Weather affecting FAU practices.

Florida Atlantic coach Lane Kiffin considered himself fortunate in his first year.

The Owls made it through the regular season without having any having practices delayed by lightning. However, they have had three lightning delays in the past four days, including an hour delay Tuesday. Their Saturday scrimmage was pushed back two hours because of the weather.

“I think we were fortunate and not having any issues,” Kiffin said. “In the fall, you can’t wait it out. They’ve got to go to class. I

can see where that’d be a major issue. I think we lucked out [last year].”

The Owls are building a new athletic training facility, but the plans don’t include an indoor practice field. Weather is often an issue for teams in South Florida, especially in August and September. The University of Miami is building an indoor facility that is expected to be completed soon.

Kiffin said the Owls haven’t gotten to that point, but the players have handled the adversity well.

“You worry about what you can control,” Kiffin said. “You can’t control a lot of things. Just like the lightning, we can’t control that.

Guys did a good job of handling the delay and going back out and getting the work that we needed to get done.”

Receivers getting healthy

After dealing with several injuries to the unit, the Owls’ receiving corps is starting to regain full health. DeAndre McNeal and Jovon Durante were both back practicing after dealing with undisclosed injuries.

Sophomore Willie Wright, last year’s leading receiver, remains limited. He is listed as day-to-day.

“Willie’s still not back out there full speed, but Durante

has definitely been a value getting back out there,” Kiffin said. “That’s why we brought him here … It’s good to finally get him back, so they know your systems.”

RB numbers a concern

With two weeks left before the opener at Oklahoma, Kiffin said running back depth is among his biggest worries. While they are set with Devin “Motor” Singletary as the starter and Kerrith Whyte and Gerald Hearns as the backups, the Owls don’t have much experience behind them.

“We feel good about Kerrith and Gerald, but after

that guys haven’t really played,” Kiffin said.

The Owls did receive some good news when freshman Malcolm Davidson returned to practice after dealing with an undisclosed injury.

Ryan Leaf visits practice

Former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf addressed the team Monday night.

A former No. 2 pick, Leaf has become a motivational speaker since personal problems ended his career.

“I think Ryan can really relate to the players,” Kiffin said. “A lot of times, college kids, especially during training camp, they’re not

listening to the speaker. He did a great job. Guy stayed after talking to him. There was nothing about his story and what he’s doing.”

Before speaking to the team, Kiffin had Leaf meet individually with quarterbacks De’Andre Johnson and Chris Robison. Both players dealt with off-thefield issues at their previous schools before arriving at FAU.

“[Robison] thanked me after for bringing Ryan in,” Kiffin said. “He really liked his speech. I thought that he would be really helpful because Chris and De’Andre play with a lot of passion.”