2006 Florida Atlantic Owls Season, Game Recaps, Scores and Reviews
Nov. 25
Florida Atlantic 31 ... FIU 0
The Florida Atlantic defense held FIU to 203 yards while the
offense got two first half Rusty Smith touchdown passes and short
scoring runs from Charles Pierre and B.J. Manley. Aaron Sanchez caught a
one-yard pass and Frantz Simeon caught a 13-yard pass to start the
scoring. FIU got into the red zone just once but failed to score. FAU
held on to the ball for 34:08.
Player of the game
... Florida Atlantic QB Rusty Smith completed 13 of 20 passes for
178 yards and two touchdowns Stat Leaders: Florida Atlantic- Passing: Rusty
Smith, 13-20, 178 yds, 2 TD Rushing: B.J. Manley, 10-53, 1 TD Receiving:
Casey McGahee, 6-64 FIU - Passing: Josh Padrick, 11-23, 92 yds Rushing: A'mod Ned, 10-39 Receiving: Chandler Williams, 6-60 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Finishing up with two wins and
three wins in the final five games, along with a blowout this week
over FIU, Florida Atlantic is closing out on a major high note. To
make things more exciting is the play of QB Rusty Smith over the
last few weeks showing that he should be a good playmaker to build
the offense around. Considering all the holes that needed filling
going into this year, along with the brutal schedule to start the
season, 5-7 is impressive.
Nov. 18
Florida Atlantic 17 ... North Texas 16
Florida Atlantic forced four North Texas turnovers with Taheem
Acevedo picking off two passes, including one to seal the game
picking off Matt Phillips on the FAU 38 with just over a minute to
play. The Owls scored all 17 of their points in the first half
highlighted by a 38-yard interception return for a score from Kris
Bartels, but the defense had to hold on in the second half as North
Texas got two of Denis Hopovac's three field goals to pull within
one. The Mean Green had two more drives coming up empty on each. Player of the game ... Florida Atlantic DB Taheem Acevedo
made 13 tackles, two tackles for loss, and two interceptions with
one locking up the win Stat Leaders: North Texas - Passing: Matt
Phillips, 4-7, 44 yds, 1 INT Rushing: Evan Robertson, 27-201, 1 TD Receiving:
Johnny Quinn, 9-81 Florida Atlantic - Passing: Rusty Smith, 10-22,
101 yds Rushing: Charles Pierre, 28-116, 1 TD Receiving:
Josh Harmon, 4-19 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... The
defense gave up plenty of yards allowing North Texas to rush for 254
on the ground, but it rarely broke forcing field goals instead of
allowing touchdowns. It came up with turnovers to stall drives and
made the big plays late when it absolutely needed to. The offense
might have taken a slight step back with Rusty Smith struggling
throwing the ball after a strong game against Troy, but RB Charles
Pierre picked up the slack with a huge game. If the Owls can beat
FIU in the Shula Bowl next week,
finishing with a five-win season would be a great step forward.
Nov. 11
Troy 24 ... Florida Atlantic 17
Troy took to the air against the Owls with Omar Haugabook
connecting with Toris Rutledge for a 70-yard touchdown early in the
first quarter and hitting Mykeal Terry on scoring passes fro 67 and
54 yards out. Florida Atlantic battled throughout getting an
eight-yard scoring catch from Aaron Sanchez early and Rusty Smith's
second touchdown pass of the game on a 14-yard.pass to Jamari Grant.
The Owls got down to the Troy 21 on their final drive, but turned it
over. Player of the game ... Troy QB Omar Haugabook completed 20 of
29 passes for 325 yards and three touchdowns with an interception Stat Leaders: Troy - Passing: Omar Haugabook,
20-29, 325, 3 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Kenny Cattouse, 18-91 Receiving:
Mykeal Terry, 5-153, 2 TD Florida Atlantic - Passing: Rusty Smith, 24-37, 312 yds, 2
TD, 2 INT Rushing: Charles Pierre, 18-29 Receiving: Aaron Sanchez, 5-37,
1 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... There's a
silver lining in the loss to Troy; Rusty Smith threw the ball well
again. The Owls aren't contending for anything this year, so it's
about developing week after week and getting the experience for next
season. Coming off two nice passing days, Smith is starting to play
like a quarterback the team can revolve around for the next few
years. It would've helped if Charles Pierre and the running attack
could've done something to help out, and it would've been nice if
the corners didn't get torched on three big touchdowns, but this was
still a positive loss.
