2008 Florida Atlantic Owls football team
The 2008 Florida Atlantic University Owls football team represented Florida Atlantic University in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Howard Schnellenberger and played their home games at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The Owls entered the season as defending Sun Belt Conference champions.
| 2008 Florida Atlantic Owls football | |
|---|---|
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Motor City Bowl champion | |
Motor City Bowl, W 24–21 vs. Central Michigan | |
| Conference | Sun Belt Conference |
| 2008 record | 7–6 (4–3 Sun Belt) |
| Head coach | Howard Schnellenberger (8th season) |
| Offensive coordinator | Gary Nord |
| Offensive scheme | Pro-style |
| Defensive coordinator | Kirk Hoza |
| Base defense | 4–3 |
| Home stadium | Lockhart Stadium (20,425, grass) |
| 2008 Sun Belt Conference football standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Troy $ | 6 | – | 1 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Louisiana–Lafayette | 5 | – | 2 | 6 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Florida Atlantic | 4 | – | 3 | 7 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arkansas State | 4 | – | 3 | 6 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FIU | 3 | – | 4 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Middle Tennessee | 3 | – | 4 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Louisiana–Monroe | 3 | – | 4 | 4 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| North Texas | 0 | – | 7 | 1 | – | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Preseason
The Florida Atlantic Owls entered the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season defending their conference championship and just one year removed from their first-ever bowl appearance and victory. The record-setting 2007 team ended the season 8-5 (6-1 SBC). Quarterback Rusty Smith, a junior, returned with much hype and national recognition. The 2008 team also returned an overwhelming majority of starters from the conference champion team, as it only lost four seniors (DB Kris Bartels, OL Jarrid Smith, LB Cergile Sincere, DL Josh Pinnick).
In the Preseason Sun Belt Coaches' Poll, the Owls were a clear favorite to repeat as champions. FAU received 62 total points and 6 first-place votes.
Preseason honors
Preseason Sun Belt Players of the Year
- Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year, Offense: Rusty Smith (QB, Jr.)
- Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year, Defense: Frantz Joseph (LB, Sr.)
Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 30 | 7:00 p.m. | at No. 10 Texas* | PPV | L 10–52 | 98,053 | |
| September 6 | 4:00 p.m. | UAB* | W 49–34 | 15,143 | ||
| September 13 | 12:00 p.m. | at Michigan State* |
| ESPN2 | L 0–17 | 70,321 |
| September 20 | 12:00 p.m. | at Minnesota* | BTN | L 3–37 | 41,003 | |
| September 30 | 8:00 p.m. | at Middle Tennessee | ESPN2 | L 13–14 | 25,766 | |
| October 7 | 8:00 p.m. | Troy |
| ESPN2 | L 17–30 | 17,191 |
| October 18 | 7:00 p.m. | at Western Kentucky* | W 24–20 | 14,171 | ||
| October 25 | 7:00 p.m. | at Louisiana–Monroe |
| CSS | W 29–28 | 9,922 |
| November 8 | 4:00 p.m. | North Texas |
| W 46–13 | 17,715 | |
| November 15 | 4:00 p.m. | Louisiana–Lafayette |
| W 40–29 | 14,338 | |
| November 22 | 3:00 p.m. | at Arkansas State | CSS | L 14–28 | 10,845 | |
| November 29 | 4:00 p.m. | FIU |
| W 57–50 OT | 16,781 | |
| December 26 | 7:30 p.m. | vs. Central Michigan* | ESPN | W 24–21 | 41,399 | |
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Awards and honors
Mid-season awards and honors
- Week 12 Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week, Offense: Rusty Smith[3] (QB, Jr.)
- Week 12 Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week, Defense: Corey Small[4] (CB, Sr.)
- Week 14 Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week, Offense: Rusty Smith (QB, Jr.)
- Week 14 Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week, Defense: Frantz Joseph[5] (LB, Sr.)
- 2008 Shula Bowl Most Valuable Player: Rusty Smith (QB, Jr.)
Post-season awards and honors
Records broken in 2008
The 2008 football season saw numerous school records broken.
| Statistic | Previous Record | New Record |
|---|---|---|
| Passing Touchdowns (Career) | Jared Allen (2001-'04, 50 TD) | Rusty Smith (2006-pres., 60 TD) |
| Rushing Yards (Career) | Doug Parker (2001-'05, 1981 yards) | Charles Pierre (2005-'08, 3015 yards) |
| Rushing Yards (Season) | Doug Parker ('04, 896 yards) | Charles Pierre ('08, 1014 yards) |
| Rushing Touchdowns (Career) | Doug Parker (2001-'05, 21 TD) | Charles Pierre (2005-'08, 23 TD) |
| Receiving Touchdowns (Career) | Anthony Crissinger-Hill (2001-'04, 14 TD) | Cortez Gent[11] (2006-pres., 17 TD) |
| Total Tackles (Career) | Chris Laskowski (2001-'04, 294 tackles) | Frantz Joseph (2006-'08, 333 tackles) |
| Total Tackles (Season) | Frantz Joseph ('07, 131 tackles) | Frantz Joseph ('08, 141 tackles) |
References
- Robert ST. Clair
- Tavious Polo
- "Rusty Smith". Archived from the original on 2009-06-01. Retrieved 2008-12-27.
- Corey Small
- Frantz Joseph
- Jervonte Jackson
- Jamari Grant
- Joohn Rizzo
- Nick Paris
- Charles Pierre
- Cortez Gent