SB Nation - Rusty Smith

Wyoming Wins Second in a Row with Victory Over Florida Atlantic

Jeremy Mauss — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 04:53:38 -0000

Final - 10.3.2009	1	2	3	4	Total
Wyoming Cowboys	7	10	7	6	30
Florida Atlantic Owls	14	0	7	7	28

Complete Coverage >

Wyoming after having a 24-14 lead had to come from behind in the fourth to pull out the 30-28 victory. The Cowboys were able to get the win as they scored 17 straight points from the second through third quarter, and that was the key for Wyoming to win this game.

This was a big win for Wyoming and new head coach Dave Christensen; not because of the opponent but because of the travel and early start. Also, the Pokes actually played only one quarterback which was true freshman Austyn Carta-Samuels.

After a 1-2 start Wyoming is half way to bowl eligibility with a 3-2 record. The quarterback play was the key in this game because Carta-Samules was the only one to play and did a decent job with He threw for 229 yards with a pick, but Carta-Samuels also ran for another 69 yards. That pick was returned for a score which had Wyoming worried early on.

The time of possession is what helped Wyoming pull this win out with nearly a ten minute advantage. The running game helped with this by the entire Poke running game combining for 198 yards. Only three players ran the ball the quarterback was all ready mentioned, and the other two backs were Brandon Stewart who had 79 yards on eight carries, and then Alvester Alexander who had only 50 yards, but three scores.

The final stud for Wyoming was WR David Leonard who had 13 catches for 97 yards and was twice as many over any other Wyoming wide receiver.

A few oddities in this game was that Wyoming who last year was terrible in turnover margin was minus one on the day, and penalties were bad for both teams with Wyoming comitting 12 for 125 yards and FAU also had 12 but for 93 yards. This game was fairly even throughout in terms of total yards. The Wyoming defense which is typically kown for being good -- especially their secondary was just all right. The key for the Wyoming defense was their ability to stop FAU on third downs with a 2-9 converison rate.

Florida Atlantic did have a chance with 4:29 left in the game for a field goal, but the Wyoming defense stopped the Owls. Their last drive was only five plays for 23 and the last play on the drive was fourth-and-3 at the Wyoming 47-yard line, Rusty Smith's pass was batted down by Mike Neuhaus to seal the win.

Wyoming now has a legit chance to get to a bowl game they still play New Mexico which is next week at home, then San Diego State on the road, plus if they can get one upset over either Air Force or Colorado State --both road games-- then Wyoming will get to the six coveted wins and a possible bowl birth.

Keys to Victory for the Nebraska Cornhuskers over Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns

Jon Johnston — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 13:27:09 -0000

More photos » by Steve Helber - AP

None of this kind of stuff going on this week. We're playing an inferior opponent and there is no reason for stupid mistakes.

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The Louisiana Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns are the third Sun Belt opponent of the year, the worst of the teams from we'll play from that conference. Let's not bother pretending that there's much of a challenge here - the Ragin' Cajuns are in a rebuilding year and are coming to Lincoln for a paycheck. They may not have realized that they'd be the answer to a future trivia question (who did the Huskers bash for their 300th consecutive sell out?), but they're in Lincoln just the same.

On to the keys to victory over the Ragin' Cajuns.

Destruction Demo

We know it, they know it - the Ragin' Cajuns are in this one for a paycheck. Games against inferior opponents have a simple formula - get on top the lesser team early, crush their will, and then destroy them.

The Cajuns have one bright spot - their offensive line. ULL is one of only two teams (Kentucky the other) has yet to give up a sack this season. It's time for Ndamukong Suh, Barry Turner, Jared Crick, and Pierre Allen to demolish that statistic. None of this blitzing off the edge stuff - Git R Done with the front four.

Intensity

The Huskers have lacked it in their other games against Florida Atlantic and Arkansas State. During Florida Atlantic it came in the first half, which is a little surprising given that it was the first time the Huskers had a chance to hit someone besides themselves.

Despite the score, there should be no lacking for intensity throughout the entire game tomorrow. There's no excuse for it, and if it shows up again, fans should be prepared to lower their expectations for the season because it will come back to bite us.

