BOCA RATON, Fla. – Florida Atlantic University football returned home and will work throughout the week on improving fundamentals and getting development snaps.
Despite no game this week, Hagerty Family Head Football Willie Taggart kept his weekly Monday schedule with the media.
QUOTABLE
Head Coach Willie Taggart
On giving up big plays
“We have to simplify some things and allow our guys to just play ball. First and foremost, being able to line up and be in the right position. When it comes to the run game, it’s down to that: being in your gaps and owning your gaps. Guys can’t jump out of their gaps and linebackers have to stay in their gaps. I think simplifying some things is going to allow our guys to be able to do that better. I think that will make a big improvement for our defense. We have a lot of talent. We should be playing a lot better than what we’ve been playing and not giving up runs like we’ve been doing. We’ve got fast guys, but sometimes we’re not playing fast. To me, that comes down to thinking too much and not playing instinctively, and if you’re not playing instinctively on the defensive side of the ball, you’re dead. We’re reevaluating what we’re doing this week and making sure we’re putting our players in the best position to be successful. They’re playing hard and trying to give us what we want. We have to make sure that we’re giving them just enough so that they can go play at a high level and get back to that dominant mentality and keep people out of the end zone.”
On making stops on third down
“We have to be better on third down. If you ask me, that’s the killer. We’ll get you in third down and on third-and-12, we give that up. Those types of things can’t happen. Being better there will help our football team.”
On QB N’Kosi Perry
“If you look back to this last game, he threw a couple of dimes in there. That’s big for a quarterback there early in the game if you’re throwing passes like that and you drop them, that takes a lot away from a QB in games. We had three possible touchdowns on all of them that they have to make it happen. From our standpoint, we as coaches have to help him out. I think one thing that will help us was running the football. We have to consistently run the football and not ask him to throw the ball 50 times a game or even 30 times a game. We have some really good running backs and a really good offensive line. I think you help your QB by running the football.”
On working with coaches during the bye week
“That’s going to be a big part of this bye week, is how we can put our players in the best position where they can be successful, where they can play fast, not think a lot and just go play football like we all know they can. We have the talent there and our guys are giving us great effort, it’s just being consistent with the execution in what we’re doing. That comes with reps, reps, reps, and accountability. We have to hold guys accountable to doing their jobs and if they can’t get it done, we have to get the right guys in there to get it done for us. I think there’s a lot of things we can do this bye week to get better at that can help us with some of our issues that’s causing us to lose.”
On practicing this week
“We’re going to work on us. We have to get better at what we do, really working on those things to get better, and probably more importantly, eliminate some things so that we can continue to get better. And then we’ll spend some time on Rice. But a big part of this is us working on us and getting better at what we do. And then fundamentals, that’s a big part where we can be a lot better in every phase.”
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
FAU 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 will review the Owls’ game at North Texas and get a rundown of what to expect of the bye week. “Pads Off” will spotlight safety Armani-Eli Adams. Defensive tackle Jake Holaday is featured in “Football in Paradise” with the story of his medical scare this past summer. Finally, Associate Head Coach/Outside Linebackers Coach Raymond Woodie wears the mic for practice.
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