FAU breakdown in The Quad...

[OwlFamily]

Someone had asked for a lil more information on FAU, so I give you what we have felt is the most indepth pre-season report.

 

The Quad is doing all of the FBS teams, and so far has been EXCELLENT IMHO in getting into the details. If its too much information I apologize, but I hope it gives you an insight into the team.

 

http://thequad.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/1...orida-atlantic/

 

The Quad Countdown: No. 77 Florida Atlantic

By Paul Myerberg

Location: Boca Raton, Fla. Nearly 20 percent of all resident of Boca Raton are over the age of 65, including Florida Atlantic’s coach, Howard Schnellenberger.

 

Nickname: Owls.

 

Last year’s ranking: No. 68.

 

What was said:

 

The Owls are the most talented team in the Sun Belt, and if they can get similar production from Smith and the rest of the offense are the favorites to repeat as conference champs. It is likely that the offense will actually get better in 2008 – 10 returning starters will do that – so the only question mark for the Owls will be their defense. Looking at their talent, I find it hard to believe they were as sub par as they were in 2007; a marginal improvement seems almost guaranteed due to added experience. While a difficult non-conference schedule may keep F.A.U. from improving upon last fall’s 8-5 mark, I predict a second-straight Sun Belt crown – another step forward for a program on the fast track to conference supremacy.

 

Re-ranking: No. 65.

 

2008 record and recap: (7-6, 4-3). Florida Atlantic might not have repeated as Sun Belt champs as I predicted, but the Owls did reach and win their second consecutive bowl game, quite a feat for this young program. In conference play, an early loss to Troy – the game I pointed to as the biggest of the conference season – did irreparable damage to Florida Atlantic’s title hopes. The Owls also lost on the road to both Middle Tennessee State and Arkansas State but defeated Louisiana-Lafayette, leaving them 1-3 on the year against the best the conference had to offer. The losses to Troy and Middle Tennessee put F.A.U. at 1-5, with the only win coming over U.A.B. in non-conference play. At that point, it seemed that the Owls were a one-year wonder. But the team made hay against the weaker half of the Sun Belt, which allowed it to reverse its horrid start to finish the regular season 6-6. All told, this Owls team was less impressive than its 2007 version, which beat Middle Tennessee, Troy and Arkansas State in the Sun Belt and upset Minnesota (a weak Gopher team, to be fair) in non-conference play. What changed? The defense made an all-important jump in scoring, allowing 59 less points than the season prior and playing very well against conference opposition. Strangely, the F.A.U. offense did take a moderate step back in 2008 from its breakthrough 2007 season, scoring nearly a touchdown less per game (from 31.2 in 2007 to 25.1 last fall). The offense gets back some key contributors from injuries this fall, but the defense lost eight starters. Can the Owls sneak past Troy and reclaim the top spot in the Sun Belt?

 

High point: The Owls won five of its last six to get back to bowl play. Four of those five wins came against conference foes; a fifth came against Western Kentucky, a program due to enter the Sun Belt full time in 2009. Entering the season’s final week, F.A.U. needed a win over its rival Florida International to become bowl eligible: It took an extra frame, but the Owls topped F.I.U. by 57-50 to win its third straight Shula Bowl.

 

Low point: Losses to its three most talented Sun Belt brethren: by 14-13 to Middle Tennessee State (the Blue Raiders scored with no time remaining to upset the Owls), by 30-17 to Troy and by 28-14 to Arkansas State. Florida Atlantic’s three B.C.S.-conference opponents – Texas, Michigan State and Minnesota – combined to outscore the Owls by 106-13. The program’s not there yet, obviously.

 

Tidbit: Howard Schnellenberger is entering his ninth year as Florida Atlantic’s coach. Of course, Schnellenberger is the first and only coach in the history of the program. Only three current F.B.S. programs had its original coach serve for a longer period of time. Can you name the three programs? The first to correctly answer the question earns the prize of writing a 100-word prediction for his or her favorite team, which the Countdown will include the team’s larger preview. As always, it must be written in a foreign language. If you can also name the three coaches, your word count gets bumped up to 200.

 

Former players in the N.F.L.: 2 – DT Jervonte Jackson (Philadelphia Eagles), LB Frantz Joseph (Oakland Raiders).

