BOCA RATON, Fla. – Football week one is here! The Florida Atlantic University Owls began “game week” prep on Sunday. Today, the Owls used most of the day on situations and opposing scout teams.
GAME GIVE AWAY
The first 10,000 fans to enter the stadium this week will receive an “Owl Towel bearing an image of first year Hagerty Head Football Coach Tom Herman. This towel, which is presented by Baptist Health and Coca Cola, is not just a keepsake for the new era, it is meant to be waved and will be waved by Coach Herman himself. Join Coach and rally the team with your free rally towel.
INSIDE THE OWLS’ BURROW TRAILER
THOMPSON NAMED
Congratulations to Casey Thompson, graduate QB, who has been named to the 2023 Golden Arm Award Watch List, which is presented by A.O. Smith. The honor places Thompson among the nation’s 48 leading quarterbacks. The award annually recognizes the top senior or upperclassman quarterback set to graduate with their class.
QUOTABLE
Offensive Coordinator/QBs Coach Charlie Frye
On game preparation
“It is the next step in the journey. Coming out of training camp and having two scrimmages and then last Saturday going through the mock game, now we get to go out and do it for real. 1-0 is the mindset. I think we have established the standard that we set offensively and who we want to be: that is both a tough and mentally smart football team. I think we have established that as far as must protect the ball, must create explosive plays, dominating situational football, protecting the quarterback. I think our guys are dialed in on what it is going to take to be who we want to be.”
On establishing an identity
“It’s more about holding each other accountable to a standard. It can’t be just ‘coach tells you.’ We have to establish this standard together: player-to-player, player-to-coach, coach-to-coach. It is a culture that is created from going through hard things and that’s winter conditioning. Guys running, lifting, being out there before the sun is up. That’s going through 15 opportunities in spring that is a lot of live tackling in the heat. And then you talk about an OTA summer conditioning program in South Florida outside. It is hot, it is hard. That is how you develop that culture is you go through hard things together. When you go through hard things like that with your brothers, it becomes ‘I have your back, man,’ because at the end of the day it is not going to be about Monmouth, it is going to be about us.”
On expectations for the offense
“The mindset this week is it is about us and that is taking care of our details. The little things that show up, it is not necessarily going to make or break you, but little thing after little thing, that is the detail that I am talking about. It is about us and us taking care of our business.”
Graduate QB Casey Thompson
On the work he puts in as QB
“I am a football junkie. People always ask me what I do in my free time, I watch film and watch football. If I go home and turn on the TV, I like to watch football when I get a chance. It’s really good that the coaches, players, and staff recognizes the work that I put in and that I’m up here pretty much all day. I just try to be available for any of the players if they need anything from me, just trying to do my due diligence and study the opponent. I am a firm believer in taking accountability. Right beneath the head coach and offensive coordinator, the quarterback of the team has a huge responsibility. I have to not only know what I’m doing, but what the defense is going to do, the tight ends, running back, receivers, the offensive line’s call, and then I have to know what the coach is expecting from me out of every play. I just try to do my best. I am really excited for this opportunity.”
On the goals for Saturday
“Our number one goal for Week 1 is a clean operation. That is alignment, no penalties, blocking the right guys, reading the right people, having the right person on the field. Our number two goal is to protect the football, our number three goal is to create explosive plays, and number four we want to win the game and finish and score touchdowns in the red zone…people look at football as an outcome-based sport, but I think it is process based. For us right now, we just have to focus on process and the details.”
On expectations for the team
“In the offseason, people like to ask what the team is looking like…The coaches had a good talk today after practice and said ‘At this point, it’s game week. There is not a lot of talking that needs to be done.’ It is a black and white world that we live in, and your resume is what you put on film. At the end of the day, you won the game or you lost the game, either made the catch or didn’t make the catch, either I make the throw or miss the throw. It is a good opportunity for us as a team to prove us right and just show ourselves what we can do and not worry about proving others wrong. If we just focus on one practice at a time, one day at a time, the game will take care of itself.”
Senior RB Larry McCammon III
On preparing for Saturday
“We are ready. We have been preparing for this since the spring up to the summer up to now in the fall camp. Every day has been pretty good. We are just taking it one day at a time and then go out there and play.”
On the mindset of the team entering Saturday
“We all have one goal, just be 1-0 every single week. We are just coming in, dialed in on the little details, working hard, competing, and then everything else will take care of itself.”
On the offensive line coming together
“They have been working their butts off since last year until now. With Coach Joey (Strength & Conditioning Coach Joey Guarascio), they have been working each and every single today and have looked good out there. I’m rooting for my big boys.”
GAME DETAILS
Saturday Sept. 2 – Monmouth at Florida Atlantic
- Time – 6 p.m.
- Television – ESPN+, Ted Emrich (Play by Play), Leger Douzable (Color Analyst)
- Radio – Ken LaVicka and Kris Bartels will have the game’s call on FoxSports South Florida
- Theme – Welcome newly hired Hagerty Family Head Football Coach Tom Herman and season opener. Let the “New Era” begin!
TICKETS
Fans can purchase tickets for the 2023 season, the first in the American Conference, by calling 1-866-FAU-OWLS or by going online HERE. For more ticket information click HERE. To purchase away game tickets, click on the above Buy Now link. Single-game tickets may also be purchased by visiting HERE.
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