, while Mike Mreczko will host the pre and post-game with added on-field coverage by FAU and long-time South Florida television personality Frank Forte. To listen live, click HERE.
FOLLOW THE TEAM
Stay informed by reading FAUSports.com or through football’s Twitter and Instagram accounts @FAUFootball.
