Know Your Opponent: Florida Atlantic

The Gators have outscored the Owls 100-23 in their previous
two meetings. Sam Greenwood/Getty Images

The Gators will be back in Gainesville for another meeting with the Owls of Florida Atlantic University. In order to meet the education demands of a booming South Florida population, in 1961, the Florida state legislature authorized the establishment of a new university in Boca Raton. The campus was to be built on top of the old Boca Raton Army Airfield, a Second World War-era airbase that had been abandoned since 1948. Florida Atlantic University awarded its first degree to President Lyndon Johnson, who attended its dedication in 1964. The school exclusively served community college graduates and graduate students until 1984, when FAU became a comprehensive four-year institution. Nearly 31,000 students, and almost 25,000 undergrads, are now enrolled at FAU. The school colors are blue and red.

The Florida Atlantic football program is one of the youngest in the FBS. The Audubon Society declared the FAU campus a sanctuary for the burrowing owl in 1971; 10 years later, FAU's first athletics teams called themselves the "Owls". It wasn't until 2001 that Florida Atlantic fielded its first football team. For the first four years of FAU football, the Owls were independents in Division 1-AA (now called the FCS). The Owls joined the Sun Belt Conference for their first full season of 1-A (FBS) football in 2005. In 2007, FAU won their first (and to date, only) conference championship. The Owls moved on to the more prestigious Conference USA (C-USA) before the 2013 season. For their first eight years, FAU played home games at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale (across the county line). Since 2011, the Owls have played on-campus at FAU Stadium. The aptly-named field has an official capacity of 29,419, although the record crowd exceeded 30,000.

Considering their youth as a program, it shouldn't be a surprise that FAU has a rather meager list of accomplishments on the gridiron. Much of FAU's success can be atributed to their first head coach, Howard Schnellenberger. Schnellenberger earned his spot in college football history guiding the Miami Hurricanes to their first national championship in 1983. Schnellenberger led the Owls for their first 11 season (2001–11), guiding them to their only conference championship and two bowl appearances (both victories). In all, Schnellenberger compiled a 58–74 record with the Owls. The 2003 Owls made it as far as the 1-AA semifinals and finished with a #4 ranking in the final poll; their 11 wins are the most by any team in school history. However, the 2007 Owls may have been even better. That year, the Owls won the Sun Belt, going 6-1 in conference play and losing just once (in overtime) to Louisiana-Monroe. None of their four out-of-conference losses were particularly close, but they were all to respectable teams (Oklahoma State, Kentucky, South Florida, and Florida); they finished the year with a triumph over Memphis in the New Orleans Bowl. There may be some argument over who was the greatest Owl player. Quarterback Rusty Smith (2006–09) holds almost every FAU passing record while halfback Alfred Morris (2008–10) possesses most of the important school rushing records. Morris, who is noted for his humility and work-ethic, has gone on to a successful career in the professional league.

Florida Atlantic has never defeated an SEC team.
loxahatchee / Photobucket

The FAU Owls and the FIU Panthers are natural rivals. Their series was nicknamed the "Shula Bowl" after Miami Dolphins head coach Don Shula; Shula hired Howard Schnellenberger as his offensive coordinator in the 1970s while he coached former FIU head coach Don Strock during the same decade. Florida International University was founded in Miami less than a decade after FAU opened its doors and began playing football just one year after the Owls did, 58 miles to the south. The Owls and the Panthers have followed each other at every level of progress, beginning as 1-AA independents, joining the Sun Belt in 2005, and becoming C-USA schools in 2013. Like the Owls, the Panthers have one Sun Belt title and two bowl appearances (although only one victory). Nonetheless, the Panthers trail the Owls in overall success. FAU has beaten FIU on 10 occasions in the 14-year history of the rivalry (the two schools have played every year since FIU started football in 2002). This success can be attributed to the leadership of Howard Schnellenberger. In the rivalry's early history, FAU had a decided coaching advantage, even when they didn't have an edge in talent. Schnellenberger finished his career with an 8-2 record against the Panthers.

Florida and Florida Atlantic have played twice before. Their first meeting, in 2007, was won by Florida 59-20. The Owls had a good day on offense, but just couldn't stop the Gators' offensive explosion; Florida quarterback Tim Tebow became the first player to both pass and rush for 20 touchdown in a season (solidifying his Heisman campaign), while wide receiver Andre Caldwell broke Carlos Alvarez's school record for career receptions during the game. The second contest between the Gators and the Owls was also Will Muschamp's first as a head coach. The aging Schnellenberger coached from the press box while the Gators dominated the Owls on defense. Ultimately, the Gators faced little "adversity" on their way to a 41-3 rout.