 

Top five alumni from Boca Raton, Florida: The Countdown gives Florida Atlantic a pass for its N.F.L. alumni, as the program was only founded in 2001. No Owl has ever played a down in the N.F.L., though Jackson and Joseph, two recent graduates, are currently trying to make pro rosters. Instead, the Countdown gives you the five most memorable people to ever live in Boca Raton. Enjoy.

 

1. Paul Newman.

2. The former United States Open champion Andy Roddick.

3. The hirsute disgraced hit king Pete Rose.

4. The eight-time Pro Bowl receiver Cris Carter.

5. NASCAR’s Jeff Gordon.

 

Team

 

Conference: Sun Belt.

 

Head coach: Howard Schnellenberger (Kentucky ‘56), the first and only head coach in F.A.U. history and the 2007 Sun Belt coach of the year. Schnellenberger, 48-48 with the Owls, had been out of football for three years when he was approached by F.A.U. in 1998 with a peculiar opportunity: build a football program from the ground up. The choice seemed odd at the time. Schnellenberger was 64 when hired, seemingly too old to take on such an endeavor, and hadn’t stalked the sidelines since 1995. But Schnellenberger’s hiring has been an inspired decision, as the Owls have burst onto the scene as one of the nation’s up-and-coming programs. After shocking many with an 8-5 2007 season, which culminated in the school’s first bowl appearance and victory, Schnellenberger again led F.A.U. to postseason play in 2008. And again the Owls won, giving Schnellenberger a perfect 6-0 career mark in bowl games. Florida Atlantic’s climb from a member of the F.C.S. (2001-5) to back-to-back bowl participant has been rapid, but you should have seen it coming: Schnellenberger is the father of the Miami program, leading the Hurricanes to their first national title in 1983 and a 41-16 record over all from 1979-1983. Schnellenberger has a thing for rebuilding jobs; in addition to his time at F.A.U. and Miami – the ‘Canes had two winning seasons in the decade prior to his arrival – Schnellenberger took over a dismal Louisville program in 1985 and tried his hand at resurrecting Oklahoma in 1995 before being fired after one season. Now entering the twilight of his career, Schnellenberger is writing a fitting coda to a legendary and unorthodox coaching career.

 

Tidbit (coaching edition): There have been some changes to the F.A.U. offensive staff. Last fall’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, Gary Nord, left to take the coordinator position at Purdue. To replace him at coordinator, Schnellenberger promoted the wide receivers coach Darryl Jackson. Jackson will continue running a pro-style offense, granting continuity to a strong unit. The team also hired the former Louisville coach Jeff Brohm to coach the quarterbacks. Brohm most notably tutored his younger brother Brian to all-conference honors as the Louisville quarterback. It’s a good hire for the F.A.U. program.

 

Returning starters: 9 (6 offense, 3 defense).

 

Key losses: A sizable number of losses on both sides of the ball. On offense, the backfield duo of Charles Pierre (not to be confused with the 19th century French poet Charles Pierre Baudelaire) and DiIvory Edgecomb combined for 1,483 yards rushing while splitting carries and starts throughout the season. Pierre, with 1,014 yards, became the first Owl to break the 1,000-yard mark. He had at least 500 yards in each of his four seasons, improving his total in each year (517 yards, 756, 782 and 1,014). While Edgecomb ceded the majority of the carries to Pierre, he was a better option in the passing game. While he had 10 receptions for 98 yards as a senior, in 2007 Edgecomb posted 24 grabs for 416 yards (17.3 yards per reception) and 4 scores. Three more starters are lost up front. Though often hampered by injuries – including missing the first five games of 2008 – center Nick Paris was the anchor of the F.A.U. line in each of the last three seasons. He was a second-team all-Sun Belt pick in 2008, as was right guard John Rizzo, who missed the season’s final five games due to injury. Rizzo, a former walk-on, started nearly every game of his career, beginning with the fifth game of his freshman season. Brandon Jackson, who alternated between left tackle and guard as a senior, is the third departed starter up front. The losses pale in comparison to those on defense, where the Owls will need to replace eight starters from a season ago. The unit most hit by graduation? Linebacker, where all three starters – Frantz Joseph, Andre Clark and George Allen – must be replaced. The biggest loss is Joseph, a former Boston College transfer who twice earned all-Sun Belt first-team honors. As a senior, Joseph tallied a team-leading and school-record 154 tackles (9 for loss), an improvement even over his monster junior campaign (131 stops, 12.5 for loss). Despite playing only three seasons (due to his transfer), Joseph departs as the program’s leading career tackler (346); he also departs as the best defensive player in the school’s short history. Three more losses come up front: ends Julian Myers and Michael Hancock and tackle Jervonte Johnson. Hancock, in his first season as the undisputed starter, led the team with six sacks and all defensive linemen with seven and a half tackles for loss. Johnson was a first-team all-conference pick at tackle after posting 41 stops and 1.5 sacks. As a junior, Johnson’s 28 tackles and 2 sacks earned him second-team honors. No, we’re not done yet. More key contributors are gone in the secondary, including the first-team all-Sun Belt cornerback Corey Small, the team leader with four interceptions. That gave Small nine interceptions over his final two seasons, the most on the team. After being stymied by injuries in 2007, strong safety Greg Joseph finished his final season second on the team in tackles (102). Joseph also led the team with 10 pass breakups. Though Carldayle Brantley made only two starts at free safety, he remained an important part of Florida Atlantic’s defensive back rotation. In 2008, Brantley finished tied for second on the team with three interceptions.

