MIAMI (April 2, 2016) – The FIU football team held a controlled scrimmage Saturday morning during Day Nine of this year's Spring Camp.
 
Over 120 plays were run as both sides of the ball had a share of big plays, including some nice touchdown runs by sophomore Anthony Jones and a 75-yard, pick-six by junior linebacker Vontarius West.
 
FIUSports.com and PantherVision caught up with Head Coach Ron Turner, Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Secondary Coach Ron Cooper and safety Niko Gonzalez after practice.

Video Interview with Head Coach Ron Turner and safety Niko Gonzalez.

 

Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Secondary Coach Ron Cooper On Spring Practice Spring practice is going well. We have guys continuing to learn and improve with the losses of Richard Leonard and Jeremiah McKinnon. We are seeing guys step up at corner - Kenyatta Anderson, Deonte Wilson and Emmanuel Lubin.  Those guys are doing some good things. They just have to keep getting better. At safety, TJ (Tyree Johnson) and Niko Gonzalez are playing well. We've got some guys in Olin Cushion and Isaiah Hill, who have come in this spring and look really good. Xavier Hines adds some experience. So, we have a little more depth and the guys are playing well.   On Competition in the Secondary There is definitely competition in the secondary and it helps. We will adjust the depth when it is necessary. We always say, "You don't move down on the depth chart; we are always looking to move guys up." We want all of them to play better but, we are looking for some guys to play great and do great things. We have just got to keep getting better every day.

 

Safety Niko Gonzalez On Spring Practice Camp is going well so far. There have been ups and downs but, for me, it's easier from a mental aspect since I've been in the system now for two years.   On the Progression of the Safeties Luckily, there are two of us (Tyree Johnson) who have had playing time this past year. The only thing is that we are all young. I'm not going to say that I'm any type of veteran. But, we are understanding things and are continuing to work to get better.   On the Development of the Corners We are all young. Everyone has to work on something. Obviously, you can't say someone is Jeremiah McKinnon or Richard Leonard, yet. We are just progressing and hopefully will continue to get better as the season closes in.

Previous Reports
Monday, March 7 – Day One / Photo Gallery
Tuesday, March 8 –  Photo Gallery
Thursday, March 10 – Day Three / Photo Gallery
Tuesday, March 22 – Day Four / Photo Gallery
Thursday, March 24 – Day Five / Photo Gallery
Friday, March 25 – Day Six / Photo Gallery
Tuesday, March 29 – Day Seven / Photo Gallery
Saturday, April 2 – Day Eight / Photo Gallery
 
Remaining FIU Football Spring Practice Schedule
Tuesday, April 5                   9:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Thursday, April 7                 9:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Saturday, April 9                  9:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Tuesday, April 12                9:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Thursday, April 14               9:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Friday, April 15                  (7:00 p.m. – Spring Game)
 
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The 2016 FIU football season will kick off on Thursday, Sept. 1, when the Panthers host the Indiana Hoosiers.

FIU's 2016 schedule is highlighted with games against Miami Beach Bowl and 2016 C-USA champion WKU, R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl champion Louisiana Tech, St. Petersburg Bowl champion Marshall, Popeyes Bahama Bowl participant Middle Tennessee, and New Era Pinstripe Bowl participant Indiana. In addition, the Panthers will face Maryland, Massachusetts, UCF, Florida Atlantic, UTEP, Charlotte and Old Dominion. 
 
For FIU football ticket information, contact the University Credit Union Box Office at 305-FIU-GAME (348-4263).
 
For the latest information on Panthers football, follow us on Twitter, @FIUFootball, and check out Pete Pelegrin's in-depth coverage of FIU Athletics on his official blog, The Prowl, at www.FIUSports.com.

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About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports. Athletic events are played in seven different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including FIU Arena and Ocean Bank Field at FIU Stadium.
 
About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that offer more than 180 bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU contributes $8.9 billion each year to the local economy. FIU is Worlds Ahead in finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. FIU has awarded over 200,000 degrees and enrolls more than 54,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has over 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.