Perfection

During the Arkansas State game, a beautiful 70-yard touchdown pass to Niles Paul was called back because of holding. Stupid mistakes cost the Huskers the game against Virginia Tech. In the third quarter when the Huskers had a first and goal they responded by getting two holding penalties - the first of which negated a touchdown pass to Mike McNeill - and a false start - resulting in no points.

There's a theme here, and it's not a good one. The theme is slop. Eliminate the slop and the Huskers are 4-0 and part of a national conversation. But they're not, and that's solely because of mistakes.

It's time to end the them. ULL has no Rusty Smith, Alex Carrington or Jason Worilds. They have some good offensive linemen like Brad Bustle, and a good linebacker in Antwyne Zanders and that's it.

The Huskers are playing in front of their home crowd - there are no excuses for mistakes. Eliminate them. Or prepare not reach your goals and to suck this season. Again, nothing mysterious, nothing magical - just stop making stupid mistakes.

Zac Lee needs a good performance before heading into Big 12 conference play. You might excuse him for the lousy performance against Virginia Tech because of his thumb injury, but that's a little weak, isn't it? If the performance against the Hokies is what we're going to see when Lee plays decent opponents, don't expect this team to get very far. Lee should do well against the Cajuns and restore the faith.

(Wow. Can you tell I was grouchy as hell when I wrote this?)

Previewing Florida Atlantic at South Carolina: FAU's Offense

Gamecock Man — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 23:10:29 -0000

More photos » by Nati Harnik - AP

3 months ago: Florida Atlantic quarterback Rusty Smith throws in the first half of an NCAA college football game against Nebraska, in Lincoln, Neb., Saturday, Sept. 5, 2009.(AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

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Florida Atlantic runs a pro-style offense that favors the pass. The Owls--who as most of you probably know are coached by legend Howard Schnellenberger--have generally had pretty good offenses over the past few years. In their opening matchup against Nebraska, in some ways they continued to do well, despite losing 49-3, largely due to the three turnovers they gave up. The Owls rolled up 358 total yards, seemingly not too bad against Bo Pelini's Cornhuskers. Most came in the air, although the Owls did decently on the ground, as well.

However, a closer look at the game reveals that the numbers are a little deceptive. The key is that the Owls controlled time of possession. Usually that's a good thing. In this case, though, it was probably at least partially because Nebraska had little trouble scoring quickly; the Huskers averaged over 9 yards per pass and a stunning 8.1 yards per carry. That means that FAU was frequently getting the ball back after quick Nebraska touchdowns. This isn't to say that FAU didn't move the ball; the Owls were able to sustain some drives, averaging a respectable 5.8 yards per pass and 3.5 yards per carry. Those drives, though, typically stalled at some point or resulted in turnovers, leading to only three polnts. Overall, I would say the performance against Nebraska is about what you would expect from a good mid-major offense going against a good Big 12 team. It wasn't, however, as good as the 358 yards would suggest.

Continue reading after the jump.

As said, this is a team that we can expect to see pass the ball quite a bit and fairly well. FAU quarterback Rusty Smith has thrown for over 8000 career yards and is considered a viable NFL prospect. However, the problem for a team like FAU going against a Nebraska or a South Carolina is always going to be in the trenches, and that will end up hampering Smith's ability to control the game in the same way he would against another mid-major. First of all, running the ball is going to be difficult for an FAU in this situation, as a big defensive front will be able to manhandle the Owls' offensive line. That's going to make it difficult for FAU to make us respect the run, thus keeping FAU from opening things up. Second of all, Smith is going to be running for his life in the likelihood that his protection frequently breaks down. That's going to lead to hurries, sacks, and turnovers, all of which hurt FAU against Nebraska.

The only thing that worries me about our offense versus FAU's defense in this game is that we will be missing both Nathan Pepper and Ladi Ajiboye, which potentially negates some of our advantage in the trenches. Travian Robertson has played well in Ajiboye's stead, and will likely continue to play a prominent role in the rotation after Ajiboye returns. Melvin Ingram, though, is still a little green. If FAU can take advantage of Pepper and Ajiboye's absence, they may be able to open things up a bit and score some points.

That said, while Robertson and Ingram may not be quite ready to carry us through the SEC alone, they should be able to hold their own against FAU. Plus, FAU is probably going to throw all sorts of double teams against Eric Norwood, Devin Taylor, Clifton Geathers, and Cliff Matthews. If our coaching staff can take advatage of those situations, we should be able to figure out a way to slow these guys down, just like Nebraska did.

