9/1: Home, 4 p.m.Season, conference and home opener against MTSU. The Blue Raiders are coached by Rick Stockstill who led the team to last year’s Motor City Bowl. Middle Tennessee running back DeMarco McNair rushed for 586 yards and 7 touchdowns on offense. On defense Middle Tennessee has two all Sun Belt Conference ends in Tavares Jones and Erik Walden… Middle Tennessee was originally founded in 1911 as one of three schools for teaching training.
9/8: Away, 7 p.m.Next for the Owls are the Oklahoma State Cowboys in Stillwater. The Cowboys are coached by Mike Gundy who is in his second year. They are led by wide receiver Adarius Bowman who had 60 receptions for 1,181 receiving yards…Oklahoma State famous alumni include Country Singer Garth Brooks and Surgeon General of the United States Robert Whitney.
9/15: Home, 1 p.m.The Owls return home to face the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Dolphin Stadium in Miami. The Golden Gophers are coached by Tim Brewster, and are led by running back Amir Pinnix who rushed for 1,272 yards and scored 10 touchdowns. The last time these teams played Minnesota dominated at the Metrodome in Minneapolis…The University of Minnesota Men’s hockey team won back-to-back National Championships in 2002-2003.
9/22: Away, 7 p.m.The Owls head to Denton, Texas to face the North Texas Mean Green. The team is coached by Todd Dodge who makes the jump from high school to Division I. UNT is led by running back Jamario Thomas who ran for 787 yards last year…The University of North Texas was named one of the nation’s top 100 colleges for Hispanic Students, and top 100 colleges for graduating African Americans.
9/29: Away, 1 p.m. The Owls are on the road traveling to Lexington Kentucky to face the Kentucky Wildcats. Coaching the Wildcats is Rich Brooks who once coached with the St. Louis Rams. The Wildcats are led by All-SEC quarterback Andre Woodson, who threw 31 touchdowns, and All-SEC wide receiver Keenan Burton who caught 77 passes and scored 12 touchdowns…The University of Kentucky is the alma mater of Miami Heat Coach Pat Riley and FAU Coach Howard Schnellenberger.
10/6: Home, 7 p.m.The first Florida opponent is the University of South Florida Bulls. The Bulls are coached by Jim Leavitt, and are led by quarterback Matt Grothe. Grothe was placed on the Maxwell Award watch list for throwing 15 touchdowns and running for 9…Last year the Bulls won their first ever bowl game, defeating East Carolina in the Papa Johns.com Bowl.
10/20: Away, 7 p.m.The Owls take on Louisiana Lafayette’s Ragin Cajuns at Cajun Field. The Ragin Cajuns are coached by Rickey Bustle and are led by the running back Tyrell Fenroy who rushed for 1,232 yards…Lafayette, about two hours from New Orleans and in the heart of the bayou, is home to culinary delicacies such as gumbo, catfish, crawfish etoufee, and jambalaya.
10/27: Home, 4 p.m.The Owls host back-to-back home games starting with the Louisiana Monroe Warhawks. Leading the Warhawks is head coach Charlie Weatherbie. The top players are running back Calvin Dawson who rushed for 1258 yards, and receiver LaGregory Sapp who had 796 receiving yards last year…Due to new NCAA regulations, Louisiana Monroe retired their 75 year-old American Indian mascot.
11/10: Home, 4 p.m.The next home game for the Owls is with the Arkansas State Indians. Coached by Steve Roberts the Indians are led by safety Tyrell Johnson who is on the watch list for the Bronko Nagurski award for the best defensive back…In 2005, the Owls and Indians played to a scoreless tie before the Indians prevailed in overtime 3-0.
11/17: Away, TBAThe Owls head to Gainesville to face the defending national champion Florida Gators at the Swamp. The Gators are coached by Urban Meyer and are led by QB Tim Tebow. A strong defensive unit returns from last season’s demolition of Ohio State in the BCS Championship Game…UF is the only school to win a football and basketball national championship in the same year.
11/24: Away, 7 p.m.The rivalry continues as the Owls face their nemesis, the Florida International University Golden Panthers. The game known as the Shula Bowl will be played at the Orange Bowl for the first time while FIU awaits the completion of the new on campus stadium in 2008. The Panthers are coached by Mario Cristobal…FAU won last years Shula Bowl, shutting out FIU 31-0. The Owls lead the overall series 4-1.
12/1: Away, 2 p.m.The last game of the season for the Owls is against the Troy Trojans in Troy, Alabama. Coached by Larry Blakeney, the Trojans won the Sun Belt Conference title last year…The Trojans received an automatic bid to the New Orleans Bowl, beating Rice University 41-17 on national television. QB Omar Haugabook threw four touchdown passes in that game.