 

Players to watch: The senior Rusty Smith leads what should again be one of the top two offenses in the Sun Belt. The group returns all of its key skill players – minus Pierre and Edgecomb – and a number of experienced linemen up front. Smith had another strong season last fall, his third as the starter: 3,224 yards and 24 touchdowns against 14 picks. Still, those numbers fell short of the lofty totals in his Sun Belt player of the year-winning 2007 season, when he set single-season school records in yards (3,688) and touchdowns (32). Smith’s completion percentage also took a slight dip last fall, from 58.7 as a sophomore to 53.8 (of course, chronic drops from the F.A.U. receiving corps didn’t help). Despite the very slight decrease in play, Smith remains the best quarterback in the Sun Belt and, as Florida Atlantic’s career leader in attempts, completions, yards and touchdowns, the best signal caller in school history. His favorite target is the junior receiver Cortez Gent, who led the team with 60 receptions for 935 yards and 9 touchdowns. That marked the second straight season Gent had paced the team in those three important categories, after his all-conference 2007 season. He’s a favorite to earn all-Sun Belt honors again as a senior. Gent is not the only option in the F.A.U. passing game. Simply at wide receiver, Smith can also look towards the senior Chris Bonner (22 receptions for 492 yards) and the junior Lester Jean (25 for 257). But it is at the tight end position that Florida Atlantic is special. Not only does the team return a 2008 second-team all-Sun Belt selection in the senior Jamari Grant (45 receptions for 642 yards) and a second solid contributor in Rob Housler (32 for 519, 4 scores), but it brings back the potential all-American Jason Harmon, who missed all of 2008 due to an A.C.L. tear. Harmon is that good: he was a first-team all-conference performer as a junior (2007), when he finished second to Gent in receptions (63), yards (825) and scores (5). Florida Atlantic has as deep a tight end group as any team in the country. Up front, the junior Lavoris Williams will move back to left tackle after playing most of 2008 on the right side. The Owls also return a pair of potential all-Sun Belt linemen in the senior guards David Matlock and Kevin Miller. There are obviously some concerns with the defense, as one would expect due to the eight starters lost to graduation. Still, there is talent here, especially in the secondary. Cornerback is one position not hurt by graduation, as the Owls returns their 2008 starters in the juniors Tavious Polo and Tavoris Hill. Polo struggled somewhat last fall, but his freshman all-American season of 2007 (seven interceptions, a school record) illustrated his capabilities. After spending his rookie year as a member of Florida Atlantic’s nickel package, Hill stepped in and started all 13 games last fall (41 tackles, 1 pick). Likewise with the junior free safety Ed Alexander (42 tackles, 3 interceptions), who played sparingly in 2007 but broke into the starting lineup three games into 2008. With all new linebackers and three new starters up front, the secondary will be the strength of the F.A.U. defense. That lone returning starter up front is the senior tackle Josh Savidge, who bounced back from a knee injury in 2007 to solidify the interior of the Owl front. He’ll need to continue his strong play while taking on a leadership role with a largely new group.

