April 6, 2005

Practice five was held Wednesday afternoon completing one third of the 2005 spring drills.

"It was the first time that we scrimmaged with long yardage situation," said head coach Howard Schnellenberger. "The defense is well a head of the offense. We really didn't know what we were doing offensively and were unable to protect our quarterback and give him a chance for completions. About 10 percent of the plays were won by the offense and 90 percent went to the defense."

With players needing to prove themselves, practice was spirited. Stetson Wilson showed good movement and nice power during he one-on-one drills while Nick Paris, a redshirt freshman, also had a strong practice during the position drills.

Danny Embick continued to work with receivers and timing. Two new receivers, redshirt freshman Frantz Simeon Casey McGahee, who is making the move from defensive back to receiver. The duo, as well as all the receivers trying to solidify themselves on the two-deep, are forced to battle against the most experience unit on the practice field, the defensive backs.

With strong defensive back coverage, Lawrence Gordon picked off a deep pass attempt by Embick.

Quarterbacks also worked on mid-range passes and designed running plays to take advantage of their ability to run. Practice ended with seven-on-seven and with unit drills. The next scheduled practice will be 3:30 p.m., Friday. The FAU Athletic Department and coach Fred O'Connor will provide beverages and refreshments for interested fans in the Founders' Lounge at the Tom Oxley Center. This service will be provided Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 4:00 p.m., and all fans are encouraged to attend.

Notable: Worked in pads for the third consecutive practice, first practice for long yardage work.Injuries: Thavaris Dority, a junior college transfer and Boca High graduate, continues to practice with a cast.