Johnson Owl

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Johnson Owl

2010 Florida Atlantic Football Predictions

After two straight seasons in postseason play, the Florida Atlantic Owls ended the 2009 season at 5-7, but very easily could have been at least 6-6, as they lost three games by seven points or less. The Owls played a brutal non-conference schedule, as they had to play the two teams who played for the National Championship in Florida and Alabama. This year the Owls will have just 11 starters back, so getting back to postseason play will be no easy task. Here is a look at what the Owls will send to field this season, plus my thoughts on where they will finish the season in the Sun Belt Conference.

Offense:

Senior Jeff Van Camp will head into the season as the Owls starting quarterback, after Van Camp started the final five games after Rusty Smith was lost for the season. Van Camp led the Owls to a 3-2 finish and really impressed the coaches by completing 59% of his passes for 1,372 yards with 12 touchdowns to just two interceptions.

If Van Camp can continue to improve and play well in 2010, the Owls will have a pretty balanced offensive attack with junior running back Alfred Morris back. Morris led the Sun Belt with 1,392 yards in 2009 and finished the season with 13 total touchdowns (11 rushing). Morris carried the ball 263 times last year, and I think the Owls will make him their workhorse again this season.

There are a lot of changes being made at the starting receiver spots, as the only starter back is senior wide out Lester Jean, who finished 2009 with 38 catches for 501 yards and four touchdowns. The Owls do get back senior tight end Rob Housler, who had 519 yards in 2008, but was forced to red-shirt last season. Senior Avery Holley is expected to make his way into the starting lineup opposite of Jean at receiver, and will need to make a big impact right away.

The Owls biggest concern on this side of the ball comes up front on the offensive line, as they must replace all five starters from last year. What is going to make things even harder is the fact that four sophomores are projected to start, making this one of the most inexperienced offensive lines in the country. If this unit struggles, expect everyone else on the offense to take a big hit on their production this season.

Defense:

The Owls have nine starters back on defense this season, and are going to have to make big improvements this year for the Owls to get back into postseason play. The Owls definitely need to play better on the defensive line, as they allowed 221 rushing yards a game last season. Junior defensive ends Kevin Cyrille and Jamere Johnson both return, along with senior defensive tackle Dino Cox. Sophomore Jimmy Jean is expected to start alongside Cox in the middle, and brings some nice size at 290 lbs.

The Owls are very deep at the linebacker position this season, as they bring back five players who could start. Senior middle linebacker Michael Lockley finished second on the team with 97 tackles and led the Owls with 7.5 tackles for loss. Senior Malik Eugene will have to beat out sophomore Yourhighness Morgan for the starting strong-side spot, while sophomore Alex Pattee is expected to take over as the new weak-side linebacker.

The secondary should be a strength for the Owls, as all four starters return this season, led by junior strong safety Marcus Bartels, who led the Owls with 112 tackles last season. Senior Ed Alexander returns at free safety, while seniors Tavious Polo and Tarvoris Hill are both back at the two corner spots.

Sun Belt Prediction – 4th: I had a hard time picking the Owls to finish this high in the conference, as you will rarely find one of these small schools who can manage replacing all five starters on the offensive line and still finish in the top half of their conference. The thing is I think they are strong enough on defense and have the skill players that they can work around the line till it starts to get a grasp of what’s going on.

For a full look at how the conference will play out, check out our 2010 Sun Belt Predictions.

If you plan on betting the college football odds this season, be sure to stop back each week for our expert college football picks.

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