FAU looks like USF in its growth

[Rizman]

Nice article.  FAU has grown almost as fast as USF.

New Orleans Bowl: Who has the edge? | Rivals.com Bowl Central | Complete bowl schedule

NEW ORLEANS BOWL

 

Florida Atlantic (7-5) vs. Memphis (7-5)

WHEN: 8 p.m., Dec. 21.

WHERE: Superdome, New Orleans.

WEATHER: Domed stadium

TV: ESPN (Eric Collins will do play-by-play, with Bill Curry as the analyst).

THE LINE: FAU by 2

RECORDS VS. BOWL TEAMS: FAU 0-4, Memphis 1-2

RECORD VS. BCS TOP 25: FAU 0-2, Memphis 0-0

BCS RANK: FAU N/A, Memphis N/A

SCHEDULE STRENGTH: FAU 104th, Memphis 119th

COACHES: FAU–Howard Schnellenberger (4-0 in bowls); Memphis–Tommy West (3-4 in bowls).

WHY YOU SHOULD WATCH: It took Florida Atlantic only 47 games to reach a bowl. Memphis engineered a five-game turnaround from 2-10 last season to 7-5 this season. Still, outside of fans of the schools involved, this is not must-see TV.

KEY STAT: Florida Atlantic is tied with Kansas for the national lead in turnover margin at plus-19. Memphis is at plus-9.

KEEP AN EYE ON: FAU found a gem in sophomore QB Rusty Smith, who was the Sun Belt player of the year and first-team all-conference quarterback in his first season as a starter, though Troy QB Omar Haugabook, strangely enough, was named the league's offensive player of the year. The past year hasn't been kind to sports fans in south Florida.

The Miami Dolphins are 1-13. The University of Miami went 5-7, missing a bowl for the first time in 10 years. The Florida Marlins have just traded their superstars, again, and the Miami Heat had the same record as the woebegone New York Knicks as of Tuesday.

A former commuter school in Boca Raton, Fla., though, is willing to carry the torch for the southern part of the state and maybe pick up some fans from the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area along the way.

The team with the least postseason clout in the region, Florida Atlantic, will play in its first bowl. Only seven seasons and 47 games since the school's first kickoff, it will play Friday in the New Orleans Bowl against Memphis.

"If you want to jump on the bandwagon, we'll welcome anyone who wants to jump on," Owls quarterback Rusty Smith said. "We're not stingy with who wants to be fans."

New fans likely will recognize one face on the FAU sideline, that of Owls coach Howard Schnellenberger. Schnellenberger, 73, played and coached for Bear Bryant, was an NFL head coach with the Baltimore Colts, served as an NFL assistant for 12 years, won a national title at the University of Miami, helped build the Louisville program and served as coach for one season at Oklahoma.

Schnellenberger returned to south Florida to build FAU's program from scratch in 1998. Before the Owls had even played their first game, Schnellenberger said they'd be playing for a national title in 2007. Well, he was wrong about that, but the program still has enjoyed a meteoric rise. There was a trip to the Division I-AA semifinals in 2003 in FAU's third season; this season, the school's seventh, FAU is playing in its first bowl after winning a share of the Sun Belt Conference championship.

"In the time I've been here, there's been an upgrade to the program (each season)," said free safety Taheem Acevedo, the only player on the roster who played in the I-AA semifinals in 2003. "We've overcome so many obstacles in the time I've been here, from being Division I-AA and going to the playoffs and beating our first Division I-A team. It's been a lot of progression in this program in the last few years."

In the process, FAU became the fastest start-up team in the modern era to reach a bowl.

The bowl is the first for Schnellenberger since 1993, when Louisville defeated Michigan State 18-7 in the Liberty Bowl. On his 4-0 bowl résumé are landmark wins for two programs – a 31-30 win over Nebraska in the 1984 Orange Bowl for Miami's first title and a 34-7 win over Alabama in the 1991 Fiesta Bowl at Louisville.