A Review of Nebraska’s Keys To Victory Over Florida Atlantic

Jon Johnston — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 13:00:22 -0000

by Dave Weaver - AP

3 months ago: In this photo taken on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2009, Nebraska nose tackle Ndamukong Suh (93) goes after Florida Atlantic's William Rose (46) during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Lincoln, Neb. In his weekly news conference on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2009, , Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini said his team's defense against Florida Atlantic was soft.(AP Photo/Dave Weaver)

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Last Friday I listed three keys for victory - three of the items that the Huskers had to do to guarantee victory over the Owls. Today I'll look back and review just how they did.

Physical Dominance

I talked about the fact that Nebraska's offensive line needed to establish themselves as a physically dominant force, which they finally did at the beginning of the third quarter. The Huskers scored on a solid 67-yard drive that consumed a little over two minutes and featured some excellent runs by Roy Helu Jr. Helu ended up with some decent stats for the day - look at that 9.5 per carry average!

vs Fla. Atlantic / 9.5.09	Rushing				Receiving
	Rush	Yards	Avg	TD	Rec	Yards	Avg	TD
Roy Helu Jr	16	152	9.5	3	1	3	3	0

Despite the Huskers' apparent success, the play wasn't good enough for Bo Pelini who yesterday stated he felt the Husker defense played "too soft", that they didn't attack blocks and weren't crisp. Giving up 358 yards to Florida Atlantic wasn't good enough.

Discipline

I stated that we'd see a lot of screens and misdirection from Florida Atlantic on Saturday, and that's exactly what we saw in the first half. While they didn't get in the end zone, the Owls did a decent job on offense, racking up 358 total yards in the process.

There were some discipline breakdowns, in particular a second quarter play in which FAU's fullback Willie Rose was wide open for a 38-yard reception, and another in which Cortez Gent was left uncovered for a 27-yard reception. Rose wasn't fast enough to make it to the end zone, being chased down by the linebacker who missed the coverage, Blake Lawrence. The play lead to Florida Atlantic's three points.

It may be easy to dismiss a single play or two as opening game jitters, but given the performances by Kansas and Missouri last Saturday, the Huskers must improve to play mistake free football if they wish to win the Big 12 North.

Start The Stats Counter Early

The Blackshirts tallied no sacks and only three hurries Saturday, much of that due to the aforementioned screen plays, and FAU quarterback Rusty Smith getting rid of the ball quickly. While that was disappointing, Nebraska did end up at +2 in turnover margin, garnering two interceptions and a fumble while only giving up one interception in Zac Lee's first start.

Bottom line

The game was a butt-kicking, with fans and Florida Atlantic in agreement on that. But it wasn't good enough for Bo Pelini, and it wasn't good enough for the Husker players. That says volumes about the expectations that Pelini has for this team.

A question for Husker fans - do you think Pelini's "too soft" statement was true sentiment, or was it made to be used as a motivational tactic?

Howard Schnellenberger Is Coming! - Why You Should Respect Him More Than You Do

Jon Johnston — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 13:00:10 -0000

It's an interview! It's a caption contest! It's both!!!!!!!

We're less than a week away from Husker football season! One week away from the Florida Atlantic Owls and Howard Schnellenberger coming to Nebraska! Schnellenberger was the coach of the Miami Hurriances on that fateful night in 1984 when Tom Osborne elected to go for two instead of settling for a tie. Osborne's choice gave Schnellenberger his national title.

Ted Hutton is the expert on Howard Schnellenberger, "The Voice", as Hutton refers to him. Hutton has been covering the Florida Atlantic Owls for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel since the Owls started their football program in 2001. He's got a blog that's pretty interesting, and given the few photos I've stolen from him, perhaps you should stop by his place a lot this week.

My understanding is that Howard Schnellenberger has an almost mystical quality to him in Florida - can you explain why he's so revered?

Howard is revered for what he did first with the Dolphins (offensive coordinator under Don Shula on the back-to-back Super Bowl teams,. including the undefeated team), followed up by what he did at University of Miami, which was take a downtrodden program that was in jeopardy of being junked and in a few short years won a national championship in dramatic fashion, in an Orange Bowl game some Husker fans may recall.

