Francois Rioux: October 2007 Archives

There are a couple of things that have transpired during the course of this football season and by no means reflect how hard this team has worked, prepared and played each an every week.  I remember that in my pre-season discussions I mentioned that this offense needed one more year to develop and Teddy mentioned in his blog about the maturity of the offense, which reflects this assessment.  This is by no means a knock on Rusty or the offense, but one can clearly see, it does needs more time to develop and at times has shown just how powerful & dangerous this offense can become.  It has the potential to become very explosive.

What I like form this group, is that knack for fighting till the final seconds and never giving-up.  They have shown resiliency and persistence and Rusty emerging as the field general that will lead his troops by example. 

There have been some injuries that have force coaches to make some adjustments, but this is the mature of football and a team must be able to handle these types of adversities and for the most part this team has done just that. 

After a bitter lost, the players must re-group and re-focus on the main goal, because the goal set at the beginning of the season is still with-in reach and FAU still has control over it's destiny of reach that summit of a conference title & bowl game.  That road does lead through Troy of Alabama, the nemesis of the Owls, but before we even talk about that game, they is still a long road ahead and each game now becomes the statement game for this season. 

Just when it appeared that the Warhawks had work their way-out of field goal range, saving the best for last,  RB Dawson, a player the Owls kept in check all game, could no longer be contained and busted a 31 yarder to end the game and left me and many others standing in the stands, STUNNED with what had just happen.  What followed was unacceptable by the Warhawk players, with a display of unsportmans like behavior, taunting opposing fans the way they did, should not be acceptable behavior for an opposing team and some form of reprimand should follow.

One could spend a while discussing the officiating on this game, but I will take the high road on this and focus on the game itself.  The owls did not help themselves, the Hawks provided many opportunities the Owls did not take advantage of that could have sealed this game early.  The Defense did enough in creating turnovers and limiting RB Dawson to under 100yrds, till the final play where he gain 31 of his total 114 yards for the game, while Monroe took advantage of what the Owls provided. 

This game kind of summaries the problems the offense has had in cash-in on opportunities it is given and continues to struggle to finish drives, which literally was the difference in this game.  When it comes to overtime, you have to be able to put the ball in the end zone; field goals are never enough and proved to be a deciding factor in this game. 

On a positive note, this team continues to fight for every yard and opportunity, creating the ability for them to put themselves in position to win games and this one was no different, they found a way to make a come back giving them a chance in overtime.  They just happen to fall a bit short, ending a wild and crazy game, no one in there right mind could ever write a script like this game unfolded.  I also thought the receivers had far fewer drops this game, then I can remember as a group.

Things are coming together, slowly and this lost by no means ends the hope of a conference title, it just might means, the Owls will have to share the namesake, yet there remains plenty of work for all this to happen.  Each game now becomes more meaningful each and every week.

We are right in the middle of conference play, and facing a team that has yet to win on the road this season.  The Warhawks have been inconsistent on offense all year and has resulted in a quarterback shuffle between red-shirt Freshman QB Trey Revell, their quarterback of the future and current starter QB Kinsmon Lancaster.  Revell got the start against Florida International last week, who struggled early and replaced with Lancaster who had his best performance of the season.  Lancaster found success throwing the football to his wide receiver, Darrel McNeal, last week Sun-Belt offensive players of the week, providing 30% of the offensive yardage for the Warhawks, McNeal finish the day with 7 catches, 120 yards and 2 Td's. 

Louisiana-Monroe much like many Sun-Belt team feature a spread offense and something the Owl defenders should be well verse in by now and like to operate under the two-minute offense.  They also feature the #13 Rusher in the Nation and top in the Belt, in RB Calvin Dawson who averages 123.3 yards/game and 143.6 all-purpose yards/game. 

What will the owls have to do to earn a victory on Saturday against the Warhawks of Monroe. 

On Offense:  Execution.  Lack of any form of execution early in the game last week, stalled an offense that is still trying to find consistent play for 60 minutes and allowed the other team to hang around long enough to try and steal a game from the Owls last week.  Stop tying to be too cute on offense and making big plays, let them happen.  We need to continue to ground-out some yardage with the running game, which is starting to get better and let Rusty do his thing.  You can't but be impressed with the way Rusty has grown-up as a leader and player leading this team.  Rusty is due for a big game.

On defense:  No more injuries.  There is some good news on this side of the ball; a few injured players will find their way back into the line-up on Saturday which should help stabilize the line, just when we will need everyone geared to stopping a pretty darn good rushing attack in Dawson.  Good tackling at the point of attack will also be key in containing the potent and always dangerous Dawson.

