The Owls defense capitalized on five interceptions as they shutout conference leading Arkansas State Indians in FAU’s homecoming game Saturday.
Corey Small led the Owls with three interceptions, the last one good for a 22-yard touchdown to give the Owls a 29-0 home shutout in front of 8,128 fans at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.
Cergile Sincere and Kris Bartels had the other two interceptions for the hungry FAU defense. Small said after the game that his defense is maturing right in front of the eyes of Owl fans.
“We’re growing as a defense,” Small said. “The Sun Belt Conference Championship was the goal before the season. We haven’t lost sight of that.”
On a wet and muddy field, FAU met up with the 2005 Sun Belt Conference Champion Arkansas State Indians. The Owls set the tone early with a three and out defensive stop against the Sun Belt Conference’s top offensive team.
FAU kicker Warley Leroy kicked a 21-yard field goal on the Owls first offensive series to make the score 3-0 in FAU’s favor. On the next FAU offensive possession, running back B.J. Manley scored on a 35-yard touchdown run to make the score 10-0. Soon after that, kicker Leroy connected on his second field goal of the game, making the score 13-0. Leroy’s 41-yard field goal was the longest of his career.
Even though tge Owls offense was rolling, team veteran offensive lineman Nello Faulk saw reason for improvement. “We have to play with our heart and play physical football,” he said.
FAU’s defense continued their first-half defensive dominance when cornerback Corey Small picked off a pass from Arkansas State’s quarterback in Indians territory. The interception was Small’s first of 2006. The Owls failed to capitalize when the ASU defense intercepted a pass at their 27-yard line. The offense was poised to score again, but the turnover and a forty-yard interception return gave the Indians offense great field position with less than two minutes in the first half. Right when it seemed the Indians would take momentum, Small intercepted his second pass of the game in the FAU end-zone. The interception preserved the Owls defense’s first half shutout.
At the half, FAU led 13-0. FAU Head Coach Howard Schnellenberger was jovial after his team’s shutout of the number one team in the conference.
“It was a very uphill battle,” he said. “They let the cat out of the bag. At the beginning of the year I told them that I didn’t know how good they could be, but I knew they could be very good.”
Early in the second half, FAU found an unconventional way of scoring when they scored on a safety to make the tally 15-0. The safety happened after an Arkansas State punt snap sailed over the the punter’s head. The punter picked up the ball and threw it out of the back end-zone, resulting in a safety. The play was significant because it would have given FAU the ball in touchdown scoring territory.
Until almost ten minutes left in the game, the two defenses battled in a second-half stalemate until the Indians threw their third interception of the game. FAU’s Cergile Sincere intercepted his second pass of the season. Arkansas State Head Coach Steve Roberts felt that FAU played a complete game.
“FAU played great,” Roberts said. “They played a heck of a ball game.”
FAU VS. ASU FACT BOX:
? 16 FAU Cheerleaders make up the 2006 FAU Cheer Team.
? The Owls’ opponent records before this game was 41 wins and 44 losses.
? Chris Laskowski, a former FAU linebacker who played for the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts last season, was seen on the sideline hyping up the FAU players. Laskowski has said he wanted to coach. It looks like he is laying the groundwork for a coaching career at FAU.
? Arkansas State has yet to score on natural grass this year. The FAU game was the first out of eight games that was on natural grass for the Indians.