The last time Schnellenberger coached in a bowl, his Louisville team was one of 38 in the postseason. This year, FAU will be one of 64. And at the time of Schnellenberger's last bowl, there was no Sun Belt Conference. Miami, Florida and Florida State were the only I-A programs in the Sunshine State at that time.

 

Associated Press

FAU sophomore quarterback Rusty Smith passed for 3,352 yards and 27 touchdowns in his first full season as a starter.

Certainly, much has changed since then.

"This is a certification that we're making the kind of progress that I thought we would make," Schnellenberger said. "All of those things certify the things that our coaching staff and kids have done to come along as fast as we have. We're pleased it's record-setting."

FAU's breakthrough, though, came a little faster than expected. The Owls were picked sixth in the Sun Belt's preseason coaches' poll. In the game with the Sun Belt's bowl bid on the line, FAU was a 15-point underdog at Troy before winning 38-32.

Though Schnellenberger was the only coach to give the Owls a first-place vote in the preseason, he didn't expect his team to play at this level until 2009.

That's when recruiting classes that included Smith, wide receiver Cortez Gent and cornerback Tavious Polo would be upperclassmen.

That trio, among other players, has grown up quickly. Polo, a redshirt freshman, is second in the nation with seven interceptions. Gent, a sophomore, finished with 61 catches for 1,030 yards and nine touchdowns. But the key has been Smith, whom Schnellenberger found at Jacksonville (Fla.) Sandalwood.

Smith transferred from a magnet school to Sandalwood for his senior season. Though he played with Ohio State tailback Maurice Wells at Sandalwood, Smith received only one Division I-A scholarship offer – from FAU.

This season, he passed for 3,352 yards and 27 touchdowns and earned Sun Belt Player of the Year honors.

"We're two years ahead of the schedule," Schnellenberger said. "It wasn't a matter of setting out for a bowl game in '09, but I thought it would take until Rusty Smith's senior year that we would be playing football at this level."

More and more, FAU is starting to look like a more established program. Funds have been approved to begin work on a 40,000-seat on-campus stadium by 2010. A new stadium would allow FAU to move out of 18,500-seat Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, a stadium the Owls share with soccer teams and high school football teams.

There also has been an uncommon sight on the FAU campus – students lining up during the week for football tickets.

All the excitement is a common sight for Schnellenberger, who once again has built a program from the bottom up.

"There has been a pep in his step," Smith said. "He doesn't show a whole lot of emotion, don't get me wrong. But I noticed a little bit. He's excited to go."

New Orleans Bowl: Florida Atlantic vs. Memphis

Florida Atlantic run offense vs. Memphis run defense

EDGE:  FAU  FAU ranked sixth in the Sun Belt in rushing, ending the regular season without a 100-yard rushing performance by an individual. Charles Pierre leads the Owls with 726 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. Memphis was ranked next-to-last in Conference USA – and 111th nationally – in rush defense, holding only one team (Ole Miss) to fewer than 100 rushing yards. 

Florida Atlantic pass offense vs. Memphis pass defense

EDGE:  FAU  The key to the Owls' season has been the development of sophomore QB Rusty Smith. He has passed for 3,352 yards and 27 touchdowns in his first full season as a starter. His top targets are WR Cortez Gent (1,030 yards, nine touchdowns) and TE Jason Harmon (728 yards, four touchdowns). Memphis allows 229.8 passing yards per game and ranks near the bottom of the country in sacks. 

Memphis run offense vs. Florida Atlantic run defense

EDGE:  FAU  This was a banner year for running backs in Conference USA. Memphis, though, was left out of the party. Joseph Doss rushed for a team-leading 715 yards with five touchdowns. He will face All-Sun Belt LBs Cergile Sincere and Frantz Joseph. 