Back then Schnellenberger's face was on billboards and in newspapers and on TV -- there were only the Dolphins and Hurricanes back then, so Howard was Huge.

Even when he left for Louisville, people never held it against him. They are still grateful for the guy who turned the Canes into a national power. The kids he recruits now don't know him, but their moms and dads do.

Same thing in Louisville. He left after 10 years because he didn't agree with the decision to join a conference (back then you could still win a national championship as an independent, which is how he did it at Miami), but nobody in Kentucky holds it against him. He is beloved, and they named the athletic training complex after him.

And believe me, he is revered, beloved and all that at FAU. He started the program from scratch, had the Owls in the I-AA semifinals in year three, and in year seven they won the Sun Belt and New Orleans Bowl and in year eight they won the Motor City Bowl, and here we are heading into year nine.

Unfortunately, in the midwest, Schnellenberger isn't looked upon with such high regard. Can you explain the discrepancy?

As far as the midwest, I assume it is for that lost year at Oklahoma (1995). A disaster all the way around, and he is still blamed by Sooner fans for all that went wrong, even though he was there just one year. I guess he's the outsider, but I still can't figure that out. This is his 25th years as head college coach, and he had one bad year.

You call Schnellenberger "The Voice" - What's up with that?

The Voice. Well, he used to be known as "The Pipe", but he gave that up when he had grandkids. His wife made the ultimatum: the pipe or seeing your grandkids, and he chose the grandkids. That left his distinctive voice, which he uses with great flourish, and usually waves away a microphone since his rumbling tones are pretty loud. Plus he really is The Voice of the team and the program, and to some extent, the university.

Whenever Schnellenberger's name comes up on message board threads (or some articles), I frequently see references to a drinking problem. Is there something to this, or is this some bullshit made up of Internet lore?

I can tell you this -- I have covered the team since year one, and I have never seen Schnellenberger drink anything other than Diet Pepsi. I know there were a lot of rumors and whispering about drinking (mainly from Oklahoma, imagine that), but let's just say it has never, ever been an issue at FAU.

Yay Owls!

Last season he went into the Texas game challenging the Longhorns' toughness and was subsequently beaten badly. This year you're burning a giant ‘N' during the first pep rally. How will the Owls approach this year's game with Nebraska? What about Howard's approach?

Howard made a very rare misstep last year when he was talking to a student TV station and said Texas was soft. This followed what might have been a bigger mistake when he used a gathering of reporters to declare that Rusty Smith would be a first round draft pick. Up to that point, Howard was always very careful about what he said about his players and opponents. It was always the usual coach speak.

The combination of those two quotes was to ensure FAU would not sneak up on the Longhorns, and suddenly had Smith answering questions about the NFL rather than the upcoming game. Texas would have mopped the floor with the Owls anyway, but Rusty got hurt in that game and never got back to his old self until midway through the season. It showed, as FAU started 1-5 and finished 6-1.

Whooooo! Burning N Festival! Whoooo! Photo by Ted Hutton

The bonfire is just a harmless way of starting a tradition, something FAU has little of. This is still a commuter school, and to get a gathering of students on campus at night is pretty hard. This is a good way of doing it. Nothing personal, Nebraska, The bonfire is the first Thursday after the start of classes and they burn something representative of their first opponent.

Last year it was a wooden Bevo, this year a plywood N.

I can say that Howard appears to have learned from what happened last year, and he hasn't mentioned Rusty and the draft in the same sentence, and he has heaped the usual praise on Nebraska. He did say FAU has a chance to win the game, but that it would be because they get a lot of turnovers and squeeze past them in the fourth quarter. I trust Husker fans won't consider that a slap in the face, because no coach is going to say his team has no chance. Just remember Appalachian State.

How far can Schnellenberger realistically take the Florida Atlantic program?

FAU is in the Sun Belt, which means its growth is stunted and they will go as far as Boise State, Utah, Hawaii. The Owls will be at or near the top of the Belt as long as they are in it due to the recruiting base in Florida. There is a ton of talent here, and FAU is getting kids to stay near home rather then head north. But being in a non-BCS conference means no national championship. Just can't happen.

