By Pete Pelegrin
Twitter: @Petepelegrin

Usually in period eight of practice FIU goes through its turnover drill where defensive players work on recovering fumbles and grabbing interceptions. Offensive players secure the football to prevent fumbles while teammates and coaches try to knock the ball out.

However, before period eight in Tuesday morning's practice FIU interim head coach Ron Cooper whistled for the team to gather at midfield of FIU Stadium.

Cooper instructed the Panthers to get ready for Oklahoma drills. FIU offensive and defensive players went up against each other while their ecstatic teammates hoot and hollered.

"It was a nice change to get guys excited and hyped up," FIU linebacker Treyvon Williams said. "Guys loved it. It was something new. We were all expecting to do the ball disruption drill."

Cooper, who will coach his first game leading the Panthers Saturday against Florida Atlantic in Don Shula Bowl XV, wanted to have some hitting in his first practice as FIU interim coach.

"We decided to have a little bit more contact work today," Cooper said. "Not taking to the ground tackling but some full speed stuff, just coming off the ball and doing it."

Working the Oklahoma drills into the middle of practice is just one of several changes FIU will experience this week.

Cooper, who was FIU's defensive coordinator under Ron Turner, will relinquish the play calling on defense to secondary coach Bobby Babich. Cooper also said special teams coach Kirk Doll and tight ends coach Jason Brooks will help out with the defense in addition to their position duties.

Doll has coached linebackers before with the Denver Broncos and at Arizona State, Texas A&M and LSU. Brooks previously coached the secondary at UMass and FIU.

Cooper added that offensive coordinator Steve Shankweiler will call all the offensive plays. Previously, Shankweiler shared the play-calling duties with Turner.

Quarterbacks Alex McGough and Maurice Alexander both played last game against Central Florida. But as to who will be FIU's starting quarterback for the Shula Bowl on Saturday, Cooper is staying mum.

"We don't know yet," Cooper said. "We will have to see. We sort of know but we will have to wait and see. We're not going to give FAU an advantage. We're going to let them see who runs out there first."

FIU is seeking its first win of the season. The Panthers would also love to get the Shula Bowl Trophy back inside the FIU Fieldhouse. After a 0-4 beginning to the 2016 season FIU is looking for a fresh start when it opens Conference USA play Saturday.

"We are grateful for everything coach Turner did," tight end Jonnu Smith said. "We will continue to move forward. We'll continue to build on what we established. We just have to pick the intensity level up."

While the intensity level of Tuesday's practice was ramped up, the intensity was dialed down at the end of practice. Before speaking to the team, Cooper had the offense and defense break into two lines at midfield. Each offensive and defensive player shook one another's hand and gave each other hugs.

"We compete in practice and it's something that we've always believed in every place I've been," said Cooper of the end of practice handshakes and hugs. "Let them know we competed but at the end we are still a team."

Cooper has been a head coach on three previous occasions: Eastern Michigan (1993-94), Louisville (1995-97) and Alabama A&M (1998-01). The 30-plus year veteran coach will lean on some of his head coaching experience for the rest of the season.

"All we told the team is we are starting conference play now," Cooper said. "We got rid of everything we've had the first four weeks. Put the film away and we are going forward from here. We're going to try and get it together. We're 0-0 in conference play. Let's go play and see what happens."