Nov. 4
Middle Tennessee 35 ... Florida Atlantic 14
Florida Atlantic to its opening drive deep into Middle
Tennessee territory, but it missed on a field goal attempt and it
was all downhill from there. Eugene Gross had a career day rushing
for 208 yards starting off the scoring with a two-yard run and
closing it out with a 56-yard dash. The special teams got into the
act with a 94-yard Damon Nickson kickoff return for a score to open
the second half while the defense got involved with a 50-yard fumble
return for a touchdown from Justin Rainey. Casey McGahee caught a
nine-yard touchdown pass for the Owls and Charles Pierre ran for a
four-yard score. Player of the game ... Middle Tennessee RB Eugene Gross
ran 21 times for 208 yards and two touchdowns Stat Leaders: Florida Atlantic- Passing:
Rusty Smith, 18-30, 223 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Charles Pierre, 22-86, 1 TD Receiving:
Frantz Simeon, 6-97 Middle Tennessee - Passing: Clint Marks,
5-11, 71 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Eugene Gross, 21-208, 2 TD Receiving:
DeMarco McNair, 2-35 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Florida
Atlantic turned it over four times against Middle Tennessee and
didn't get the run defense is had at home over the previous two
games. Eugene Gross ripped apart the Owl D with problems on the
defensive line holding up for sixty minutes. With Sean Clayton not
getting anything done taking too many sacks and not moving the
offense, Rusty Smith might end up being the answer. Charles Pierre
ran well.
Oct. 28
Florida Atlantic 29 ... Arkansas State 0
Corey Small picked off three passes returning one for a score
as part of a Florida Atlantic defense that held Arkansas State to
104 yards of total offense and a mere six rushing yards. The offense
took advantage of the good field position with three short scoring
drives and capped it off with a 22-yard interception return for a
score from Small in the final few minutes. Warley Leroy hit two
field goals, B.J. Manley tore off a 35-yard run, and Aaron Sanchez
caught a three-yard touchdown pass. Player of the game ... Florida Atlantic DB Corey Small
led the Owls with seven tackles and picked off three passes taking
one for a score Stat Leaders: Florida Atlantic- Passing:
Sean Clayton, 9-19, 91 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Charles Pierre, 24-122 Receiving:
Avery Holley, 3-46 Arkansas State - Passing: Corey Leonard,
7-16, 55 yds, 3 INT
Rushing: Reggie Arnold, 11-35 Receiving: Levi
Dejohnette, 4-73 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Florida
Atlantic found its formula in the stunning, dominant win over
Arkansas State. Get up early, don' t make mistakes, and let the
defense to the rest. The run defense has become something special
swarming all over the field, while the secondary is jumping all over
average passing attacks. Arkansas State had to press to try to get
back into the game and got burned. Sean Clayton wasn't terrific, but
he might have cemented himself as the starting quarterback for at
least the next few weeks.
Oct. 18
UL Lafayette 6 ... Florida Atlantic 0
UL Lafayette got a 44-yard Drew Edmiston field goal in the
second quarter and a 43-yard field goal in the third, and then hung
on as FAU's offense came up with its best drive of the night with
time running out. Michael Adams broke up a pass in the end zone with
two seasons to play to seal the win. The two teams combined for just
465 total yards of offense and six turnovers. Player of the game ... UL Lafayette DB Michael Adams
made four tackles and saved the game with his broken up pass in the
end zone. Stat Leaders: Florida Atlantic- Passing:
Rusty Smith, 10-19, 88 yds, 1 INT Rushing: Charles Pierre, 12-54 Receiving:
Jason Harmon, 3-36 UL Lafayette - Passing: Jerry Babb,
11-21, 84 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Tyrell Fenroy, 18-87 Receiving:
Louis Lee, 3-32 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... The
quarterback situation probably won't be settled for the rest of the
year after both Sean Clayton and Rusty Smith saw time against UL
Lafayette. Clayton was the main man early, but Smith finished it
getting the chance to lead the way on the final drive. The defense
did everything it could do coming up with its best game of the year,
but the offense simply didn't help out, and worse yet, was a
hindrance with four turnovers. Things don't get any easier with
Arkansas State, Middle Tennessee, and Troy up next.
