| 8/17/2024 | Football BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic football team used their second scrimmage of the 2024 preseason to work sideline logistics, become accustomed to new technologies, and evaluate players 30 through 70 who will board the plane to East Lansing, Michigan for the Friday, Aug. 30 game versus host Michigan State. Preseason camp officially ended with the offense using their last play to defeat the defense by a 16-15 score. It was a Kasen Weisman pass to Devarius Mitchell, who raced down the sideline, refusing to be brought down. The team then celebrated with more competition on a different “green” of sorts, with a putt-putt outing. VIDEO RECAP QUOTABLE Hagerty Family Football Head Coach Tom Herman On how the operations of the scrimmage went “First time with the iPads on the sideline. Those guys came in yesterday, got everything set up for us, and [it was] kind of a dry run today. I think it went well. Scrimmages are different because every position coach, at any point in the scrimmage, you are going to have your unit on the field, offense or defense and substitutions and all of that, so we had to actually call coaching breaks to then get the whole offense and defense over there and have the coordinators and assistant coaches go through that. It kind of disrupted the flow a little bit, but that’s okay. Cam Fancher had limited reps but led the offense to a touchdown. I thought the shuffling in and out, the dry run of gameday went fairly well, and the thing that didn’t, I’m confident, will go well Friday [August 30] in East Lansing.” On the backup units getting reps “The biggest goal today was to find numbers 30 through 70 of the travel roster. We feel good through 16 practices about our starting 25, 30 guys. Now, this was a huge scrimmage for the 30 through 85th guy because we are only going to travel 70 to East Lansing. Not that it wasn’t important for those first few guys because we are certainly not ready to take those 30 guys to East Lansing and win a ball game right now either, so those guys still have a lot of work to do, but they have been getting the banging in quite a bit throughout the week of practice. The opportunities for some of these other guys are going to be dwindled, knowing that Monday is going to be scout teams, and FAU versus FAU is going to be extremely limited from this point forward. We made a big deal about today’s scrimmage, especially for those guys, because it needs to feel that way.” On which offensive position group is standing out “Tailback. We have two really good veterans in Zu(beri Mobley) and C.J. (Campbell) and two really good young guys in Gemari (Sands) and Xavier (Terrell), and we found a new walk-on in Tremonte (Underwood), so he’ll factor in that travel squad too. So, to be able to say we have five tailbacks that we feel good about going into a game, we’re not five-deep anywhere [else] on the roster, but for a position to have that kind of depth…tailback has been the one to stand out from depth and quality of depth that we have.” Junior WR Jayshon Platt On what he got out of fall camp and expectations for the season “Learning how to be a leader, learning more of the playbook, learning how to lead by example because they are following behind me and teaching the young guys anything they need to know. And then expectations for the season: the main goal is the conference championship.” On cleaning up the offense to find a consistent rhythm “When you get in the game, it’s only one group with some subs, but throughout practice, it’s three or four groups. So, there are some mistakes that are going to be made, but you have to get back to the film room and learn from it.” On how the new offense gelling together “We have come a long way. Everybody is new in our group. We just got closer. Everybody is trying to figure each other out and each other’s tendencies. I feel like we are clicking. We can go to the sideline, and we can expect another receiver to let us know what we can be doing better on the field.” Freshman S Mike Wright III On what he has proved in his first fall camp and what he hopes to prove in the next two weeks “This fall camp, I think I have proven that I can be a big factor for the team, being a freshman and learning from the older guys. I hope to prove that I can be a big factor for us to help the team get to a conference championship, just being able to be reliable during the season.” On making big plays during the scrimmage “I think I performed okay. I had two picks, but I feel like I left a lot of plays out there to help our resume. Two picks, I’ll take it, but I have to go clean some stuff up.” On the biggest adjustment to college football “The biggest thing I had to adjust to was learning how to study the playbook. There has been a lot of times where I struggle with that but I’m definitely getting way better with it, just learning how to see what I’m seeing on the field and implementing it in my game on the