Special Teams:  Just got to get better, period.  Horrible performances all around, from players that should be performing much better.  They lack any form of confidence and must start to focus on the very basic duties of kicking the ball, almost cost us a game last week and hopefully Rusty will continue to bail this unit out till they can re-gain their confidence.

Overall:  This is a very important conference game, we can ill-afford to not take seriously.  We are facing a team that struggles on the road an must take care of business if we are to be serious contenders for the conference title.  We need to come-out highly energized, keeping the intensity at a high level through out the game, if we do that then the Owls should be able to claw out an easy victory.

Prediction:  FAU 34 Monroe 24

It hard to believe that only two home games remain, each one just as important.  This team has found ways to win games and play tremendous football when it had to, despite the injuries that have plagued the team so far, something that they struggled with in the past.  Clearly they have shown the great potential of what this team is capable of and have shown great resiliency when things are not going well.  The last two road games showed that with some persistence you can win those ugly games when you might not be at your best. 

We now sit at a junction in the season where we have four conference left, two at home and two away.  The interesting part is, we play both homes games back to back and finish conference play on the road, making it very critical that we take care of business at home.  At one point this season, it looked like the Blue Raiders might have played themselves out of contention for the conference title, but not looks as if they have a foot in the doors, needing a little help and the Indians, who many thought would be contenders at the beginning of the season, myself included, have found themselves to being pretenders.  And things look like it could get interesting at the end of the season, where the some of the biggest games will take place.   Troy will have two very tough games back-to-back, facing the Raiders on Nov. 24^th and the Owls on Dec. 1^st - both home games for the Trojans, a major plus for the Trojan because they are very tough at home.  Could this provide a break for the Owls, though?  And these are the game that will define the conference title

It may not have been the prettiest of game, but it did provide enough drama to keep Owl fans on the edge of their seats till the final seconds, something they should be accustomed too by now.  This is a game the Owls would have lost last year and have shown this year that it can hang-in and steal some games.  This game should not have been close, but give credit to the Cajuns, who never gave-up and founds ways to make enough plays to push the Owls to their limits.  The Cajuns specials teams were just that and almost stole this game and put a dent in the Owls hope of a conference championship drive.

The offense did struggle early to find any type of rhythm, but manage to make enough plays to at the right times to make this a ball game.  There are playmakers that are emerging on offense and will have to continue to provide the sparks this team will need down the stretch, it is becoming evident that the offense will have to carry this team as the defense continues to take hits from the injury bug.  I do get the feeling that sometimes we try to get too cute for our own good on offense, the players will have to learn to take what the defense gives them, the big plays will be there and to let them develop instead of trying to force them.

Defensively, if we can get a few of the young guys to settle down and focus on each individual plays, we should continue to make enough plays to keep these ball games manageable.  I know that we are missing some key players on this unit, but other leaders on the field will have to emerge and bring this unit through these tough times.

What is a big concern are special teams, a unit that has struggled all year and continues to cause havoc, unfortunately not for the opposing team.  Leroy, who is a very good kicker, needs to settle-down and re-gain that game time confidence, by going back to the basics and focusing on the job at hand, taking all other distractions away in his mind.  Are these guys just trying to do too much, somehow they need to slow things down and focus on the basic of kicking the pigskin.  They need to find answers soon, or it will end-up costing us a game in the near future.

Overall, any conference road victory is a god win, no matter how ugly it was, at least it shows the players that they still have to continue to work hard and earn everything, and nothing will be handed to them.

The Bye week couldn't have come at a better time, beside the team getting a much needed reprieve after a very tough first half of the season, especially after a very physical battle with the Bulls at Lockhart.  Players got to rest and heal, I was able to step away for a nice breather and recharge the old-brains cells that remain coherent enough enable to function on a daily bases.

With only two remaining home games, the Owls will have to be road warriors for most of the second half of the season starting with a road trip with a visit to conference foe, the Ragin Cajuns in Louisiana, Lafayette.  Conference play has been everything but dull and has provide Owls fans with some very interesting outcomes.

What should we expect from the Cajuns, on offense, they will run the ball and then run it some more, relying heavily on their QB Desormeaux.  They do feature the top rushing attack in the Sun-Belt conference averaging 322.5 per game, which also feature a RB Fenroy that will compliment Desormeaux lead options attack.

What will the Owls need to do to earn a win in Cajun country this weekend?

On Offense:  The Owls still hurt themselves and must learn to finish drive; the one constant this year has been leaving points on the field.  They have to continue establishing a running game and must do a better job doing so inside the re-zone, where the biggest problem lies in being able to finishing drives.  Rusty needs to continue being Rusty, who has been a constant performer on offense and needs the receivers to be more consistent with catching the pigskin.

