2009 Florida Atlantic Recruiting Class

2009 Florida Atlantic Owls ... Head Coach: Howard Schnellenberger

Florida Atlantic Owls

- 2008 FAU Season
- 2008 FAU Preview
- 2007 FAU Season

2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 7-5
2008 Record: 7-6

Aug. 30 at Texas L 52-10
Sept. 6 UAB W 49-24
Sept. 13 at Michigan State L 17-0
Sept. 20 at Minnesota L 37-3
Sept. 30 at Middle Tenn L 14-13
Oct. 7 Troy L 30-17
Oct. 11 OPEN DATE
Oct. 18 at West Kent. W 24-20
Oct. 25 at UL Monroe W 29-28
Nov. 1 OPEN DATE
Nov. 8 North Texas W 46-13
Nov. 15 UL Lafayette W 40-29
Nov. 22 at Arkansas St L 28-14
Nov. 29 FIU W 57-50 OT
MOTOR CITY BOWL
Dec. 26 Central Mich W 24-21

2007 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 4-8
2007 Record: 8-5

Sept. 1 Middle Tenn W 27-14
Sept. 8 at Oklahoma St L 42-6
Sept. 15 Minnesota W 42-39
Sept. 22 at No Texas W 30-20
Sept. 29 at Kentucky L 45-17
Oct. 6 South Florida L 35-23
Oct. 20 at UL Laf. W 39-32 OT
Oct. 27 UL Mon L 33-30 3OT
Nov. 10 Arkansas St W 34-31
Nov. 17 at Florida L 59-20
Nov. 24 at FIU W 55-23
Dec. 1 at Troy W 38-32
New Orleans Bowl
Dec. 21 Memphis W 44-27

2009 Recruiting Class

Five Best Prospects

1. Cory Henry	DE	6-3	229	Miami, FL
2  Toney Moore	LB	6-0	205	West Palm Beach, FL
3. Travis Jones	WR	5-10	150	Port St Lucie, FL
4. Nexon Dorvilus	TE	6-4	225	Miami, FL
5. Winfred Strickland	DB	5-11	164	Cocoa, FL

Rest Of The Class

Tyrie Allen	RB	5-9	185	Weston, FL
Terrell Bradley	DB	5-10	180	Gainesville, FL
Chris Chappell	OL	6-9	310	Callahan, FL
Jimmie Colley	OL	6-3	265	Milton, FL
Jamal Davis	WR	6-3	185	Coral Springs, FL
Tiray Dove	LB	6-1	215	Jacksonville, FL
Carlton Falconer	OL	6-4	255	Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Damian Fortner	RB	5-9	170	Miramar, FL
David Hinds	LB	6-1	212	Miami, FL
Treon Howard	DB	5-10	160	Fort Meade, FL
Chris Jackson	RB	6-0	214	Panama City, FL
Karl James	DT	6-2	255	Miami, FL
Randell Johnson	LB	6-3	220	Miami, FL
James Oboh	TE	6-4	210	Brookeville, MD
Keith Reiser	DB	5-10	147	Miami, FL
DeAndre Richardson	DB	6-2	180	Panama City, FL
Angrand Rockenson	LB	6-2	225	Port St. Lucie, FL
Brian Sirmans	WR	6-2	180	Jacksonville, FL
Andrew Stryffeler	DE	6-5	235	Sanford, NC
DeAndre Williams	OL	6-3	265	Orlando, FL
Jarred Williams	DE	6-4	210	Fort Walton Beach, FL

Nov. 29
Florida Atlantic 57 … FIU 50 OT
A wild fourth quarter finished with Rusty Smith hitting Cortez Gent for a nine-yard touchdown in overtime to give FAU the lead, and FIU couldn’t do anything with its possession with a fourth down sack ending the game. Smith threw five touchdown passes on the day, with three to Gent, and threw two in the final 2:08 just to force overtime with an eight-yard pass to Gent followed up by an 11-yarder to Jamari Grant with just 18 seconds to play. Paul McCall threw for 400 yards and four touchdowns for FIU, but he also threw one interception, which Corey Small returned 25 yards for a score in the fourth. T.Y Hilton had a huge day for the Golden Panthers catching touchdown passes from 34 and 60 yards while running in a six-yard touchdown in the second. The two teams combined fro 1,037 yards of total offense.
Player of the game: Florida Atlantic QB Rusty Smith completed 25-of-40 passes for 389 yards and five touchdowns with an interception
Stat Leaders: FIU - Passing: Paul McCall, 27-48, 400 yds, 4 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Darriet Perry, 16-115, 2 TD. Receiving: Greg Ellingson, 7-138, 1 TD
Florida Atlantic - Passing: Rusty Smith, 25-40, 389 yds, 5 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Charles Pierre, 14-63, 1 TD. Receiving: Cortez Gent, 7-108, 3 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... After a rough start and a nasty battle with FIU, FAU is now bowl eligible after winning five of its last six games. Rusty Smith caught fire at just the right time, and while the defense was a disappointment at times, the suddenly high-octane attack picked up the slack over the second half of the season. Now the Owls have a legitimate shot at a second straight bowl appearance, considering it’ll be next to impossible for the BCS leagues to all fill their bowl slots. At the moment, FAU would be a fun team to take.

