After a one week hiatus (you try to find a Western Kentucky blogger) we are back with another edition of Bulls Recon. This week, Marcus Nelson from the FAU independent site FAU OwlAccess was nice enough to answer a couple of questions on FAU, their on-campus stadium, and Coach Schnellenberger. They are THE place to go if you need any news on the Owls.
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Ken: How will Coach Schnellenberger and the defensive staff deal with BJ Daniels and our strong running game?
Marcus: The Owls will be making a few adjustments in the way they monitor the quarterback when he starts to scramble. FAU’s run defense is not very good, and it’s even worse with a running quarterback. USF’s strengths in this are the kinds of things that the Owls have struggled with.
K: How is Jeff Van Camp doing following Owls great Rusty Smith?
M: Van Camp has been one of the few bright spots for the Owls It’s just a shame FAU will only use him for one full season. His arm is at least as strong as Smith’s, but behind a young offensive line, Van Camp is taking advantage of his ability to scramble, although he is probably doing a little bit more than he likes.
K: Who should we keep an extra eye on come Saturday? Have there been any true freshmen that have stepped up this year?
M: There’s only one true freshman that is receiving playing time and that’s defensive end Cory Henry and he is going to be a good one. He enrolled in January and went through spring drills but is an absolute beast off the ball and you can really see the improvement each game. Also cornerback Keith Reaser, a redshirt freshman lacks experience, but has plenty of potential.
K: Coach Schnellenberger is closer to 80 now than 70. How much longer do you think Howard will stick around Boca Raton?
M: After 10 years of talking about it, FAU plans to finally open its on-campus stadium next season (possibly against USF). You can mark it down that Schnellenberger, who never coached in the stadium he planned at Louisville, will coach that season. After that, it gets a little dicey. I could see where Schnellenberger coaches another year or two in the stadium he worked for years to build, but he could decide to walk away after clearing the last hurdle in a nearly 50-year career. Let me be clear on this, after what he has done with this campus and athletic department, Schnellenberger should decide when his last year should be.
K: I remember the trip down to Lockhart Stadium a couple of years back, and talks about an on-campus stadium were in the works. Now that the Board of Governors have finally given the green light, how excited is the Athletic Department that they will have a stadium to call their own?
M: A new on-campus stadium, as Schnellenberger has always said, will transform the athletic department and the culture of Boca Raton. Lockhart Stadium is a liability when it comes to recruiting, but starting next season FAU can bring in recruits and show them a state of the art stadium, which should also help increase the fan base.
K: Speaking of home stadiums, how weird was it to have the FAU logo in the middle of Ford Field when you faced Michigan State earlier this season?
M: That was a very strange experience. Not only was the FAU logo at midfield, but the Owls fight song was played over the PA when they scored, which did not go over well for the 99 percent of the crowd that was cheering for the Spartans.
K: Finally, do you have any predictions that you have for the game Saturday?
M: This game will look more like the 2002 game when the Bulls won 51-10 than the 2007 contest when the Owls played USF close before falling 35-23. In an easy game USF 42, FAU 14
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Thanks again to Marcus who helped out a great deal this week. For all things Owls, please visit FAU OwlAccess or follow them on Twitter.