SMU Mustangs vs Florida Atlantic Owls Pick, Odds, Boca Raton Bowl Prediction 12/21/2019

Game: SMU Mustangs vs Florida Atlantic Owls

Date: Saturday, December 21, 2019

Boca Raton Bowl

Location: FAU Stadium in Boca Raton, FL

TV: ABC

Odds/Point Spread: Florida Atlantic +3.5

Total/Over-Under: 72

Chris Robison and the Florida Atlantic Owls play the SMU Mustangs at FAU Stadium on Saturday, December 21, 2019 in the Boca Raton Bowl. The odds on this contest have SMU as 3.5-point favorites. The Mustangs are 7-5-0 ATS and 9-3-0 when betting on the total. The Owls are 6-6-1 when wagering on the over/under and 9-4-0 against the spread.

The last time they took the field, the SMU Mustangs went up against the Tulane Green Wave and won 37-20. Running the show from under center for the Mustangs was Shane Buechele who went 15/27 with 180 yards through the air and tossed 3 touchdowns. He walked away with 1 pick in the game. Xavier Jones led the team in rushing for the game. His longest run of the day went for 38 yards and he tallied 2 touchdowns during the game. He racked up a total of 125 yards by way of 18 carries which means he ran for an average of 6.9 yards per carry. James Proche was the receiving yardage leader by earning 71 yards on 7 receptions. He averaged 10.1 yards per reception for the game. The Mustangs ran the football 38 times and generated 197 yards which earned them an average of 5.2 yards per run. For the game, the Mustangs had a total of 18 1st downs and they had 0 penalties for 0 yards telling us that this team was extremely focused in this game. For the game, they ran 65 plays which added up to 377 yards. When it comes to their defensive performance, SMU allowed 22 completions on 37 throws for a total of 242 yards, and a completion percentage of 59.5%. On the ground, the Mustangs allowed 223 yards on 53 carries which gave them an average of 4.2 yards per attempt allowed. In the game, they gave up a total of 465 yards and forced 2 turnovers.

The Mustangs head into this game 10-2 for this year. For total yards, they rank 3rd in the American Athletic Conference and 11th in D-1 with 5,944 yards. They are one of top scoring teams in the nation with an average of 43 points per contest, putting them 7th in D-1. As a unit, they have an average of 185.9 rushing yards per contest which is 7th in the AAC. The Mustangs have one of the worst defenses in college football, giving up 31.8 points per game which has them at 9th in the American Athletic Conference. When it comes to passing yards, the Mustangs have allowed 3,712 yards. Opponents are completing 58.7% of the throws they are attempting against them and averaging 7.7 yards per try. In discussing yards rushing, SMU is giving up 153.7 yards per contest ranking them 5th in the AAC and 65th in college football. Opposing teams are running for an average of 3.9 yards per rush ranking them 5th in the American Athletic Conference and 44th in D-1 overall. In total, they have conceded 1,844 rushing yards through 12 contests.

In their last game, the Florida Atlantic Owls played the UAB Blazers and ended up getting the victory by a score of 49-6. Leading the way at QB for the Owls was Chris Robison who went 17/37 with 267 yards passing and completed 4 touchdowns. He walked away with 1 pick on the day. Malcolm Davidson led the team on the ground for the game. His longest run of the day went for 30 yards but he never crossed the endzone by way of the rush. He rushed for 128 yards by way of 11 carries which meant he averaged 11.6 yards per carry. Deangelo Antoine was the leader in receiving yardage with a total of 112 yards on 5 catches. He earned an average of 22.4 yards per catch for the game. The Owls ran the ball a total of 42 times and earned 286 yards which gave them an average of 6.8 yards per attempt. In the game, the Owls racked up 29 1st downs and they had a total of 7 penalties for 90 yards which is telling of how their week of practice went. On the day, they ran 81 plays for a total of 585 yards. When discussing the defense, Florida Atlantic allowed 8 catches on 19 tries totaling 84 yards, and a completion percentage of 42.1%. In the running game, the Owls allowed 139 yards on 40 attempts which gave them an average of 3.5 yards per run allowed. For the game, they gave up a total of 223 yards and earned 2 turnovers.

Related: Get college football predictions on all of today's games

The Owls come into this matchup with a record of 10-3. Florida Atlantic has made teams respect their running game by averaging 165.2 yards on the ground per game, ranking them 63rd in the country. As a team, they have compiled a total of 2,148 yards rushing through 13 contests, so they will want to continue to try to improve on the run game so opponents will have to respect all facets of the game. The Owls average 443.5 yards per contest overall ranking them 32nd in Division 1 and 2nd in Conference USA. The Owls are allowing 22.3 points per contest which puts them at 3rd in the conference and 33rd in D-1. In terms of points given up, they have allowed 290 points in total. In regard to yards rushing, they are giving up 137.7 yards per game ranking them 40th in the country and 4th in the conference. For this season, they have allowed 1,790 yards on the ground and 15.6 rushing TDs. Their pass defense is one of the mediocre units in the country. They are conceding 233.6 passing yards per contest. For passing yards allowed per game, the Owls currently sit at 10th in Conference USA.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Owls +3.5

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