Dec. 26
2008 Motor City Bowl
Florida Atlantic 24 ... Central Michigan 21
Florida Atlantic took advantage of a roughing the pass penalty with a 52-yard touchdown pass from Rusty Smith to Chris Bonner midway through the third quarter, but it was an 18-yard scoring grab from Cortez Gent that put the Owls ahead for good. Central Michigan made a furious late rally. Down 11, the Chippewas passed up a field goal attempt to go for it on fourth down late in the fourth, but missed. They got the ball back and marched 34 yards in 1:09 with Dan LeFevour connecting with Antonio Brown from 15 yards out for the touchdown, and pulled within three on the two-point conversion throw to Kito Poblah. But FAU recovered the onside kick and was able to run out the final 3:09.
Player of the game: Florida Atlantic QB Rusty Smith completed 20-of-35 passes for 306 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Central Michigan - Passing: Dan LeFevour, 28-40, 253 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Dan LeFevour, 14-56. Receiving: Antonio Brown, 11-92, 1 TD
Florida Atlantic - Passing: Rusty Smith, 20-35, 306 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Charles Pierre, 16-77. Receiving: Cortez Gent, 7-98, 1 TD
Inside The Boxscore ... 5 Thoughts on the Motor City Bowl ... Bobby Seay made 14 tackles for CMU, Frantz Joseph made 13 stops for FAU. ... Total yards: FAU 418 - CMU 380. ... Sacks: CMU 4 for 25 yards - FAU 1 for 6. ... The two teams combined to convert 8-of-25 third down chances. ... Average yards per completion: FAU 15.3 - CMU 9.0. ... CMU WR Antonio Brown had 13 yards rushing, 92 receiving, with a score, 38 yards on punt returns and 75 on kickoff returns.

Nov. 22
Arkansas State 28 … Florida Atlantic 14
Arkansas State outscored FAU 14-0 in the second half as Corey Leonard threw a two-yard touchdown pass to J.T. Jordan and Reggie Arnold ran for a five-yard score on the way to the win. Leonard also threw two first half touchdown passes, a 34-yarder to Brandon Thompkins and a 28-yardder to Trevor Gillott, while FAU got a two-yard Charles Pierre scoring run and a three-yard Rob Housler touchdown catch.
Player of the game: Arkansas State QB Corey Leonard completed 19-of-27 passes for 280 yards and three touchdowns, and he ran 14 times for 33 yards
Stat Leaders: Florida Atlantic - Passing: Rusty Smith, 16-38, 196 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Charles Pierre, 12-31, 1 TD. Receiving: Cortez Gent, 4-38
Arkansas State - Passing: Corey Leonard, 19-27, 280 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Reggie Arnold, 22-150, 1 TD. Receiving: Brandon Thompkins, 6-98, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... FAU now needs to scramble. The defending Sun Belt champions couldn’t get the offense going in the second half with no rushing production and not enough from Rusty Smith and the passing game. Defensively, there wasn’t enough pressure to disrupt the ASU offense and Corey Leonard. Now it’ll take a win Florida International to become bowl eligible, and while that might not mean a 13^th game, it’ll mean the step back taken this year isn’t too big.