Memphis pass offense vs. Florida Atlantic pass defense

EDGE:  Memphis  The Tigers' offense is led by senior Martin Hankins, who passed for 2,939 yards and 22 touchdowns. In five of his past six games, he topped the 300-yard mark. In three of the past four, he topped four touchdown passes. Heating up over that span was WR Duke Calhoun (58 catches). At 6 feet 8, Carlos Singleton is a threat in the red zone (10 touchdowns). FAU freshman CB Tavious Polo finished the season with seven interceptions, but none after Sept. 29. 

Florida Atlantic special teams vs. Memphis special teams

EDGE:  FAU  Neither team will win this game on special teams. Neither is that good on returns, and neither has been especially good in kickoff- or punt-return coverage, either. FAU's Warley Leroy has the stronger leg of the two kickers, so that has to count for something. 

Florida Atlantic coaching staff vs. Memphis coaching staff

EDGE:  FAU  Memphis' Tommy West has engineered a remarkable turnaround from 2-10 last year to 7-5 in 2007. Howard Schnellenberger has built FAU's program from scratch, bringing it to its first bowl game and a share of the Sun Belt title. He has a 4-0 bowl record, including winning the 1983 national title with Miami in the Orange Bowl. 

Florida Atlantic will win if

The Owls continue to win the turnover battle. In a matchup between two strong offenses, turnovers and defensive stops will be key. FAU is tied for the national lead in turnover margin at plus-19.

Memphis will win if

Hankins and Calhoun continue their late-season magic. The two heated up at the end of the season for a three-game winning streak. They will have to outduel FAU's trio of Smith, Gent and Harmon.

X-factor

Experience could be the determining factor. The Owls are playing in their first bowl and have a young roster. Memphis' seniors have played in two previous bowls, and the Tigers have nine senior starters compared to four for FAU.

[JrGMan2004]

Ever since our game with them, I have become a fan of FAU, and I would love to see them get even better and maybe even replace UCF in C-USA... Send UCF down to the Sun Belt

[KB]

Why would they go to CUSA?

Sun Belt > CUSA

[BullDoug]

Bulls were lucky to get FAU early in the season.  Their QB may have the best arm among the FL schools.  Good win for them.  In my bowl pool, only about three of us picked FAU out of fifteen.  I probably wouldn't have except I saw them vs our Bulls.

[USF_Grouper]

Bulls were lucky to get FAU early in the season.  Their QB may have the best arm among the FL schools.  Good win for them.  In my bowl pool, only about three of us picked FAU out of fifteen.  I probably wouldn't have except I saw them vs our Bulls.

FAU was lucky to get USF after a huge WVU win.  Not trying to take anything away from FAU, they have a great program and played a hell of a game. 

[smazza]

Nice article.  FAU has grown almost as fast as USF.

New Orleans Bowl: Who has the edge? | Rivals.com Bowl Central | Complete bowl schedule

NEW ORLEANS BOWL

 

Florida Atlantic (7-5) vs. Memphis (7-5)

WHEN: 8 p.m., Dec. 21.

WHERE: Superdome, New Orleans.

WEATHER: Domed stadium

TV: ESPN (Eric Collins will do play-by-play, with Bill Curry as the analyst).

THE LINE: FAU by 2

RECORDS VS. BOWL TEAMS: FAU 0-4, Memphis 1-2

RECORD VS. BCS TOP 25: FAU 0-2, Memphis 0-0

BCS RANK: FAU N/A, Memphis N/A

SCHEDULE STRENGTH: FAU 104th, Memphis 119th

COACHES: FAU–Howard Schnellenberger (4-0 in bowls); Memphis–Tommy West (3-4 in bowls).

WHY YOU SHOULD WATCH: It took Florida Atlantic only 47 games to reach a bowl. Memphis engineered a five-game turnaround from 2-10 last season to 7-5 this season. Still, outside of fans of the schools involved, this is not must-see TV.

KEY STAT: Florida Atlantic is tied with Kansas for the national lead in turnover margin at plus-19. Memphis is at plus-9.

