2009 MMM Florida Atlantic Owls Preview
by aGent37 on Jul 7, 2009 4:15 AM PDT
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PrintComing off back-to-back bowl wins, the Owls look to claim the top of the Sun Belt Conference this upcoming season. The Owls are returning the conference’s top play caller in senior, Rusty Smith which means a lot of points will be scored on offense for FAU. On the flip side, the defense is a question mark with giving up an average of 400 yards a game and over 150 rushing yards a game.
Legendary coach Howard Schnellenberger will be looking to Smith and company to carry the Owls into the 2009 season. Smith will be surrounded by solid offensive weapons in WR Chris Bonner, WR Cortez Gent, TE Jamari Grant and TE Rob Housler. Last season, this passing attack was the best in the conference and contributed to over 3,000 yards receiving and 24 touchdowns through the air.
Their running game is a different story. They lose their leading rusher, Charles Pierre and then Jeff Blanchard goes down with a torn ACL, means the Owls might be struggling in the running game in the 2009 season. Willie Floyd would be next in line and aside from playing in every game his freshman year, he has only seen playing time in seven games in the past two years. A bright spot in the backfield is FB Willie Rose who is can block and also get out in the flats to catch passes.
The defense enters this season with 8 starters who will not be suiting up. Almost the entire starting interior front is gone, the linebacking core is young, but the secondary could hold this unit together. They are experienced at the corners with Tavious Polo, Tarvoris Hill and Ed Alexander at free safety. The key for the Owls defense is to get pressure up front. On average the team only had 1 sack per game and will most of the starters gone from a year ago it might be difficult to be successful up front right away.
The overall success of the season will depend on the Owls defense. There is no doubt that their offense will be able to produce big numbers and be able to put up a lot of points. If their defense can’t learn how to pressure the QB and stop the running game it could be a long season for FAU.
’09 Prediction: 7-5
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Honestly
I think Rusty Smith is a bit overrated. I think Levi Brown is the best QB in the Sun Belt, followed by Arky State’s Corey Leonard. What Rusty has on his side is a lot residual left over from tons of preseason hype leading in to the 2008 season and better than average cast of supporting characters to help deliver him the W’s. He threw up 14 INTs to 24 TDs, a solid ratio but not on par with Brown’s 15/3 or Leonard’s 16/8. Rusty also lack the added dimension of mobility added by Leonard and fall’s short of Brown’s pocket presence and ability to elude would-be tacklers.
That all being said I think that if Ark St doesn’t jump up and bit someone, FAU is in a solid place to be in contention for a Sun Belt title. I, along with many analysts (im trying not too sound too much like a homer) feel like Troy is a pretty solid lock for the SBC title, especially considering theyve taken at least a share of each of the last 3, but they are always prone to falling to a team they should beat. Last year it was ULM, and if FAU can make sure that its them this year, than they may have the inside track at the title.
from the forest itself comes the handle for the axe
FAU Preview
First, I think it is pretty tough to really pick out who the best QB in the SBC is. Statistically speaking, Rusty Smith had the best year in the conference. He ranked first in passing yards per game with 284. Smith was second in the conference in total offense with 241.7 yards per game and led the FAU team to the best passing offense in the conference.
I understand where you are coming from with Leonard and Brown having an extra dimension that Smith might not possess, but I don’t think that having a good supporting cast should should be a knock against Smith of why he might be considered overrated. Leonard and Brown didn’t put up their numbers by themselves, they had some solid talent at RB, WR and OL.
I do agree that it will be a tight race this year between Troy and FAU for the SBC title. I think that Troy has the tougher out of conference schedule though. Having to play at Bowling Green State, Florida and Arkansas will be three tough away games to win. FAU has two away games at Nebraska and South Carolina which will not be easy either, but I think that extra away game for the Trojans could hurt them. Aside from the out of conference games, I too agree that the SBC title might come down to when the Trojans play the Owls on November 21st at Troy, Alabama.
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