BOCA RATON, FL – Florida Atlantic University’s football team took to the field for its first spring game under the direction of first-year head coach Carl Peliniand for the first spring game played in the new on-campus stadium.
The scrimmage featured the White versus the Blue however players alternated teams to provide different film looks for the coaching staff’s evaluations. In all, there were 115 plays for the new coaching staff to review, in the coming days.
The day began with rising senior Graham Wilbert, who rushed for four yards on the first play. Wilbert finished the day with positive yards on the ground with nine carries for 46 yards while the quarterback was 8-for-10 for 71 yards and a score.
The first score for the White was a seven-yard run by newcomer Jonathan Wallace. Wallace would score again from one yard out in the second quarter and tallied the longest run of the day by playing until the whistle blew while the others stopped for a 69 yard scoring play in the third.
The fourth quarter scoring was off the foot of rising sophomore Marcelo Bonaniwho connected on a 21-yard field goal. The White team would score once more when tight end Nexon Dorvilus(3-32 yards) hauled in a Wilbert seven yard pass with just over a minute to play.
While Wallace broke the 100-yard plateau with 104 yards (eight carries) for the White team, Tony Mooreled the Blue team with 99 yards on 17 carries. Damian Fortneradded 60 yards (nine carries) playing for the White team.
Tight end Alex Deleonled all receivers with four catches for 52 yards. His longest was also the longest catch of the day a 29-yarder from Wilbert.
In all, four quarterbacks were used. Wilbert, Nick Bracewell, who led the Blue team with a 6-for-9 performance for 60 yards. David Kooi also saw time with the Blue team and was 1-for-5 for three yards and tossed the games only interception, one hauled in byWinfred Strickland. Stephen Curtissplit time with Wilbert on the White team. Curtis ran for 18 yards on seven carries and was 5-for-8 for a total of 45 yards.
Defensively, the Owls defense allowed 4.9 yards per play when combining the two teams. The White team recorded 389 yards on 64 plays while the Blue team had 189 yards on 51 plays. Linebacker Toney Moore had seven tackles and played for both Blue and White but six tackles came in the first half playing for the White team. Defensive back newcomer Jeremy McKnight, wearing Blue, led all tacklers with nine total tackles, six were solo. Both sides got to the quarterback twice. Junior lineman Cory Henry recorded a sack for a loss of two yards playing for the White team and a sack for a loss of seven while wearing a Blue jersey. Andrew Stryffleradded another while the White team was credited with a team sack.
The day concluded “Spring Drills” for the Owls who will turn their attention to the final few weeks of school. They will return for voluntary summer workouts and will welcome several junior college players to the team as well as freshman adjusting to college for the first time.