Florida Atlantic has played eight seasons of major college football and already has a winning streak in bowl games. Howard Schnellenberger's championship experience must be rubbing off. Rusty Smith threw for 307 yards and two second-half touchdowns to help the Owls beat Central Michigan 24-21 on Friday night in the Motor City Bowl. Florida Atlantic began playing in the Football Bowl Subdivision in 2005 and is 2-0 in postseason games. The Owls defeated Memphis last year in the New Orleans Bowl. Full story
Key Players
Rusty Smith, QB, Florida Atlantic The junior threw for 307 yards on 20-of-35 passing with two touchdowns -- a 52-yarder to Chris Bonner and an 18-yarder to Cortez Gent.
Dan LeFevour, QB, Central Michigan The junior had a solid game in the loss, throwing for 253 yards on 28-of-40 passing with two touchdowns. He also led the team in rushing with 62 yards.
Team Reports
Florida Atlantic: When Florida Atlantic started the season 1-5, chances of a bowl bid appeared remote. But in a dramatic turnaround, FAU rallied to win five of its last six games to become bowl eligible. And the Owls (6-6) were rewarded with an invitation to face Central Michigan in the Motor City Bowl on Dec. 26 at Ford Field in Detroit. More
Central Michigan:For the third straight year, Central Michigan's season will end at Ford Field in Detroit at the Motor City Bowl. The Chippewas defeated Middle Tennessee State 31-14 in 2006 and lost a 51-48 thriller to Purdue last year. More -- Copyright (C) 2008 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.
Photo Gallery
Florida Atlantic's Cortez Gent celebrates with Avery Holley (1) during the Motor City Bowl against Central Michigan. (AP)
I stayed up and was watching the fourth quater and they were down by 11 so they needed a touchdown and 2 point conversion and a field goal. So they were stopped 3 times inside the ten then a false start brought them back to 4th and goal round the 7 and instead of kicking the field goal he goes for it and fails. Its like the guy was using his headset to connect to a chat online and ask for calls he was so stupid. Post your thoughts!
"Certainly, this is going to go down as the most meaningful game we've had. I can't tell you how proud I am of our entire football team." -- FAU coach Howard Schnellenberger
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