BOCA RATON, Fla. – Florida Atlantic University football used Sunday for corrections, Monday to rest and recover and then returned to the practice fields on Tuesday with a focus for the staff and the players on getting FAU better as a team.
“As I told them [the team], when you lose a game, the only failure in that is not learning from that,” said Hagerty Family Head Football Coach Tom Herman. “When adversity strikes, let’s not respond the way we have always responded. Let’s respond the way that we are coaching and teaching and preaching you respond, which is to go back to doing things exactly the way you are coached to do them.”
The Owls will travel for the first time in 2023 and will play Clemson, where they have been once before. FAU trails the series 1-0, after falling 54-6 on September 2, 2006. The game was played at Clemson, while a portion of Disney movie “Safety” was being filmed. The Owls were in their third transition season from FCS to FBS and would go to the program’s first bowl game (New Orleans Bowl) a year later, becoming the youngest startup program to do so. Since 2006, the Owls have played in five bowl games, captured three conference titles, moved into a new football facility, changed conference affiliation twice, and have started a quest for a fourth conference title and sixth bowl game under the direction of newly hired Hagerty Family
Head Football Coach Tom Herman, the fifth head coach since our first meeting at Clemson.
QUOTABLE
Offensive Coordinator/QB Coach Charlie Frye
On last week and turning the page to this week against Clemson
“It was a tough outing for us [against Ohio]. It felt like we really could not get into any sort of rhythm. That is what made it hard, but it is going to be about how we respond this week, because that is adversity. That was a good defense that we played and now it is on to the next.”
On running the football
“The game still starts in the trenches. When you become one dimensional, it becomes harder to play…the answer is to continue running the football later in the game.”
On how having an experienced QB in Casey Thompson helps
“Through experience, you take things through what you have been through, not the first time going through it. I remember my first start in college was at Ohio State and coming from the Rubber Bowl in Akron was a big difference than playing in front of 100,000. But once the ball gets snapped, it is focus on your job and command your unit and it is no different from what he is going to be asked to do this week.”
Graduate QB Casey Thompson
On preparing for the atmosphere on Saturday
“It is the same football game between the white lines, but the atmosphere is a pretty cool experience to be in those packed-out stadiums. The main thing is inside the game, when the game starts, you have to be able to manage your emotions, hear yourself think, and have positive self-talk. And then the mechanics of different snap counts and getting everybody lined up and the verbal and non-verbal communications. As far as the overall experience, I am excited. I enjoy college football and I love when the stadium is packed-out. My favorite way to play games is on the road because there is a lot of crowd noise and you are the villain. That is the mindset mentality that we have, we are just thinking that we are going to their house and go out there and put our best foot forward.”
On focusing on themselves
“You always want to try to go 1-0 every day. You try to put your best foot forward. Some days, you don’t go out there and have your best day, whether that is in football or in life. Obviously, this past week, we did not play our best game. We have not played our best week yet…For that to be a close game with us being nowhere near where we need to be, there are some positives in that. We know we have to put our best showing out there and we can always get better. Our message and Coach Herman’s message this week is to focus on us, go 1-0 every day and we have to get better this week, so we are just trying to take the next step.”
Graduate RB Kobe Lewis
On returning to the field
“It felt great, felt great to be back. It was a long time coming.”
On preparing for the environment against Clemson
“Those are the moments you live for. You have to embrace it. I was in the locker room yesterday and the other guys were talking about when FAU came to Purdue last year and how crazy it was and how exciting and loud it was. You have to embrace it when you get the opportunity to play in stadiums and environments like this. You have to take it all in. And most importantly, it is an opportunity to show what you can do on this stage. That is what a lot of guys are focusing on, the standard does not change, it is just more people watching. Embrace it, take it all in, and have fun.”
On focusing on themselves
“It is college football. On any given Saturday, it could be somebody else’s day and not yours. Once Sunday hits, it is a new week, next opponent. You can’t dwell on the past, you have to take it to the chin and learn from it and be better the next week. It is always about us. It is never going to be about what another team has. We have talent, I feel we can match up against anybody we play. It is always just going to be about us. It is about what we can do when we play our best football. Coach Herman always tells us ‘our best is good enough and our best is good enough to beat anybody’. We honestly believe that, especially me. I have been at different schools; those guys are not different than what we have on this team. It is all about effort, playing hard, and doing what you have to do to get your job done the right way.”
GAME DETAILS
Saturday Sept. 16 – Florida Atlantic at Clemson
- Time – 8 p.m.
- Television – ACC Network, Wes Durham, Tim Hasselbeck and Taylor Tannebaum
- Radio – Ken LaVicka and Kris Bartels will have the game’s call on FoxSports South Florida
COACH’S RADIO SHOW
Frank Forte and Hagerty Family Head Football Coach Tom Herman will appear together weekly on the FAU Coaches’ Show. This year’s show will be recorded live at Duffy’s Sports Grill, located at 401 N. Federal Highway, Deerfield Beach, FL 33441 each Thursday at noon. The show is scheduled to air each Friday night on Fox Sports 640 AM South Florida, beginning at 6 p.m.
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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