Saturday’s practice closed the month of July. Florida Atlantic University football will open August with one final day of helmets and uppers and will then transition into full pads August 2. The Owls used Saturday’s time to work through their practice paces and then joined members of men’s and women’s soccer and volleyball on FAU Stadium’s Delray Hyundai Deck, where they signed autographs and spent time with Owl fans.
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Throughout COVID, Hagerty Head Football Coach Willie Taggart often spoke about the lack of time they were afforded to spend with players. That time was limited to installing his system and preparing for the next opponent. He longed for the opportunity to teach the “why’s and how’s” of the game.
True to his word, the Owls are using team meeting time to teach the “why’s and how’s.” Each night a duo of coaches, representing both sides of the ball explain what their side of the ball is trying to do. Friday night, the coordinators explained their strategy in red zone. Saturday morning’s practice concentrated on red zone.
Taggart was pleased to see which players were taking notes and how it paid off at practice. So much so that he held to a second promise, this one to the players, that he would not hold them at practice, just to be there. If they worked through the scripted practice, he would let them leave. Practice was smooth and efficient, and the Owls earned a 20-minute early dismissal. They then showered and joined family, friends, and fans for Owlpalooza.
QUOTABLE
Hagerty Head Football Coach Willie Taggart
On teaching the players
“The thing I look for is what our guys take from the meeting and how they apply it on the field. You look to see who’s taking notes…What’s gratifying is when you get on the field and you start hearing guys talk…That’s what we’re trying to get our guys toward, where they’re not just going out and running the play because we called it but understanding what play we called and why we called it and then being able to communicate with each other to get it done. They’re learning to do that and applying it now and that’s going to make a huge difference for us.”
THE PLAYERS
Center Nick Weber on red zone consistency:
“I think consistency is everything. We have got to be able to block blitzes effectively and pick up guys effectively, and when we do that, we’ll be more successful in the red zone. We actually just had a meeting last night about the red zone. The teams who are the best in the red zone have the best records in the NCAA.”
Quarterback N’Kosi Perry on red zone consistency:
“It starts in the meeting room. We actually started talking about the red zone last night. We had the coaches come up and give the offensive red zone philosophy and the defensive red zone philosophy. We did it as a team, that way you can learn both sides of the ball. We made sure that we worked red zone all day today in practice. That’s the most important thing. When you get in the red zone, you have to score points. One thing we learned last night is whoever has the most attempts in the red zone are going to score the most points. Numbers don’t lie, so we have to get down there and we have to capitalize.”
Safety Teja Young on being able to learn situational football from coaches:
“Teaching the game is definitely something that is a point of emphasis. Situational football is what wins or loses ball games. Just having the opportunity to get in there and pick the brain of the coaches and seeing everyone else’s response…Teaching the game will definitely help us a lot.
Evan Anderson on his h weight loss (50 pounds):
“I’ve known I had to lose weight since high school. I finally got a program that was correct. I was trying to do it on my own. I thought eating salad was straight. I didn’t know if you pour all the Ranch on it, it evens it out.
SEASON OPENER
FAU will open the 2022 season on Saturday, Aug. 27, 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.
FOR SEASON TICKETS
To purchase FAU tickets, call 1-866-FAU-OWLS or click HERE or HERE. Individual tickets are now on sale as well. Call the FAU ticket office, today, to secure your tickets. Stay informed by reading FAUSports.com, or through football’s Twitter and Instagram accounts @FAUFootball.