On Defense: Stopping the run, rather simple, yet will force the defense not only to play aggressive, but playing solid in their coverage & assignments.  If they over pursuit, Desormeaux will get good yardage and break some big plays, so being able to contain Desormeaux & Fenroy will be key to this game.

Overall:  The defense played the type of defense I have been expecting from this unit all year against USF and hoping it's a continuing thread for the remainder of the conference games.  If this happens, the Cajuns high powered running attack will be snuff and rendered ineffective.  And with the offense performing to its usual standard, should provide enough offense to keep this game in the Owls grasp and control to earn a victory on the road and to keep the dream alive of a conference title.

Prediction:  FAU 35 Cajuns 10

The Bulls are right where the Owls want them, in the top 10, and in the Big East.

Yep, right where the Owls want to be at the same juncture of maturity as South Florida is as a program right now.

Just last week the Bulls had one of their biggest victories, when they beat #5 WVU at home, before their first ever sell-out and the Owls appear to be on track to do just that and what better way to do so, by facing-off with the Bulls, you couldn't write a better script.  The Bulls know to well, even though they will be heavily favorite in this game, that the Owls are in the same position as them not to long ago, trying to knock-off a highly rank team to help them move their program, in high gear to the top.

The Bulls might not be lighting it up on offense, but they are still very capable of moving the pigskin and the Owls tend to help make these stagnate offense have career days.  And then there the Bulls defense, a very physical and extremely fast defense.

What the Owls will need to do in order to earn a victory on Saturday:

On Offense:  Protect the ball will be key, against an aggressive defense that like to create turnovers at every chance they get.  Remain patient and don't allow yourself to get frustrated, playing against this defense you will have to stay focus and take what is given and not force anything.  We will need to run the ball at one point, but it will have to be set-up using the pass and a bit of the spread offense, to keep the Bulls from stacking the box.

On Defense:  Play aggressive and limit the big plays.  Stopping the run will be key, yet I can see the Bulls taking their chance over the top taking advantage of what teams like North Texas & Kentucky have been able to do with this defense - pass and pass some more.  I do expect that the Bulls will be establishing a strong running game, if we allow them to throw the ball at will.  This unit will have to step-up with out their leader to lead the charge and will have to do a better job of creating pressure in the backfield.

Overall:  We will need to match the intensity of the Bulls, especially in the first quarter and not allow the Bulls to take control early, they like to start out strong and fast and the Owls will have to match it or will be faced to play catch-up early.  We are in a similar position as the Bulls have been on their climb to the top and the Owls can emulate the Bulls and take a page from their own success story, with a victory on Saturday and what could be the first sell-out in this programs history. 

Prediction:  This was penciled in as a loss pre-season and I must say I might be caught in all the hype of a possible upset and why not, it seems like every week teams in the top 10 are dropping like flies and even with the Bulls defense, the Owls do have a shot, yet this same game also could turn very ugly for the Owls and quick.  I usually am not a homer when I predict scores, but will have to be one this time around, just for the fact that I need to rally behind my boys and keep the belief that an upset is possible.  This might be a defensive battle with a bunch of field goals being kicked around.

Prediction:   FAU 20 USF 19

It's no secret that Schnellenberger has used USF as a model to build this program and why not, the Bulls are now in the top 10 - #6 in the AP & #9 in the coaches' poll.  When they found themselves a fit for the Big East after the defections of Miami and Virginia Tech, the Bulls finds themselves where the Owls inspire to be and why not, just what it would mean for recruiting purposes would be a big shot in the arm for this program and help elevate it the a higher level of play, the money the conference pulls is not a bad reason either and we can't forget it is a BCS conference.

The Owls have a motto, play the best to be the best, and you couldn't plan what is about to happen for the Owls next, we get to play another team playing at the top of their game. The way I see it, Coach wouldn't have it any other way.  If these games are deemed advance training for the players, then having to play Kentucky and South Florida in back-to-back games fits the bill, but I would consider it, Advance Training II: not for the weak of hearts and for experts only.  Maybe the energizer bunny will make a guest appearance on the Owls sideline on Saturday.

Just when we thought we have reached new heights as a program, the mountains not only gets steeper, but a bit more rugged as we continue our climb to the summit, you just have to buckle down and focus on the objective and for the Owls it is the Sun-Belt Conference Title and this just happens to be part of the course that needs to be scaled to reach the summit.

The game on Saturdays just got bigger with USF climbing their way to the a #6 ranking and should help provide a crazy game time atmosphere on Saturday and when you throw in ESPN into the mix, things could get interesting.