Nov. 15
Florida Atlantic 40 … UL Lafayette 29
Florida Atlantic got up 19-0 and 40-7 with Rusty Smith throwing four touchdown passes with two to Rob Housler and a five-yarder to Jamari Grant. The FAU secondary came up with three interceptions as ULL couldn’t get the passing game going in comeback mode. Tyrell Fenroy ran for a 14-yard score in the second quarter, but the offense didn’t get moving until the game was well out of reach with 22 points in the final 7:44, with the defense getting a 30-yard fumble return for a score from Scooter Rogers.
Player of the game: Florida Atlantic QB Rusty Smith completed 17-of-26 passes for 290 yards and four touchdowns
Stat Leaders: UL Lafayette - Passing: Michael Desormeaux, 11-18, 84 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Tyrell Fenroy, 18-92, 1 TD. Receiving: Jason Chery, 6-29
Florida Atlantic - Passing: Rusty Smith, 17-26, 290 yds, 4 TD
Rushing: Charles Pierre, 10-109, 1 TD. Receiving: Jamari Grant, 5-86, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Now FAU is right back in the Sun Belt title hunt. It’ll need a lot of help, and it’ll have to come through with another big defensive performance, but the win over UL Lafayette was by far the best of the season. The defense was all over the ULL running game while Rusty Smith and the offense was rolling from the start. Now on a four-game winning streak, this was the FAU team everyone was expecting. The lines played extremely well and everything clicked at the right time throughout the offense. To beat Arkansas State, it’ll be all about the defense that has been among the best in the Sun Belt. A bowl game is still possible by winning out.

Nov. 8
Florida Atlantic 46 … North Texas 13
Rusty Smith threw four touchdown passes with two to Cortez Gent as Florida Atlantic breezed past the Mean Green. FAU cranked out 507 yards of total offense and blew up on a 30-point scoring run highlighted by a blocked punt for a score from Darian Thomas, a 41-yard Charles Pierre touchdown run and a 57-yard DiIvory Edgecomb catch and run for a score. North Texas managed just 133 yards of passing offense with a one-yard Cam Montgomery touchdown run in the second, but couldn’t keep up the pace.
Player of the game: Florida Atlantic QB Rusty Smith completed 15-of-23 passes for 237 yards and four touchdowns with an interception.
Stat Leaders: North Texas - Passing: Giovanni Vizza, 13-23, 125 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Cam Montgomery, 20-80, 1 TD. Receiving: Brock Stickler, 5-34
Florida Atlantic - Passing: Rusty Smith, 15-23, 237 yds, 4 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Charles Pierre, 12-140, 1 TD. Receiving: Cortez Gent, 7-116, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The FAU offense finally woke up, but it took a game against North Texas to do it. This was the balanced, explosive attack that was supposed to take the Sun Belt by storm this year, but it never happened. Rusty Smith made several big plays while Charles Pierre provided decent pop for the running game. Meanwhile, the defense did a great job of keeping the UNT offense under wraps. Next up are the Sun Belt big boys, UL Lafayette and Arkansas State. Win those, and a winning season, and a bowl game, are possible.

Oct. 25
Florida Atlantic 29 … UL Monroe 28
Rusty Smith hit Cortez Gant with a 22-yard touchdown pass with 22 seconds to play to propel the Owls to the comeback win. ULM took a 21-0 first half lead on two Darrell McNeal touchdowns and a six-yard Anthony McCall touchdown catch, but it was all Florida Atlantic to follow as Smith ran for a touchdown and hooked up with Gent for a 13-yard score just before halftime. The Owls kept moving the ball but could only managed three Warley Leroy field goals before the final drive. ULM broke the run in the fourth quarter with a eight-yard Zeek Zacharie scoring catch, but the offense couldn’t put the game away. The two teams combined for 18 penalties and five turnovers.
Player of the game: Florida Atlantic DB Corey Small made 11 tackles
Stat Leaders: Florida Atlantic - Passing: Rusty Smith, 28-39, 267 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Charles Pierre, 17-80. Receiving: Rob Housler, 6-62
UL Monroe - Passing: Kinsmon Lancaster, 22-28, 216 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Kinsmon Lancaster, 14-86. Receiving: Frank Goodin, 6-66
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... FAU isn’t doing things easily. Finally, Rusty Smith and the receiving corps started to get working with Cortez Gent coming up with a breakout game against ULM, but there were too many field goal drives that could’ve easily been touchdown marches. Even so, it was a big road win to possibly turn the season around with North Texas up next to kick off a run of three home games in the final four. The Sun Belt title dream is gone, but that doesn’t mean the program can’t make some major noise and screw up a team like UL Lafayette or Arkansas State.

Oct. 18
Florida Atlantic 24 … Western Kentucky 20
Charles Pierre ran for touchdowns from eight and 74 yards out, and William Rose caught a 13-yard touchdown pass as Florida Atlantic overcame a sloppy performance to get the win. The defenses held in the second half with FAU finally able to get a little bit of breathing room with a 23-yard Warley Leroy field goal. The Western Kentucky offense ran for 240 yards but only generated 77 through the air. Most of the production came in the second quarter on a 37-yard Marell Booker touchdown run and a 64-yard Tyrell Hayden scoring dash.
Player of the game: Florida Atlantic RB Charles Pierre ran 24 times for 192 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Western Kentucky - Passing: Dexter Taylor, 4-6, 43 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Tyrell Hayden, 19-84, 1 TD. Receiving: Jake Gaebler, 2-34
Florida Atlantic - Passing: Rusty Smith, 15-23, 174 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Charles Pierre, 24-192, 2 TD. Receiving: William Rose 4-24, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... 11 penalties for 100 yards and little consistency to the passing game didn’t seem to matter against Western Kentucky. Rusty Smith and the FAU offense continues to have problems, but the defense did what it needed to do, especially in the second half, to come away with the win. The season will hardly be changed around now, but the win stopped a four-game slide with winnable games against UL Monroe and North Texas ahead.