I suppose that since this is an article about Schnellenberger that I could include at least one picture of him coaching.

Another factor is that Howard is 75. He's in great shape and appears to get younger every year, but he is running out of time. The on-campus stadium should be ready in 2011, and that will be his lasting legacy. He wanted one in Miami and Louisville, and Miami never got one but Louisville did, though it came after Howard was gone.

Being able to walk onto the field of the new stadium that he pretty much got built himself, and coach a team that has had only him as coach and came so far so fast, anything after that is just gravy.

Thanks to Ted Hutton for great insight into Howard Schnellenberger.

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Previewing 2009 Wyoming Opponents: Florida Atlantic Owls

Jeremy Mauss — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 22:30:35 -0000

Florida Atlantic made history last year by attending the Motor City Bowl; which they won by defeating Central Michigan. The big deal was that FAU from the Sun Belt was the first team from the league to get an at-large berth to a bowl, which also happened to be the first time the Sun Belt sent two teams bowling in a year.

The Owls have possibly the best quarterback in the league with Rusty Smith who is a giant at 6-5, and while he did struggle last year the hopes for FAU is that he can return to his sophomore year where he threw for 3,688 yards, 32 touchdowns to only nine picks. His Junior year did take a dip with 400 less yards, eight less touchdowns, and five more picks.

The main concern in 2008 for Rusty Smith was that his accuracy dipped to five points to 53.8, and the job to help increase that is former Louisville assistant coach Jeff Brohm who is now the Owls quarterback coach. The Brohm name is familiar because he is the brother of Brian Brohm who had an amazing career while quarterback at Louisville.

To help out the passing game the Owls return their top receiver and potential all-conference receiver Cortez Gent as well as tight end Jason Harmon who was out all of last year with a knee injury, and then finally fullback Willie Rose who is a solid blocker but also has good hands and can be the check off pass for Smith.

The down fall of the offense that is the Owls lose both starting backs from last year, and are breaking in four new offensive lineman.

On the defensive side of the ball the Owls lose Frantz Joseph who was the schools all time leading tackler, as well as half of secondary, their three starting linebackers, and have to reshuffle the defensive line. The defensive line does have some hope with Jarvis Givens who is a large man at 300 pounds but played little last year, and incumbent starter Josh Savidge. Besides that the defense is in trouble, but of the starters nine are upper class man, so there are experienced players within the program but they have had little playing time.

The Owls are quite possibly going to be one-dimensional unless a running game is found to help balance the air-attack that Florida Atlantic will show off. Hopes of another bowl in 2009 cold be dicey, since the only guarantee is the conference champ, and seven wins seems like a reach for FAU.

2009 MidMajorMadness Sun Belt Conference Preview

aGent37 — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:00:12 -0000

The Sun Belt has made significant strides over the past few years in terms of its competitiveness over other conferences, especially ones in the BCS. Last season FAU beat Central Michigan, Arkansas State was victorious over Texas A&M and MTSU beat Maryland. Troy also was very competitive against Ohio State and LSU, but was not able to close out.

The conference will get another opportunity this season to show that they can compete at a high level. Sun Belt teams face off against the likes of Nebraska, Alabama, Rutgers, Clemson, Florida and LSU in 09. Tough out of conference schedules define the Sun Belt, but to gain some respect [and pay bills], you must play the best.

The 2009 Sun Belt conference can be summed up in one sentence: The Trojans of Troy and the 8 dwarfs. No team in the league seems to have the capability of challenging Troy for its 4^th straight conference title, but that being said FAU and MTSU will have should have decent seasons and be bowl eligible.

What team will be the biggest surprise in 2009?

The biggest surprise in the conference might be Middle Tennessee State. It is clear that Troy will be at the top and FAU will have a solid season, but the Blue Raiders could be the conference's sleeper team. They enter the 2009 season with plenty of talent, experience and depth. The entire starting offense is returning from last season, which is good news for MTSU. The only question mark is quarterback Dwight Dasher. He needs to play up to his potential

and be consistent if the Blue Raiders are to have a successful season on offense.

