| 8/9/2024 | Football BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic football team logged their final tune-up before Saturday’s first live scrimmage at FAU Stadium. The day was a shorter one, further emphasizing the schedule Hagerty Family Head Football Coach Tom Herman’s plan to get their bodies accustomed to a game week work schedule. The Owls were off the field near 10 a.m. and will call it a day after the team’s evening walk-through. The final stages of practice saw the Owls work with 0:56 left on the clock and then several options for the ones, twos, and threes with 0:03 remaining. FAN FEST Join the Florida Atlantic Owls at the 2024 Duffy’s Sports Grill Fan Fest, scheduled for 9 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 10, at FAU Stadium. The football team will hold an open-to-the-public practice. Fans are encouraged to enjoy the shade of the Delray Hyundai Deck while watching and participating in giveaways, games, contests, and much more, including the opportunity to meet FAU student-athletes from other teams. Following football’s practice session, the 2024 Florida Atlantic football poster will be available, as will the Owls for an autograph opportunity. The event is free and open to the public. Fans are asked to park, at no cost, in lot 5 (north of the stadium) and enter FAU Stadium through either gate 1 or 6. QUOTABLE Edge Coach Michael Cibene On his new role this season “First, I’d like to thank Coach Herman and [Vice President and Director of Athletics] Brian White for their support of me. Being able to be here at FAU has been a dream come true. I grew up down here. I love being down here and coaching our guys. It has been a great transition. Coach Herman put a lot of faith and trust in me as well as [Defensive Coordinator] Coach Roc Bellantoni. Getting to answer to those two guys every day is awesome. Our group is really coming up and really has a chance to make some noise this year, not only around the league but around the country.” On the veterans in the edge room “Chris Jones and Marlon Bradley are both my senior leader veterans. They have been here for a combined 11 years. Those two guys have done a phenomenal job just really taking all those new young guys under their wings. And then we have some younger guys that haven’t played a lot and are really mature, so I get to coach them like grown men, I don’t have to chase them around and worry about what time they are waking up. They have been doing a great job being responsive and answering to our standard.” On molding good habits “A lot of guys came here because they had super raw talent but were super underdeveloped. We took those pieces, and we’re still transitioning into our way. We still have a lot of work to do as far as that goes, but we have guys on the right track, guys that believe in the plan that Coach Herman and Coach Roc set for our defense and where we want to go as a team.” On the progression of redshirt freshman Wilky Denaud “He’s a really mature guy for still being a teenager. He got here, and it was full steam ahead. He had a relationship with Coach Roc in the recruitment process at Auburn, so I felt like I knew Wilky when he was able to come because of how highly Coach Roc spoke of him. Since he has gotten here, he has just done everything that we have asked him to do and more. He’s going to be a great addition to our team and really help us win a lot of games this year. I can’t wait to develop him over the next couple of years as well because he still has a lot of good football left in him.” Redshirt Junior DT Bryce Langston On the progression of his first offseason at FAU “Ever since I’ve been here it’s been great getting to know the guys better, getting to know the team and staff. I’ve just been loving it ever since I got here. I just know I’ll be able to trust my brother right beside me in a game. If we all play 11 as one, we’re going to dominate this league, and it’s going to be fun. Just coming around knowing my brother has my back, I can trust them. I just love the team.” On the depth of the DT room “We are going to be a good, healthy team. The defensive line has multiple weapons. It’s going to be fun to watch this season.” On his play style “First and second down, play the run. Third-and-10, third-and-12, I know what’s coming, pass rush game, just have fun…Every defensive line has the most fun when it’s a pass and getting to attack the quarterback.” Redshirt Junior RB CJ Campbell On how fall camp is going “This camp has been going well. It’s been really hot and really challenging mentally and physically, but I’ve been having fun with it. I’ve been attacking every day, making sure I enjoy the process of what I’m doing because as long as I can enjoy the process, the better I will be able to be, just coming out there working, having a positive mindset to help the team get better. Leading up to the first scrimmage, I feel like I have been doing a pretty good job at playing my role on the team and making sure I have all of my assignments correct. The first scrimmage is exciting because it’s a good place to see where we are. There are no coaches on the field to tell us what to do, no help from right behind us. The coaches are on the sideline, and once we’re out there on the field, it’s just us. It’s a good place to see if we can work as a team and how much more ready, we have to be for the first game coming up.” On arriving to FAU with fellow teammate and FSU transfer OL Daughtry Richardson “It’s always great to have another player that you’re familiar with, especially on the same side of the ball as you coming from the same place. Then when we both talk about it and look back and reflect on the decisions we made, that’s when you know it was a pretty good move. The staff is amazing, they care about us and they just want to make sure that we are the best we could be.” On his excitement building for the opening game “I’m really excited just to be able to go out there and really showcase my ability. Just going into the first game knowing I’m going to be one of the guys they give the ball to, and I’m going to have to make plays. [It] is just a different feeling, it’s something I have always dreamed about since I was young. Just being able to have the coaches trust me in that way and just go out there and perform to the best of my ability and try to make it to my next goal, which is ultimately the league, and now I’m finally getting my shot, it feels great.” VIDEO RECAPON SOCIAL Work day#TriCountyTakeover#WinningInParadise pic.twitter.com/nlXGPnJm6V– Florida Atlantic Football (@FAUFootball) August 8, 2024 HIGHLIGHTS Edge rusher and veteran Chris Jones recorded a sackSituational play saw George Johnson III layout for a perfectly placed over-the-shoulder 20-yard catch that started on the offensive 36 to help the offense begin a drive that got them within field goal rangeTwo plays later, it was Omari Hayes that moved the chains 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. 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 [email protected]. TOUCHDOWN IN THE TROPICS Get ready for a night of tropical elegance at “Touchdown in the Tropics” to support the upcoming Florida Atlantic University football season and its student-athletes. Join us at the Boca Marriott on August 22, 2024, from 6-9 PM at 5150 Town Center Cir., Boca Raton, Florida 33486. Doors open at 5:30 PM. Indulge in amazing food, enjoy live music, and hear from Hagerty Family Head Football Coach Tom Herman. This tropical casual affair promises a fun and unforgettable evening as we kick off the season in paradise with your hometown team. All proceeds from this event directly benefit our FAU football student-athletes. For more information, click HERE. BROADCAST 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. |
