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FOOTBALL EDITION

SACK KING

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Trey Hendrickson (9) tackles Florida International quarterback Alex McGough for one of his 13.5 sacks during the 2015 season.

Photo by Mohammed F. Emran

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TABLE OF CONTENTS FOOTBALL EDITION VOL.18 | #2 | 08.30.2016

Editor in Chief Ryan Lynch Managing Editor Andrew Fraieli Special Issue Editor Brendan Feeney Copy Desk Chiefs Carissa Noelle Giard, Kerri-Marie Covington Photographers Max Jackson, Mohammed F. Emran, Brandon Harrington

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GRIDIRON GRADING CURVE National attention is most easily earned on the football field.

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BUILDING A PROGRAM The university’s football prog0ram is in the midst of a transformation.

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BY THE NUMBERS Find out what numbers you need to know for the Owls’ 2016 football campaign.

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FIVE TO WATCH A look ahead at the most important games of the season.

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THE TANTALIZING TRIO From playing video games to having dinner together, sophomore defenders Jalen Young, Ocie Rose and Azeez Al-Shaair have developed a bond that they hope translates onto the field.

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FOOTBALL NEEDS TO WEED OUT CONCUSSIONS Chemicals found in marijuana could be the answer to football’s concussion problem.

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SACK KING Football’s all-time sack leader looks to build on his record with one more season left in his collegiate career.

Web Editor Richard Finkel Opinions Editor Miller Lepree Contributors Hans Belot, Jr., Christopher Libreros, Celeste Andrews, Advisers Neil Santaniello, Ilene Prusher, Michael Koretzky Cover By Brandon Harrington WANT TO JOIN THE UP? Email universitypress@gmail.com Staff meetings every Friday at 2 p.m.

Student Union, Room 214 WANT TO PLACE AN AD? Contact Jacquelyn Christie 888-897-7711 ext. 124 jchristie@mymediamate.com PUBLISHER FAU Student Government The opinions expressed by the UP are not necessarily those of the student body, Student Government or FAU. ADDRESS 777 Glades Road Student Union, Room 214 Boca Raton, FL 33431 561.297.2960

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Opinion

GRIDIRON GRADING CURVE FAU must harness big-school football potential.

By Miller Lepree | Opinions Editor Illustration by Celeste Andrews

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S

uccess on the field is followed by success in life. That’s the order in which things are supposed to go for student–athletes, or that’s what our coaches taught us in Pop Warner and through high school.

The general principle is solid: Work hard for your team, then work hard in the classroom. Wins here lead to A’s there, and so forth.

The same principle can be applied to the growth of a university. Wins on the football field lead to more dollars, which can be parlayed into books and professors and all sorts of wonderful scholastic capital.

Football players become involuntary recruiting agents, serving as marketing ambassadors who stitch the logos on their helmets into the T-shirts of children and students around the country. It’s no secret that college football is incredibly profitable, according to Forbes’ Chris Smith, the Texas Longhorns generated a Football Bowl Subdivision record of $121 million last season alone. Football is a powerful tool in this way, one that the Owls have wisely invested in with the construction of the stadium and continued promotion of the team.

Relatively young in comparison to its in-state peers, FAU has a long road to travel in building a national reputation, but focusing on the growth of its football program is a safe place to start. It’s no coincidence that UF and FSU both have great football programs, people pay attention to winning programs.

Students can enjoy the tailgates and (occasionally) stick around for the games, and neighboring residents can bring the whole family out for an afternoon of fairly priced collegiate competition.

This isn’t rocket science, this is America where football is adored by hundreds of people. But right now, FAU football is hardly the epicenter of Boca Raton.

The 50 states’ love affair with pigskin and shoulder pads made its way into the education system decades ago, and this system of big name credibility severely disadvantages less established up-and-comers like FAU. The University of Florida, for example, played its first football season in 1906, whereas the Owls took the field for their inaugural season in 2001. Those same 110-year-old Gators narrowly escaped an upset at the hands of the Owls at home just last season.

Fair or not, FAU needs to drag itself up from the bottom of the standings if it ever wants to climb up the U.S. News “Best College” rankings, where they are currently not posted. Students are attracted to schools with big football programs, as shown

by Douglas J. Chung during a 2013 study, “When a school rises from mediocre to great on the gridiron, applications increase by 18.7 percent.” There is a

clear correlation between attracting potential students, which leads to university growth and increased selectivity, and a good football team.

Tweeting about tailgates and promoting the games are students’ most useful avenues for bolstering the school’s reputation. Dollars and energy could be better used elsewhere in terms of providing students with a better education, but the football team provides the best vehicle for making FAU a household name.

If students are truly serious about putting FAU on the map, start showing up to football games.

Support the team, because they stand as our only hope of becoming legitimate contenders in the classroom. There’s a long way to go, and building a powerhouse football program doesn’t happen overnight, or even in 20 years, but students have the power to push this thing a little faster. See you all at opening kickoff.

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Head coach Charlie Partridge watches on during FAU’s game versus Buffalo last September.

Photo by Max Jackson

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BUILDING A PROGRAM In his third season, head football coach Charlie Partridge is forming a new culture for the Owls to have better plays with better grades.

By Brendan Feeney | Sports Editor

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hroughout the past decade, success has been hard to find for Florida Atlantic football, on and off the field.

One of the program’s lowest points occurred just three years ago when the school fired former head coach Carl Pelini in 2013. Pelini and defensive coordinator Pete Rekstis initially resigned after admitting to illegal drug use, according to Athletic Director Patrick Chun.

However, the school withdrew the resignation and fired Pelini when they discovered that he failed to timely report the conduct of a staff member.

That debacle happened in the only year the Owls managed to avoid finishing the season with a losing record since their consecutive bowl wins in 2007 and 2008. They finished 6-6.