 

Position battle to watch: Developing a solid running game without Pierre and Edgecomb will be important. The juniors Willie Floyd (38 yards rushing) and Jeff Blanchard (57 yards, 1 score) were two of the favorites entering spring ball, along with Xavier Stinson, a redshirt freshman, and the sophomore Avionne Rolle. But the sophomore Alfred Morris, who was penciled in as a backup at fullback, had a dominant spring and stole the starting role, at least for now. Of course, the team also returns the senior fullback William Rose, who is a valuable part of both the running game (308 yards last fall) and the passing game (23 receptions for 168 yards). On defense, filling three open spots at linebacker will be difficult. The most experienced player currently holding a starting role is the senior Edward Bradwell (41 tackles, 1 sack), who will hold down the weakside. In the middle, Michael Lockley’s limited game experience has given him the edge over the redshirt freshman Alex Patee, but that battle is far from over. I am hopeful that the redshirt freshman Yourhighness Morgan will outduel the junior Malik Eugene on the strongside, as that name deserves a starting role. By the way, Morgan is the heavy favorite to win the Countdown’s prestigious “Name of the Year” award. Yourhighness? Amazing.

 

2009 schedule:

Sept. 5 @ Nebraska

Sept. 19 @ South Carolina

Sept. 26 Louisiana-Monroe

Oct. 3 Wyoming

Oct. 17 North Texas

Oct. 24 @ Louisiana-Lafayette

Oct. 31 Middle Tennessee

Nov. 7 @ U.A.B.

Nov. 14 Arkansas State

Nov. 21 @ Troy

Nov. 28 Western Kentucky

Dec. 5 @ Florida International

 

Game(s) to watch: Like last year, I see the game at Troy as the season’s most important matchup. Troy is the favorite to win the Sun Belt, but F.A.U. can help its chances by getting the head-to-head tiebreaker. The Owls will also be battling Arkansas State and Middle Tennessee State for second place in the Sun Belt; both of those games come at home.

 

Season breakdown & prediction: The Florida Atlantic offense is too good for the team to be ranked any lower than the second-best team in the Sun Belt, but its defense leaves me concerned. Can the team receive equal production from its eight new starters? Probably not, especially at linebacker. Yes, I’m concerned. But I’m not worried. Does that make sense? And why am I not worried? Because the Owl offense is good enough to win six games on its own, especially in the Sun Belt. Even with a questionable defense, I have F.A.U. as the second-best team in the conference, trailing only Troy. I’m most interested in seeing how the Owls fare early on, as it will be important for this team to avoid another 1-5 start. F.A.U. will drop its first two, but the potential is there for an extended winning streak heading into the Nov. 14 matchup with Arkansas State. Over all, I think the Owls will enter that game with a 5-3 mark, and will – at worst – split its final four to finish 7-5. I think very highly of this offense, and returning to the top of the Sun Belt is not out of the question. The potential is there for eight wins, but with this defense, seven wins is the more logical pick.

 

Dream season: The Owls take back the Sun Belt with a 9-3 regular season.

 

Nightmare season: Despite the best effort of the offense, Florida Atlantic’s losses on defense are too difficult to overcome. The Owls slip to 4-8, its worst mark as a full-time member of the F.B.S.

 

Where do Florida Atlantic fans congregate: Two great independent options. Both The Owl’s Nest and FAUOwlAccess.com are terrific places to catch up on Florida Atlantic recruiting, game stories and message board chatter. Finally, do yourself a favor and check out Ted Hutton’s F.A.U. blog for The South Florida Sun-Sentinel. It’s indispensable to both Owls fans and to outsiders looking for a glimpse into the workings of the Florida Atlantic program. And I get a kick out of the fact he calls Howard Schnellenberger “The Voice.”

[Huskerballz]

WE'RE GOING STREAKING!!

 

Out through the Quad and into the gymnasium!

 

(Sorry, I couldn't resist)

[RedDenver]

Great blog there. Thanks for the link.

[huKSer]

Tidbit: Howard Schnellenberger is entering his ninth year as Florida Atlantic’s coach. Of course, Schnellenberger is the first and only coach in the history of the program. Only three current F.B.S. programs had its original coach serve for a longer period of time. Can you name the three programs?

Joe Pa? Wasn't he around in 1886?

 

Wow, um I'm thinking it would be from the start of the century - Georgia Tech maybe?

