BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic University football team continues to prepare for this Saturday’s home contest with Southeastern Louisiana, scheduled for 6 p.m. and one thing the fans can count upon is a tackle being made by a Williams.
In the Owls’ season opener versus Charlotte, junior inside linebacker Eddie Williams totaled a team-high eight tackles, including a tackle assist for a loss of one yard, while Jayden Williams, a redshirt freshman defensive back and of no relation to Eddie, tallied five tackles, including a sack for a loss of six yards.
In week two at Ohio, it was MORE of the same. Both notched personal highs, and both had double-digit tackles. Eddie recorded 16 tackles, which is third all-time among FAU’s single-game leaders. That total included two tackles for a loss of seven yards, one of which was a sack for a loss of four yards. Jayden had 12 tackles at Ohio and a forced fumble.
GAME PROMOTIONS
This game’s theme is Palm Tree Appreciation Day. September is national hunger month, and thehe Owls are excited to help out. Fans are encouraged to bring an unopened cereal box to the game to receive a free admission ticket.
QUOTABLE
Defensive Coordinator Todd Orlando
On facing Southeastern Louisiana
“All you recognize with these guys is their athleticism. I coached in Texas before, but we recruited the heck out of Louisiana. Those are some great players, tough kids, quick, explosive, the quarterback is huge, he can throw the football down the field and they’re using him in wildcat stuff. The second that we put the tape on after our game on Sunday night, we were impressed.”
On bringing down their quarterback
“He is so big. If you go low, his actual thighs are big too. To me, it’s just about making sure we run our feet on contact and then some of our smaller guys are going to have to target him low. We’ve seen him run DB’s over, we’ve seen him run over linebackers too, so it’s going to be a challenge.”
On reflecting on last week’s loss
“I think just the way that we played in the third quarter. We had about nine plays that I counted to when we settled down in the fourth quarter that we didn’t execute or just needed a play. You get into a stretch like that where you just need somebody to step up and just make one play, and we had nine opportunities to do it, especially on some of the third down stuff where it changes the dynamic of the game. The object is to win, that’s it. That part is what we’re really addressing. Coach T (Willie Taggart) has been good, coming out of our water breaks, we’ve tried to simulate getting out of halftime, just things like that to keep our guys dialed in. We’ve got some really good players. Just finishing a handful of plays changes the dynamic of the game.”
On adjusting to injuries on the defensive line
“It’s next man up. This is football, it’s a physical sport. We’ve got some guys that are chipped up right now, but everybody that is in our two deep we believe in. They have to move up and I just like the fact that we practice to try to develop. We said this early when you guys interviewed me in fall camp, and we were talking about repping the threes and repping the fours. When you look at it in hindsight, that’s a smart idea that we did it, because we have some guys that are banged up, but that’s what we get paid for – to develop. Those guys, we’re continuing to bring on and give them reps, because you fall into a situation where you get some guys nicked up, so they have to play, but they also have to have the reps to be able to go out and play winning snaps for you.”
On the secondary
“I think it goes back to some of the things we talked about. We are really close to making plays and finishing. And I have to do a better job. I have to do a better job of recognizing some of the things they are doing and putting our guys in better situations. I love these kids, man. These kids work their tails off every day, they care so much. But I have to do a better job of staying a little bit ahead of getting these guys into things that are better, so that’s on me, that’s not on these guys. These guys are performing, they’re practicing as hard as they can. I have to do a better job helping them throughout the game.”
Redshirt Freshman Cornerback Jayden Williams
On tackling Southeastern Louisiana’s QB
“He’s pretty big. The main goal is to get 11 guys to the ball, everybody flying to the ball, and if we’re all flying, we can take our shots and get him down.”
On stepping up on defense this season
“I knew that I was up, I knew it was my turn, I knew it was my time. During the offseason with Joey (Guarascio), the workouts he put us through were crazy, and me getting my little work by myself, just preparing because I knew I was ready for the moment, so a lot of preparation prepared me for my moment.”
On Southeastern Louisiana’s Offense
“They love the quick game…their quarterback likes to get the ball out quick. From watching film from last week, they’re going to go at us, and we’re ready.”
On rushing the passer
“It’s really just my mentality. As soon as the ball is snapped, I’m hungry for the ball, I’m hungry for sacks, I’m hungry for plays. I’m just trying to make every play I can to contribute to the team. When I’m on the blitz, I make sure I’m looking out for my guys behind me because I know they have to cover while I’m blitzing, so I always tell them ‘just give me a couple of seconds, I promise I’ll get there’. I really just do it for my teammates just to protect them in the backend.”
On the mindset of the DB room this week
“The way our coach ripped us Sunday, it just changed us. We felt that we gave up way too much and the mentality we brought out here yesterday, if we just keep that up, I promise you we’ll have good things to come. We felt that we let the team down and that can’t happen again. The mentality that we came out here today with and we had it yesterday, we will continue to build this this week.”
Redshirt Junior Safety Teja Young
On covering WR Jahmal Edrine in practice
“I get a chance to cover Jahmal. He’s a big body receiver and he’s young, so he’s growing every day. Jahmal’s actually a tough cover because his catch radius is very wide and he’s more physical than you would think at receiver.”
On living up to their defense’s standards
“Last weekend was definitely not up to anyone’s standard on the team, from special teams, defense, anything. Just starting slow, not being consistent during the game, and that just starts with practice. The way we practice. The way we do things in practice. The mindset, those are things that human nature can control, and I feel like last Saturday, we didn’t do a good job of controlling those things.”
On the biggest challenge this weekend
“Our biggest challenge is just to play our best brand of football every week. It’s going to be hard, because everybody else around the nation is training, getting motivation or whatever it takes for them to get ready, so just lining up and playing FAU football is our biggest challenge every week.”
On Jayden Williams rushing the passer
“I think it’s something special for him. I think it’s something that he probably didn’t even know he had in his toolbox because he played corner more than nickel last year, so just having him closer to the ball and being able to let him loose and just send him back there, those big guys, it’s hard sometimes to block, when they have certain angles and they’re coming at a certain speed. It’s hard for those big guys to bend and get low. Having him have that ability helps us in the backend as well. All of those things, pass rush and coverage, go hand in hand.”
On the mindset of the DB room this week
“The mindset from the DB room is always the game is won and lost in the backend. If you can stop them from having explosive plays, you’ll win a lot of games. It’s not about just stopping them. It’s about winning more battles than you lose.”
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 and Taggart will review last week’s game at Ohio, the first road trip of the season and will preview this week’s home contest versus No. 16 Southeastern Louisiana. The show will air on Thursday and Saturday morning at 11:30 a.m. on Bally Sports Florida. Hear from new offensive coordinator Brent Dearmon as he talks 1-on-1, get to know cornerback Jayden Williams in “Pads Off”, plus the personal story of center Nick Weber in the latest of our “Football in Paradise” series.
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.
