BOCA RATON, Fla. – Florida Atlantic football completed its annual Spring Game on Saturday afternoon, with Team Red defeating Team White by a score of 25-18.
It was an action-packed outing with both newcomers and returning players making key contributions.
At quarterback, Cameron Fancher (newcomer) and Tyriq Starks (returning) split their time between both teams, Starks throwing three touchdowns and Fancher throwing for one.
On the ground, returning sophomore running back Gemari Sands led Team White’s rushing attack, while Team Red was sparked by incoming redshirt junior C.J. Campbell, who took the ball to the house on a 75-yard touchdown on the first play of the second half.
The quarterbacks made sure to distribute the ball around with 11 different receivers recording at least one reception. Redshirt sophomore wide receiver Omari Hayes led the way for returning Owls with seven receptions in the first half alone. But it was newcomer Milan Tucker who opened the day of scoring for Team White, turning up the jets to turn a first down into a 41-yard touchdown.
On defense, junior lineman Decarius Hawthorne, no stranger to strong spring performances for FAU, notched a sack. In the secondary, redshirt freshman Antonio Smith recorded two interceptions and senior Courtney Lamas-Lanier made plays all over the field for Team White with multiple pass breakups. But newcomer “Buggs” Brown set the tone early for Team Red with a key pass deflection on the second play from scrimmage on the game’s opening drive.
Overall, the Owls played with tenacious effort to wrap up an intense but rewarding spring practice season as they shift focus toward the fall.
QUOTABLE
Hagerty Family Football Head Coach Tom Herman
“If this was our fans’ first glimpse for the 2024 season, I feel like we showed them a lot of what we were bragging about. I told the guys at the end that I was really proud of not just today, but the whole spring. When you do it as long as I have, every team feels different. This one feels really good, the buy in level is off the charts. The portal gets a bad rap, but the one good thing is that all of these guys that returned could have gone anywhere they wanted and they chose to stay here and we chose to have them stay here. There is a much deeper feel of buy-in and togetherness and hopefully you saw that today a little bit in our effort. We didn’t play perfect, but we made plays on both sides of the ball. We played with a lot of effort and physicality and that was fun to see.”
Redshirt Junior Quarterback Cameron Fancher
“Our trust is growing daily, just trying to grow that trust and chemistry with the guys, just taking it one day at a time and build daily.”
Redshirt Junior Quarterback Tyriq Starks
“I just wanted to lock in, put all of the non-intangibles to the side, just focused on my craft to get better and just show that I can go out there and lead an offense.”
Redshirt Sophomore Wide Receiver Omari Hayes
“We distributed the ball well. Everybody got targets. From looking at it, the ball got spread around evenly and everybody got an opportunity to make a play.”
Sophomore Tight End Zeke Moore
“We had a lot of depth, which was nice. The quarterbacks rotated, so that helped. It was a lot of fun, it was fun to be out there and get to play football in front of your family and friends.”
Freshman Wide Receiver Milan Tucker
“I feel like spring went really well. There are still a few things we need to work on, but it was a great starting point to see where we are right now and learning the playbook and getting it semi-down and still working on the little details and then going into the summer. Now we really can hone in on what they are really looking out of me and where they see me and what they want me to do and utilize me on the field. In this whole spring ball, I definitely showed what I can do on the field, especially with the ball in my hands. It really shows when you have coaches that have trust you and let you make plays and be your own player. This spring ball was really good but now where I would like to be yet.”
Sophomore Running Back Gemari Sands
“I feel I grew a lot from last year. There was a lot of learning the plays and learning where I have to be at certain times, I really got into the playbook. The quarterbacks and receivers, they help me a lot.”
Redshirt Junior Cornerback Jayden Williams
“It just shows how much depth we have on this team because of how competitive it was. Realistically, the ones were all on the red team and the twos and threes were spread around. It shows how much depth we have and how good of a team we can be.
SCORES
- Q1 WHITE Milan Tucker 41 Yard Pass from Tyriq Starks (Morgan Suarez XP)
- Q1 RED Omari Hayes 5 Yard Pass from Cam Fancher (Robert Hammond III XP)
- Q1 RED Robert Hammond 47 Yard FG
- Q2 WHITE Morgan Suarez 26 Yard FG
- Q2 WHITE Zeke Moore 11 Yard Pass from Tyriq Starks (Morgan Suarez XP)
- Q3 RED C.J. Campbell 75 Yard Run (Robert Hammond III XP)
- Q3 WHITE Gemari Sands 4 Yard Run (Morgan Suarez XP)
GRIDIRON CLASSIC GOLF
Join NILinParadise at the Gridiron Classic Golf Tournament, sponsored by GA Telesis. All proceeds directly support FAU student-athletes. Join the Owls for a day of golf, prizes and comraderie scheduled for Thursday, Apr. 25, 2024, at the Boca West Country Club. To register your foursome, click HERE.
SEASON TICKETS
To purchase season tickets, click HERE.
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