BOCA RATON, Fla. — They’re calm, they’re relaxed and they refuse to focus on anything but football.

At first glance, you might not know the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers haven’t won a game since September 2008.

But that’s exactly the case, and the winless Hilltoppers look to snap their nation-longest 18-game losing skid today when they face host Florida Atlantic at 3 p.m.

WKU football generated some buzz two weeks ago, when the school announced it would fire current head coach David Elson at the end of the season. That buzz returned Monday, when the school announced that former quarterback Willie Taggart would take over the program next season.

But through it all, the Hilltoppers (0-10, 0-6 Sun Belt Conference) have focused only on one another. Despite all the adversity, this group is arguably one of the closest-knit teams during Elson’s tenure as head coach.

“You dream of playing college football as a kid and then sometimes when you get there it feels like it’s more of a job than anything else,” WKU senior receiver Jake Gaebler said. “This year’s been full of adversity, and through all the years I’ve been playing football, this is the most adversity I’ve faced on a team.

“But this team has really stuck together and the character really shows when times get tough. We’re staying together, there’s no fighting or bickering and this is the closest team I’ve ever been a part of. We’re going to go out there, not have any regrets and give it everything we have.”

Like the Hilltoppers, the Owls (3-7, 3-3) enter today’s tilt with little to gain. FAU can’t become bowl eligible and is out of contention for a league title.

But one thing that the Owls can do is look to the future, largely because they have no other choice. Senior quarterback Rusty Smith was lost for the season three weeks ago with a shoulder injury, forcing coach Howard Schnellenberger to turn to junior quarterback Jeff Van Camp.

Van Camp (6-5, 222) has responded. The junior threw for more than 350 yards and three touchdowns in his first career start three weeks ago. He has played so well that at first glance, Elson wasn’t sure if he was watching Smith – FAU’s starter for the past three seasons – or his replacement.

“When I turned that film on for the first time, I thought (Van Camp) was Rusty Smith – he looks just like him and plays like him and I thought they changed Rusty’s number,” Elson said. “It’s amazing the similarities between the two. The release is similar, size is similar, he’s a good athlete who fits their system. He’s going to be a good quarterback for them in the future.”

WKU also must deal with emerging running back Alred Morris (5-11, 222), who has had a fantastic year during his first real turn as a starter for the Owls. The sophomore back has racked up 1,112 yards and found the end zone nine times this season. He also has 106 receiving yards and a score through the air.

As far as Van Camp’s targets are concerned, senior tight end Jason Harmon (6-3, 215) has been the team’s most consistent receiver this year – hauling in 42 passes for 555 yards and four scores.

Defensively, FAU has struggled. The Owls have been hurt by big plays and are allowing nearly 470 yards a game. The group is led by sophomore safety Marcus Bartels (5-9, 170), who has 84 stops and an interception this season, and by junior linebacker Michael Lockley (6-3, 245) – who has 80 tackles.

For perhaps the first time this season, WKU will enter today’s game after a positive showing in its last outing, a narrow 21-18 loss at Louisiana-Monroe two weeks ago. That game was easily the Hilltoppers’ best effort of 2009, and it’s something they’re hoping to build on.

“We finally put a game together in all three phases. We just came up a little short,” Gaebler said. “But we definitely took some momentum from that game and I think we’re growing as a team. We’re young, but we’re figuring it out and I feel like we’ve got a good chance to get a win this week.”

The game will be WKU’s last shot at a road victory this season, and with the year rapidly coming to a close, the chance to send Elson and the seniors out on a high note is dwindling.

“We’ve been real close throughout this season, and it’s been a tough year,” WKU sophomore safety Mark Santoro said. “We’ve got strong leaders on this team and you want to pull a win out for those guys and you want to stay together for those guys. We’ve just gotten closer as a team, and we want to get them a win.”