Francois Rioux: November 2008 Archives

After a sobering lost on the gridiron earlier in the day, the night ended on a much better note as the Owl basketball team took care of business with a convincing win over UMKC.

Here are a few pictures and video clips of the nights action.
















That about does it, as the Owls prepare for a tough road game against #21 ranked Davidson on Monday night.

 

Never short for words, a comedic Nick Paris describes himself "like candy mixed with steel", empowered with the gift to make people laugh, some might get the impression that he is a bit of aloof off the field. But on the gridiron, he is all business.

 

Armed with a big heart, Paris' unselfish nature tends to lead him to rally behind the underdogs. It's no wonder why he landed at a start-up program like Florida Atlantic.  His character leans to the type of players Schnellenberger recruited when he started building this program.

 

As a freshman in high school, Nick wasn't sure he was cut out to play football. His unwillingness to give up helped him find a calling that now consumes every fiber of his physical being.  Owl fans are happy he found his passion for a game he seems to have mastered.

 

Heading into the season opener against Texas,  the Owls needed to be at full strength to remotely have a chance to compete with the Longhorns. And when the injury bug hit, the biggest loss might have been to offensive linemen Nick Paris.  Having battled through a couple of injuries, Paris never allowed the set backs bring him down, and instead used it as motivation to comeback stronger.

 

The loss of Paris not only is measured in terms of experience loss, but the intangibles he brings to the line.  Like Paris would say, he influences the "fat guys."  He is a battle tested general down in the trenches and brings an element of calmness to a chaotic battlefield. 

 

 Schnellenberger re-emphases what having a player in the line up like Nick Paris is like: "Nick has been a starter for three years. When you lose a player like Nick you are losing one-fifth of your experience and your technique, your ability to play together. So it is natural that he is somewhat more than 20 percent of the offensive line," Schnellenberger said.

 

So when the general found his way back into the lineup in time for conference play, it also brought some stability to an offense that never seemed to find any rhythm.  And every week since Paris return, there has been a renewed "swagger" to the Owls offense.  The running game seems to have flourished with Nick's return. The benefit have been resounding as the offense looks to be returning to their 2007 form.

 

Asking Schnellenberger if there is any correlation on how the offense seemed to have found its groove again with the return of Nick Paris, he said, "I absolutely do. Nick is an integral part of this football team and has been his entire career here, not only as a football player but as a signal caller for the line and in the entertainment division of the line."

 

Can one person have so much impact and be instrumental in the turnaround for an offense trying to find any kind of rhythm? Maybe not, but it is hard to deny what the experience and leadership of a Nick Paris-type player brings to this team - his fun nature seemed to have made a big difference.  This is a different team, one with a bit more bravado.

Edited by: Rick Smith

How do you define the wild and crazy ride that this season has become?  One moment this team looked no better then a bottom dweller in the FBS Division (formally Div. 1-A) and after Saturday's dominating performance against the conference leader, FAU looked like the conference champions everyone expected them to be at the beginning of the season. 

 

 With such a convincing victory, over the conference leaders (The Ragin' Cajun are still tied for first with Troy) the Owls have now positioned themselves one step closer to being bowl eligible.  An uphill battle still ensues, even thought some sport analysts are giving FAU some props as a possible bowl contender.

 

Six victories is all that is needed to become bowl eligible, and FAU stands at 5-5 on the year with two games remaining. Yet you must remain somewhat skeptical after Troy got snubbed from going to a bowl game last year with an 8-4 record, that included a huge 41-23 victory over Oklahoma State.  Things are a bit different this season and even if the Sun-Belt Conference gets little respect, the conference could find themselves with a league first and qualify as many as three teams.  If the stars align correctly for the Sun Belt, the conference should be in good position to fill some voids come bowl selection time.

 

Sure talking about being bowl eligibility is fun for fans. But we must remain cautious - as there is still work to be done.  The Owls must travel to Arkansas State and face a team that is tough against the run - something the Owls have relied on since turning their season around and winning four straight games.   Charles Pierre is nearing the 1,000 yard mark, and only Doug Parker came close to that mark in 2004. It would be a great accomplishment for Pierre who has been running with a much greater purpose this season.

 

Pierre will need to average 78.5 yards in the next two games to reach the milestone for this young Owl program.

 

 Buckle up and prepare for what has become a push to becoming bowl eligible, but more importantly, finishing with back-to-back winning season, if the Owls manage to claw themselves back to a 7-5 record. 

