Jackson Wolek/Staff Writer
jackson.wolek@fiusm.com
In the first ever Battle of Florida, held at FAU stadium, two FIU Panthers, seniors Wesley Carroll and Jonathan Faucher, got to show for the last time in their collegiate careers what they had to offer in front of 140 scouts at the game and many others watching on television.
Carroll was made captain for the South team and also started at quarterback. However, in the three drives that Carroll played, he totaled negative two yards on 1-6 passing and earned a net yardage of -9 on the ground, as the North side blew out the South side 51-3 and even went to a running clock in the fourth quarter.
“It was tough to watch, thank goodness I was able to allow the time keepers to let the clock run there at the end,” said former FAU head coach Howard Schenellenberger.
Faucher, a tight end who caught eight passes for 92 yards and two touchdowns this season, did not receive much playing time and ended the game with zero catches. Both Carroll and Faucher’s team, the South side, were being coached by Schnellenberger.
“It was great, it was great for him to be out there, it was really a lot of fun and he’s a good guy,” said Carroll.
Although Carroll did not put up great numbers, he said the practices were a really great experience for the, now, former Panther.
“The game is set up to try and eliminate guys getting hurt,” said Carroll. “There’s not a lot of blitzing, not a lot of checks, it’s really just all about speed, a lot of one-on-one matchups. The week of practice was really the most crucial part of this whole week.”
In the practices leading up to the game, Carroll said that he got opportunities to try different offenses such as pro style and being under center, sets he didn’t run at FIU, which used a spread offense. He also said that he had a great week of practice and could not be more thankful for the chance to show the scouts what he had.
Out of the 140 scouts, 29 NFL teams were in attendance as well as four CFL teams and one AFL team.
“It’s good for the boys because it gives them an opportunity to show what they’ve got, maybe something the pros have not seen today,” said former FSU head coach Bobby Bowden. “I’m sure some of those guys out there attracted some attention.”
Even though his team lost, Carroll knows that this game ultimately is about having fun and getting one more chance in practices and in the game to show the scouts he can play.
“A lot of these guys had a great week of practice, a lot of scouts were out there and that’s really what this week was about,” said Carroll. “This game, it’s competitive but at the same time it’s really meant to be fun and a good atmosphere.”
His next step is to keep on working and preparing for his pro day.