In the other five seasons since their last bowl appearance they have posted a combined 14-45 record.

Entering his third season as FAU’s head football coach, Charlie Partridge is attempting to change the status quo. His team is coming off two straight 3-9 seasons, but the future appears to be a lot brighter than most can remember.

“We spent the last few years building a foundation that we believe in,” he said, “It means building one that can sustain success on and off the field. One that players make good decisions in all aspects of their life.”

On the Field

The changes have been a lot more noticeable during play. While the team has put up consecutive three-win seasons, the record fails to reveal the improvement it has made.

The Owls came within a touchdown or less of victory in four of their defeats from a season ago, including a one-point loss against Rice and two

overtime defeats. Their second overtime loss came against the then-No. 8 ranked University of Florida Gators in Gainesville.

“The Florida game I like to talk about because the result is not what we were going up there for,” Partridge said, while noting the team wasn’t content taking the nationally-ranked Gators to overtime. “We went up there to win.”

The following week saw the Owls finish the season in winning fashion, defeating Old Dominion 33-31 in Virginia.

There is reason to believe that the success found during the last two weeks of the 2015 season will carry over to this fall. The biggest is a combination of youth and experience.

A season ago, FAU started 16 true-freshmen, the most in the NCAA. Four of them — linebackers Ocie Rose and Azeez Al-Shaair, safety Jalen Young and long snapper Casey Winner — were named to Conference USA’s All-Freshman Team.

Al-Shaair, who led the team with 94 tackles, earned a spot on USA Today’s Freshman AllAmerica Team. He followed now-junior offensive lineman Reggie Bain, who 247Sports named a freshman All-American in 2014.

“Azeez’s passion for this game is felt by our players every day,” Partridge said. “Older players and players that were in his [recruiting] class, and now the freshmen that are younger than him.”

Four other members of the team have earned national attention since Al-Shaair. Senior defensive end Trey Hendrickson sits on the Bednarik Award watch list for the best defensive player in the country.

Redshirt senior defensive tackle Shalom Ogbonda is on the Wuerffel Trophy watch list for his contribution of community service, academic and athletic achievement.

Another form of fresh experience comes with new offensive coordinator Travis Trickett. The former head coach at Samford University brings a “no huddle, no mercy” fast-paced offensive attack which recorded the seventh-most yards per game in the Football Championship Subdivision in 2015.

Though Partridge utilized a run-heavy offense during his first two years at FAU, he’s had an eye on the pass-happy Trickett since the former’s days at Arkansas, where his team competed against Samford.

“We played against him and I was impressed by the combination of things he did that day and he’s got a great energy about him, players feed off of that,” Partridge said.

Off the Field

While the changes on the field may be more noticeable, the paradigm shift is felt most away from the gridiron.

Preseason Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year Trey Hendrickson notices trust building and said the team has gotten closer since Partridge’s arrival.

“It’s more like a family now than it was ever before,” he said.“It was a bunch of individual talent before but I feel since coach Partridge has taken the program we’ve really become more of a unit all together rather than just a guy balling out here and there.”

While that current family feel is a step in the right direction, it must be continued.

With college football careers usually lasting no longer than four years, players like Hendrickson won’t always be present to keep the family together.

Therefore, when recruits come to Boca Raton on official visits, they each must feel the same togetherness to want to join the program.

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“It’s not even really about the visit, it’s about the culture,” Partridge said of his normal recruiting visits. “One of the things that happens here, and sometimes it’s hard for some to understand, is decisions that make our student-athletes smile, but also decisions I have to make that they won’t like, all of them are from a place of love. We operate in that world here.”

“You’re a part of this program, this family, you are unconditionally loved by the head coaches, staff and everyone. Sometimes that means we’re going to come down on you very hard because we expect great things from you. That’s not something you can just create in a 48-hour visit, it’s got to be a culture they feel the entire time they come around.”

Partridge’s culture has been felt by his recruits.

According to 2016 recruit James Charles, “Coach Partridge, you can call him a family man, and a family man is the most dangerous man because he’ll do anything for the family to protect them.”

Fellow recruits running back Devin Singletary and wide receiver John Mitchell felt the same support. Singletary flipped from the University of Illinois for FAU on National Signing Day because of that family feel that came with the Owls compared to other schools.

“FAU showed me love,” he said.

That feeling of community spread to other aspects of life.

According to Mitchell, “When you go down there it’s like a family. They coach you more than football.”

Just like a mother or father, the coaches worry about grades as much, if not more, than football.

Freshman wide receiver Antonio Hadden chose to begin his football career at FAU when he signed with the school this past spring. He said the effort his coaches put toward players getting a degree stuck out and was one of the key reasons he enrolled at the school.

When Partridge first took over, he noted the team had an average GPA of “2.4 and change.” This past spring, the team’s GPA jumped to a program-record north of 2.9, thanks to 46 players posting GPAs over 3.0, also a team record.

Ean Biancardi, another fresh face from the team’s 2016 recruiting class, took notice of the academic focus before ever taking a class.

“I think the academic support the football team receives is great,” said the freshman, who met with professors and academic advisers during his visit.

Biancardi, Hadden, Mitchell, Singletary, Charles and the rest of the 2016 recruits are in a position only felt by the 2015 class, one that only knows a life at FAU under Charlie Partridge. They are in a position that FAU has rarely offered: a chance to win on and off the field.

“We’re much more stable, we’ve had very few 8 08.30.2016 University Press

distractions and we’ve been playing a lot of young players,” Partridge said, “We’re building with young players and guys we can develop. This is a project and I knew when I came here it was going to take some time.”

Entering his third season, fans will expect more than a three-win season. Instead, they will be hoping for the team’s first bowl game since 2008.

Though Partridge is ready to see improvement, he won’t define success by wins.

