Game day arrived and I was lost for words at the atmosphere. It took me longer than expected to arrive at the stadium due to traffic. I saw seas of green and orange which touched my inner love for Miami but I also saw lots of red and blue which gave me a sense a pride for the school I working with. As I approached the stadium, I could hear chants inside and outside for both schools. It was a great experience for me because it was my first college game as an employee and not a fan. It was an extra blessing to be wearing red and blue because it was September 11th. I was working the recruiting room which was a great experience because of all the different backgrounds the recruits come from. I got my first hand experience of recruiting South Florida. I learned how to listen more than talk to recruits because they will tell you what they are looking for without even asking. Typical conversation is always a plus and football is easy for me to talk about which is an easy ice breaker. I also check-in the recruits so I did get to meet some parents, high school coaches and the recruits “entourage”. I did not get to see the first 8 minutes of the game due to helping at the check-in desk but once I entered the stadium, I had a realization in knowing I know my career path. This moment was the first time I realized I had a passion for college football which was stronger than my passion for the NFL. I did not get to speak to Graham much since he is also helping on the field but I did get to learn more about his on field work which I cannot discuss since it is confidential. I can state that analytics is becoming a large part of football. Florida Atlantic is a heavy underdog in this contest but you could not tell in the first half. The Owls were battling with all they had and entered half time only being down by 3 points (20-17). I was in a state of shock but also excitement because if FAU pulled out this victory, I would witness history being made for the program. The second half did not favor FAU as turnovers and exhaustion began to set it. It seemed as the team lost focus and was unable to regain the composure they possessed in the first half. The final score was 44-20 and FAU only score 3 points in the second half but had too many turnovers to win a highly contested game. After the game was over, everyone was told to be silent because the coaches do not want to hear any conversations or laughs because they just left their heart on the field. I helped the players after by handing out their post game meals and drinks. The night ended later than anticipated because of a rain delay but I was proud to be an Owl.
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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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