Oct. 12
Florida Atlantic 32 ... Southern Utah 7
Florida Atlantic had no problems with Southern Utah jumping
out to a 32-0 lead before giving up a three-yard touchdown catch to
Brett Johansen in the final minutes. Charles Pierre ran for 103
yards and a score and Sean Clayton threw two touchdown passes
highlighted by a 33-yard pass to Avery Holley in the fourth. Warley
Leroy kicked two 40-yard field goals. Player of the game ... Florida Atlantic RB Charles
Pierre ran 20 times for 103 yards and a touchdown. Stat Leaders: Florida Atlantic- Passing:
Sean Clayton, 14-24, 208 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Charles Pierre, 20-103, 1 TD Receiving:
Frantz Simeon, 5-77 Southern Utah - Passing: Wes Marshall,
17-32, 173 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Wes Marshall, 8-55 Receiving:
Joey Hew Len, 4-41 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Southern
Utah isn't all that horrible a D-IAA team, but Florida Atlantic was
able to win in a walk thanks to a balanced offense and a
surprisingly strong performance from the defense that shut down the
SU running game. The three turnovers were a little bit concerning,
but the offense hit on some big plays, with Sean Clayton pushing it
deep, and Charles Pierre running well. Now the momentum has to
continue against UL Lafayette next week.
Sept. 30
Florida Atlantic 21 ... UL Monroe 19
Florida Atlantic got ahead for good on a 16-yard Aaron Sanchez
touchdown run with less than five minutes to play, and then the
defense held on as Darrell McNeal caught a scoring pass to bring ULM
to within two, but the conversion failed, FAU recovered the onside
kick, and ran out the clock. Sean Clayton threw a 224-yard touchdown
pass to Avery Holley and Charles Pierre ran for a six-yard score for
a 14-10 FAU halftime lead, but ULM stayed alive on a four-yard
Kinsmon Lancaster run and two Cole Wilson field goals. Player of the game ... Florida Atlantic QB Frantz
Simeon completed 12 of 18 passes for 164 yards and a touchdowns and
ran nine times for 54 yards Stat Leaders: Florida Atlantic- Passing:
Sean Clayton, 12-18, 164 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Charles Pierre, 21-85, 1 TD Receiving:
Frantz Simeon, 3-64 UL Monroe - Passing: Chance Payne, 11-20,
160 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Darrell McNeal, 1-39 Receiving:
LaGregory Sapp, 5-96 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Florida
Atlantic wasn't perfect against ULM with the defense having too many
problems coming up with a big stop, but a win is a win. QB Sean
Clayton had his best game yet by far, and there was finally a
running game from Charles Pierre to keep the offense moving. After
the horrific start to the season, the team is 1-0 in Sun Belt play
with a three game home stretch ahead that it has to take full
advantage of.
Sept. 23
South Carolina 45 ... Florida Atlantic 6
Syvelle Newton and Sidney Rice hooked up for five touchdowns
in the first 32 minutes of the game on the way to a 35-6 Gamecock
lead. Mike Davis ran for a one-yard score to make the blowout even
worse. The Owls got their only score on a 25-yard touchdown pass to
to Jason Harmon, but they failed to tie the game after the missed
extra point. USC outgained FAU 492 yards to 243. Player of the game ... South Carolina WR Sidney Rice
caught nine passes for 161 yards and five touchdowns Stat Leaders: Florida Atlantic- Passing:
Sean Clayton, 5-17, 66 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Sean Clayton, 5-68. Receiving:
Chad Wilkes, 3-29 South Carolina - Passing: Syvelle Newton,
13-20, 216 yds, 5 TD
Rushing: Taylor Rank, 15-101 Receiving:
Sidney Rice, 9-161, 5 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... The
dreariness of the season continues after getting blasted by South
Carolina, but there's light at the end of the tunnel with next
week's game at UL Monroe kicking off the Sun Belt season. Finally,
FAU will get to run the offense without worrying about trying not to
be embarrassed. Sean Clayton has been the entire offense so far, and
now he'll need more help from Charles Pierre and the running game. A
go-to receiver would be nice, and one has to quickly emerge over the
next few weeks or the attack will never get going.