“The biggest thing I want to see is our kids work to improve every day,” he said. “I’m not going to put a number of wins on it ... we need to believe and trust each other and then get better as a football team every day and with that the wins will take care of itself. I just want to see daily, weekly, monthly improvement by this team and that’s what I’m looking for … I’m excited about where we are, we’re right on schedule, there’s a lot of really good things happening.”

As freshman tight end recruit John Raine said, “When I first got there, it felt like home. They’re building something special and I want to become part of it.”

“Coach Partridge, you can call him a family man, and a family man is the most dangerous man because he’ll do anything for the family to protect them.”

- James Charles Freshman Running back

Partridge has the upcoming season to prove the the sum of his work translates to a larger win total.

Photo by Mohammed F. Emran

BY THE NUMBERS

Take a look at the numbers to know about the previous and upcoming season.

By Christopher Libreros

A

s the start of the 2016 college football season approaches faster than senior defensive end Trey Hendrickson’s pass rush, let’s see how coach Charlie Partridge’s squad stacks up by the numbers.

1 3

Last year, four losses were decided by one possession. This includes two overtime losses by a combined nine points against University of Florida and the University of Tulsa.

In his last year at Samford University before signing with FAU, offensive coordinator Travis Trickett’s fast-paced aerial assault was ranked third in the Football Championship Subdivision in passing, throwing for 332.9 yards per game. Trickett called 77 more passing plays (465) than rush attempts (388) last year. FAU’s runheavy offense rushed the ball 498 times, compared to 393 pass attempts.

4 •

• • •

Four players on this year’s squad received preseason honors this offseason:

Redshirt senior center Dillon DeBoer Rimington Trophy watch list for the country’s most outstanding center Redshirt senior punter Dalton Schomp - Ray Guy Award watch list for the country’s most outstanding punter

Trey Hendrickson - Bednarik Award watch list for the country’s best defensive player of the year

Schomp also received co-honors for Conference USA Preseason Special Teams Player of the Year. Joining him with all-conference honors is Hendrickson, who the conference named Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.

5

Five players from last year’s FAU squad had their dreams realized this summer as defensive lineman Brandin Bryant, cornerback Cre’von LeBlanc, wide receiver Jenson Stoshak, defensive tackle Trevon Coley and defensive back Sharrod Neasman all signed NFL contracts.

20

While the 2016 season marks the end of Hendrickson’s collegiate career, the senior has already accumulated 20 sacks during his time at Florida Atlantic, making him the all-time sack leader in the football program’s 15-year history.

35 42

The Owls totaled 35 sacks last season, the most in Conference USA in 2015.

Travis Trickett’s up-tempo offense at Samford scored 42 touchdowns last season with a healthy divide of 22 passing touchdowns to 20 rushing touchdowns.

The Owls scored a combined 27 touchdowns all of last year.

66

Coming into the 2016 training camp, FAU has 66 players returning from last year. One of the more glaring openings in this year’s roster was the vacancy at the quarterback position following the departure of Jaquez Johnson. Redshirt sophomore Jason Driskel recently beat out redshirt freshman Daniel Parr. The decision was announced on Aug. 21 after an eight-month long competition.

9,272

The FAU Owls will be traveling a combined 9,272 miles on the road this season for six away games all over the country.

This is 3,032 miles less than the 12,304 miles the Owls traveled last year. This is in part because the scheduling of conference games changing from last year, whereas FAU played against teams like Western Kentucky and Southern Illinios at home.

This year the Owls face them on the road, lowering the total.

The biggest number for FAU fans to remember is four, as in FAU is four days away from kicking off the new season. The Owls will host Southern Illinois University at 6 p.m. on Sept. 3.

Redshirt senior defensive tackle Shalom Ogbonda - Wuerffel Trophy watch list or a combination of community service, academic achievement and athletic achievement

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Florida Atlantic football players enter the field before the start of their game versus Buffalo.

Photo by Mohammed F. Emran

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FIVE TO WATCH An examination of the five games that will define FAU’s 2016 season.

By Hans Belot, Jr.| Contributing Writer

W

ith new faces, young talent and veteran leadership, Florida Atlantic football will be looking to improve on two consecutive 3-9 seasons.

Although the team saw a few glimpses of success throughout last season, FAU has failed to post a winning record over the past seven seasons and has not participated in a bowl game since its 2421 Motor City Bowl win over Central Michigan in 2008.

As the season’s opening weekend draws closer, the Owls will play several teams they are unfamiliar with, including Kansas State and Ball State, as well as their usual conference foes.

Here are the five key matchups which will define FAU’s season:

Week 1 versus Southern Illinois: Season Opener

Last year the Owls began the season in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which ended in a 47-44 shootout loss in overtime. Although questions about the defense were raised, the offense, which relied on the running game, appeared to be highly potent.

Despite the initial burst in their first game, FAU’s offense only managed to average 17.5 points per game for the rest of the season, in part from a lack of consistency in the passing game. The Owls ranked 11th — out of 13 teams — in the conference in that category, with an 111.1 passing efficiency rating, a measure of the performance of quarterbacks on a scale from −731.6 to 1261.6.

The Owls are 5-10 all time in season openers, and have won four of their past 10. However, FAU only managed to finish with a winning record in one of those seasons.

New offensive coordinator Travis Trickett’s offense will be on display for the first time in a regular season game, as well as new starting quarterback redshirt sophomore Jason Driskel, who will be taking over for the post-Jaquez Johnson years.

Redshirt freshman, Daniel Parr, and redshirt sophomore, Jason Driskel, have been competing for the starting spot since the spring camp. No decision

has been announced yet on who will be under center come Week 1.

“Both have good arms, they both are intelligent, they both bring things to the table that excite you about a quarterback,” head coach Charlie Partridge said.

The first game of the season will set the tone for the remainder of the season.

