NCAA Football
Will the Owls soar to even bigger heights after landmark season?
In September 2001, Florida Atlantic played its first football game, a 40-7 loss to Slippery Rock.
The Owls have indeed had a slippery slope to climb, going from starting from the ground up as a I-AA school to succeeding in I-A in a relatively short time.
But they’ve navigated it well, and after only seven seasons in existence, FAU is definitely a program on the rise. Last season, the Owls won their first Sun Belt championship, and they played in - and won - their first bowl game, a 44-27 win over Memphis in the New Orleans Bowl.
Howard Schnellenberger is famous for bringing Miami from doormat to dominant in the late 70s and early 80s, and for turning Louisville into a Fiesta Bowl champion and laying the foundation for their current success.
He’s creating a legacy at FAU as well, as the now 74-year old coach has led the Owls from the start, since the program started taking shape a decade ago.
From the looks of it, last year’s 8-5 season was just the tip of the iceberg, as the Owls have the goods for another assault on the Sun Belt crown and a continued push towards the national spotlight.
For FAU, it starts with an offense that should have no problem racking up the points and yards, led by the Sun Belt’s reigning MVP, junior quarterback Rusty Smith.
Smith, who could be the program’s first, first-day draft pick, whenever he elects to go pro (after this season, or his senior year in 2009), as he emerged as one of the nation’s top signal-callers by throwing for 3,688 yards, 32 touchdowns, and only nine interceptions last season, setting school records for yards (game and season), touchdowns (game and season), and completions (season).
Besides their star QB, the Owls return nine other starters on offense, several of whom were all-conference selections last season.
Smith’s primary targets are back, led by all-Sun Belt first-teamers WR Cortez Gent and TE Jason Harmon, and starting running back Charles Pierre and #1 fullback Willie Rose are as well. Four offensive linemen also return, including second-team all-Sun Belt choice John Rizzo.
There are some big shoes to fill in the defense, with the departure of star linebacker Cergile Sincere, but the defense should fare well with seven starters returning, led by linebacker Frantz Joseph, who was a first-team All-Sun Belt pick along with Sincere last season.
Joseph wil anchor the defense, while things should be pretty solid along the front line, where defensive tackle Jervonte Jackson should have a big season, along with end Robert St. Clair.
The secondary features two big-time playmakers, who combined for a dozen of FAU’s 19 interceptions. Cornerbacks Corey Small (103 tackles, 5 INT, second-team All-Sun Belt) and Tavious Polo, who had seven INT’s and was first-team all-Sun Belt choice last year-as a freshman- will be back to pick on a lot of receivers and pick off a lot of passes.
One name to watch out for is linebacker Andre Clark, who had a solid 2007 season, with 68 tackles and three sacks, but could be primed for a monster 2008.
The Owls will certainly have a target on their backs, so they can’t afford to get complacent in the least.
There were several close games last season (six decided by seven points or less), and it’ll be on the defense to not lave the offense in the position of having to win shootout after shootout. The defense forced a lot of turnovers last season, which I expect them to do again, but limiting the amount of big plays given up is imperative.
If they do play up to their potential, 2008 could be a real coming-out party for FAU. They start the season at Texas, and they also go to Michigan State and Minnesota, the latter of which thy beat 42-39 last season.
Schnellenberger has done it twice before, Can he lead another program into the national spotlight before he heads off into the sunset?
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A couple of grammar issues aside (for instance, the third sentence has too many commas) it’s a very good report and I’m sure everyone in Owl Country thanks you for shining a light on our emerging program.
You might want to add the following players to your “list of names to watch out for:”
QB Jeff VanCamp
WR Lestar Jean
RB Alfred Morris
S Austin Jensen
CB Eric McIntosh
DL Dino Cox
DE Jermaine Council
All of these guys had killer Spring practices so we expect them to make a big splash on the field this seaosn. VanCamp has the arm of Rusty but also rushes well. Lestar Jean has extremely dependable hands on long passes. Alfred Morris is getting special attention from Coach Schnellenberger. Jensen ran several interceptions in for touchdowns. McIntosh is more than capable as Small or Polo’s backup. Dino Cox is a solid wall and Council is responsible for many batted-down passes as well as QB hurries/sacks.
Outside of that, you mentioned Frantz Joseph — many FAU fans believe Frantz Joseph will be FAU’s first ever drafted player.
Thanks again and GO OWLS!!!