# 2009 Florida Atlantic Owls football team

The 2009 Florida Atlantic University Owls football team represented Florida Atlantic University in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Howard Schnellenberger and played their home games at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The Owls were in their fourth season of competition in the Sun Belt Conference. The Owls finished the season 5–7 and 5–3 in Sun Belt play.

## Preseason

The Florida Atlantic Owls entered the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season hoping to rebound on what was considered a disappointing 2008 campaign. The 2008 team ended the season 7–6 (4–3 SBC), despite returning an overwhelming majority of starters from the 2007 conference champion team. Quarterback Rusty Smith entered his senior season. The 2009 team looked to rebuild on defense, losing defensive star, Frantz Joseph, and a number of other key starters.
The Owls looked to shoot for their third-consecutive bowl appearance, as the 2008 squad defeated the Central Michigan Chippewas in the 2008 Motor City Bowl.
The Owls also had to deal with a new offensive system, as Gary Nord, offensive coordinator for Florida Atlantic since 2004, took the same job at Purdue.

### Preseason honors
#### Preseason Sun Belt Players of the Year

* Sun Belt Conference Co-Player of the Year, Offense: Rusty Smith (QB, Sr.)

#### Preseason All-Sun Belt honors

* Rusty Smith (QB, Sr.)
* Jamari Grant (TE, Sr.)

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 5 | 7:00 p.m. | at No. 22 Nebraska* | Memorial StadiumLincoln, NE | PPV | L 3–49 | 85,719 |
| September 19 | 7:00 p.m. | at South Carolina* | Williams-Brice StadiumColumbia, SC | PPV | L 16–38 | 72,017 |
| September 26 | 4:00 p.m. | Louisiana–Monroe | Lockhart StadiumFort Lauderdale, FL | | L 25–27 | 14,429 |
| October 3 | 4:00 p.m. | Wyoming* | Lockhart StadiumFort Lauderdale, FL | | L 28–30 | 15,744 |
| October 17 | 7:00 p.m. | at North Texas | Fouts FieldDenton, TX | CSS | W 44–40 | 23,319 |
| October 24 | 5:00 p.m. | at Louisiana–Lafayette | Cajun FieldLafayette, LA | | W 51–29 | 21,135 |
| October 31 | 4:00 p.m. | Middle Tennessee | Lockhart StadiumFort Lauderdale, FL | | L 20–27 | 15,568 |
| November 7 | 2:00 p.m. | at UAB* | Legion FieldBirmingham, AL | | L 29–56 | 17,283 |
| November 14 | 4:00 p.m. | Arkansas State | Lockhart StadiumFort Lauderdale, FL | | W 35–18 | 16,218 |
| November 21 | 3:15 p.m. | at Troy | Movie Gallery StadiumTroy, AL | CSS | L 21–47 | 16,638 |
| November 28 | 4:00 p.m. | Western Kentucky | Lockhart StadiumFort Lauderdale, FL | | W 29–23 | 14,671 |
| December 5 | 7:00 p.m. | at FIU | FIU StadiumMiami, FL (Shula Bowl) | CSS | W 28–21 | 10,108 |
| *Non-conference gameRankings from Associated PressAll times are in Eastern time |||||||

## Awards and honors
### Mid-season awards and honors

* Week 15 Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week, Offense: Alfred Morris (RB, So.)
* 2009 Shula Bowl Most Valuable Player: Alfred Morris (RB, So.)

### All-Sun Belt honors

* First Team All-Sun Belt Conference:
** Jason Harmon (TE, Sr.)
** Alfred Morris (RB, So.)
* Second Team All-Sun Belt Conference:
** David Matlock (OL, Sr.)
* Honorable Mention All-Sun Belt Conference:
** Marcus Bartels (DB, So.)
** Kevin Cyrille (DL, So.)

## Records broken in 2009

The 2009 football season saw numerous school records broken.
| Statistic | Previous Record | New Record |
| Rushing Yards (Season) | Charles Pierre ('08, 1014 yards) | Alfred Morris ('09, 1392 yards) |
| Rushing Touchdowns (Season) | Doug Parker ('01, 8 TD) | Alfred Morris ('09, 11 TD) |
| Total Touchdowns (Season) | Doug Parker ('01, 9 TD) | Alfred Morris ('09, 13 TD) |