Sept. 16
Oklahoma State 48 ... Florida Atlantic 8
Oklahoma State blew past the Owls with a 41-0 lead before the
run was finally broken with a nine-yard William Rose touchdown run
in the fourth quarter. Bobby Reid ran for a nine-yard score and
threw a 71-yard touchdown pass to Adarius Bowman to go along with
two Mike Hamilton touchdown runs and two Jason Ricks field goals.
Dantrell Savage closed out the scoring with a 70-yard dash from
Dantrell Savage. Player of the game ... Oklahoma State RB Mike Hamilton
ran 11 times for 85 yards and two touchdowns. Stat Leaders: Florida Atlantic - Passing:
Rusty Smith, 10-15, 110 yds, 1 INT Rushing: Willie Floyd, 7-31. Receiving:
Frantz Simeon, 3-30 Oklahoma State - Passing: Bobby Reid,
9-16, 188 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Dantrell Savage, 8-96. Receiving: Adarius
Bowman, 2-96 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Nothing's
working for the Owls. It's not that its 0-3, it's that it's not even
close. The defense has to find a way to come up with an early stop
and not get out of games so early on. The offense has to play catch
up from the word go, and it's not built to throw the ball.
Does FAU have a running game? It's hard to tell because it's not
given a chance to get going. It won't have much more luck next week
against South Carolina.
Sept. 9
Kansas State 45 ... Florida Atlantic 0
Kansas State started off the game hot as Justin McKinney took
the opening kickoff 88 yards for a score, and things steamrolled
from there for Ron Prince's team. Dylan Meier threw two touchdown
passes, Yamon Figurs ran for a 38-yard score and Thomas Clayton ran
for a two-yard score. Terry Petrie closed out the scoring with a
32-yard dash. Florida Atlantic only managed 200 yard of total
offense. Player of the game ... Kansas State RB Thomas Clayton
ran 16 times for 89 yards and a touchdown Stat Leaders: Florida Atlantic - Passing:
Sean Clayton, 8-14, 95 yds Rushing: Charles Pierre, 14-29. Receiving:
Chris Bonner, 2-50 Kansas State - Passing: Dylan Meier,
10-20, 125 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Thomas Clayton, 19-89, 1 TD. Receiving:
Rashaad Norwood & Jermaine Moreira, 3-40 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... FAU has
to find something it can count on offensively. The move from Rusty
Smith back to Sean Clayton at quarterback should help a little bit,
but there needs to be some sort of running game to help out. To even
come close over the next few weeks against Oklahoma State and South
Carolina, the Owls have to be far sharper. They can't commit 12
penalties like they did against the Wildcats.
Sept. 2
Clemson 54 ... Florida Atlantic 6
Clemson didn't come out sharp, but it didn't matter as QB Will
Proctor settled down and threw three touchdown passes including two
in the first half on the way to a 24-0 lead. FAU managed two Warley
Leroy field goals to start the second half, but the Clemson offense
cranked it back up scoring 30 unanswered points finished off by a
92-yard punt return for a touchdown from Jacoby Ford and a 31-yard
fumble return for a score from Sergio Gilliam. Player of the game ... Clemson QB Will Proctor
completed 13 of 20 passes for 166 yards and three touchdowns with an
interception. Stat Leaders: Florida Atlantic - Passing:
Sean Clayton, 11-22, 112, 1 INT Rushing: Charles Pierre, 8-31. Receiving:
Frantz Simeon, 3-28 Clemson - Passing: Will Proctor, 13-20,
166 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: James Davis, 14-94, 1 TD. Receiving:
Chansi Stuckey, 5-66, 1 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
Florida Atlantic walked into a beartrap against
a Clemson team that's a legitimate
threat to win the ACC title. As the
first of a five game road stretch, the
Owls have to quickly find something it
can hang it's hat on. It couldn't get
anything going on the ground against the
Tigers gaining a mere 47 yards, and Sean
Clayton couldn't connect on any big
passes to stretch the field. The defense
has to start generating some pressure on
the quarterback.