Week 2 at Miami: Visiting a Giant

For the second year in a row FAU and the University of Miami will meet, but this time the Owls will not have the privilege of being at home.

Last year, Miami defeated FAU 44-20 in a game that drew 30,321 people, the largest crowd ever at the FAU Stadium.

For the first half, the Owls hung in with the Hurricanes, trailing by only three points going into halftime, much to the delight of the home crowd.

However, Miami was able to pull away in the second half.

This season, the game is set to be played in enemy territory for the Owls, meaning FAU will have to be as sharp as ever to upset the Hurricanes for the first time in the brief history of this matchup. Miami currently holds a 2-0 advantage, with the first win coming back in 2013.

Trickett, who comes from leading Samford University with 32.3 points per game, will most likely give the Hurricanes more problems offensively than last year, as Miami was one of the worst defensive units in the Atlantic Coast Conference, allowing 28.2 points per game.

It will be an interesting test for the Owls, as it will also be their first road game of the season. Their last visit to Miami ended in a 34-6 loss, so FAU will be looking to make it tough for the Hurricanes in their first home game of the season.

Week 5 at Florida International: The Shula Bowl - Conference USA

Opener

Shula Bowl matchups between FAU and archrival Florida International are known for intensity and blowouts.

Ten of the 14 meetings have ended in double-digit win margins for the victor. Last season’s rendition ended in a 31-17 Owls victory, their 10th win over FIU since 2002.

Despite the rivalry, both teams will also be looking to begin conference play on the right foot.

The two South Florida teams finished 2015 with a 3-5 conference record, part of a three-way tie for fourth place alongside Old Dominion.

Last season, FAU got off to a great conference start when they defeated the Charlotte 49ers 17-7.

However, the Owls went on to lose their next three conference games, and six of their last eight.

FIU ranked last in rushing yards and 11th in total offense, making it one of the worst offensive teams in the conference. The Panthers only averaged 109.9 yards per game on the ground, 3.4 per attempt, and had to rely on a fifth-ranked passing offense to stay afloat.

The Owls held the Panthers to a season-low 66 rushing yards in their 31-17 win last year and, with FAU’s improved defense, the team will try to frustrate FIU even more in this season’s lone matchup.

Week 8 versus Western Kentucky: Facing the Defending Champions

One of the biggest in-conference tests FAU will have this season will come in its fourth conference game of the season.

FAU is currently 5-2 against Western Kentucky all time, winning two of its last three versus the Conference USA defending champions.

The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers defeated the Owls 35-19 last season en route to an undefeated conference record, winning both the regular season Conference USA title and the championship game.

The Hilltoppers also finished the season ranked 08.30.2016 University Press 11

24th in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll.

Western Kentucky will be without one of their best offensive playmakers in quarterback Brandon Doughty, who threw for 5,000 yards and almost 50 touchdowns during his time with the Hilltoppers.

It is to be seen whether or not the Hilltoppers can match or exceed the level of success they had last year, but one thing is for sure: FAU will have its hands full.

Week 12 at Middle Tennessee: Season Finale

By this time of year, where will the Owls be ranked in the standings? How much will FAU have improved from the previous year?

The season finale against Middle Tennessee can prove to be as worthless as their season finale last season if the Owls struggle to meet expectation. It could also turn out be really important.

The Blue Raiders were tied for second in the conference last season and defeated the Owls 2417 in Boca Raton.

This game will be key for the Owls for several reasons.

It may determine whether or not they can be eligible for a bowl game — teams need six wins to qualify for bowl eligibility. It could decide if they are packing their bags early and preparing for 2017, or whether they’re fighting for the top spot in the conference.

The Owls have not participated in a bowl game since 2008, when they defeated Central Michigan 24-21 in the Motor City Bowl.

FAU hasn’t won a conference championship in nine years, dating back to 2007 when it was still part of the Sun Belt Conference. That team was a joint winner alongside Troy University.

The Owls have yet to win a Conference USA championship.

While every game will be important for the Owls, these five games will be key for different reasons.

Full Schedule

Sept. 3 - vs. Southern Illinois 6 p.m.

Sept. 10 - at Miami 6 p.m.

Sept. 17 - at Kansas State 2:30 p.m.

Sept. 24 - vs. Ball State 6 p.m.

Oct. 1 - at Florida International 7 p.m.

Oct. 8 - vs. Charlotte 3:30 p.m.

Oct. 15 - at Marshall 7 p.m.

Oct. 29 - vs. Western Kentucky 3:30 p.m.

Nov. 5 - at Rice, Time: TBD Nov. 12 - vs. UTEP 6 p.m.

Nov. 19 - vs. Old Dominion 6 p.m.

Nov. 26 - at Middle Tennessee 5:30 p.m.

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After one of the Owls’ biggest wins of the season over in-state rival Florida International, fans and members of the team celebrate the victory with the Shula Bowl Trophy.

Photo by Mohammed F. Emran

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THE TANTALIZING TRIO

Three sophomores are creating a brotherhood within FAU’s defense to bring success back to the program.

By Hans Belot, Jr. | Contributing Writer

P

ractice had just ended.

Players were sitting around the back of the Tom Oxley Athletic Center recovering. Some were doing interviews, while others were heading back to the locker room.

However, sophomore safety Jalen Young was just getting started.

While his teammates were getting ready to head out with their days, Young rehydrated and made his way back onto the field alongside an assistant coach.

“He still has a long way to go and Jalen knows that,” head coach Charlie Partridge said of his sophomore who “was able to learn [the position] and contribute and play,” in his first year as a safety a season ago.

His exercise required a push up, jogging while raising his knees as high as he could and repeating until he reached the other end of the field before sprinting back as fast as possible.

“I want to be an All-American,” Young said. “Last year I fell shy because of inconsistency, so this year I want to be more consistent.”

