2009 Florida Atlantic Owls football team

The 2009 Florida Atlantic Owls football team represented Florida Atlantic University (FAU) as a member of the Sun Belt Conference during the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by ninth-year head coach Howard Schnellenberger, the Owls compiled an overall record of 5–7 with a mark of 5–3 in conference play, tying for third place in the Sun Belt. The team played home games at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

2009 Florida Atlantic Owls football
Conference	Sun Belt Conference
Record	5–7 (5–3 Sun Belt)
Head coach	Howard Schnellenberger (9th season)
Offensive coordinator	Daryl Jackson (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Pro-style
Defensive coordinator	Kirk Hoza (9th season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Lockhart Stadium
Seasons ← 2008 2010 →

2009 Sun Belt Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Troy $		8	–	0					9	–	4
Middle Tennessee		7	–	1					10	–	3
Louisiana–Monroe		5	–	3					6	–	6
Florida Atlantic		5	–	3					5	–	7
Louisiana–Lafayette		4	–	4					6	–	6
Arkansas State		3	–	5					4	–	8
FIU		3	–	5					3	–	9
North Texas		1	–	7					2	–	10
Western Kentucky		0	–	8					0	–	12
$ – Conference champion

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 5	7:00 p.m.	at No. 22 Nebraska*	Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE	PPV	L 3–49	85,719	[1]
September 19	7:00 p.m.	at South Carolina*	Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC	PPV	L 16–38	72,017	[2]
September 26	4:00 p.m.	Louisiana–Monroe	Lockhart Stadium Fort Lauderdale, FL		L 25–27	14,429	[3]
October 3	4:00 p.m.	Wyoming*	Lockhart Stadium Fort Lauderdale, FL		L 28–30	15,744	[4]
October 17	7:00 p.m.	at North Texas	Fouts Field Denton, TX	CSS	W 44–40	23,319	[5]
October 24	5:00 p.m.	at Louisiana–Lafayette	Cajun Field Lafayette, LA		W 51–29	21,135	[6]
October 31	4:00 p.m.	Middle Tennessee	Lockhart Stadium Fort Lauderdale, FL		L 20–27	15,568	[7]
November 7	2:00 p.m.	at UAB*	Legion Field Birmingham, AL		L 29–56	17,283	[8]
November 14	4:00 p.m.	Arkansas State	Lockhart Stadium Fort Lauderdale, FL		W 35–18	16,218	[9]
November 21	3:15 p.m.	at Troy	Movie Gallery Stadium Troy, AL	CSS	L 21–47	16,638	[10]
November 28	4:00 p.m.	Western Kentucky	Lockhart Stadium Fort Lauderdale, FL		W 29–23	14,671	[11]
December 5	7:00 p.m.	at FIU	FIU Stadium Miami, FL (Shula Bowl)	CSS	W 28–21	10,108	[12]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

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Preseason

The Florida Atlantic Owls entered the 2009 season hoping to rebound on what was considered a disappointing 2008 campaign. The 2008 team ended the season 7–6 overall and 4–3 in conference, despite returning an overwhelming majority of starters from the 2007 conference championship team. Quarterback Rusty Smith entered his senior season. The 2009 team looked to rebuild on defense, losing defensive star, Frantz Joseph, and a number of other key starters. The Owls also had a new offensive system, as Gary Nord, offensive coordinator for Florida Atlantic since 2005, took the same job at Purdue University.

Preseason honors

Preseason Sun Belt Players of the Year

• Sun Belt Conference Co-Player of the Year, Offense: Rusty Smith (QB, Sr.)

Preseason All-Sun Belt honors

• Rusty Smith (QB, Sr.)
• Jamari Grant (TE, Sr.)

Awards and honors

• Week 15 Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week, Offense: Alfred Morris (RB, So.)
• 2009 Shula Bowl Most Valuable Player: Alfred Morris (RB, So.)

All-Sun Belt honors

• First Team All-Sun Belt Conference:
  • Jason Harmon (TE, Sr.)
  • Alfred Morris (RB, So.)
• Second Team All-Sun Belt Conference:
  • David Matlock (OL, Sr.)
• Honorable Mention All-Sun Belt Conference:
  • Marcus Bartels (DB, So.)
  • Kevin Cyrille (DL, So.)

New program records

Alfred Morris broke several program records during the 2009 season.

Statistic	Previous record	New record
Rushing yards in a season	Charles Pierre (1,014 in 2008)	Alfred Morris (1,392)
Rushing touchdowns in a season	Doug Parker (8 in 2001)	Alfred Morris (11)
Total touchdowns in a season	Doug Parker (9 in 2001)	Alfred Morris (13)