UTEP at Florida Atlantic: 10/30/21 College Football Picks and Prediction
Photo by Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Florida Atlantic Owls (4-3) vs UTEP Miners (6-1)
Game Info: Saturday, October 30, 2021 at 6:00 pm (FAU Stadium)
Betting Odds: Florida Atlantic Owls -11 -- Over/Under: 48 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The UTEP Miners will travel to FAU Stadium to take on the Florida Atlantic Owls this Saturday night in College Football action.
The UTEP Miners won their 4th straight game and improved to 6-1 on the season after defeating the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, 19-3, on October 16th. UTEP was outstanding on the defensive end against Louisiana Tech and had no trouble securing the victory after going into halftime with a 16-3 lead. UTEP lost the turnover battle by a 4-3 margin, however, did outgain Louisiana Tech by a 385-278 margin. Leading the way for the Miners was WR Jacob Cowing who had 9 receptions for 166 yards.
On the season, UTEP is averaging 24.9 ppg on 387.4 total yards per game (222.6 passing yds/g; 164.9 rushing yds/g). Offensively, UTEP has been led by the RB duo of Ronald Awatt (86 att, 479 yards, 3 TD) & Deion Hankins (75 att, 251 yards, 5 TD). QB Gavin Hardison has completed 57.6% of his passes for 1549 yards, 8 TD, & 7 INT. The top receiving threats for the Miners have been Jacob Cowing (35 rec, 775 yards, 4 TD), Justin Garrett (23 rec, 338 yards, 2 TD), & Tyrin Smith (11 rec, 199 yards, TD).
Defensively, UTEP is holding their opponents to an average of 19.3 ppg on 297.0 total yards per game (204.4 passing yds/g; 92.6 rushing yds/g).
The Florida Atlantic Owls improved to 4-3 on the season after defeating the Charlotte 49ers, 38-9, on October 21st. Florida Atlantic trailed by a 9-7 margin going into halftime, however, the Owls dominated the 49ers on both ends of the field throughout the 2nd half and had no trouble securing the victory after a 30-yard TD reception by Brandon Robinson gave Florida Atlantic a 28-9 lead with 1:06 left in the 3rd quarter. Florida Atlantic outgained Charlotte by a 427-351 margin while also winning the turnover battle by a 3-1 margin in the victory. Leading the way for the Owls was QB N’Kosi Perry who completed 9 of 11 passes for 225 yards & 3 TD.
On the season, Florida Atlantic is averaging 30.9 ppg on 437.4 total yards per game (263.7 passing yds/g; 173.7 rushing yds/g). Offensively, Florida Atlantic has been led by QB N’Kosi Perry who has competed 61.7% of his passes for 1696 yards, 14 TD, & 4 INT while also rushing for 4 TD. Leading the way for the Owls backfield has been the trio of Johnny Ford (64 att, 403 yards, 3 TD), Malcolm Davidson (53 att, 240 yards, TD), & Kelvin Dean Jr. (18 att, 123 yards, 2 TD). The top receiving threats for the Owls have been LaJohntay Wester (33 rec, 398 yards, 3 TD), Je’Quan Burton (17 rec, 341 yards, 2 TD), Brandon Robinson (20 rec, 278 yards, 2 TD) & John Mitchell (13 rec, 178 yards, 2 TD).
Defensively, Florida Atlantic is holding their opponents to an average of 21.0 ppg on 372.6 total yards per game (187.9 passing yds/g; 184.7 rushing yds/g).
The Miners are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games overall, however, are just 7-18-1 ATS in their last 26 games vs. a team with a winning record. The Owls are 3-0-1 ATS in their last 4 games overall and 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games in October.
UTEP has been much better than expected this season, however, this is still a team that really hasn’t played much in terms of competition and lost to Boise State by a 54-13 margin earlier this season. Florida Atlantic is better than their record indicates and was impressive on both sides of the ball in their 29-point victory against Charlotte and as I think the Owls defense is going to give UTEP a bunch of issues, I think N’Kosi Perry and the Florida Atlantic do enough offensively to cover this double-digit spread. Good Luck!
Brett’s Pick Florida Atlantic Owls -11
AUTHOR: Brett Nault
Mitch's Take...
