FAU Owls varsity grid team begins practice for upcoming season

BOCA RATON – Florida Atlantic University’s football team donned the pads for the first time of the spring this past weekend.

Practice began April 3 with players’ meetings at 10 a.m. The squad then moved to the field for individual work and the much anticipated “Oklahoma” drill. While the team is never surprised to see “Oklahoma” on the practice schedule, it is a tradition that the lines match-up the first day of pads.

The team then worked on screens and inside drills. Enthusiasm began to be felt in the one-on-one drills, especially following a great catch by tight end Byron Hankerson who was congratulated by tightly covering veteran Tarvoris Hill.

Grant Glover

FAU then gathered as a team and ran through about 10 minutes of team work followed by a short controlled scrimmage. Grant Glover, who is vying for a wide receiver spot opened by graduated seniors, had a catch down the left side and later sparked the offense during the scrimmage with a run that broke through the line. Darian Williams was credited with an acrobatic catch and Rob Housler showed his strength by breaking tackles.

The Owls’ practice schedule is Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 3:30 p.m. with Saturday’s reserved for scrimmages. All practices are free and open to the public.

The 2010 Spring Game is set for Saturday, April 24 on the Tom Oxley Athletic Fields on the Boca Raton campus. The day will also feature the annual yard sale of athletic apparel.

Following the scrimmage, Owl fans, players and coaches will head to the Marleen and Harold Forkas Alumni Center for the first “Pride and Spirit” event hosted by FAU’s Student Alumni Association. A pre-game tailgate will be hosted by student government.