The defense also has veteran talent returning in 2009. They return seven starters on defense including lineman, Dwight Smith. Smith recorded 30 tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss last season. The line needs to continue to get pressure up front, especially more pressure on the quarterback. Although the secondary might be considered undersized, they possess as much talent as any other team in the league, including fantastic speed and depth. They return four starters from last season including the leader at free safety, Jeremy Kellem. Kellem had 72 tackles, two interceptions and a sack last season. The secondary should be one of the stronger ones in the conference and has the talent to make some game changing plays.

The Blue Raiders should be able to reach .500 and be bowl eligible. If MTSU can steal a game, look for them to make a push to be a top the conference.

What player if lost will impact the team the most?

It is without question that the FAU Owls would be devastated if they lost their veteran senior quarterback, Rusty Smith. Smith is a candidate for Sun Belt Player of the Year and has plenty of weapons surrounding him. A true leader in every sense of the word, Smith has shown to have all the tools to be a great college and possibly even NFL quarterback. He has thrown for over 3,000 yards and more than 20 touchdowns the past two seasons.

With talks about the Owls making a push for the Sun Belt title, they need Smith to stay healthy. Behind him they junior Jeff VanCamp and red shirt freshman Graham Wilbert, neither of which have a ton of experience. Although Wilbert might be the future, if the Owls want to compete this year, Smith must be healthy and productive.

Does a team from the Sun Belt make a BCS game?

Although the Sun Belt teams have made improvements over the past few years on their talent and playing at a higher level of competition, they are still not close to having their names mentioned in the BCS talks. Troy may have a decent chance at a double-digit win season, but you will be hard pressed to see them playing in a BCS game this season. Even though their out of conference schedule is impressive, the weakness of their in conference games will leave their RPI wanting every time... even if they go undefeated.

What Sun Belt team has the opportunity of beating a team from one of the major 6 conferences?

In the past Sun Belt teams have given some of the major conferences a tough time. This season there are a few games that could end up in a Sun Belt teams favor including Troy's trip into SEC country when they play Arkansas in the middle of November. Arkansas is coming off a 5-7 season, lost their starting quarterback and finished last in the SEC in total defense. If Troy can take advantage of the inconsistent play of the defense, the Trojans might be victorious.

We might also see a repeat of last year's performance between Maryland and MTSU. This year the game is at Maryland and the Terrapins showed last year that they are inconsistent. They lose seven starters on defense and a few key players on the offensive line. With the experience returning at MTSU and a solid defense, the Blue Raiders might have the Terrapins number again in 2009.

Poll

Troy 10-2

Florida Atlantic University 7-5

Middle Tennessee State University 6-6

Arkansas State 5-7

North Texas 4-8

UL Lafayette 4-8

FIU 4-8

UL -Monroe 3-9

Western Kentucky 2-10

Early news on college scouting

Mocking Dan — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 19:00:11 -0000

Scouts were in attendance at Florida Atlantic Wednesday. From the Palm Beach Post

Noteworthy: NFL scouts from the Chiefs, Rams, Bears, Falcons, 49ers and Panthers attended Wednesday's practice. Scouts are looking at quarterback Rusty Smith, tight ends Jason Harmon and Jamari Grant and offensive tackle Carl Spitale, the 6-foot-8, 330-pound first year starter.

Smith is an intriguing prospect. He's a classic drop-back passer, but had a down year in 2008. Spitale is someone I intend on paying some attention to this season. His size is obviously great and he playe well in the Motor City Bowl. But if he was a draftable prospect, you have to believe he would have been playing for Florida Atlantic more.

2009 Husker Football Opponent Prevew: Florida Atlantic

Husker Mike — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 11:00:21 -0000

Florida Atlantic finished 7-6 in 2008, with a season ending victory over Central Michigan in the Motor City Bowl. With a solid offensive backfield returning led by senior quarterback Rusty Smith, expectations are high for the Owls. Smith is getting some serious buzz going into his fourth season as FAU's starting quarterback. Phil Steele named Smith his #11 quarterback in the nation in his preseason magazine. Junior wide receiver Cortez Gent also was recognized by Steele, rating him the #33 wide receiver in the country. Smith will also benefit from the return of all-conference tight end Jason Harmon, who missed the 2008 season with a knee injury. Tight end Jamari Grant is another name Husker fans need to know. All told, the Owls return six offensive starters, with the key losses being at running back and on the offensive line.

