Prize Fight

BOCA RATON – That ringing sound? Consider it a call to arms.

“Every time the bell rings, it’s time to fight,” FAU linebacker Rashad Smith said.

The bell is the newest weapon in Lane Kiffin’s motivational arsenal.

It’s similar to the kind of bell found ringside at most any boxing gym. It’s red and about the diameter of a bowl that might be used to serve chili – only not as deep. The word “Title” printed in black lettering appears near the center.

Chips of red paint are already missing from the outer surface – no doubt caused by overly enthusiastic striking.

It’s usually mounted on a board and accompanied by a miniature hammer. Striking the bell with the hammer produces a distinctive ring – a sound familiar to anyone who’s ever watched a prize fight.

“You hear that bell, it’s time to turn up,” FAU running back Buddy Howell said. “It’s like a constant reminder – like ding, ding, ding, ding, ding – you’ve got to be like a fighter. When that bell rings, it’s time to throw them blows.”



Leading up to Saturday’s Western Kentucky game, Kiffin and the coaches exhorted players to answer the bell – get ready for a fight.

They responded.

“That was a great analogy coming from Lane Kiffin, and they also use boxing terms in terms of gaining respect or forcing your respect,” defensive tackle Jeremiah Taleni said. “Answering the bell is something to symbolize us gaining our respect from other teams.”

Before taking the field on Saturday, Kiffin had each player ring the bell.



By the time Taleni had his chance at the bell, one of his teammates had already struck the bell so hard that he broke the hammer’s handle. Undeterred, players grabbed the head of the hammer and continued crashing it against the bell.

“I was trying to hit the hell out of that,” Taleni said. “That’s just a little excitement, ringing that bell.”

The bell didn’t wait in the locker room for the Owls to return.

It watched the game from the sideline, ready for any required service. FAU assistants rang the bell when the defense came off the field. It rang before they went returned to the field.

“Each round they hear that bell, a boxer goes back with his trainer, he gets the necessary adjustments he needs in order to go back out there and get his mind right,” linebacker Kris Harris said. “So every time we hear that bell, we’re like, Hey, we’ve got to go back out there and do what we need to do.”

Taleni didn’t know who rang the bell on the sidelines, a minor detail that that didn’t diminish its Pavlovian effect.

“When I hear it, I know I’ve got to answer that thing,” he said.



The bell rang frequently before, during and after Saturday’s victory. Players said they gave their all in that game. The bell may have, too.

It returned to Boca Raton separated from its wooden base, a small crack on its side. On Wednesday the location of the broken hammer wasn’t immediately clear.

There’s talk of a replacement bell for Friday’s game against Marshall (6-2, 3-1) – a contest that could ultimately decide the East Division champion in Conference USA. The Owls and Thundering Herd met four times previously. FAU has never won.

If Don King were promoting the game, C-USA could be looking at the Thunder Down Under. (The Thrilla in Howard Schnellenberger Field doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue.)

Whether the old bell or a new one rings prior to kickoff won’t matter much to the Owls. When it rings, they’ll know what it means.

“All in,” Smith said. “All hands on deck. It’s time to go leave nothing behind.”