As a captain in his senior season at Seminole Ridge High School, Young — a native of Belle Glade, Florida — earned first team all-county and allconference honors as well as being named to the third all-state team.

The criminal justice major’s versatility allowed him to play quarterback on offense and safety on defense, as well as play basketball and track in the winter and spring seasons, respectively.

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Last season at Florida Atlantic, Young recorded 69 tackles and three interceptions, earning himself Conference USA All-Freshman Team honors and an All-Conference USA honorable mention.

Joining Young during his post-practice workout was fellow 2015 Conference USA All-Freshman Team member, sophomore linebacker Azeez AlShaair.

Al-Shaair also earned a spot on both Scout and USA Today’s Freshman All-American Team after a team-high of 94 tackles. It was Al-Shaair’s third straight season with national attention after two years with National Underclassman Combine AllAmerican honors from his high school days at Hillsborough High School.

“Azeez’s passion for this game is felt by our players every day, older players and players that were in his [recruiting] class and now the freshmen that are younger than him,” said Partridge. “It’s always on his sleeve and I love that about Azeez. He’s had a huge effect on our locker room.”

Following his workout with Al-Shaair, Young headed back to his apartment to continue his work with his teammate and roommate, sophomore defensive back and linebacker Ocie Rose.

“We watch films on our phones, he’ll come into my room and figure out plays we did wrong and plays we did good,” Rose said. “We play the same side of the ball, and he wanted to be closer to me and I wanted to be closer to him. We see the same things eye to eye. Some things we might see different but we still work it out. We make the team better by the

connection that we got.”

“We’re basically the same guy off the field because we come from almost the same [kind of] neighborhood,” said Young of his and Rose’s relationship. “We’re both goofy and joke around a lot, we like to have fun but we both know when we get on this field, we got each other’s back.”

Rose and Young almost never connected at all.

After being named to the first team all-state team and listed among Miami Dade’s top 25 recruits for his efforts at Booker T. Washington High School, Rose committed to FAU rival Florida International University. He changed his mind six months later after visiting the Boca Raton campus.

Now the two can be seen together almost everywhere in public, such as social events, parties and restaurants. They will even take some of the freshmen with them.

“We’re always talking, we’re always together and we do everything together,” said Rose. “We’ll go out to the freshman dorms, and grab the freshmen and take them out to eat with us and interact with each other.”

The roommates are not the only ones building trust within the defense.

Al-Shaair emphasized that the reason this defense’s chemistry has improved from last season is that they do the simple things, like hang around each other and get to know their teammates as people before trying to understand them as football players.

“Everyday after workouts, we’ll always hang out

Sophomore safety Jalen Young takes down Middle Tennessee’s Richie James during last November’s 24-17 loss.

Photo by Mohammed F. Emran

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Sophomore linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair chases down University of Florida quartback Treon Harris last November.

Photo by Mohammed F. Emran

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and just be chilling,” said Al-Shaair. “Hanging out playing [the EA Sports video game] Madden all the time — and I’m the best Madden player in the team, just putting it out there — just improved our relationship with each other.”

While they enjoy each other’s company, they know when to turn off the switch in favor of a more serious relationship.

“A lot of preparation has gone into this season,” Rose said. “We actually just started but we are doing a lot to make sure we are game ready. We are not ready right now but we’re doing everything we can to make sure we are ready come Sept. 3, so we can have a good season and dominate.”

The three have grown in the past year, and have new responsibilities. After the departures of defenders Brandin Bryant, Sharrod Neasman and Cre’von LeBlanc, each are getting leadership roles and taking the new freshmen under their wings, even though they are only one year removed from their shoes.

“Losing Crevon, Nessman and Brandin, they were some great players but they were also some good leaders,” said defensive coordinator Roc Bellantoni.

“We have older guys but to watch Azeez, Ocie and Jalen take this team by the throat and take the younger guys with them is really cool to watch.”

Hanging around each other, the off-field activities and the growth internally and physically all lead in one direction: the upcoming season.

“From my freshman [year], I improved a lot mentally by not making the same mistakes,” said Rose. “Coming from high school to college, and actually just learning the game, paying attention in the film room and taking notes really improved me.”

Last season each of the three players had to fight for their starting jobs. After earning their respective conference awards, their roles do not hold the same uncertainty.

However, none of those successes they enjoyed individually have gotten into their head.

“One thing you always worry about is complacency,” said Bellantoni. “But these guys are even more hungry than before.”

From the first practice going into the season, the three guys have created a chemistry that will translate onto the field. When one player makes a play on defense, everyone gets excited and that is the kind of atmosphere Young, Rose and Al-Shaair wanted to create for the defense.

“It’s good to see them encourage each other,” said Bellantoni. “I’m really glad they are bonding with each other and celebrating with one another.”

All three of these players are sophomores and all have one thing in mind: to win. To them, winning starts with the defense.

“Offenses need to definitely be worried about us,” said Al-Shaair.

For Young, only a few words were on his mind when asked if they’re ready to terrorize offenses this season.

“Got to,” said the safety. “[We] got to.”

Sophomore defensive back Ocie Rose eyes down Rice University’s Connor Cella.

Photo by Brandon Harrington

08.30.2016 University Press 17

FOOTBALL NEEDS TO WEED OUT CONCUSSIONS

Cannabis contains unique chemicals which can protect football players from traumatic brain injuries, with no adverse effects as opposed to other medications.

By Brendan Feeney | Sports Editor

T

he violent yet poetic nature of football pulls fans in like the hankering a heavy smoker gets for a cigarette.

One may struggle to ignore nicotine’s temptation, while fans have to be pried away from their television screens every fall and winter weekend.

