Monday, September 29, 2008

Forget The Minnesota Massacre, Conference Games are All That Matter

It's been a while since I wrote on here. It's actually almost half time of the Owls' first conference game of the season tonight. It's been a week and two days since the Minnesota Massacre.

I couldn't get over the fact FAU was blown out so bad. I can't tell you how many times I say I'm happy I report FAU sports because every team is on the rise and wins. Even if they aren't winning, the team still has something interesting, like FAU's soccer roster with seven different players from six different countries. Now that's what I call diverse.

The football team had me hyped for a breakout year. I almost went to USF, but decided to stay closer to home. I was looking forward for the Owls to follow the Bulls footsteps.

After going 1-2 and looking terrible against BCS opponents once again, then experiencing the Gophers digging a huge hole my confidence, I couldn't help but feel misguided by coach Schnellenberger and the rest of the Owls football program.

Misguided or not, for some reason I still rushed home after getting out early from my wine exam to multitask on blogging, watching the game, and working on a school project. And that reason is... Nothing else matters but the conference games in college football! It's all about winning championships, and if you can't get the national title, it's time to focus in on the conference. Yeah, that thing we got that ring for last year, lets go and try and get that again.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Step Up Owls

The Owls' football program is constantly referred to as a program on the rise. With the master architect of building programs from scratch, Head Coach Howard Schnellenberger, its easy to make that assumption.

The Owls will need to defeat the Minnesota Golden Gophers Saturday, whom the Owls defeated last season, so this season doesn't look like a step backwards.

Back to back weeks the Owl's defense has let up career high games to the opponent's best offensive player, UAB's Joe Webb, and MSU's Javon Ringer. The defense may be getting just the help they need.

FAU's defensive end Robert St. Claire may be back for Saturday's game. With him possibly back, and last weeks performance, the defense is feeling more confident this week.

The Gophers play a spread offense, something the Owls saw the first two weeks, so they should be well prepared.Last weeks wet weather won't be a factor because the Gophers play indoors. Look for Rusty and Gent to get back on track.



Minnesota comes into the game at 3-0 on the season. They play conference opponent Ohio State the next week, but aren't looking past the Owls.

An Owls loss this week would put them at 1-3 on the season and 1-14 against BCS opponents. Fans won't fill the seats long with mediocre play, especially with so many powerhouse teams just a few hours drive away.

Monday, September 15, 2008

Ringer in the Rain






Wet weather's not what you want to see when your passing game is your strength and your 86th ranked defense is facing the best running back in the nation in his own back yard. Expectations got to be that the passing game will be effected and Michigan State's Javon Ringer will have a big game.

Expectations exceeded the extreme. Rusty Smith struggled going 8-34 for 143 yards. Javon Ringer had career highs in rushing attempts, 43, and rushing yards, 282.

Charles Pierre broke for a 74 yard touchdown run to open the game, only to be called back because of a Cortez Gent holding penalty. That was about as much offensive production the Owls saw for the rest of the game.

The wet pig-skin caused inaccurate throws and dropped balls for both teams. Gent, Owls' leading receiver, didn't even catch a pass. It got to the point where a nicely executed snap was an accomplishment.

One positive is Schnellenberger felt the defense played the best it has since making the jump to Division-1.

Minnesota's up next, whom the Owls defeated last season and is the only BCS team the Owls have defeated. They'll need to win to keep the most hyped season in FAU's history from looking like a step backwards for the program.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Spartans!

It's a rainy day in East Lansing and that might take Rusty right out of the game.

This means running backs Charles Pierre and DiIvory Edgecomb will need a repeat performance from last week when they combined for over 175 yards on the ground.

The Owls' simplified defensive scheme should see a heavy dose of the Spartan's running attack lead by Javon Ringer. The defense will need to swarm the Spartans to over take their relentless attack, reminiscent of the Persians.

Some Owls players have some renewed confidence and are giving the Spartans some bulletin board material to hype up for the game.

This should prove to be a tough win, but if all obstacles are overcome this game should lead to the band wagoner fans of South Florida to hop aboard.

Friday, September 12, 2008

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.

Saturday, September 6, 2008

2008 Home Opener

Eighth season, eighth year Owl fans get to watch Schnellenberger roaming the sidelines.

Yet again this season the home games are off campus, causing the student body and the team to have to commute for home games. Lockhart stadium is the sight for the home opener, as it is for most Owl home games, unless the games are at Dolphin Stadium.

By the 2010 season FAU hopes to have an on campus stadium and not coincidentally before the year Schnellenberger signed a contract extension through the year 2010. "If the stadium isn't ready until 2011 my contract says I can coach that year so I can run on the field with my team," says Schnellenberger.



As much as he deserves to run on that new field, the Owls need a win to renew their confidence. Rusty Smith threw for over two hundred yards against probably the best defense he will face this season, but winning is all that matters.

The Owls playing UAB, who let up over 600 total yards in their season opener, should excite Owl fans to make the commute to support the "Best looking team on paper," according to Schnellenberger.

The defense will need some fan support with two defensive lineman out with injuries for the Owls and after coming off letting up 52 points and over 500 yards last week. Not to mention the UAB offense didn't look to bad their selves in their season opener.

The police are expected to be out in drones at the event, probably because of a bigger crowd being expected to watch the most hyped Owls team in it's history. The Owls need to win to keep the fickled fans of Florida coming to the games so Lockhart Stadium doesn't start looking like Dolphin stadium during an afternoon home game for the Florida Marlins

Tough Talk, Tough Loss

Coach Schnellenberger's comment, "Texas has never been a tough team", didn't help to soften the blow the Owls' BCS bowl hopes took after losing 52-10 in Austin to open the season.

Schnellenberger and quarterback Rusty Smith had high hopes after coming off the schools first bowl win in its 8 year history.



The hype of having a possible future first round pick in Schnellenberger's eyes, which I would argue are some of the best eyes for talent ever, has FAU students more involved in FAU athletics as a hole with "Less students wearing University of Miami or Florida State shirts and more wearing FAU sports clothes," accoridng to Smith.

With legend head coach Schnellenber and sixteen players on the all Sun-Belt preseason team its no wonder there's so much confidence that the Owls will live up to their hype.

Hopefully in this Saturday's home opener against UAB the Owls will be able to show the home fans that the hype is real and the more obtainable goal of defending their Sun-Belt Championship is still very reachable.