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Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Owls Prepare to Take 1-0 Record on the Road
10/6/2020 4:28:00 PM | Football
BOCA RATON, Fla. – Florida Atlantic University's football team (1-0, 1-0 C-USA) took to the practice fields Tuesday morning with the knowledge gained from a game played and the hope of a game to come this weekend.
The Owls are scheduled to travel to Hattiesburg, Mississippi this weekend for a Conference USA matchup with Southern Miss (1-3, 1-1 C-USA) at 4 p.m. The game will air on STADIUM Network.
Coordinators' Corner
Defensive Coordinator Jim LeavittHow did the defense handle the new scheme?
"There were some really good things and some things we did not so good. That's pretty normal with all games. The thing I was proud of is, they played hard. And if we play hard, we have a chance to win. If we don't play hard, (we're) probably going to lose. You might think that that's simple. But it isn't easy to go and play hard every snap. It's hard to get guys to really lay it on the line. If you do that, you've got a chance."
What did you see out of the secondary on Saturday?
"Proud as heck of those DB's, because there's some young guys that haven't played a lot of football. I'm proud of a lot of those guys for stepping up … I thought the DB's did a pretty good job. We've got some really heady ballplayers out there that are pretty good communicators. And that really helps the process. Safeties are the ones that run the show back there, and we've got a few guys back there that do a pretty good job of that. And our corners fight like dogs, to be out there in some tough situations, in coverage, and I'm really proud of them."
Co-Offensive Coordinator Drew Mehringer
Defensively, what stands out to you about Southern Miss?
"Obviously there's a few guys here on this staff that have a history with (former FAU and current USM defensive coordinator Tony) Pecoraro. They are a very well-coached defense, they play very hard and I think they have a good front … I think we're going to see a defense that plays really hard (and) a physical group that's not going to be out of place. It's going to take our best game against these guys to win."
What do you make of TJ Chase's performance against Charlotte?
"TJ had a nice night, it was good to see. There was a lot of expectations, and TJ knows as much. Based on conversations I've had with him, 'you're going to be held to a higher standard,' what is your standard going to be? Your standard needs to be high, you need to expect to score, you need to expect to make plays … Let's put those guys in position to win and let those guys go make plays for us."
Coordinators' Corner
Inside the Owls' Burrow
This week fans will have four opportunities to catch Inside the Owls' Burrow. Host and producer Frank Forte will talk 1-on-1 with head coach Willie Taggart about the Owls' first win under his direction and look ahead to Southern Miss, which is coming off a big C-USA win of their own. The Getting to Know segment will feature senior defensive back Korel Smith and will feature redshirt freshman guard Federico Maranges and how Hurricane Mario changed his high school and college careers. This week's show will air Thursday, Oct. 8 at 8 p.m. and will re-air on Friday, Oct. 9 at 11 a.m. and again at 9:30 p.m. and then twice again on Saturday, Oct. 10 at 11 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. on Fox Sports Florida.Tickets
Tickets for the 2020 season are on sale and can be purchased by calling 1-866-FAU-OWLS or online HERE.
Players Mentioned
Tuesday, May 12
Sunday, May 10
Tuesday, May 05
Friday, May 01