The Owls' defense only returns four starters, led by juniors corners Tavious Polo and Tarvoris Hill. Polo, a freshman all-American in 2007, was slotted by Steele as the #21 cornerback in the country. The defensive line is anchored by tackle Josh Savidge, who is the sole returning starter up in the front seven.

The Owls 7-6 record is a little misleading, as Jeff Sagarin rated the Owls #102 in the country last season. Those seven victories were against Alabama-Birmingham (4-8, Sagarin #116), Western Kentucky (2-10, Sagarin #161), Louisiana-Monroe (4-8, Sagarin #135), North Texas (1-11, Sagarin #171), Louisiana Lafayette (6-6, Sagarin #106), Florida International (5-7, Sagarin #113), and Central Michigan (8-5, Sagarin #96). Against BCS conference opponents, the Owls didn't fare well. In the season opener against Texas, the Owls lost 52-10. 9-4 Michigan State shut out the Owls 17-0, and 7-6 Minnesota beat FAU 37-3.

Florida Atlantic's top 25 offense represents a solid challenge for a Nebraska secondary which had a tendency to break down and give up huge plays at inopportune times. But the Owl defense will need to find some more playmakers in 2009 than were on the field last season. The Huskers can ill afford to overlook any opponent in this day and age of parity in college football; just look at what fellow Sun Belt conference foe Arkansas State did to Texas A&M last season.

[Update]

The Owls weak defensive line got weaker this week as two key members of their defensive line, starter Andy Czuprynski, and his backup, Jamere Johnson, will miss the game due to injuries. This will leave them more susceptible to wearing down late in the game, and you know that the Huskers will be running the ball at them to start the game.

The Owls did get some good news as one of their offensive line starters, Carl Spitale, has been cleared to play after injuring his neck a couple weeks away. This means Florida Atlantic will have their full range of starters on offense.

If the Huskers pay attention to business, Nebraska should be able to handle the Owls in the season opener. Hell, let's be honest - this game should be over by half time.

(Florida Atlantic Preview updated by Corn Blight - originally published June 2009)

Owls vs Cornhuskers coverage

Poll

If you were Vegas oddsmaker, what would the spread be on the Husker/Owls matchup?

Huskers by three touchdowns or more

76 votes

Huskers by double digits

101 votes

Huskers win a close one

7 votes

Owls pull off the upset in Lincoln

4 votes

Owls shock the nation with a double digit victory over the Big Red

9 votes

197 votes | Poll has closed

Post-Spring Previews: Florida Atlantic

Gamecock Man — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 15:09:35 -0000

After a tough opening stretch, the Gamecocks get a slight breather when they host Florida Atlantic in the home opener. While they're not NC State or UGA, the Owls aren't exactly a cupcake; the team won the Sun Belt in 2007 and played in the New Orleans Bowl in 2007 and the Motor City Bowl in 2008, winning both. The Owls are coached by the legendary Howard Schnellenberger, who won a national title at Miami in the early 1980s. While we should be able to beat them comfortably, this team won't be a total pushover and is capable of pulling off an upset if we don't show up. They'll certainly be looking to make a splash with a victory.

Let's take a look at how we stack up against the Owls.

Offense

Quarterback

The Owls--who ranked 25th in the country in passing offense last year--have a prolific, experienced senior quarterback in Rusty Smith, who threw for 3224 yards with a rating of 127.8 last season. While Smith's statistics are somewhat inflated because Florida Atlantic has been a pass-first team with Smith under center, his success cannot be ignored. However, it is worth noting that his performance dipped last year after a fabulously successful 2007 campaign in which he had a 141.6 rating and a 32-9 TD-INT ratio. All of this said, I think that Stephen Garcia is more talented and has more potential than Smith, who has racked up most of his gaudy stats against other Sun Belt teams. Let's not forget that in 2007 Smith threw for almost 1000 more yards on the year than Tim Tebow, but when the Gators faced the Owls, it was Tebow racking up the yards. Garcia has a bit of work to do before he approaches Tebow status, but the point still holds: Garcia gets a slight edge here.

Verdict: Slight advantage South Carolina

Running Backs

The Owls are not a running team, and they lose their top two backs from a year ago, Charles Pierre and DiIvory Edgecomb, to graduation. That doesn't bode well for them in a game in which they'll be taking on what will likely be the toughest defensive front they'll see all season. Carolina, on the other hand, should field a much improved rushing attack next year; Gamecocks get the edge here.

