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Florida Atlantic University Athletics
FAU Accepts Motor City Bowl Invitation
12/7/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 7, 2008
BOCA RATON, FL - Florida Atlantic University's Athletics Department has accepted an invitation for its football team (6-6) to play Central Michigan University (8-4) in the 2008 Motor City Bowl on Friday, December 26 at 7:30 p.m. at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan.
"We are grateful that the Motor City Bowl had confidence in us and selected us from so many teams of merit," said Craig Angelos FAU's athletics director. "The Motor City Bowl is a great opportunity for us to continue to grow in national prominence and to showcase our program to the nation."
The Owls, under the direction of legendary Head Coach Howard Schnellenberger, exploded in the second half of the 2008 season behind the arm of redshirt-junior quarterback Rusty Smith.
In the final six games of the season, FAU posted a 5-1 record while Smith completed 116-of-199 passes for 1,553 yards and 17 scores. Senior running back Charles Pierre averaged 103.3 yards per game during that same span and scored six times.
Senior linebacker Frantz Joseph met the challenge from wire to wire as the Sun Belt Conference leading tackler for the second-consecutive season. Joseph also began and ended the regular season ranked No. 2 in the nation in total tackles.
The Owls began playing football in 2001 and since that time have tallied a series of firsts. They are the youngest start-up program to earn a berth to a bowl game when they captured the Sun Belt Conference Championship in 2007 and used a pro-style offense to keep Schnellenberger's bowl record perfect at 5-0 with a victory over the University of Memphis in the 2007 R+L Carrier's New Orleans Bowl.
"It is a great feeling for us to be invited to play in the Motor City Bowl, and a personal thrill for me to be taking FAU to Detroit," said Schnellenberger. "For us to become bowl eligible and to be invited again following our first bowl game last year gives this program tremendous promise. It is also a testament to Sun Belt Commissioner Wright Waters and this conference whose teams are being recognized by bowl selections, because league play has become more difficult each season making regular-season play even more significant. This should be an exciting football game with Central Michigan's quarterback Dan LeFevour and Rusty Smith going head-to-head."
The invitation to the Motor City Bowl will mark the sixth time Schnellenberger has taken a team to a bowl game as head coach. It also marks the third time in FAU's young career that he has guided the team into postseason play. FAU advanced to the playoffs in 2003 prior to moving into the ranks of the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly known as Division 1-A.
FAU also will host the FAUSportsPage call-in radio show on Monday, December 8. Callers can speak with Head Coach Howard Schnellenberger by calling 1-800-640-9385. Fans can also watch the 7 p.m., show live at FAU's Boca Raton Student Union restaurant Coyote Jacks.
For more information or to purchase tickets for the 2008 Motor City Bowl, call 1-866-FAU-Owls.
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