2008 Florida Atlantic Owls football team
American college football season
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The 2008 Florida Atlantic Owls football team represented Florida Atlantic University (FAU) as a member of the Sun Belt Conference during the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by eighth-year head coach Howard Schnellenberger, the Owls compiled an overall record of 7–6 with a mark of 4–3 in conference play, tying for third place in the Sun Belt. Florida Atlantic was invited to the Motor City Bowl, where the Owls defeated Central Michigan. The team played home games at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
- Howard Schnellenberger (8th season)
| 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 |
| Record | 7–6 (4–3 Sun Belt) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive coordinator | Gary Nord (4th season) |
| Offensive scheme | Pro-style |
| Defensive coordinator | Kirk Hoza (8th season) |
| Base defense | 4–3 |
| Home stadium | Lockhart Stadium Dolphin Stadium |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 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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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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Preseason
The Florida Atlantic Owls entered the 2008 season defending as defending Sun Belt c-champions. Rusty Smith, a junior, returned at quarterback. 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. Florida Atlantic 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
Awards and honors
- Week 12 Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week, Offense: Rusty Smith[6] (QB, Jr.)
- Week 12 Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week, Defense: Corey Small[7] (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[8] (LB, Sr.)
- 2008 Shula Bowl Most Valuable Player: Rusty Smith (QB, Jr.)
All-Sun Belt honors
New program records
Florida Atlantic players broke numerous program records during the 2008 season.
| Statistic | Previous record | New record |
|---|---|---|
| Passing touchdowns in a career) | Jared Allen (40 in 2001–2004) | Rusty Smith (60 in 2006–2008) |
| Rushing yards in a career | Doug Parker (1,981 in 2001–2005) | Charles Pierre (3,015 in 2005–2008) |
| Rushing yards in a season | Doug Parker (896 in 2004) | Charles Pierre (1,014) |
| Rushing touchdowns in career | Doug Parker (21 in 2001–2005) | Charles Pierre (23 in 2005–2008) |
| Receiving touchdowns in a career | Anthony Crissinger-Hill (14 in 2001–2004) | Cortez Gent (17 in 2006–2008)[14] |
| Total tackles in a career | Chris Laskowski (294 in 2001–2004) | Frantz Joseph (333 in 2006–2008) |
| Total tackles in a season | Frantz Joseph (131 in 2007) | Frantz Joseph (141) |