KEEP AN EYE ON: FAU found a gem in sophomore QB Rusty Smith, who was the Sun Belt player of the year and first-team all-conference quarterback in his first season as a starter, though Troy QB Omar Haugabook, strangely enough, was named the league's offensive player of the year. The past year hasn't been kind to sports fans in south Florida.

The Miami Dolphins are 1-13. The University of Miami went 5-7, missing a bowl for the first time in 10 years. The Florida Marlins have just traded their superstars, again, and the Miami Heat had the same record as the woebegone New York Knicks as of Tuesday.

A former commuter school in Boca Raton, Fla., though, is willing to carry the torch for the southern part of the state and maybe pick up some fans from the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area along the way.

The team with the least postseason clout in the region, Florida Atlantic, will play in its first bowl. Only seven seasons and 47 games since the school's first kickoff, it will play Friday in the New Orleans Bowl against Memphis.

"If you want to jump on the bandwagon, we'll welcome anyone who wants to jump on," Owls quarterback Rusty Smith said. "We're not stingy with who wants to be fans."

New fans likely will recognize one face on the FAU sideline, that of Owls coach Howard Schnellenberger. Schnellenberger, 73, played and coached for Bear Bryant, was an NFL head coach with the Baltimore Colts, served as an NFL assistant for 12 years, won a national title at the University of Miami, helped build the Louisville program and served as coach for one season at Oklahoma.

Schnellenberger returned to south Florida to build FAU's program from scratch in 1998. Before the Owls had even played their first game, Schnellenberger said they'd be playing for a national title in 2007. Well, he was wrong about that, but the program still has enjoyed a meteoric rise. There was a trip to the Division I-AA semifinals in 2003 in FAU's third season; this season, the school's seventh, FAU is playing in its first bowl after winning a share of the Sun Belt Conference championship.

"In the time I've been here, there's been an upgrade to the program (each season)," said free safety Taheem Acevedo, the only player on the roster who played in the I-AA semifinals in 2003. "We've overcome so many obstacles in the time I've been here, from being Division I-AA and going to the playoffs and beating our first Division I-A team. It's been a lot of progression in this program in the last few years."

In the process, FAU became the fastest start-up team in the modern era to reach a bowl.

The bowl is the first for Schnellenberger since 1993, when Louisville defeated Michigan State 18-7 in the Liberty Bowl. On his 4-0 bowl résumé are landmark wins for two programs – a 31-30 win over Nebraska in the 1984 Orange Bowl for Miami's first title and a 34-7 win over Alabama in the 1991 Fiesta Bowl at Louisville.

The last time Schnellenberger coached in a bowl, his Louisville team was one of 38 in the postseason. This year, FAU will be one of 64. And at the time of Schnellenberger's last bowl, there was no Sun Belt Conference. Miami, Florida and Florida State were the only I-A programs in the Sunshine State at that time.

 

Associated Press

FAU sophomore quarterback Rusty Smith passed for 3,352 yards and 27 touchdowns in his first full season as a starter.

Certainly, much has changed since then.

"This is a certification that we're making the kind of progress that I thought we would make," Schnellenberger said. "All of those things certify the things that our coaching staff and kids have done to come along as fast as we have. We're pleased it's record-setting."

FAU's breakthrough, though, came a little faster than expected. The Owls were picked sixth in the Sun Belt's preseason coaches' poll. In the game with the Sun Belt's bowl bid on the line, FAU was a 15-point underdog at Troy before winning 38-32.

Though Schnellenberger was the only coach to give the Owls a first-place vote in the preseason, he didn't expect his team to play at this level until 2009.

That's when recruiting classes that included Smith, wide receiver Cortez Gent and cornerback Tavious Polo would be upperclassmen.

