Story, photos by Dale M. King
BOCA RATON – Intermittent heavy rains have cut into practice time for the Florida Atlantic University Fighting Owls football team since it began pre-season training in preparation for the 2010 season which begins Sept. 2 against the University of Atlanta-Birmingham.
The defensive squad won the first scrimmage 34-24, on Aug. 13. Despite the score, though, there were big plays on offense, big stops on defense and a fire to win on both sides of the ball.
“The defense was obviously dominant except for the few drives,” said Head Coach Howard Schnellenberger. “We made a lot of errors on offense
Fighting Owls line up along the goal line during practice.
with snap exchanges, but that will happen with third and fourth string centers. I’m disappointed but not terribly concerned. We will get better as a team as time goes on.”
FAU took to the practice fields for the first time Aug. 7. It was also the first practice for Richard Lage, FAU’s new defensive tackle coach.
“It was a spirited day that we are all thankful for,” said Schnellenberger after the players headed back to the showers. “The team feels good about their summer accomplishments. They know it is a long way to go, but we will work to close the gap on our rivals.”
Special teams began that day with Tavious Polo and Avery Holley receiving punts. Despite a rain storm that ended practice early, the team was able to work on individual drills as well as installs, 7-on-7 and stationary scrimmage.
“I would say it was an average first day,” said Jeff Van Camp, FAU’s senior quarterback. “Everyone was rusty. We will be fine tomorrow once the rust is off. The pace was good and that is something the coaches have talked about. That will carry over into games.”
The next day, FAU had to move its afternoon practice to the evening following a heavy rainstorm. But, the move provided an opportunity to work under the lights and on a turf field.
FAU completed the pre-practice meetings, broke for dinner and then made use of the field at the track complex for its evening workout.
“We waited a long time to get today’s workout in, but in the finale that we put together, we got a good practice in,” assessed Schnellenberger after the rain delay.
The offense grabbed the bragging rights of the night with three consecutive scoring plays during team drills. Seniors Jeff Blanchard and Willie Floyd ran the first two while Nexon Dorvilus caught a 65-yard pass from David Kooi for the exclamation.
Prior to team drills the secondary had captured the highlights with a Marcus Bartels strip and an interception by Keith Reaser, a ball that he first batted and then caught before he hit the ground on his back.
The Owls finished the first three-a-day practice on Thursday and looked ahead to a scrimmage on Friday the 13th.
“Each day they get a little bit better and they are working hard to get better,” Schnellenberg said.
It was on that Friday that a very special person to FAU was in the small crowd watching practice under the hot sun. Dr. Mary Jane Saunders, chosen in March as the new university president, joined Schnellenberger at midfield of the gridiron behind the Oxley Center to meet the team.
It was just a few weeks earlier that the FAU Board of Trustees approved construction of a new 30,000 seat stadium on the Boca Raton campus – the first truly “home” field for the team. It has been playing most of its home games at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.
Schnellenberger called the trustees’ stadium vote “one of the most important milestones in the history of FAU.”
“This achievement belongs to many individuals, starting with the first recruits and coaches who had the courage and faith to commit their lives in the critical years of our development. That team carried us through the developing years and qualified us to be invited to compete in our first Division I-AA playoffs. The teams that followed not only took us to a Sun Belt Conference championship but also to back-to-back bowl wins.”
“It could not have happened without the initial dream of former FAU Presidents Anthony J. Catanese, Frank T. Brogan and the new energy and vision of President Mary Jane Saunders and their staffs in keeping the faith.”
“As important as anyone else are the thousands of donors who have helped keep the program alive and given us the financial tools to succeed. A special thanks to the faculty and staff, but especially the students who have given support through their enthusiastic spirit and financial generosity.”