Other Florida Teams
Dog Days of Summer Heat Up FIU Football Practice
By The Source
Aug 25, 2004

(fiusports.com) - The summer heat beat down on the FIU Stadium practice field Wednesday morning as head coach Don Strock put his Golden Panthers through a two-hour workout. Scheduled to go in full gear, Strock changed things up and had players practice instead in shorts and shoulder pads.

"This is the hottest I can remember it being here in a long time," said Strock. "But we had a good workout, today. Everybody got involved and we got everybody on film. We took the pants off and went with the shorts because I don't want them to wear down."

Starting tomorrow, Strock will begin installing the game plan for the season-opener against Jacksonville on September 2.

"We're done playing against one another," said Strock. "Now, we'll begin putting in the game plan for Jacksonville. That's where our emphasis will be until Sept. 2. I know these guys are going to be happy."

Jacksonville has been picked to finish second in the Pioneer Football League South Division according to the 2004 PFL Preseason Coaches' Poll. JU, which was within one game of securing its second PFL South title in three years last season, returns 10 starters from a squad, which finished the 2003 season 5-6, including a 1-2 mark in league play.

The Dolphins return five starters on offense, including two-time All-PFL quarterback Mike Sturgill (Vero Beach, Fla.) and All-PFL guard Josue Sanchez (Middleburg, Fla.). As a sophomore, Sturgill threw for a school-record 2,060 yards and 20 touchdowns as the Dolphins established a school record with 4,463 yards of total offense. Defensively, the Dolphins also return five starters, including All-PFL linebacker Tim Hasse (Bradenton, Fla.) and All-PFL cornerback Bryan Flowers (Delray Beach, Fla.).

One injury of concern has been to linebacker Alexander Bostic III (Miami/Norland) who has been out for the last several days with an infection of his left big toe. At Wednesday's practice, he watched from the sidelines on crutches after doctors drained an abscess. Athletic trainers believe it will be three-to-five days before he will be allowed back to practice.

The team returns to the practice field Thursday from around 9:00 to 11:00 a.m.

Season tickets and seats for the Jacksonville game are available at all Ticketmaster outlets, the Golden Panther Arena Ticket Office, charge by phone via Ticketmaster in Miami-Dade at (305) 358-5885, in Broward at (954) 523-3309, in Palm Beach at (561) 966-3309 or online at ticketmaster.com and FIUsports.com.