BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic University Owls returned home to Schmidt Family Complex on Tuesday, where they put in a full day of work and continued to see reps divided among every player with a focus on player development. And for the players, it was another day to put CONSISTENT work on tape for coaches’ evaluation.
The first two days of the camp’ final week have also seen a few oddities of player positions, wrinkles in the base offense and defense. Some may stick, some may be never used again, and others are certainly fun to think about and ask, could that really work?
QUOTABLE
Offensive Coordinator Brent Dearmon
On what he’s trying to get out of players this week and preparing for Charlotte
“We’re trying to get a mix of prepping for Charlotte, but this week is a good week to play around with some auxiliary things. You also can find out other things that our kids may be good at. We may put a player in a different position that he hadn’t done up to this point to see if he could handle some things at different positions… On prep for Charlotte, the tough part there is trying to play the guessing game of what they’re going to be on the defensive side of the ball with a coordinator who’s been in multiple places and hasn’t called a defensive play for over 10 years now, so you’re trying to play a guessing game of who they are, but also trying to see what our kids are great at this week.”
On having experience coaching in C-USA
“I think it helps, the fact that I know the league. You get to feel the talent that’s in the league. There are trends in every league, so you know a little bit of that. But with the transfer portal, a team can be flipped just like that, so a lot of teams are going to roll out with a brand-new team.”
On Freshman TE Wyatt Sullivan
“Wyatt’s a big body. We brought him in as a receiver and our receiver room has been playing really well, so we were trying to find a way to get Wyatt’s assets on the field and in the depth chart, so we moved him to the tight end room. He provides a vertical threat at the tight end spot. He provides a pass catcher coming out of the backfield sometimes, but what we’ve really been encouraged with is the willingness to put his hat in there in the run game, the willingness to try to win a gap in the blocking schemes has been really good to see.”
On rotating the wide receiver room
“When you’re wanting to mix in some tempo and mix in some fast-paced stuff, it’s really good to be able to platoon, because those guys are able to run the deep ball, and we can sell the guy out. It wouldn’t shock me at all if it was a two platoon at each one of those spots.”
On the running back room
“We’ll use a lot of the guys in many ways. I think everybody wants to have that one guy that you can lean on that you know is going to be your every down back and then you find your ways to get number two on the field, get number three on the field in funky formations…Finding ways to get multiple guys but still have your guy that is kind of your every down back.”
On which running backs have stood out
“You have Larry [McCammon], you got KD (Kelvin Dean) has had a couple of good days in a row, and Marvin Scott (Marvin Scott III) being that big physical back, and we all know Johnny Ford is a spark plug when he comes in.”
On RPO’s
“I think you’re going to see parts of that. With an RPO system, I kind of compare it to a shortstop in baseball. Your quarterback has to have quick hands and quick hips. He’s got to be able to turn really fast. That ball’s got to come out quick. He’s got to make quick, split decisions in half a second there. I think our guys are handling those decisions really well right now, and you have to take care of the football if you want to do that, so we will do as much as we feel those guys can handle.”
On tight ends in the RPO game
“Sometimes they’re on the backside blocking, and then when you put them backside blocking you create an extra man protecting your quarterback. But then there’s other schemes that you try to get a tight end pop pass, you read the Mike Linebacker, you try to shoot the tight ends to the flats to catch a line screen, so there’s different variations of how we’ll use those guys.”
Redshirt Sophomore QB Michael Johnson Jr.
On progressing through camp and season opener expectations
“It’s definitely a grind. I’m really excited to be out here with these guys, next week is game week, pushing through this last week, getting better every single day. I’m really just trying this year to put my best foot forward in everything I do, control what I can control, just try to help lead these guys, be there for N’Kosi [Perry], whatever he needs, and just try to be like an ultimate teammate.”
On advice to new players
“Take care of your mental. Take it one day at a time. It’s going to be a grind, but we wouldn’t be here if we couldn’t do it.”
On what he learned last season
“So many more mental reps that I got. Even though I didn’t play last year, I was preparing each and every week as if I was a starter because you never know what could happen. I learned how to prepare more than I ever have. Even though I didn’t play, if I ever had to play last year, I would have been ready, and I’m going to carry that into next year knowing N’Kosi’s (Perry) the guy but there can’t be a drop-off if something happens.”
On competing for the backup QB spot with Willie Taggart Jr
“I compete every day, whether it’s him, N’Kosi, or the two other guys in that room. I try not to worry about the competition, and I try not to compare, because I feel like that’s when your play goes down, so I’m really big on controlling what I can control. At the end of the day, that decision, whether it’s him or myself, is up to Coach Dearmon and Coach Taggart, so I’m not going to stress out because I can’t make that decision.”
On Coach Dearmon’s Offense
“I’m very excited. The way he breaks down coverages and his football intellect is probably different than anything I’ve ever seen before. It’s unreal getting to learn from that and getting to pick his brain every single day. And he’s very accessible, whether it’s football or life, you can really talk to him about anything. I’m blessed to have a coach like that.”
ON THE FIELD
- Quarterback T.J. Smith found wide receiver Kobe Stewart for a 45-yard score during the one-one-one receiver/defensive back drills, and then hit Jymetre Hester across the middle
- Willie Taggart, Jr. hit Will Ford to end the one-on-one drill
- The Owls moved into 7-on-7, where the defense shined earning three-consecutive pass breakups
- A Johnson, Jr. connection with Tony Johnson broke up the streak
- The Owls moved into team work, Taggart used his feet to move the chains, Michal Antoine, Jr. grabbed an interception and had a long return and was yards away from the end zone, when he was caught from behind by receiver BJ Alexander at the three
- Quarterback Michael Johnson, Jr. found Hester 10 yards out, and the elusive receiver used his skills to avoid tackles to add another 20 yards
- The defense swarmed to the ball, was prepared to gang tackle, but saw Teja Young strip the ball from the running back creating a turnover that fellow defender Jaleel McRae was able to cover
- Zuberi Mobley’s number was repeatedly called in the next team segment, not just for running, but also as a receiver. He had a nice catch in the open field only to take a bruising hit by Antoine, Jr.
- Tyriq Starks was flushed from the pocket but found Stewart 40-yards out for a touchdown
- Perry hit a wide open Tony Johnson 45-yards down field
- Larry McCammon rushed for 10 to move the chains in a situational play
- Taggart hit Hester for 10 and Starks found freshman “Ace” A’ceon Cobb for a score and followed it up with a Stewart connection
- Glover Cook recorded an interception, Ford had another big run and Mobley ended practice with a rushing TD
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
FAU Coaches Radio Show
FAU Television Inside the Owls Burrow
SEASON OPENER
FAU will open the 2022 season on Saturday, Aug. 27, 2022, versus Charlotte at FAU Stadium. The game is scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m. and will be televised on CBSSN and will air locally on Sports640 AM South Florida.
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