That trio, among other players, has grown up quickly. Polo, a redshirt freshman, is second in the nation with seven interceptions. Gent, a sophomore, finished with 61 catches for 1,030 yards and nine touchdowns. But the key has been Smith, whom Schnellenberger found at Jacksonville (Fla.) Sandalwood.

Smith transferred from a magnet school to Sandalwood for his senior season. Though he played with Ohio State tailback Maurice Wells at Sandalwood, Smith received only one Division I-A scholarship offer – from FAU.

This season, he passed for 3,352 yards and 27 touchdowns and earned Sun Belt Player of the Year honors.

"We're two years ahead of the schedule," Schnellenberger said. "It wasn't a matter of setting out for a bowl game in '09, but I thought it would take until Rusty Smith's senior year that we would be playing football at this level."

More and more, FAU is starting to look like a more established program. Funds have been approved to begin work on a 40,000-seat on-campus stadium by 2010. A new stadium would allow FAU to move out of 18,500-seat Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, a stadium the Owls share with soccer teams and high school football teams.

There also has been an uncommon sight on the FAU campus – students lining up during the week for football tickets.

All the excitement is a common sight for Schnellenberger, who once again has built a program from the bottom up.

"There has been a pep in his step," Smith said. "He doesn't show a whole lot of emotion, don't get me wrong. But I noticed a little bit. He's excited to go."

New Orleans Bowl: Florida Atlantic vs. Memphis

Florida Atlantic run offense vs. Memphis run defense

EDGE:  FAU  FAU ranked sixth in the Sun Belt in rushing, ending the regular season without a 100-yard rushing performance by an individual. Charles Pierre leads the Owls with 726 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. Memphis was ranked next-to-last in Conference USA – and 111th nationally – in rush defense, holding only one team (Ole Miss) to fewer than 100 rushing yards. 

Florida Atlantic pass offense vs. Memphis pass defense

EDGE:  FAU  The key to the Owls' season has been the development of sophomore QB Rusty Smith. He has passed for 3,352 yards and 27 touchdowns in his first full season as a starter. His top targets are WR Cortez Gent (1,030 yards, nine touchdowns) and TE Jason Harmon (728 yards, four touchdowns). Memphis allows 229.8 passing yards per game and ranks near the bottom of the country in sacks. 

Memphis run offense vs. Florida Atlantic run defense

EDGE:  FAU  This was a banner year for running backs in Conference USA. Memphis, though, was left out of the party. Joseph Doss rushed for a team-leading 715 yards with five touchdowns. He will face All-Sun Belt LBs Cergile Sincere and Frantz Joseph. 

Memphis pass offense vs. Florida Atlantic pass defense

EDGE:  Memphis  The Tigers' offense is led by senior Martin Hankins, who passed for 2,939 yards and 22 touchdowns. In five of his past six games, he topped the 300-yard mark. In three of the past four, he topped four touchdown passes. Heating up over that span was WR Duke Calhoun (58 catches). At 6 feet 8, Carlos Singleton is a threat in the red zone (10 touchdowns). FAU freshman CB Tavious Polo finished the season with seven interceptions, but none after Sept. 29. 

Florida Atlantic special teams vs. Memphis special teams

EDGE:  FAU  Neither team will win this game on special teams. Neither is that good on returns, and neither has been especially good in kickoff- or punt-return coverage, either. FAU's Warley Leroy has the stronger leg of the two kickers, so that has to count for something. 

Florida Atlantic coaching staff vs. Memphis coaching staff

EDGE:  FAU  Memphis' Tommy West has engineered a remarkable turnaround from 2-10 last year to 7-5 in 2007. Howard Schnellenberger has built FAU's program from scratch, bringing it to its first bowl game and a share of the Sun Belt title. He has a 4-0 bowl record, including winning the 1983 national title with Miami in the Orange Bowl. 

Florida Atlantic will win if

The Owls continue to win the turnover battle. In a matchup between two strong offenses, turnovers and defensive stops will be key. FAU is tied for the national lead in turnover margin at plus-19.

