They don’t have playoffs in the Football Bowl Subdivision, but don’t tell that to FAU. The Owls have been playing elimination games for a month already.
FAU faces their fourth must-win game in a row Saturday, against conference leading University of Louisiana Lafayette.
The formula is real simple for the Owls: Win and keep bowl and slim Sun Belt title hopes alive. Lose and the season is all but lost.
FAU has won three games in a row, largely because of their ground game. The Owls are averaging 210 yards rushing during this current win streak. They racked up 225 against WKU;151 against ULM; and 256 against North Texas. FAU was only averaging 107 yards rushing over their first six games, in which they went 1-5. A big part of the Owls success is Charles Pierre, who has rushed for 734 yards and five touchdowns this year. Now healthy, the senior has gained 417 of his 734 yards over the last three games and has averaged an impressive 139 yards a game and 6.6 yards a carry during that stretch.
Meet the Ragin’ Cajuns
FAU’s opponent this week is conference leading University of Louisiana Lafayette. The Owls own a 2-1 lifetime record against ULL. ULL currently sits at 5-4; 4-0 in the Sunbelt. The Ragin’ Cajuns pack a serious one-two punch on offense with running back Tyrell Fenroy, and quarterback Michael Desormeaux. The two have scored a combined 30 of ULL’s 41 offensive touchdowns this year.
Quite simply put, Tyrell Fenroy may be the best running back you’ve never heard of. He is the active leading running back in yards ahead of Michigan States Javon Ringer. (We saw what he did to the Owls.) Fenroy holds the ULL and Sunbelt rushing record in yards, and became the seventh player in NCAA history to rush for 1,000 yards in four straight seasons. Strangely, Fenroy has never rushed for 100 yards against the Owls in their three previous meetings. FAU is the only Sunbelt team to hold Fenroy under 100 yards rushing.
The second of the two headed monster for ULL is quarterback Michael Desormeaux. Desormeaux is also a serious running threat for the Cajuns. He averages over 100 yards a game rushing and listed at 6’2 and 200 pounds is a load to bring down. Desormeaux is listed as questionable this week, but everyone expects him to play. “He doesn’t look banged up to me,” FAU coach Howard Schnellenberger said. “His abilities don’t seem very limited.”
Defensively the Cajuns aren’t quite as bad as North Texas, but not much better. They are giving up 32 points a game and over 400 yards. “They are going to try to give us a lot of different looks,” Cortez Gent says. “If you give Rusty a basic look he will pick you apart.”
Record BreakersSeveral records could be broken Saturday.LB Frantz Joseph needs four more tackles to pass Chris Laskowski on all time list (295).RB Charles Pierre only needs two TDs to break Doug Parker’s rushing TD mark (22).QB Rusty Smith needs 1 TD pass to move ahead of Jared Allen (50) and 15 more completions to pass Allen (570).WR Cortez Gent needs one TD catch to pass Anthony Crissinger Hill (14).
