After months of intense heat, cold breezes finally greeted the Florida Atlantic football team on Tuesday morning, completing their game week session at the Schmidt Complex Field as they make a lot of preparation with four days to go until their home contest against the UTSA Roadrunners. Offensive coordinator Charlie Frye made himself available to media following the session. He noted that the style UTSA’s defense plays with is different to how USF ran its schemes on that side of the ball. “There’s a lot of defense on the field with what South Florida did schematically; got a lot of different looks and different pressures. This week, we know where they’re going to be at,” Frye said regarding the Roadrunners’ defense. “What I see on film is a defense that plays extremely hard. They run to the ball as good as I’ve seen this year, getting 11 hats in the picture. It’s going to be a big challenge for us.” Here are some notes from today’s media observation period. OwlBytes for October 17th Brotherly Love Offensive coordinator Charlie Frye said the biggest improvement the offense has made from the season-opener to now is playing as a collective throughout every drive. “You see the players who are extremely invested in each other, invested in doing the right thing for each other, and going out and playing for each other. That’s what I’m seeing more of,” Frye said. For offensive lineman Marquice Robinson (pictured below), it revolved around coming together with his teammates by developing brotherly-like bonds with one another. “Coach Herman talked a lot about loving your brother, doing what you do because you love your brother, and that hit home for a lot of us because of course we’re teammates but we’re also brothers and you’d do anything for your brothers,” Robinson said. Protecting The Leader The offensive line was superb in their quarterback protection by not conceding a single sack against USF, drawing praise from Frye. “They did a hell of a job, especially with the looks they were getting because they were complex. USF showed blitz on one side and then when the ball is snapped, they bring it on the other side…I can see the offensive line huddling up, going over the adjustments, and executing it on the field, so that’s pretty cool to see,” Frye said. Robinson remarked that that type of performance is expected from the unit with regards to how they handled the Bulls’ defense and they will approach every game, especially against UTSA. “We practice, we work hard, we communicate, and we were together. What happened on Saturday is what’s expected out of us and we plan to keep that going,” Robinson said. Jukes and Shifts The running backs worked on making the right movement and reflexes (pictured top) throughout a significant portion of the session. This indicates their preparation against UTSA’s run defense, which only allows 172.3 rushing yards per game and eight total touchdowns, as it could open up chances for Larry McCammon III and Kobe Lewis to play a bigger role on Saturday. Among the players to do well in these drills were McCammon III, Lewis, and Keyvon Walker. Final Word The Owls are aware that they need to be stout in their awareness on the field when they take on a UTSA defense that is capable of creating frustration to the offense, especially with their sacks leader in Trey Moore. Understanding the stakes of this matchup, considering that the Roadrunners are coming off off back-to-back conference championships from their time in Conference USA, FAU can not let their foot off the gas if they wish to keep proving the doubters wrong and continue to excite their fans with the talent they clearly possess. Coach’s Corner Offensive coordinator Charlie Frye, offensive lineman Marquice Robinson, tight end Zeke Moore, and wide receiver Tony Johnson headline today’s Coach’s Corner. The Owls will return to the Schmidt Complex practice field on Wednesday morning to continue preparing for UTSA.
