Not an Easy Day

Seems like everyone thought FAU's home opener would be easier than it was and I'm not just talking about the on-field action either.

Games are free for the FAU students, but there's a special entrance where students must enter. Kind of annoying when your showing up with friends who aren't students.

After reuniting with your friends you have to sit on the Owls side, not that it's a bad thing, just seems controlling, especially if your a heckler who likes to tell the other team they stink strait to their face.

And you think that's controlling? How about this new rule about how you can't have a cap on your water bottle? Who knew college campuses were so concerned with littering? Or maybe it's just Lockhart stadium. Either way, maybe they should worry about the outside of the stadium in the tailgate area where there's stacks of empty cases of beer spread throughout the parking lot.

It looked like the Owls' defense was bothered by the same issues I was and were thinking about them during the game because they sure didn't look like they were concerned with stopping quarterback Joe Webb and the UAB offense.

UAB spread the field and took the no huddle approach. Webb and the other skilled position offensive players kept looking to the sidelines to get the call from their coach. You'd think someone on the Owls' defense, or at least one of the coaches, would have picked up on that and started trying to steal their signs, an old baseball trick.

After letting up over 482 yards on defense, a week after letting up over 500 yards to Texas, Schnellenberger and defense coordinator Kirk Hoza did come up with one idea, though. Simplify the defense's game plan and just let them play.

Hopefully this scheme will help FAU in their upcoming game against Michigan State where they face Heisman hopeful Javon Ringer, who is coming off a five touchdown game. But containing the Spartans star running back might be far fetched for a team ranked 86th in the nation on defense.

Running back Charles Pierre, who ran for 13 carries and 138 yards completing the best individual rushing performance the Owls have seen since making the jump to Division-1, will need a repeat performance to give the Owls a chance. If he and DiIvory Edgecomb can match their rushing totals from last week, Rusty continues his outstanding play, and maybe throw in some more trick plays (like the Gent to Bonner TD pass) they have a chance to come back from East Lansing with their first BCS road win ever.