{"id":5283,"date":"2017-09-08T11:59:26","date_gmt":"2017-09-08T16:59:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thebozho.com\/?p=5283"},"modified":"2018-08-20T16:28:19","modified_gmt":"2018-08-20T21:28:19","slug":"know-your-enemy-florida-atlantic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thebozho.com\/know-your-enemy-florida-atlantic\/","title":{"rendered":"Know Your Enemy: Florida Atlantic"},"content":{"rendered":"

You can usually count on an easy win or two in the first few weeks of a Wisconsin football schedule. Before diving into the more competitive Big Ten portion, the Badgers took on Utah State last Friday, winning 59-10. Woof. On Saturday, Bucky faces the Florida Atlantic Owls of Conference USA (USA! USA!).<\/p>\n

Before the game\u2019s 11 a.m. kickoff at Camp Randall Stadium, and with Hurricane Irma bearing down on Florida, there\u2019s a good chance some of FAU\u2019s fans have made their way up here, either to take in the game or just get out of the path of the storm. So as Madison welcomes the Owls\u2019 faithful with opens arms, here\u2019s an opportunity to break the ice with the blue-and-red clad pride of Boca Raton (non-retiree and snowbird division, of course).<\/span>\n

\"Lyndon<\/span>They may be new, but they\u2019ve had some pretty well-known alumni<\/h3>\n

Before the plan to build Florida Atlantic University was approved in 1961, its grounds was an Army airfield during World War II. When FAU opened in 1964, the first degree awarded was an honorary one to President Lyndon Johnson, who delivered a speech<\/a> commemorating the day.<\/p>\n

In the decades since, the school has handed out some very real degrees, and a few of them went to some fairly well-known people, including Dashboard Confessional singer Chris Carrabba; stand-up comic Carrot Top; and Gerard Schaefer, a Wisconsin-born, Georgia-raised convicted serial killer suspected of 30 murders. There\u2019s one to be proud of, Owls! (And Wisconsin.)<\/p>\n

The FAU football program has turned out a few pros, too, but we\u2019ll get to that in a little bit…<\/span>\n

Their football team is even newer<\/h3>\n

Like, really <\/em>new. I\u2019d love to write about the storied history of the Owls, but FAU didn\u2019t field a team until 2001, beginning their life in division I-AA while helmed by legendary University of Miami ex-coach\u00a0Howard Schnellenberger. After four seasons, though, they moved up to I-A (which is now called the FBS, or Football Bowl Subdivision), and they\u2019ve even played in a handful of bowl games, winning the New Orleans Bowl in 2007 and the Motor City Bowl in 2008.<\/p>\n

FAU’s first NFL export was quarterback Rusty Smith, who spent three seasons on the Tennessee Titans’ roster. Their biggest name, however, is probably running back Alfred Morris, a two-time Pro Bowler who currently plays for the Dallas Cowboys.<\/p>\n

But when it comes to football, there is one thing the Badgers have in common with FAU: they both had alums play in the “East\/West Collegiate Bowl.”<\/span>\n