MIAMI (April 5, 2016) – The FIU football team was back at it on Tuesday morning as the Panthers held their 10th practice of Spring Camp from Ocean Bank Field at FIU Stadium.
 
With three weeks in the books, FIU is down to its last two weeks of practice. The Panthers will wrap up spring practice with their 2016 Spring Game April 15 at 7 p.m.
 
FIUSports.com caught up with newcomers Isaiah Hill (safety), Dallas Connell (offensive line) and Douglas Connell (offensive line) after practice.  
 

Safety Isaiah Hill On Spring Practice So far everything's been going well. I know at the beginning of spring camp it was hard for me, just getting the playbook down, but I've had a lot of help from the older guys. That has been beneficial to me. What has really helped me evolve as a true freshman is going in and breaking down the film after practice.   On the Benefit of Enrolling Early I know enrolling this spring will benefit me heading into fall camp. It's important for me to get the playbook down right now. When the new guys come in during the fall, I will be able to help them out. I'm going to be continually working to perfect my craft and getting a head start on the play book will help in me getting better.   The Difference between High School and Division I Football Not only the size but the speed of the game, everything's so fast. At the beginning of the spring, I was getting the playbook down, but then I had to adjust and change plays based on the reads of the offense. That's definitely one of the things that I have to get better at.

 

Offensive Lineman Dallas Connell On Spring Practice I've been flipped around to a couple different positions, left guard, right guard and they moved be to right tackle today, but I think the transition is going well. I think we (Douglas) are both doing really well and I think coming in the spring is really going to make a difference with the transition and learning the offense.   On the Benefit of Enrolling Early I think we're really getting a jumpstart. It's a semester early so, it gives us that extra little jumpstart to really learn the offense. Once you learn the offense, you pretty much got it. Getting an early start is really making all the difference.   On Playing Alongside Your Brother I think it's really helpful to have my brother here because you already got a friend, you got someone looking out for you and you got someone to support you. You know him and you're not just coming here on your own.

 

Offensive Lineman Douglas Connell On Spring Practice So far, so good. I'm getting a lot of reps at all three of the inside positions on the offensive line.  I'm playing center, right guard, left guard, I'm doing little bit of everything right now.   On the Benefit of Enrolling Early Yeah coming in spring is a benefit because you don't have to prepare for anybody. It's really a teaching moment for our coaches to get everything right and ready for camp in the fall. Camp is obviously going to fast paced as we get ready for Indiana in the home opener; whereas right now, we're just scrimmaging each other and working at getting better.   On Playing Alongside Your Brother Well it's been like everything else that we have done. I've always had someone to talk to about what happened in practice or what happened at school. So it's kind of like having someone who's just like you and that you can relate to constantly and get feedback from. We always work with each other and try to make each other better.

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
Thursday, March 31 – Day Eight / Photo Gallery
Saturday, April 2 – Day Nine / Photo Gallery
 
Remaining FIU Football Spring Practice Schedule
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/.