Fine, so Florida Atlantic won't set the Sun Belt world on fire in
its second season in the big leagues after going 2-9 in 2005 and
with a boatload of young players needing to fill key roles.
It doesn't matter right now. A team can go from the outhouse to the
penthouse in a big hurry in the Sun Belt, and Howard
Schnellenberger's program has the potential to be a champion very
soon.
With the south Florida recruiting base to draw from and a recent
history of success, at least, one year of success, FAU could quickly
become a major thorn in the Sun Belt's side with enough good
athletes and the solid coaching to become a yearly contender.
However, the team will have to go through
some major growing pains this season with a
ridiculously young defense and an offense that might not be a whole
bunch better after only scoring 148 points last season. Call it a
possible step back to take a giant leap forward.
The 2007 Owls will have experience and depth to burn just about
everywhere. The 2006 Owls have to find some semblance of a pass rush
after generating six sacks. They have to get a more consistent passing
game going despite losing the top two receivers and leader Danny Embick
at quarterback. They have to navigate their way through a brutal first
half of the season with a defensive front seven that's among the
smallest in the country, an offensive line with little depth, and
special teams that were a nightmare last season and are in total
disarray going into this year.
However, the cupboard isn't completely bare. The backfield has several
good running backs to choose from, the safeties should be among the
deepest in the Sun Belt, and there's more than enough quickness to go
around.
Once again, it doesn't take much to make a big jump up in the Sun Belt,
so the hope is for a bit of improvement by late October when the meat of
the conference schedule kicks in.
The Schedule:
Yumpin yiminy .... five straight road games to start the season.
Seven road games in all along with a neutral site date with FIU. At
Clemson, at Kansas State, at Oklahoma State and at South Carolina
before starting the Sun Belt season at UL Monroe. Good luck with
that. Things ease up over the second half of the year and there's a
nice break getting last year's conference heavyweights UL Lafayette
and Arkansas State at home. Going on the road to face MTSU and North
Texas isn't a plus.
Best
Offensive Player: Sophomore RB DiIvory Edgecomb. The quick
sophomore can not only serve as the team's best running back, he can
also turn into one of the team's best receivers if needed. The
offense will find several ways to use his talent.
Best
Defensive Player: Sophomore DT Jervonte Jackson. The safeties are
among the team's best defenders with Taheem Acevedo, Kris Bartels
and Greg Joseph all able to be big playmakers, but Jackson has the
best upside. He's 280 pounds and quick enough to be a good interior
pass rusher.
Key
player to a successful season: Junior QB Sean Clayton. It's a
quarterback derby between Frank Messina, Rusty Smith, and the speedy
McKinson Souverain with Clayton the most experienced and steadiest.
He's a decent runner and a nice passer, but his key will be mistakes
... he can't make them. The offense was awful last season and won't
be any better unless Clayton, or one of the quarterbacks, becomes a
playmaker.
The
season will be a success if ... FAU wins four games. Forget about
a win until October, but that's not to say the Owls can't pull off a
few road wins in conference play and win a few home games to double
last year's victory total.
Key
game: Sept. 30 at UL Monroe. The Sun Belt opener will be the first
game FAU has a chance to play someone its own size. After losing
28-21 in last year's conference opener to the Indians, the Owls
could use the win to signal that 2006 could be a vastly different
season.
2005
Fun Stats:
- Sacks: Opponents 34 for 227 yards - Florida Atlantic 6 for 23 yards
- Third quarter scoring: Opponents 91 - Florida Atlantic 27
- Field goals: Opponents 13 of 21 - Florida Atlantic 4 of 10
The Last Time Florida Atlantic…
…played in a bowl game…never
…missed a bowl game…2005
…pitched a shutout…2004 (Illinois State)
…was shutout…2005 (Arkansas State)
…scored 50 points…2003 (Siena)
…went undefeated…never
…won a conference title…never
…had a 3,000-yard passer…2003 (Jared Allen)
…had a 1,000-yard rusher…never
…had a 1,000-yard receiver…2003 (Anthony Crissinger-Hill)
…had a first-round draft choice…never
