2008 Florida Atlantic Owls football team
| 2008 Florida Atlantic Owls football | |
|---|---|
 | |
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 year) |
| 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 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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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.
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.)
Preseason All-Sun Belt honors
- Rusty Smith (QB, Jr.)
- Cortez Gent (WR, Jr.)
- Nick Paris (OL, Sr.)
- Jervonte Jackson (DL, Sr.)
- Robert St. Clair[1] (DL, Sr.)
- Frantz Joseph (LB, Sr.)
- Tavious Polo[2] (CB, So.)
- Corey Small (CB, Sr.)
Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 30 | 7:00 p.m. | at No. 10 Texas* | Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium • Austin, TX | PPV | L 10-52 | 98,053 | |||
| September 6 | 4:00 p.m. | UAB* | Lockhart Stadium • Ft. Lauderdale, FL | W 49-34 | 15,143 | ||||
| September 13 | 12:00 p.m. | at No. 18 Michigan State* | Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI | ESPN2 | L 0-17 | 70,321 | |||
| September 20 | 12:00 p.m. | at Minnesota* | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome • Minneapolis, MN | BTN | L 3-37 | 41,003 | |||
| September 30 | 8:00 p.m. | at Middle Tennessee | Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium • Murfreesboro, TN | ESPN2 | L 13-14 | 25,766 | |||
| October 7 | 8:00 p.m. | Troy | Lockhart Stadium • Ft. Lauderdale, FL | ESPN2 | L 17-30 | 17,191 | |||
| October 18 | 7:00 p.m. | at Western Kentucky* | L.T. Smith Stadium • Bowling Green, KY | W 24-20 | 14,171 | ||||
| October 25 | 7:00 p.m. | at Louisiana-Monroe | Malone Stadium • Monroe, LA | CSS | W 29-28 | 9,922 | |||
| November 8 | 4:00 p.m. | North Texas | Lockhart Stadium • Ft. Lauderdale, FL | W 46-13 | 17,715 | ||||
| November 15 | 4:00 p.m. | Louisiana-Lafayette | Lockhart Stadium • Ft. Lauderdale, FL | W 40-29 | 14,338 | ||||
| November 22 | 3:00 p.m. | at Arkansas State | Indian Stadium • Jonesboro, AR | CSS | L 14-28 | 10,845 | |||
| November 29 | 4:00 p.m. | Florida International | Dolphin Stadium • Miami Gardens, FL (Shula Bowl) | W 57-50 (OT) | 16,781 | ||||
| December 26 | 7:30 p.m. | vs. Central Michigan* | Ford Field • Detroit, MI (Motor City Bowl) | ESPN | W 24-21 | 41,399 | |||
*Non-conference game.  Homecoming. All times are in Eastern Time. | |||||||||
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.)
All-Sun Belt honors
- First Team All-Sun Belt Conference:
- Jervonte Jackson[6] (DL, Sr.)
- Frantz Joseph (LB, Sr.)
- Corey Small (CB, Sr.)
- Second Team All-Sun Belt Conference:
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) |