Marcus Bartels breaks on the ball during Sunday's workout at the track. (FAUOwlAccess.com photo)
Staying hungry
FAU strong safety Marcus Bartels led the Owls in tackles last year but wants to have an even better season in 2010.
Originally published on
8/29/2010
by
Marcus Nelson
BOCA RATON – There’s another Bartels playing sports at Florida Atlantic this year as Heidi Bartels is walking-on the cross-country and track and field teams for the Owls as a freshman.
“She’s fast,” said her older brother, Marcus Bartels, the Owls starting strong safety
At this time, there are no plans in the works to have her join the football team, but if Heidi is anything like Marcus or older brother Kris, who also was a star for the Owls, she could make a pretty good defensive back.
Kris played for the Owls from 2004-07 and his younger brother, Marcus, walked on to the team when Kris was a senior.
Marcus cracked the starting lineup in the third game last season and since then has turned into one of the Owls’ stars on defense.
Bartels led the team in total tackles with 112 - the second most in the Sun Belt Conference.
“I’m still very hungry,” Bartels said. “Because of what I did last year, I thought I could improve on that by taking up a leadership role in the back. I spend time trying to make sure we’re doing the right thing in the secondary and that should show up in the entire defense.”
A solid training camp has Bartels, who was awarded with a scholarship this week, ready to keep getting better this season.
“I’m just overwhelmed about this season and that’s really has kept me motivated in this training camp,” Bartels said. “I’ve picked up a lot of stuff and a lot of coverages and I’m feeling good.”
Turf wars: FAU moved its workout on Sunday to the Track and Field Complex because of rain and also to get accustomed to the artificial surface at Birmingham’s Legion Field.
On Monday, the Owls will also practice at the track and have moved the workout to 7 p.m. to get accustomed to the lights for Thursday’s night game.
Practice report: What we saw at Sunday’s practice
- Making plays: RB Alfred Morris put his ankle that bothered him last season and in the spring through a test Sunday of cutting on a slick artificial surface and looked fine.
- Stepping up: FS Ed Alexander had a nice interception in work against the scout team. Alexander has been “Steady Eddie” throughout his career, but if he can get going, the Owls’ secondary would be greatly improved.
- Instant message: “I wanted to take a shortened practice. We did and I though the players responded. We jacked up the intensity level and got some good work done.”
- FAU coach Howard Schnellenberger