YSU FOOTBALL Florida Atlantic only in second year of play

The Owls will host Youngstown State Saturday night in Pro Player Stadium.
By PETE MOLLICA
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- Florida Atlantic, in just its second season of football, is winless in five games this season.
The school, located in Boca Raton, Fla., was 4-6 last year. The Owls are coached by Howard Schnellenberger, who has been a head coach for 18 years at Miami (Fla.), Louisville and Oklahoma, and was also the coach of the Baltimore Colts.
Schnellenberger came to Florida Atlantic in 1998, challenged to start a program from scratch. He helped raise over $15 million and brought in 55 recruits.
In 2000 he held weekly intrasquad scrimmages and opened the 2001 campaign against Slippery Rock University, a 40-7 loss.
Play in NFL stadium
Schnellenberger helped broker a three-year deal with the Miami Dolphins, where he was once an assistant coach, to play FAU's home games at the Pro Player Stadium. That's where the Owls will host Youngstown State (3-2) Saturday at 7 p.m.
"It is a lot easier to build a program from scratch then to try and revive a dying program," Schnellenberger said.
Despite the Owls' 4-11 record over the last two seasons, Schnellenberger has seen improvement.
"We have tried to get the toughest schedule we could possibly get, because that is how you grow, by playing teams better than you are and learning from them," he said.
Last season the Owls upset No. 22-ranked Bethune-Cookman 31-28.
This year, FAU has lost to South Florida (51-10), Bethune-Cookman (30-17), James Madison (16-13), Eastern Kentucky (22-6) and Nicholls State (33-22).
FAU starts 21 sophomores, but a rash of injuries has claimed six starters for Saturday's games, two of them will be out for the season.
The starters listed as out are running back and the team's leading rusher Anthony Jackson and guard Williams McDonald (out season), center Chris Munoz, while the defense will be missing linebacker Tyrone Higgins, end Ramone Rickards and safety Mauratae Johnson.
Offensively, the Owls have averaged just over 40 yards per game on the ground and just under 200 yards per game passing.
Leading the offense
Sophomore quarterback Jared Allen (6-foot-3, 195 pounds) has completed 50-of-96 passes for 763 yards and four touchdowns. Last season he lost a coin flip to determine the starter, but went on to start in eight games.
The top receiver is sophomore wide receiver Brittney Tellis, who has 21 catches for 462 yards and four touchdowns.
The Owls have scored just one rushing touchdown, by sophomore Daveon Barron.
The offensive line is small but quick. Two of them, sophomore center George Guffey and sophomore guard Kevin Fischer, only weigh 235 pounds.
FAU's defense is giving up over 30 points and over 350 total yards per game. The top tackler is sophomore linebacker Chris Laskowski (5-10, 212), with 34 stops and four for losses. Sophomore cornerback Willie Hughley (5-11, 175) has two of the team's three interceptions, while defensive end William Gray (6-4, 210) leads the team with three sacks.
Place kicker Mark Myers, a sophomore, is 5-of-7 in field goals, but his longest is only 38 yards. Junior punter Andy Rosas is averaging 41.2 yards per kick, but he's had two blocked.
mollica@vindy.com