FAU football team gets ready for the season

Saturday’s practice closed the month of July. Florida Atlantic University football will open August with one final day of helmets and uppers and will then transition into full pads August 2. The Owls used Saturday’s time to work through their practice paces and then joined members of men’s and women’s soccer and volleyball on FAU Stadium’s Delray Hyundai Deck, where they signed autographs and spent time with Owl fans.

During COVID Head Coach Willie Taggart often spoke about the lack of time they were afforded to spend with players. That time was limited to installing his system and preparing for the next opponent. He longed for the opportunity to teach the “why’s and how’s” of the game.
 
The he Owls are using team meeting time to teach the “why’s and how’s.” Each night a duo of coaches, representing both sides of the ball explain what their side of the ball is trying to do. Friday night, the coordinators explained their strategy in red zone. Saturday morning’s practice concentrated on red zone.
 
Taggart was pleased to see which players were taking notes and how it paid off at practice. So much so that he held to a second promise, this one to the players, that he would not hold them at practice, just to be there. If they worked through the scripted practice, he would let them leave. Practice was smooth and efficient, and the Owls earned a 20-minute early dismissal. They then showered and joined family, friends, and fans for Owlpalooza.
 

Taggart said, “The thing I look for is what our guys take from the meeting and how they apply it on the field. You look to see who’s taking notes…What’s gratifying is when you get on the field and you start hearing guys talk…That’s what we’re trying to get our guys toward, where they’re not just going out and running the play because we called it but understanding what play we called and why we called it and then being able to communicate with each other to get it done. They’re learning to do that and applying it now and that’s going to make a huge difference for us.”