Good Morning, Owl Nation. Two weeks. 14 days. 336 hours (yes, Alexa was consulted on this calculation). That’s all we have to wait until the highly anticipated football season opener against Michigan State takes place. And the boys are getting ready, which means they’re battling a different kind of opponent right now—the intense Florida heat.
 
With the early morning temperatures hovering in the high 80s, reaching lower 90s by mid-morning, and the feels-like temperature predicted to be above 110 degrees, the Owls recently moved through their workout in full pads.

According to Running Backs Coach Chris Perkins, they’re not backing down.

“These guys are hard workers; they bring their hard hat every day,” Perkins said. “They are very disciplined, and they pay attention to detail.”

What all do we have stirring in the Brew today? Check it out below!

📺 FAU Athletics announced its fall Olympic sports broadcast schedule
⚽️ Two FAU men’s soccer players made list of top 14 players in the league
🦉 And much, much more

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🔼 No Clashing With This Former Titan. Jordan Clark, head coach of the Florida Atlantic softball program, has announced the hiring of Shelby Petik as an assistant coach. 
 
Petik arrives at FAU following three seasons at the helm of Eastern Florida State College, where she most recently led the Titans to their best season in program history with 40 wins. She now joins an Owl program looking to build off a 40+ win season of their own that culminated in an NCAA Regional appearance.

🔼 Full Steam Ahead 💨. Florida Atlantic's women's cross-country team stepped on the track for the first time to kick off the 2024 season. 
 
The Owls executed their first practice of the season on a hot and sunny morning in Paradise. Practice consisted of a two-mile warmup followed by drills & strides. They continued with a tempo workout of two miles, five-minute recovery, two miles, five-minute recovery, and closed out the workout with a mile. To conclude the day, they finished with a two-mile cooldown. 

Go here for some thoughts on the upcoming season by head coach Alex Smolka.

🔼 Broadcast News. Florida Atlantic Athletics announced its fall Olympic sports broadcast schedule on Wednesday. It will air up to 18 home games in volleyball and women's and men's soccer on ESPN+, with the remaining home contests streaming free on FAUSports.com.

Florida Atlantic's national television and streaming viewership topped nearly 11 million last season, including a school-record 26 national TV appearances combined for football and men's basketball.

📺 Go here for the full rundown. 👀

 🔼 Five Alive. Florida Atlantic men's soccer has been picked fifth in the American Conference Preseason Coaches Poll.
 
The AAC also released its preseason all-conference teams on Thursday. Senior Noah Kvifte and sophomore Oliver Moller-Jensen were each included on the list of the top 14 players in the league.
 
Kvifte led the Owls with seven goals in 2023, including a dramatic game-winner as time expired in the AAC Quarterfinal against FIU.
 
Moller-Jensen burst onto the scene as a rookie, scoring in his first game. He would finish with six points and was named to the AAC All-Freshman team.
 
FAU men's soccer starts its season on Aug. 22 in Omaha, Nebraska, against Creighton. The home opener is scheduled for August 29 against Stetson.

🔼 Onward and Upward. Florida Atlantic women's soccer fell to the UCF Knights in the season opener on Thursday night in the FAU Football Stadium. 

The Owls ended the night with a 5-1 loss against the University of Central Florida to start the season. Florida Atlantic now moves to 0-1-0.
 
After a scoreless first half, Florida Atlantic remained without a score until the 60th minute of the game when junior Stella Rubidoux recorded her first goal as an Owl. Florida Atlantic recorded ten shots on the tonight, five of which were on goal. 

🏈 COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: 14 DAYS

Number of the Day: 14

That’s right; we are just 14 days away from the return of
FAU Football under the Friday Night Lights in East Lansing
with Michigan State on August 30.

In honor of this 14-day wait for football season to start, let’s revisit the recent article about #14 on the Florida Atlantic football team—Courtney Lamas Lanier—and how he was recently awarded the Wilma Rudolph Student-Athlete Achievement Award.

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🦉 ONE BIG THING

Pure Class. Florida Atlantic Athletics has named its Prestige Windows & Doors Student-Athletes of the Month for July, with men's basketball's Tre Carroll and volleyball's Noelle Stephens receiving the first honors for the 2024-25 academic year.

The monthly honors are presented to a male and female Florida Atlantic student-athlete to recognize their excellence in the classroom. FAU's athletic academic staff votes on the award.

Carroll consistently demonstrates dedication to his studies, excelling in a heavy course load during the summer.

Stephens excelled in the four classes she took this summer and proved worthy of the acknowledgment.

😬 TRUST YOUR SMILE

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🦉 PARADISE TRIVIA

⇢⇢⇢ Which member of the FAU football team was recently named to the Comeback Player of the Year Watch List?

Have a guess?

Scroll to the bottom to find out!

📅 THE WEEK AHEAD

Friday, August 16 
⚽️ Men’s Soccer Exhibition Game vs. Palm Beach Atlantic @ 7 p.m. EST

Saturday, August 17 
🏐 Volleyball - Red vs. Blue Match @ 4 p.m. EST

Sunday, August 18 
⚽️ Women’s Soccer vs. Miami @ 6 p.m. EST | Watch Live | Live Stats | Preview

Friday, August 30
🏈 First football game of the season @ Michigan State @ TBA

🦉 Go here for the full Florida Atlantic University Athletics Calendar

TRIVIA ANSWER 🦉

The Answer: Florida Atlantic's Zuberi Mobley was recently been named to the Comeback Player of the Year Watch List.
 
The running back played just three games in 2023 before an injury cut his season short. Mobley has played in 17 games as an Owl with 131 carries and 629 yards, culminating in three 2022 scores.

🦉 Happy Friday, y’all