However the similar, powerful addiction each can hold over a person pales in comparison to the connection Dr. Bennet Omalu — the man who discovered chronic traumatic encephalopathy and, the inspiration for the character Will Smith played in the movie “Concussion” — made between football and cigarettes when he spoke at Florida Atlantic’s Jupiter campus in March.

Some people can smoke cigarettes and never become sick while others are not so lucky. This creates an interesting dynamic as the number of cigarettes needed to harm one’s health can differ from person to person.

In football, like with the unpredictability of cigarette harm, no one knows how many blows to the head it takes to create enough trauma to cause chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, or any other permanent damage.

What we do know, according to an NCAA selfreported study from February 2014, is that 17.9 percent of college football players will suffer at least one concussion during their collegiate career, with 9.5 percent suffering from multiple in that 18 08.30.2016 University Press

span.

While those percentages may seem high enough already, they can still be misleadingly low as only 1 out of every 27 head injuries are reported, according to a study by Harvard University and Boston University relayed by ESPN in October 2014.

Concussions are not the only path to CTE. Boston University reports that subconcussive hits that cause no concussion-like symptoms can lead to the disease as well. According to Frontline, “It’s the repeat, more minor head trauma that occurs regularly in football that may pose the greatest risk to players.”

With the combination of the repetitive minor blows as well as the car crash collision-like concussions, the NFL “expects nearly a third of retired players to develop long-term cognitive problems and that the conditions are likely to emerge at ‘notably younger ages’ than in the general population,” according to the New York Times.

No helmet or padding can prevent this from happening as the brain sits in the skull, unattached and capable of being jostled against the skull walls.

CTE also can not be diagnosed until an autopsy, making it next to impossible to know if one is living with the disease.

But what if there was a pre-emptive action available that offered minimal, if any, adverse side

What is CTE? According to Boston University, chronic traumatic encephalopathy is a progressive degenerative disease found in the brain of people “with a history of repetitive brain trauma, including symptomatic concussions as well as asymptomatic subconcussive hits to the head.”

“The brain degeneration is associated with memory loss, confusion, impaired judgment, impulse control problems, aggression, depression, and, eventually, progressive dementia.”

From February 2008 to June 2010, 321 American football players died as a result of CTE. Twelve of the 321 brains underwent postmortem neuropathological examination at Boston University CTE Center for the study of traumatic encephalopathy. All 12 of those brains showed evidence of CTE.

Opinion

Photo by Mohammed F. Emran Photo illustration by Andrew Fraieli

08.30.2016 University Press 19

effects?

Surely the NFL and NCAA would take any measure to simultaneously protect the sanctity of football and the players’ health.

What if that same possible protectant happened to be marijuana, a substance illegal in the majority of the United States?

There are 512 different chemicals in cannabis, according to Dr. David Bearman, vice president of the American Academy of Cannabinoid Medicine, who has served in multiple government drug abuse jobs, including a member of Gov. Ronald Reagan’s Inter Agency Task Force on Drug Abuse.

Of the 512 chemicals, 80-100 are unique to cannabis. These cannabinoids — such as cannabidiol, or CBD, and THC, the chemical which induces the psychoactive high — contain many medical benefits, including the ability to act as a neuroprotectant.

In fact, the U.S., as represented by the Department of Health and Human Services owns United States patent 6,630,507, which states the following: “Cannabinoids are found to have particular application as neuroprotectants, for example in limiting neurological damage following ischemic insults, such as stroke and trauma, or in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.”

When the brain is injured, three main processes lead to spreading brain damage that becomes permanent, said Dustin Sulak, medical director for Integr8 Health in Maine. Those are the swelling of the brain, the damaging of neurons and the damaging of molecules.

CBD limits all three of these damaging processes “unlike most pharmaceuticals,” which target just one specific problem, Sulak said.

“THC also has profound neuroprotective effects that in many cases are more powerful than those of CBD, but the best results are achieved by using the combination,” Sulak continued.

According to a study from the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute, patients with traumatic brain injury who also tested positive for THC had a significantly lower mortality rate.

The study included 446 patients who suffered traumatic brain injuries and underwent a urine test for the presence of THC in their system, which 82 patients tested positive for. Of those 82 patients who tested positive for THC, only 2.4 percent died, whereas 11.5 percent of the patients without THC in their systems died.

When CBD is administered with THC, it reduces its psychoactive effects. Therefore a person could take the combination of the two chemicals, protecting the brain without any impairment or euphoria.

In the case of football players, the cannabinoids would be best consumed prior to the injury, 20 08.30.2016 University Press

however it would still be effective post injury.

“If CBD were present in the brain at the time of the injury instead of being administered 15-30 minutes later, the beneficial effects would likely be even more profound,” Sulak said.

“Since CBD has other beneficial properties desired by professional athletes, such as pain, anxiety relief and enhanced healing of injured muscle and bone, it would certainly make sense to take CBD for prevention before an injury. Even if it were only used to treat concussions after the fact, it would likely improve the long term outcomes in these cases.”

Former first-round draft pick Eugene Monroe, who is a free agent with seven seasons of NFL experience, is currently advocating for medical marijuana use in the NFL. “I’m calling for the NFL to remove marijuana from the banned substances list; fund medical marijuana research, especially as it relates to CTE; and stop overprescribing addictive and harmful opioids,” reads his website, which is dedicated to educating the public on the benefits of medical marijuana.

Other former NFL players, including Pro-Bowl quarterback Jake Plummer and two-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Jim McMahon, have gone on record stating how their individual healths, which have deteriorated thanks to their respective football careers, have improved after using medical marijuana.

Additionally, both Sulak and Bearman said that there is little if any concern about negative side effects. They have no concerns about age limits, as both treat younger patients with cannabis.

In Bearman’s own medical practice, he sees a lot of kids with attention deficit disorder.