Memphis will win if

Hankins and Calhoun continue their late-season magic. The two heated up at the end of the season for a three-game winning streak. They will have to outduel FAU's trio of Smith, Gent and Harmon.

X-factor

Experience could be the determining factor. The Owls are playing in their first bowl and have a young roster. Memphis' seniors have played in two previous bowls, and the Tigers have nine senior starters compared to four for FAU.

their growth is faster than usf's

[BullsFanInTX]

Their growth is not faster than USF's, that is ridiculous.  We were playing in CUSA in year 7 of program, they are playing is Sunbelt, with no hopes of ever getting out, or very little hope.  The best they can ever do is win the N.O. bowl.  USF should have been to several bowls before year 7, but had no ties ins due to being an independent.  FAU has a terrible fan base; usf had more fans in year 1 of program than FAU does in year 7, they draw 10-15K fans a game we just averaged 53K.  Even if, big if, they do build a stadium, the max is will hold is 35K, sorry but winning the SB conf and playing in a small stadium is not going to draw top tier talent.  It will help but they will always be a step behind unless they can somehow move up the conference chain.  To say that their growth was faster is flat wrong. 

[DawgPound]

Their growth is not faster than USF's, that is ridiculous.  We were playing in CUSA in year 7 of program, they are playing is Sunbelt, with no hopes of ever getting out, or very little hope.  The best they can ever do is win the N.O. bowl.  USF should have been to several bowls before year 7, but had no ties ins due to being an independent.  FAU has a terrible fan base; usf had more fans in year 1 of program than FAU does in year 7, they draw 10-15K fans a game we just averaged 53K.  Even if, big if, they do build a stadium, the max is will hold is 35K, sorry but winning the SB conf and playing in a small stadium is not going to draw top tier talent.  It will help but they will always be a step behind unless they can somehow move up the conference chain.  To say that their growth was faster is flat wrong. 

FAU is a much smaller school with a smaller alumni base.  You can't expect their attendence to be super great.

[BullsFanInTX]

Their growth is not faster than USF's, that is ridiculous.  We were playing in CUSA in year 7 of program, they are playing is Sunbelt, with no hopes of ever getting out, or very little hope.  The best they can ever do is win the N.O. bowl.  USF should have been to several bowls before year 7, but had no ties ins due to being an independent.  FAU has a terrible fan base; usf had more fans in year 1 of program than FAU does in year 7, they draw 10-15K fans a game we just averaged 53K.  Even if, big if, they do build a stadium, the max is will hold is 35K, sorry but winning the SB conf and playing in a small stadium is not going to draw top tier talent.  It will help but they will always be a step behind unless they can somehow move up the conference chain.  To say that their growth was faster is flat wrong.   

FAU is a much smaller school with a smaller alumni base.  You can't expect their attendence to be super great.

Even taking attendance out of the equation, our performance on the field was much better by year 7, we had numerous 8-9 win seasons in our first 6-7 years, including going 9-2 in 2002 I believe, (with the only losses AT Oklahoma and AT Arkansas).  We were not selected for a bowl because that was our last year as an independent.  The 2002 team was very, very good, including going 4-0 against CUSA opponents, blowing many of them out if I remember correctly.  They would have won CUSA hands down, if they had joined that league a year earlier.  Hands down.  That team walked into Oklahoma and played them tough, and had beaten a good Pitt team on the road the year before.  The 2002 team in year 6 of USF's program, would have wiped the field with any FAU team including this years FAU team.

[GarySJ]

FAU is a much smaller school with a smaller alumni base.  You can't expect their attendence to be super great.

It's not THAT much smaller. Their current enrollment is over 26,000, 19,000 of which are at the main Boca Raton campus.

FAU football's real problem is that it has little existing fan base, and is in an over-saturated sports market that only supports a winner at the highest level. Did you see the stands at the Ravens-Dolphins game last weekend?