Oct. 7
Troy 30 ... Florida Atlantic 17
Troy jumped out to a 17-3 lead helped by a two-yard Jamie Hampton touchdown run and a 16-yard DuJuan Harris scoring dash. But FAU stayed alive with an eight-yard Jamari Grant touchdown catch late in the first half. Troy ended the drama with two of Sam Glusman's three field goals coming in the second half, while Hampton added a one-yard rushing touchdown. The Trojans finished with 233 yards on the ground while the defense came up with four sacks.
Player of the game: Troy FS Tavares Williams made nine tackles and a tackle for loss
Stat Leaders: Florida Atlantic - Passing: Rusty Smith, 21-41, 283, yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: DiIvory Edgecomb, 7-42. Receiving: Jamari Grant, 6-82, 1 TD
Troy - Passing: Jamie Hampton, 10-21, 116 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Jamie Hampton, 17-61, 2 TD. Receiving: Jerrel Jernigan, 6-63
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Now the Owls have to find a way to gear it up. At 1-5 with a painful 0-2 start to the Sun Belt season has crushed all the team's goals and hopes for the season, and now there won't be another home game until November 8th. The offensive line couldn't get any push for the running game against Troy and it struggled to handle the pass rush. Rusty Smith was decent throwing the ball, but he couldn't get enough going in the second half to put points on the board. On the plus side, the defense wasn't bad against everyone but Jamie Hampton. However, there wasn't any pass rush while there were too many missed opportunities on offense.

Sept. 30
Middle Tennessee 14 ... Florida Atlantic 13
Joe Craddock hit Malcolm Beyah on a 32-yard Hail Mary as time ran out, and Alan Gendreau nailed the extra point, as Middle Tennessee stunned Florida Atlantic in the final moments. The Owls took a 10-0 lead in the first half on a 53-yard DiIvory Edgecomb touchdown run and the first of two Warley Leroy field goals. The Blue Raiders first got on the board with a 25-yard Patrick Honeycutt touchdown grab, but the offense struggled to get moving until the very end. Four FAU turnovers killed decent drives.
Player of the game: Middle Tennessee QB Joe Craddock completed 24-of-35 passes for 268 yards and two touchdowns, and ran for 13 yards.
Stat Leaders: Middle Tennessee - Passing: Joe Craddock, 24-35, 268, 2 TD
Rushing: Phillip Tanner, 11-38. Receiving: Patrick Honeycutt, 9-113, 1 TD
Florida Atlantic - Passing: Rusty Smith, 16-27, 208 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: DiIvory Edgecomb, 16-103, 1 TD. Receiving: Rob Housler, 3-44
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... All of a sudden, Florida Atlantic is gone back to pre-2007 days. With one stunning, painful Hail Mary from Middle Tennessee, the Owls now have work to do to win the Sun Belt title again. On the plus side, this loss really doesn't matter. The Blue Raiders already have two Sun Belt losses, so if FAU wins out, it'll be the champion, but after this loss, and after not beating one of the BCS teams on the non-conference schedule, this 1-4 start is a step back in the program's development. The run defense was great this week and Rusty Smith threw well, but four turnovers and eight penalties turned out to hurt. Now the battle next week against Troy goes from important to the game of the season. Lose that and the season's over.

