FAU vs USF Odds: Florida Atlantic’s Passing Game Should See Growth On Saturday

The South Florida Bulls will look to get back over .500 with a home game against Florida Atlantic on Saturday.

Florida Atlantic earned its first win since the beginning of September with a 20-17 win over Tulsa. The Owls had to turn to backup quarterback Daniel Richardson after Casey Thompson’s injury at the start of the season.

It’s been hard to replace Thompson, but the FAU defense has undoubtedly stepped up recently. They’ll take on a South Florida team that gave up 56 points to UAB in a 56-35 loss. The Bulls have been great offensively. But can they sustain that success against Florida Atlantic?

Take a look at our FAU vs USF odds for Saturday’s matchup in the AAC.

Florida Atlantic Is Undefeated In AAC Play!

The Florida Atlantic Owls opened up American Athletic Conference play with a 20-17 win over Tulsa. This is the Owls’ first season in the conference, and they proved they belonged.

It’s rare for teams to begin conference play this late into the season. But Florida Atlantic chose to be tested early.

The Owls defeated Monmouth in Week 1 but then faced a difficult NCAAF schedule of Ohio, Clemson, and Illinois in their next three games. Finally, the Owls got into conference play and earned a 20-17 win against Tulsa.

Florida Atlantic no longer has Casey Thompson under center. They’re stuck with Daniel Richardson, who has a 40.7 QBR. That’s not even in the top 100 of college football FBS quarterbacks. He’s also thrown two touchdowns and has three interceptions in three starts this season.

Richardson also isn’t much of a runner. So what you see is what you get. However, Richardson does have some talent around him. Running back Larry McCammon has stepped up in a big way. He’s averaged 5.8 yards per carry on 63 attempts this season. McCammon also has three scores on the ground.

Last week against Tulsa, McCammon carried the team with 26 carries for 130 yards and two touchdowns. McCammon is an AAC running back, and Florida Atlantic has a defense that can stick with anyone in the conference.

Defense, South Florida?

It’s apparent that defense hasn’t been a vocal point for the Bulls this season. South Florida has allowed 433 yards per game. They’ve also allowed at least 24 points in all but one game.

That one game was against Alabama when Alabama decided to sit Jalen Milroe. The South Florida offense has been excellent. But the offense probably can’t average 56 yards a game.

That’s how many points South Florida was allowed to UAB last week.

The defense has allowed over 290 yards in the air and another 140.8 yards on the ground. The secondary is easily the defense’s weak point, and the missed tackles are starting to stack up a little too fast this season.

South Florida faced a UAB team that had one win coming into the game. UAB added over 600 yards of offense with 29 first downs against South Florida. Despite 11 penalties, UAB still won that game by 21 points and scored 56.

South Florida needs to emphasize defense heading into this game against Florida Atlantic.

Below, we’ll review the FAU vs USF odds for Saturday’s AAC matchup.

FAU vs USF Odds

The Florida Atlantic Owls are sitting at +2 for their AAC matchup against the South Florida Bulls. Meanwhile, the total is currently 59.5.

Florida Atlantic began the season 0-3 against the spread. However, the Owls have covered their last two games against Illinois and Tulsa. We’ll see if they can keep up the cover against the spread streak on Saturday.

The Owls have also hit the Under in three of five games this season. The last two games have gone Under when Florida Atlantic covered.

On the other hand, South Florida is 3-3 against the spread while also being 3-3 straight up. The Bulls didn’t cover against UAB as a 3-point favorite but covered three straight prior, including as a 34.5-point underdog against Alabama.

The Over and Under has each hit three times for South Florida this season.

South Florida is 2-1 at home, while Florida Atlantic is 0-2 on the road. But those are very small sample sizes.

South Florida’s Offense Will Regress

When it comes to South Florida, the offense looks unstoppable. But that’s far from the truth.

The Bulls have added 441.5 yards per game behind dual-threat quarterback Byrum Brown. He’s a freshman quarterback with 11 passing touchdowns and seven more rushing touchdowns. He’s accounted for nearly 2,000 yards of offense, but also. has five interceptions in six games.

Brown isn’t the most accurate quarterback. He’s completed under 60% of passes. For a first-year student, it’s not all that bad. But he’s essentially the entire offense.

Brown and South Florida will now take on a Florida Atlantic defense that has been much better against the run. The Owls also have a reliable secondary and convert on tackles at a high rate.

Yes, the Owls have allowed 165.4 yards per game on the ground. They’ve also given up 228.2 yards in the air. But this Florida Atlantic defense will only get better. The Owls just held Tulsa to 17 points and Illinois to 23. They also held Ohio to 17. The only poor defensive game came against Clemson.

Cut them some slack.

Can FAU’s Richardson Throw The Football?

It hasn’t been pretty for the Florida Atlantic Offense. The NCAAF scores and odds reflect that. However, this is the game where Daniel Richardson needs to ball out.

Richardson only has two touchdowns and three interceptions on the year. But he’s a pocket passer and will have many opportunities against South Florida.

The Bulls are pathetic in coverage and continue missing tackles at a high rate. Richardson needs to take advantage.

He’s dropped 109 times in the last three games. He’s also been sacked six times in three games, which isn’t terrible. If he has time in the pocket, he’ll be more accurate and make the right reads.

Against South Florida, that’s expected.

Not only will McCammon help the passing game get going, but Richardson also has one of the best receivers in the conference in LaJohntay Wester. He’s hauled in 52 catches for 499 yards and two touchdowns. Wester has earned at least nine catches in his last four games and hit over 100 receiving yards against teams like Clemson and Illinois.

The Richardson-Wester connection will be incredible against South Florida.

Let’s take Florida Atlantic’s NCAA football line of +2.

For NCAAF betting news, odds, analysis and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.

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