Referees didn't slow us down, the unusual amount of cramping for a team that is from basically, Miami, suffered. Geesh, doesn't their training staff do anything with conditioning and hydration for the heat and humidity?
As I posted elsewhere, it's a different kind of heat, even somewhat different than Miami. They have the sea breeze. There is a reason the average age of the population is 78 or whatever.
There is cloud cover early in the morning and again mid afternoon each day, when practices typically take place. Florida is pretty agressive about hydration breaks and shortened practices at the high school level, much more than anything I've seen at the 6A level in OK in September. So while FAU may have been well prepped to play in 88 degree heat, they rarely see conditions where it's 98 outside and 120 on the field, while the opposing team is snapping the ball as quickly as humanly possible.
Some of the injuries were clearly simulation. But the heat and conditions on the field was enough extra stress to affect performance. Living in Florida doesn't prep you for OK/TX heat, the only benefit to the weather here is that you can train year around out of doors.