“What I have found is those people that do have Attention Deficit Disorder, their grades go from C-minuses, D’s and F’s to A’s and B’s after they start using cannabis … their grades go up,” he said.

Bearman continued to say that studies that report adverse effects in the brain are poorly done, including the study which first alleged that cannabis causes brain damage performed by Robert Heath of Tulane University.

In the study, according to Bearman, a scientist exposed monkeys to marijuana smoke and was disappointed that he did not find any particular negative effects.

He said they were not getting enough marijuana smoke and therefore gave each of them a gas mask, which is when he discovered brain damage in monkeys.

“What happens when you do that is there’s something you don’t give the monkeys, and that’s oxygen,” Bearman said. “So when they sacrificed the monkeys and looked at the brains, they had

Charlotte’s Web — Medical Marijuana Success If a young girl born with a severe seizure disorder can benefit from medical marijuana, why can’t a college football player?

In 2013, CNN reported a story detailing how Charlotte’s Web — an oil extracted from hemp that is marketed as a dietary supplement and doesn’t induce a psychological high — helped control a 6-year-old girl’s epilepsy.

Charlotte Figi was born with Dravet syndrome, a rare form of epilepsy.

When she turned three months old, Figi started having “frequent seizures lasting two to four hours.”

The story stated, “Dravet syndrome is a rare, severe form of intractable epilepsy.

Intractable means the seizures are not controlled by medication.”

Figi was put on a diet that initially lessened the number of seizures, but not without significant side effects. She suffered bone loss, a plummeting immune system and behavioral problems.

Two years into the diet, the seizures began to occur again.

She became unable to walk, talk or eat and was having 300 seizures per week.

“Her heart stopped a number of times … Doctors had even suggested putting Charlotte in a medically induced coma.”

By the time she turned 5 years old, there was nothing the hospital could do.

Thanks to Charlotte’s Web, which was named after Figi, she now only suffers two or three seizures a month and can walk and talk as well.

brain damage. But the brain damage was not from smoking marijuana, the brain damage was from not getting oxygen … You just really don’t have any studies that have any validity at all that demonstrate an adverse effect of the human brain from the use of cannabis.”

In fact, the National Institute on Drug Abuse gave Donald Tashkin — a professor of pulmonology at the University of California, Los Angeles — a grant to conduct a study on whether or not marijuana causes cancer in the lungs. Tashkin concluded that there is no association between the regular smoking of marijuana and lung cancer.

Currently, the NCAA penalty for the use of marijuana, and any other recreational drug, is a sixmonth suspension which is a decrease compared to the previous penalty of one year.

While the NCAA is becoming more lenient on marijuana use, no plans have been announced regarding medicinal use. The NCAA was unable to be reached as of publication time.

Florida Amendment Two — a new law change which proposes to regulate marijuana production and distribution for people with specific debilitating diseases or comparable debilitating conditions — will be on this November’s ballot.

This means schools like FAU could be in legal medical marijuana territory, yet its players will still be unable to benefit from its effects.

“What’s sad to me is that we ask questions about cannabis that we don’t about other medications,” Bearman said. “We know that we have a medicine that the American Medical Association, in 1937 in their testimony against the Marijuana Tax Act, said that they knew of no dangers to the medicinal use of cannabis. Then we ought to be giving it to [players] before football games in order to limit the danger, the damage that we know is caused by concussions.”

In the meantime, the NCAA has attempted to help reduce concussion rates without the help of cannabis. According to FAU head football coach Charlie Partridge, there has been a lot of change.

“A lot of us around the country changed the way we teach tackling, so that’s a huge change for us,” he said. “And the way you teach hitting, you used to teach players to get their head across the ball carrier’s body and you do more tackling with the shoulder to the thigh level so that has changed a lot … We as coaches have been educated more on what to look for on how long it’s going to take someone to recover once someone has been identified with a concussion.”

The team also travels with a spotter — someone who is with them every game day. The spotter’s sole job is to watch for someone who has symptoms of a concussion.

“I absolutely believe CBD could help the current situation and make a big difference in the long-term outcomes for players,” Sulak said.

Most schools including FAU have concussion protocols in place. The only problem with the protocols, as well as the improvements the game has made, is the fact that they are not doing anything to counter the damage that the brain trauma creates.

Cannabinoid

Therapeutic Effect

THC (9 Tetrahydrocannabinol)

• • • • • • • • •

• • •

•

Protects against cancer Reduces nausea Pain reliever Sleep aid Relieves spasms Decreases seizures Reduces anxiety Muscle relaxant Antibacterial Protects nervous system Anti-diabetic Improves circulation Relieves psoriasis Relieve Crohn’s Disease Anti-inflammatory Bone stimulant Relieves rheumatoid arthritis Antioxidant

• • •

Anti cancer Anti inflammatory Stimulates bone

• • • • • • • • •

CBD (Cannabidiol)

• • • • • • • • • • • •

CBC (Cannabichromene) CBG (Cannabigerol)

• • • • •

CBN (Cannabichromene)

The information in this chart was sent via email from Dr. Bearman

THCV (Tetrahydrocannabivarin)

Anti cancer Anti nauseant Analgesic Appetite stimulant Antispasmodic Muscle relaxant Anti microbial Neuroprotective Helps with the symptoms of Crohn’s disease (anti spasmodic, anti inflammatory) Anti inflammatory Antioxidant

• • •

Anti cancer Anti bacterial Anti fungal Anti inflammatory Stimulates bone

Pain reliever Sleep aid Anti spasmodic Anti inflammatory Antioxidant

Appetite suppressant Anti seizure Stimulates bon

08.30.2016 University Press 21

SACK KING

After being in the background for most of his collegiate career, defensive end Trey Hendrickson now sits in the spotlight following his breakout junior season.