 Edited by: Rick Smith

Owls Basketball: New ERA, New Beginning

With the basketball season starting today, the Jarvis era is ready to be set in motion. But it hasn't come without some fans being upset with Jarvis being picked over then FAU assistant Mike Bolado.

 

Regardless of what has been written about Mike Jarvis in the past, there is always a new beginning on a new journey.  Some documented troubles off the hard court (even though the NCAA did not sanction him), kept many schools from giving him another chance, even with a proven track record of winning on the court.  With a new chapter about to begin, Mike Jarvis has a unique opportunity to coach a program in his home town of Boca Raton, Florida. 

 

It has been a long hiatus away from the hard court for Jarvis, yet he found a way to stay involved by teaching at clinics and helping young men develop not only as basketball players, but as individuals.  His work as an analyst for Yahoo! And ESPN also helped bridge a gap and help fill a void in his heart for a game he truly loves.  The time away may have been long, but his hopes of returning to coaching a game that is implanted within his DNA never diminished, and life's new journey has brought him on a collision course with  building a program with very little foundation.

 

Things do happen for a reason, and Mike Jarvis had to endure some burdens that overshadowed him, pushing forward with willpower and purpose - not driven to prove people wrong, but instead found the strength and inner peace of a higher power found in all of us as motivation to carry on a path that would one day lead him to his true love again.

 

And that love for the game is not just about coaching basketball, but teaching young men the values of becoming complete individuals, to succeed not only on the hard court, but in life in general. 

 

It's not every day you have a chance to hire someone with the qualifications of a Mike Jarvis, Matt Doherty had similar highly held qualifications, but with Jarvis came more controversies.  Florida Atlantic made sure to proceed with due diligence, which did not sit well with many fans as the recruiting period was fast slipping by and the hopes of landing any recruits of any worth.

 

Even with a lengthy coaching search, there is no doubt that FAU will benefit from having Jarvis at the helm.  Jarvis' return to coaching might have been long overdue, but his patience was rewarded.

 

Some might say it's not much of a reward, coming to a program that lacks many of the things the more establish program have to offer, yet sometimes the rewards are not as apparent to the naked eye and an individual like Jarvis can envision and create the opportunities that will lead to those rewards.

 

Unlike his previous predecessors of Matt Doherty and Rex Walters, Jarvis understands what it takes to building a program with very little resources in place, yet he did not shy away from the challenge, he embraced it.  Sounds familiar, Jarvis might very well become what Schnellenberger is to FAU Football.

Edited by: Rick Smith

Here are the Belt games for today:


Louisiana-Monroe (2-3) at Middle Tennessee (1-3) - 3:30pm ET

This game has no implications on how the conference title will be decided and will feature to struggling team.
The Blue Raiders will again rely on their defense to keep them in this game.

The Warhawks is a team finding new life, just a little too late and should be able to take care of the Blue Raiders and move to .500 mark in conference play.
Prediction: Louisiana-Monroe


Western Kentucky at Troy (4-1) - 3:30pm ET - ESPN Game Plan & ESPN360.com

While this is not a conference game, the Hilltoppers find themselves facing a team looking to bounce back after the Trojans deflating lost to the Warhawks last week.  Talk about wrong place, wrong time for the Hilltoppers.  They will find themselves hopping back home with a not so pleasant afternoon in Troy.
Prediction: Troy


UTEP at Louisiana-Lafayette (4-0) - 7:00pm ET - ESPN Game Plan & ESPN360.com

The Conference leaders play a pretty good 'Tep team and this should turn out to be a pretty good game.
Right now the Cajuns are hitting on all cylinders and with Desormeaux & Fenroy providing the horsepower on offense, they shoud keep their perfect home record intact.
Prediction: Louisiana-Lafayette


Arkansas State (2-1) at FIU (2-2) - 7:00pm ET
This is the only game in conference play that does have an impact on how the title might take shape, at least if the Red Wolves win, if not, then it more then probably ends the red Wolves chances.

Florida International on the other hand looks to right the ship.  They started out hot with two straight conference wins and have played themselves out of contention with two straight losses.  Both losses however have come at the hands of the Cajuns of Louisiana & the Trojans of Troy, the two toughest teams in conference.

The Red Wolves usually don't play well on the road, but will have to find a way to do so if they want to continue their title quest.  

This will be a tight game and will favor the home team.
Prediction: Florida International