Verdict: Strong advantage South Carolina

Receivers and Tight Ends

The Owls return an experienced, proven receiving core. The go-to guy is receiver Cortez Gent, but in addition the Owls have a set of talented tight ends to throw to. However, while the passing game is a strength for Florida Atlantic, I still feel like we just have more talent here.

Verdict: Slight advantage South Carolina

Offensive Line

The Owls return their left tackle Levoris Williams, who did a good job protecting Smith's blind side last season, and overall should have a serviceable unit. However, while our line was a liability last year, it should be much better this year, and should at least be better than Florida Atlantic's.

Verdict: Slight advantage South Carolina

Defense

The Owls lose a ton on defense this year, having to replace 8 starters from a defense that was already the team's liability. This means that this could be a breakout game statistically for our offense.

Defensive Line

The Owls lose star defensive tackle Jervonte Jackson from a line that was already so-so at best. The Owls had trouble defending the run and generating pressure against top competition last year, and this year they project to have the same issues. Whether it be Garcia scrambling or our tailback-by-committee unit running the ball, the Gamecocks should be able to rack up serious yards on the ground against this team. We have a strong advantage here.

Verdict: Strong advantage South Carolina

Linebackers

Same story here. The Owls lost some players from a unit that wasn't great last year, leaving major questions coming into this year. Another big advantage for us.

Verdict: Strong advantage South Carolina

Defensive Backfield

The Owls return their most defensive experience at secondary, including Tavious Polo, who has eight interceptions over the past two years. Moreover, their recruiting class features some good pickups at this position. All in all, this is the Owls' defensive strength this year, but despite the question mark in the defensive backfield this year for Carolina, I still feel confident saying we have a sizeable advantage here. That said, I think it would be best for our offense to try to pound it against these guys to avoid playing to their strengths.

Verdict: Strong advantage South Carolina

Special Teams

The Owls graduate their placekicker, Warley Leroy, so there are some questions regarding whether they can find someone to adequately replace him. That job might go to Ross Gornall, who got a little action last season. In the return game, they'll need to improve returning kickoffs but had a lot of success with Polo returning punts. The coverage units were solid. While we have our own questions at placekicker, our overall talent and speed edge in the return games should give us the advantage here.

Verdict: Slight advantage South Carolina

Head Coaches

Steve Spurrier has become known as a guy that gave up a sweet gig at Florida to (via a short stop in the NFL) coach at the unforgiving task that is South Carolina football. Spurrier says he enjoys the challenge of Carolina, the job of doing something nobody has done before. If that's what drives him, he may be meeting a kindred spirit in Schnellenberger. Schnellenberger's career, to say the least, has been an odd one. Schnellenberger revived a struggling Miami program in the mid-80s by installing a pass-first offense and effectively recruiting South Florida. In 1983, he won an improbable national title by upsetting top-ranked Nebraska in the Orange Bowl. After an abortive jump to the USFL, Schnellenberger began his own errand into the wilderness when he took over a struggling Louisville program. After building that program up in the late 80s and early 90s, he headed to Oklahoma to coach the Sooners for one year, which was a failure. After resigning unexpectedly after his first season in Norman, he worked in the financial sector for a few years before taking over at Florida Atlantic, where he once again built the program up from almost nothing to where it is today. The guy has had a strange career, but, his Oklahoma stint notwithstanding, he's a had a successful one. Even though he's 75--he played at Kentucky under Bear Bryant in the early 50s!--it would be difficult to say that he doesn't have it anymore. Of course, many similar things could be said of Spurrier, making this an interesting coaching matchup.

Verdict: Push

Overall

The Owls' offense worries me a bit. If his line can protect him against Eric Norwood and our pass rush, I think Smith and his receiving corp will be able to pick up yards in the air against our young secondary. However, this team's defense is going to be bad even by mid-major standards, so even if the Owls' manage to keep it within a couple of touchdowns for most of the game, eventually they're just not going to be able to keep up with us. Expect a questionable defense performance but a convincing win in the end for the 'Cocks.

Prediction: South Carolina wins by 3-5 touchdowns