By Brendan Feeney | Sports Editor

T

railing by seven points with a little over eight minutes left in the game, with a struggling offense facing one of the most feared defenses in the country, the 2-9 Florida Atlantic Owls needed a player to step up and make an impact.

Treon Harris, quarterback for the No. 8 ranked Gators, received the second-down snap in the shotgun. Hoping to pick up a first down to mark the beginning of the end for the Owls, Harris rolled out to his right.

Then-junior defensive end Trey Hendrickson jolted from 10 yards behind the line of scrimmage, on the opposite side of the field, and chased down Harris for a sack while simultaneously stripping him of the ball.

It was Hendrickson’s second sack of the game, but one that symbolized so much more.

The ball bounced into the end zone where teammate and now-sophomore Ocie Rose dove on top of it for the game-tying touchdown, ultimately forcing overtime and proving that FAU, at its best, could compete with any team in the nation.

The sack — which marked the Apopka, Florida 22 08.30.2016 University Press

Senior defensive end Trey Hendrickson is on the Bednarik Award watch list for the nation’s best defensive players.

Photo by Brandon Harrington

native’s 16th of his collegiate career — tied him for the program record and signified that Hendrickson wasn’t just beating up on his Conference USA foes, but that he could stand out among the best players in the country.

“I had a high rush and from that rush I saw that [Harris] was coming out of the pocket,” Hendrickson said while remembering the play. “When he came out of the pocket, it was basically just a foot race from there on, and once the sack happened I just watched the ball roll into the end zone and Ocie came up with it. It was pretty nuts.”

One week later, the criminal justice major collected four more sacks in the team’s final game of the season, placing him in sole possession of the program record. He finished the season with 13 1/2 sacks, the second most in the nation behind Pennsylvania State University defensive end Carl Nassib.

With one more full season left to build on his record, the hype surrounding Hendrickson is as high as ever.

On July 5, the defensive end was named to the Bednarik Award watch list for college defensive player of the year. Fifteen days later, Conference USA coaches dubbed him the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.

Hendrickson remains undeterred by the noise around him, much like he does game in, game out.

Prior to each Saturday, the pass rusher prefers isolation to get his mind right. He touches the turf to get a feel for what it’s going to be like when he puts his hand in the dirt.

He visualizes plays and his surroundings, imagining a third-and-long, making a move and, based on film from the game preparation, pictures himself bursting through and making a big play.

With the added national attention, nothing has changed in Hendrickson’s routine.

“I think it’s important to go through every preseason as hard as you can and prepare the same way,” he said. “I haven’t earned anything yet. Coaches put me in the right position last year to make plays for them and I owe a lot to Brandin [Bryant] and Trevon [Coley], next to them opening up holes for me to make plays.”

Head coach Charlie Partridge has no doubt that his star defensive end will be ready. He remembers sending Hendrickson a congratulatory text for making it onto the watch list.

“His response to me,” Partridge said, “was ‘Coach, all I care about is this football team having success.’

That tells me that Trey is in a place that he cares so much about the team, the [recognition] has a chance to take care of itself, so he’s in a very good place.”

Last season Hendrickson put so much focus

into the team’s success that he didn’t know he had tied the program’s single-season sack record until a reporter asked him to describe the feeling during last October’s Shula Bowl postgame press conference.

Said Hendrickson, “I just went game to game last year, I don’t count sacks, I don’t count stats. I just go into every game like it’s my last … I’m not really concerned with personal statistics, I go into every game wanting to win.”

He continued, “Next year I’m excited to work with Ray Ellis and Shalom [Ogbonda] the same way I worked with Brandin and Tre[von]. It’s a long season ahead of me so I’m not worried about anything.”

Hendrickson didn’t always have hype around him. A two-star recruit out of Apopka High School, the defensive end recorded nine tackles and 1 1/2 sacks during his freshman campaign.

The following year, the sophomore became a mainstay of the defensive line and recorded five sacks.Then in his junior season, the defensive end erupted onto the scene.

“We always really did feel that Trey could be a dominant player once he got consistent with his technique,” Partridge said. “Some of the pass rush decisions that he really started to improve on — because pass rush is really reaction and his decisions are programmed reactions — really improved and he’s always played hard.”

Now with such high expectations, the senior has a new responsibility — being a senior leader.

“I’m excited,” he said. “I’ve gotten a lot of tools over the years and when you play at a high level you gain the respect of other people, so when I talk people will listen.”

Incoming freshman Leighton McCarthy, who holds Wekiva High School’s season record for sacks (20), is ready to listen. After signing with the Owls in February, he expressed his excitement “to pick [Hendrickson’s] brain” and see what he can learn from the Preseason Defensive Conference Player of the Year.

Hendrickson said, “Every freshman goes through growing pains, me probably a little bit more than the others. But with coach Partridge, he gave me tools and ways to become a better man and become a better leader and I had a choice to listen or not listen. I chose to listen and he made me a better person and a better player for it.”

Partridge notices the growth.

“He’s matured so much as a person,” Partridge said. “He has come so far in how he carries himself off the field, and I’m extremely proud of him, and that has led to his distractions going away and he can focus on being a great student and great football player … This year we expect another great

year out of Trey and he knows that.”

This year will be unlike any previous one the defensive end has encountered. Hendrickson has a sack record to build on, young players to teach and NFL scouts to impress, all while trying to turn around a team fresh off consecutive three-win seasons.

“It gives me a lot to play for,” he said. “Every game I have an opportunity to build on it and I’m excited to get it rolling … Everybody has goals to go to the [NFL] and I think if I do the right thing on and off the field everything else should take care of itself.”

Trey Hendrickson sacks University of Florida quarterback Treon Harris in the fourth quarter of the Owls game versus the Gators, forcing him to fumble the ball. The sack allowed Hendrickson to tie the program record of 16 career sacks.

Photo by Max Jackson.

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