field, and just getting better at that every day.” On appreciating how far he has come “I definitely look back and think I came a long way. Months ago, I was playing in front of maybe 500 people. In two weeks, we’ll be playing front of 70,000 people. It’s big but I’ve worked for that. I put in a lot of work to get to where I am today, so I’m not surprised.” Senior CB “Buggs” Kahzir Brown On finishing up fall camp and moving towards game prep “Camp is a struggle, but I really enjoyed this camp. I really enjoyed taking it all in because this is my last one, so I just wanted to enjoy it, bond with my teammates, really create memories that will last a lifetime. I’m glad camp is behind me so I can focus on the season.” On the defense forcing several three-and-outs “It’s really just us communicating. Coaches talk about communication, being in the right spot, and reading your keys. When you do that, you’re going to stop a good offense…That’s what we really emphasize over and over in our meetings is just being the most disciplined team on the field. Being disciplined leads to turnovers when you’re reading your keys and doing your job. They just say be 11 as one, everybody has to come together to be one. That’s what we really focused on today and we got the job done today.” On playing against a Big Ten school in Michigan State “I have played against high-level teams. This won’t be my first rodeo playing a big team. I’m just coming in to do my job at the highest potential. We have the highest chance of winning when I do my job and everyone does their job.” On gelling together as a new defense “It has definitely been way smoother than I anticipated. I anticipated for there to be more bumps in the road but everybody is really just falling in line with what we’re setting. The leaders we have on this team have been very good. We’re just setting the tone, saying this is what we want to do, what we want to accomplish. We set a standard and it goes toward that. Everybody has been following it, everybody has been really bought in, so it has been so much easier. Guys are taking a chance to be led and guys are just being open and vulnerable with the team. That just creates a great coaching atmosphere, everybody is coachable and able to be led, and the leaders are being led as well. The younger guys help the older guys and the older guys help the younger guys, everybody is helping each other. The way things have been going is really good.” \On helping the younger DBs “When they first got here, I shared a little bit with them about my story, the attitude I had when I came in. I told them that you all came here to play, you didn’t get a scholarship to just come here and sit on the bench the whole time. When you’re here right now, you need to come in and try to take somebody’s spot. With things that have been going on in camp, those young guys are making plays and doing very well. I’m just coaching them up and trying to give them the little tidbits that I have learned over my time in college and they have been taking full advantage of it. They love to learn. they love to get better and I really think that’s why they have been thriving. That’s what I really like about our young group and in practice you can see it.” On the defensive identity “We are going to be a very physical defense. After you play us, you are going to know that we are a very physical team and that’s what we set. Physicality is one of our things that help us win games, we will be very physical, we will be a very nasty defense and that’s what we pride ourselves on being.” HIGHLIGHTS Cameron Goggins followed the lead of “Buggs” Kahzir Brown, each with an early pass breakup Cam Fancher connected with Gemari Sands for a huge gain Char’Quez Lee and Loren Ward teamed together for a sack Mike Wright III recorded an interception, and if you thought it was a fluke, he did it again on the next play Zuberi Mobley had a one-yard rushing TD, and Weisman found both Marlyn Johnson and Mitchell for scores The hottest competition on the field Saturday was among the field goal kickers, each of the five making good on 50+ yarders COMPLETE SCHEDULE Click HERE. 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 Schmidt Family Complex on FAU’s campus on August 22, 2024, from 6-9 p.m. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. 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. For questions, please contact Griffin Kinney at [email protected] or call 740-816-7353. ON SOCIAL Inching closer#TriCountyTakeover#WinningInParadise pic.twitter.com/asiwYecU82– Florida Atlantic Football (@FAUFootball) August 16, 2024 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]. INSIDE THE OWLS BURROW Inside the Owls Burrow enters its ninth season. The show will re-air on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. The show originates on Bally Sports Florida but can also be viewed on fausports.com and YouTube. 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. |
