Florida Atlantic brings one of the American Conference's most explosive passing games to Malone Stadium, while UL Monroe keeps chasing a winning season it hasn't had since 2012.
Bush’s Picks
FAUULM
FAUULM
OverUnder
Best BetFlorida Atlantic
FAU's offense operates at a level ULM hasn't matched in over a decade of rebuilding, and that gap alone makes the Owls the play here. Veltkamp and Messer give Kittley's group a proven big-play element that UL Monroe's defense hasn't had to deal with much. Back Florida Atlantic to win outright in what should be a fairly straightforward spot before conference play heats up.
Florida Atlantic
+Veltkamp/Messer connection paced a top-7 AAC offense
+Six defensive starters return with real experience
+Turnover margin (-21) has nowhere to go but up
−Defense allowed 36.3 PPG, 13th in the AAC
−Coming off a 4-8 debut season under Kittley
−Veltkamp's 17 interceptions have to come down
UL Monroe
+Noah Flemmings anchors an experienced linebacker corps
+O-line returns starters in Vinson and Croswell
+Extra tune-up game before Sun Belt play begins
−No winning season since 2012
−Armenta threw 8 picks to 12 TDs last year
−Run game wildly inconsistent (3-0 vs 0-9 splits)
Caden Veltkamp is back under center for FAU after throwing for 3,641 yards and 24 touchdowns in his first season with the Owls, and Zach Kittley's offense should once again be one of the American's most entertaining watches. On the other side, Aidan Armenta is trying to take a step forward for a UL Monroe team that's still searching for its first winning season since 2012. This is a late-September tune-up before conference play tightens up for both programs.
FAU's defense is the swing factor here — it allowed 36.3 points a game a year ago, 13th in the American, with a turnover margin of -21 that can't realistically get worse. ULM's front seven is anchored by linebacker Noah Flemmings, who led the Warhawks with 80 tackles and 11 tackles for loss last season, and he'll need a big night to slow down Easton Messer and that Owls passing attack.
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FAU Florida Atlantic
ULM UL Monroe
Both teams are treating this as a launching pad. FAU is coming off a 4-8 debut season under Kittley and sees manageable non-conference games — this one included — as a chance to build momentum before Navy and the rest of the American gauntlet. UL Monroe head coach Bryant Vincent has been rebuilding for years and knows a win over a program the Warhawks used to share a league with would be a real signature result.
Florida Atlantic Owls
Sep 19?vs Florida International—
Sep 12?vs Navy—
Sep 5?@ Florida—
UL Monroe Warhawks
Sep 19?vs SE Louisiana—
Sep 12?@ UAB—
Sep 5?@ Mississippi State—
Recent form.
FAU's offensive line and receiving corps return enough pieces to think 29.5 points a game is a repeatable number, and if Veltkamp cuts down on the interceptions that plagued him in 2025, this offense gets scarier, not less. Messer profiles as the guy who keeps drives alive on third down.
For ULM, it comes down to whether the offensive line — with tackle AJ Vinson and guard Kaliem Croswell back — can give Armenta time and open running lanes. Last year's Warhawks were 3-0 when they ran for 6-plus yards a carry and 0-9 when they didn't, which tells you exactly how thin the margin for error is in Monroe.