[killer cacti]

Tidbit: Howard Schnellenberger is entering his ninth year as Florida Atlantic’s coach. Of course, Schnellenberger is the first and only coach in the history of the program. Only three current F.B.S. programs had its original coach serve for a longer period of time. Can you name the three programs?

Joe Pa? Wasn't he around in 1886?

 

Wow, um I'm thinking it would be from the start of the century - Georgia Tech maybe?

I don't think it was GT. John Heisman left Clemson for GT in the early 1900's, and I don't think he started the program there. How about...hell, I don't have a clue.

[strigori]

Tidbit: Howard Schnellenberger is entering his ninth year as Florida Atlantic’s coach. Of course, Schnellenberger is the first and only coach in the history of the program. Only three current F.B.S. programs had its original coach serve for a longer period of time. Can you name the three programs?

Joe Pa? Wasn't he around in 1886?

 

Wow, um I'm thinking it would be from the start of the century - Georgia Tech maybe?

Levitt at South Florida is one I believe.

[Blackshirt316]

Interesting they claim Roddick who was born and raised in Omaha and is a diehard Husker fan. Interesting little connection there.

[redout22]

Some interesting stuff. I learned a lot about FAU today

[huKSer]

Interesting they claim Roddick who was born and raised in Omaha and is a diehard Husker fan. Interesting little connection there.

That is where he moved to train. It did say these people had lived in Boca Raton. (Spanish for Rat ___?)

[Vuren]

any list that claims to have the 5 most known residents of a boca raton and don't mention tucker max is just messed up.

[jayhawker]

Missouri just came in at 53 Link

[HuskerJosh]

Interesting they claim Roddick who was born and raised in Omaha and is a diehard Husker fan. Interesting little connection there.

That is where he moved to train. It did say these people had lived in Boca Raton. (Spanish for Rat ___?)

 

Boca means mouth. Not sure if Raton means rat though.

[OwlFamily]

Interesting they claim Roddick who was born and raised in Omaha and is a diehard Husker fan. Interesting little connection there.

That is where he moved to train. It did say these people had lived in Boca Raton. (Spanish for Rat ___?)

 

Boca means mouth. Not sure if Raton means rat though.

 

 

It does,

 

Literal translation is "Mouth of the Rat"

 

Name taken from the shape of the small natural harbour on the coast.

[RedDenver]

It does,

 

Literal translation is "Mouth of the Rat"

 

Name taken from the shape of the small natural harbour on the coast.

From wikipedia:

"It was listed on early maps as "Boca Ratones". The literal translation of "Boca Raton" is "Mouse Mouth"[7] ("rat" in Spanish is "rata")[8]. One explanation for the origin is the Spanish word boca (or mouth) was (and still is) used to describe an inlet and ratón (literally mouse) was used by Spanish sailors to describe rocks that gnawed at a ship's cable. Another explanation is that it refers metaphorically to the sense of pirate's cove.[9][10] The name Boca Ratones originally appeared on eighteenth century maps associated with an inlet in the Biscayne Bay area of Miami. By the beginning of the nineteenth century, the term was mistakenly moved north to its current location on most maps and applied to Lake Boca Raton, whose inlet was closed at the time."

[OwlFamily]

It does,

 

Literal translation is "Mouth of the Rat"

 

Name taken from the shape of the small natural harbour on the coast.

From wikipedia:

"It was listed on early maps as "Boca Ratones". The literal translation of "Boca Raton" is "Mouse Mouth"[7] ("rat" in Spanish is "rata")[8]. One explanation for the origin is the Spanish word boca (or mouth) was (and still is) used to describe an inlet and ratón (literally mouse) was used by Spanish sailors to describe rocks that gnawed at a ship's cable. Another explanation is that it refers metaphorically to the sense of pirate's cove.[9][10] The name Boca Ratones originally appeared on eighteenth century maps associated with an inlet in the Biscayne Bay area of Miami. By the beginning of the nineteenth century, the term was mistakenly moved north to its current location on most maps and applied to Lake Boca Raton, whose inlet was closed at the time."

 

Interesting, I didnt know it was that indepth. My version was always handed down so not surprising it was a lil off.

 

 

Also to note the Examiner has an article up in regards to FAU today.

 

http://www.examiner.com/x-2792-Nebraska-Co...lorida-Atlantic