Sept. 20
Minnesota 37 ... Florida Atlantic 3
DeLeon Eskridge ran for two one-yard scores and Adam Weber connected with Eric Decker on a 31-yard touchdown pass as Minnesota had no problems with Florida Atlantic. FAU gained just 276 yards of total offense with Rusty Smith getting picked off four times. Simoni Lawrence took one of the interceptions 50 yards for a fourth quarter touchdown while the secondary held Smith to just 153 passing yards. FAU's only points came on a 35-yard Warley Leroy field goal.
Player of the game: Minnesota RB DeLeon Eskridge ran 19 times for 78 yards and two touchdowns, and had six catches for 61 yards.
Stat Leaders: Florida Atlantic - Passing: Rusty Smith, 17-34, 153 yds, 4 INTs
Rushing: Charles Pierre, 10-70. Receiving: Lester Jean, 6-61
Minnesota - Passing: Adam Weber, 19-24, 235 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: DeLeone Eskridge, 19-78, 2 TDs. Receiving: Eric Decker, 7-122, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The FAU defense didn't do anything to slow down a balanced Minnesota attack, while the offense got a bad day out of Rusty Smith. If there isn't going to be much of a running game, and it's not like Charles Pierre wasn't effective when he had his chances, then Smith has to be deadly. He struggled all game long to get the offense moving, got picked off four times, and FAU is suddenly lifeless offensively. Everything needs to pick up in a hurry or Middle Tennessee will come up with the win in next week's Sun Belt opener.

Sept. 13
Michigan State 17 ... Florida Atlantic 0
In a constant, driving rain, MSU got 282 yards and touchdown runs from 21 and 11 yards from Javon Ringer, along with a 22-yard Brett Swenson field goal. The defense held the Owls to 225 yards, but Florida Atlantic shot itself in the foot with mishandled snap on a field goal, two fumbles, and seven key penalties. The two teams combined to convert just five of 31 third down chances.
Player of the game: Michigan State RB Javon Ringer ran for 282 yards and two touchdowns on 43 carries, adding a 12-yard reception.
Stat Leaders: Florida Atlantic - Passing: Rusty Smith, 8-34, 143 yds
Rushing: Charles Pierre, 12-57. Receiving: Jamari Grant, 3-41
Michigan State - Passing: Brian Hoyer, 5-15, 88 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Javon Ringer, 43-282, 2 TDs. Receiving: Mark Dell, 1-47
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Michigan State is really good, but this will still be a game that Rusty Smith has to put in the past as soon as humanly possible. It might have been a lousy day with rain and wind making life miserable for the passing game, but Smith is better than 8-of-34 passing. Mistakes killed the Owls early on, but they hung tough throughout. It'll be interesting to see what they can do in the Dome next week against Minnesota.

Sept. 6
Florida Atlantic 49 … UAB 24
In an offensive shootout, Rusty Smith threw three touchdown passes and WR Cortez Gent threw a 33-yarder to Chris Bonner as the Owls got up early and never trailed. UAB mounted a second quarter comeback with Joe Webb connecting with Zach Lankford and Frantrell Forrest for scores, but every time the Blazers came close, FAU had an answer. UAB got within eight midway through the fourth quarter on a 10-yard Justin Brooks run, but Charles Pierre put it away with a 73-yard scoring dash in the final minute.
Player of the game:  Florida Atlantic QB Rusty Smith completed 21-of-34 passes for 325 yards and three touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Florida Atlantic - Passing: Rusty Smith, 21-34, 325 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Charles Pierre, 13-138, 2 TD  Receiving: Cortez Gant, 8-146, 1 TD
UAB - Passing: Joe Webb, 26-48, 326 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Joe Webb, 18-66. Receiving: Frantrell Forrest, 11-149, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The Florida Atlantic defense didn’t have an answer for UAB QB Joe Webb, but Rusty Smith and the Owl attack managed to come up with a score every time one was needed. The running game showed up, cranking out 196 yards, and Smith did a good job of getting the ball deep. Smith continues to improve and he’s making the offense hum better and better.

Aug. 30
Texas 52 ... Florida Atlantic 10
Texas dominated Florida Atlantic from the start with an early 14-0 lead off two long drives, and the onslaught never stopped. Colt McCoy three three touchdown passes to three different receivers, and he ran for a two-yard score. FAU managed 10 first half points highlighted by a 20-yard Rob Housler touchdown catch late in the first half, but it was all Texas in the second half. Texas outgained FAU 503 yards to 292.
Player of the game: Texas QB Colt McCoy completed 24 of 29 passes for 222 yards and three touchdowns, and he led the team with 103 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries.
Stat Leaders: Florida Atlantic - Passing: Rusty Smith, 15-31, 253 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: DiIvory Edgecomb, 4-19. Receiving: Jamari Grant, 4-93
Texas - Passing: Colt McCoy, 24-39, 222 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Colt McCoy, 12-103, 1 TD. Receiving: Blaine Irby, 7-62, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Don't poke the bear, don't poke the bear. Howard Schnellenberger's comments about Texas not being tough didn't appear to help the cause as the Longhorns were more fired up than they normally would've been. The defense didn't have any answers for the Texas balance, while the offense didn't get enough out of Rusty Smith to make up for the lack of running game. FAU got whipped on the lines; that's not going to happen against UAB next week.