Florida Atlantic vs Western Kentucky NCAA Football Picks & Predictions 11/2/2019

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium

Ty Storey and the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers host the Florida Atlantic Owls at L.T. Smith Stadium on Saturday, November 2, 2019. Florida Atlantic opens this game as 2.5-point underdogs. The Owls are 5-3-0 ATS and 3-4-1 when betting on the total. The Hilltoppers are 3-5-0 when wagering on the over/under and 6-2-0 against the spread.

The last time they took the field, the Florida Atlantic Owls played the Old Dominion Monarchs and ended up getting the win by a score of 41-3. Deangelo Antoine led the team on the ground during the game. He broke a long run for 48 yards and he ran for 1 TD for the game. He rushed for 48 yards on 1 carries which meant he averaged 48.0 yards per run. Harrison Bryant was the leader in receiving yardage with a tally of 92 yards on 8 catches. He earned an average of 11.5 yards per reception during the game. Running the show from under center for the Owls was Chris Robison who went 17/24 with 208 yards passing and threw 2 TD's. He gave away 1 interception on the day. The Owls ran the ball a total of 31 times and added 159 yards giving them an average of 5.1 yards per carry. In the game, the Owls earned a total of 23 1st downs and they had 5 penalties for 35 yards which is telling of how their week of practice went. In the game, they ran 66 plays which gave them a total of 430 yards. On the defensive side of the ball, Florida Atlantic gave up 15 catches on 29 throws for a total of 134 yards, and a completion percentage of 51.7%. In the running game, the Owls gave up 70 yards on 40 attempts which gave them an average of 1.8 yards per attempt allowed. In the game, they conceded 204 yards and forced 1 takeaway.

The Owls come into this matchup with a record of 5-3 for 2019. For total yardage, they currently sit at 6th in the conference and 46th in D-1 with 3,328 yards. They are one of top scoring teams in the nation averaging 32.9 points per contest, which has them at 40th in D-1. As a unit, they are averaging 134.6 rushing yards per game which is 10th in Conference USA. The Owls have one of the middle tier defenses in Division 1, giving up 26.3 points per contest putting them 5th in the conference. When it comes to yards through the air, the Owls have allowed 2,251 yards. Opponents are completing 58% of the throws they are attempting against them and averaging 7.7 yards per attempt. When it comes to yards rushing, Florida Atlantic is giving up 152.9 yards per contest ranking them 7th in C-USA and 60th in Division 1. They are allowing teams to run for an average of 4.2 yards per carry putting them 7th in Conference USA and 63rd in the nation overall. Overall, they have conceded 1,223 yards rushing through 8 contests.

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In their last contest, the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers took on the Marshall Thundering Herd and lost 26-23. Gaej Walker led the team in rushing during the game. His longest run of the day went for 33 yards and he added 2 TD's in the game. He rushed for a total of 102 yards by way of 12 carries which means he ran for an average of 8.5 yards per run. Lucky Jackson was the leader in receiving yardage with a total of 168 yards on 16 catches. He had an average of 10.5 yards per reception during the game. Running the show from under center for the Hilltoppers was Ty Storey who went 31/43 with 292 yards passing but wasn't able to throw a ball for a TD. He gave away 1 interception in the game. The Hilltoppers ran the ball 24 times and earned 134 yards giving them an average of 5.6 yards per run. In the game, they ran 68 plays which gave them a total of 426 yards. For the contest, the Hilltoppers got 25 first downs and they had a total of 4 infractions for 40 yards which tells us that they had an average outing in terms of discipline. On the defensive side of the ball, Western Kentucky gave up 20 catches on 33 throws totaling 230 yards, and a completion percentage of 60.6%. Against the run, the Hilltoppers gave up 171 yards on 34 tries which gave them an average of 5.0 yards per rushing attempt allowed. On the day, they gave up 401 yards but didn't get any takeaways.

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The Hilltoppers step onto the field holding a record of 5-3. In discussing the offensive production, the Hilltoppers have one of the average offenses in college football. Western Kentucky hasn't done much to make teams fear their rushing game by averaging 113 yards on the ground per game, ranking them 121st in the nation. As a team, they have a total of 904 rushing yards through 8 games, so they are going to want to make some changes to the ground game if they want to make teams respect them. The Hilltoppers average 349.9 yards per contest overall putting them 104th in the nation and 10th in C-USA. The Hilltoppers are allowing 18.9 points per contest which puts them at 2nd in the conference and 17th in college football. In discussing points given up, they have allowed 151 points in total. In discussing yards on the ground, they are giving up 118.4 yards per game ranking them 29th in D-1 and 3rd in C-USA. For this year, they have conceded 947 yards rushing and 6.4 rushing touchdowns. Their passing defense is one of the elite units in D-1. They are giving up 182.8 passing yards per contest. For yards through the air allowed per game, the Hilltoppers sit in 3rd in Conference USA.

Who will win tonight's Owls/Hilltoppers college football game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take the Owls +2.5

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