Rusty Smith — Quarterback
The Sun Belt Conference player of the year as a sophomore last season, Smith led the Owls to their first-ever conference title and bowl win in just their seventh season. Smith completed nearly 60 percent of his passes for 3,688 yards. Smith threw 32 touchdowns — the eighth-best mark in the nation last year, while only throwing nine interceptions. Now in his third season as the Owls’ QB, look for even bigger numbers from Smith, whose big body (6-feet-5-inches, 215 pounds) will have NFL scouts looking at him for the next two years. While Smith may not have the numbers of Chase Daniel or Graham Harrell, he will provide a tough first test for the extremely young Texas secondary.
Cortez Gent — Wide Receiver
As Smith spreads the ball around, fellow junior Cortez Gent was his favorite target last season. Gent caught 64 passes last season for 1,082 yards while reaching the end zone nine times. Gent averaged nearly 17 yards per catch and will definitely draw the attention of Texas’s young secondary Saturday. He ended his 2007 campaign catching for 100 yards four out of the last five games and will look to continue that trend Saturday. If 2008 proves to be anything like the last two seasons for Texas defenders, Gent might have a big game against the ’Horns’ secondary.
Frantz Joseph — Linebacker
The leading tackler for the Owls last season, Joseph racked up 131 stops in 2007. A senior who headed to Boston College out of his Fort Lauderdale high school, Joseph has now found his identity back at home. In fact, FAU plays at Lockhart Stadium where Joseph played his high school games. Joseph’s play last season didn’t go unnoticed; he heads into this season on the 2008 Lombardi watch list. Joseph had interceptions in what could be argued were the Owls’ biggest games last season — a win over Big Ten opponent Minnesota and the upset on the road of conference favorite Troy. A big hitter at 6-feet 3-inches, 235 pounds, Joseph likes to cause havoc in opponents’ backfields. Last season, he had 15 tackles for loss and three sacks. If the Longhorns want to get their running backs going, they’ll need to get Joseph blocked.
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