Florida Atlantic runs an air raid with Caden Veltkamp throwing it, and the offense is real: 45 at UL Monroe, 66 against Texas Southern, 51 against Rice, 41 at North Texas. The Owls went into Denton as a double-digit underdog against one of the highest-scoring teams in the country and kept it to a 1-score game. The problem is what the defense has given up over the same stretch: 56 at Army, 49 to Rice, 48 to North Texas. When FAU wins, it usually needs to outscore people.
Texas Southern66-10
UTSA's streak looks a little softer when you go through the scores. The Roadrunners beat Rice 16-14, Navy 38-34 and South Florida by 7, and gave up 45 to Colorado State in a 59-45 game. The Tulane blowout is their most complete win of the run. Before that, they were winning close games, not running teams off the field. Rice is the one opponent both teams have played. UTSA held Rice to 14 on the road, while FAU needed 51 points to beat Rice by 2 at home. On paper, UTSA has the much better defense.
The schedule helps UTSA. The Roadrunners last played at Tulane and get 12 days to prepare. FAU gets a normal week after a Thursday night game in Denton. The early forecast for Boca is 82 degrees, clear skies and 14 mph wind. A week out, that's worth checking again, not something to bank on. The stakes are simple. UTSA and North Texas came into the week as the only teams unbeaten in American play, and the Roadrunners have to win games like this one to keep that going. FAU is 2-2 in the league and needs a win over a team in the race.
