Florida Atlantic is favored over Rice and playing at home also gives FAU an edge. Both teams share the same mascot, Owl, so it draws the attention as the Owls game. The check in process for the recruits and high school coaches runs smoothly and I do get to talk to some recruits as they enter. A list is always given of the highest prospects but I recall many of the names just by doing prep work and watching game film to evaluate high school players. This game is not drawing as much of a crowd but that happens from time to time. That does not take any focus away from the players or the staff in making sure the game is played to the best of their abilities. I was able to sit in the pre-game speech this week and learned some new strategies on how to motivate players and keep them focused on this game only and not the past of future games. There weren’t any new recruits that attended this game but I did start to recognize more of them as they approached me for check in. I did have the opportunity to meet a scout for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at this game because he was not sure where to go for check in. I assisted him but he also learned more about his schedule and the demand the team has of him. It was reassuring to me that I would prefer college because I do enjoy being able to see my children more but I also want to be able to impact the lives of our younger generation. The game is going very well and Florida Atlantic goes into half time tied 14-14 but gains a large lead with 13minutes left in the 4th quarter, 26-14. There is a long rain delay which stops the game for almost two hours and the team finally returns to complete the game. During the rain delay, I just sat in the recruiting room helping the players who did not dress to play with snacks and just sat around talking. The coaches were in the locker room coaching and reviewing items with the team but we were not allowed to join them. The final quarter did not go well and Rice pulled a victory of 27-26 by scoring the go ahead touchdown with just over two minutes left in the game. It is a tough loss for many reasons but the next week brings another conference game against Marshall. The team still has 6 conference games to play and has a great chance to play for a conference title.
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AuthorMy day to day experience with FAU Football from my perspective by Feddy Azofeifa. Archives
November 2015
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