Week 2: College Football Best Bets

Sep 07, 2023

JEFF ROMANCE/THE PALM BEACH POST / USA TODAY NETWORK

Ohio at Florida Atlantic

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Line: Ohio -3.5 Total: 61.5

The Ohio University Bobcats (1-1) travel south to face the Florida Atlantic Owls (1-0) this Saturday at FAU Stadium. Florida Atlantic opened the Tom Herman era at home last week, defeating FCS opponent Monmouth 42-20. Ohio already has two games under its belt as it bounced back from a disappointing season-opening loss to San Diego State with a 27-10 victory over FCS foe Long Island.

Last year's contest between these teams resulted in a 41-38 shootout victory for Ohio, in which both teams almost combined for 1,000 yards of total offense.

Ohio Bobcats

Predicted by many to defend their MAC East title, the Bobcats have gotten off to a shaky start in the early going. After All-MAC quarterback Kurtis Rourke went down in the first half of their season opener at San Diego State, they managed only a late touchdown and fell to the Aztecs 20-13. Backup CJ Harris struggled with three interceptions and a 39.8 QB Rating.

Rourke was out once again last week for the home opener as Ohio underwhelmed again with just 303 yards of total offense, this time in a 27-10 win over Long Island. Quarterbacks Parker Navarro and CJ Harris split the game and finished with a combined 104 yards passing on 15 total attempts.

Injuries on offense continue to be a concern as, along with Rourke, their top two wide receivers, Sam Wiglusz and Jacoby Jones, along with starting tight end Tyler Foster, were all sidelined with injuries last week. For Jones, it was his second straight missed game.

Ohio coach Tim Albin believes that Rourke and the others have a good chance to play, saying, "We're on schedule, and it looks more promising this week."

Wiglusz and Jones are huge pieces of this offense and combined for over 1,700 yards receiving and 17 touchdowns last year.

1st Team All-MAC running back Sieh Bangura has been the lone bright spot on offense with 172 yards on 5.1 YPC.

Even though they rated as one of the worst in the country at the start of the season, the Bobcat defense has been solid, giving up an average of 262 yards per game with linebacker Bryce Houston leading the way with 24 tackles along with a sack and an interception.

Florida Atlantic Owls

The Owls opened their 2023 season with a 42-20 home victory over Monmouth in which they went for nearly 500 total yards of offense.

This offseason, the Owls replaced head coach Willie Taggart with Tom Herman, who brings a proven track record of coaching success throughout his career. Whether it was as the offensive coordinator of Ohio State's national championship team, his 13-1 record and eighth-place AP poll finish as head coach at Houston, or his 32-18 record and four bowl wins as head coach at Texas, Herman brings plenty of experience to Boca Raton.

Not only did Florida Atlantic upgrade its coaching staff, but it also improved in every area of its offense. Sixth-year senior Casey Thompson transferred from Nebraska, where he started 10 games last year. He finished the season with over 2,400 passing yards, completed 63% of his passes, and threw for 17 touchdowns. He played for Herman for two years as a backup at Texas before leaving for Nebraska. Thompson got off to a great start in the win over Monmouth, going 20-25 for 280 yards and throwing for five touchdowns. He has the potential to be the best quarterback in FAU history.

While Herman has been at the forefront of some high-powered offenses over the past decade, he has always been committed to establishing the run game. In this department, the Owls feature all-CUSA running back Larry McCammon, who rushed for over 1,000 yards last year. He led the team on the ground against Monmouth with 125 rushing yards and added four receptions for 59 yards through the air.

Behind McCammon, Zuberi Mobley is a steady backup who rushed for 534 yards last season. This week, Purdue grad transfer, Kobe Lewis will make his Owl debut after missing the first game due to a rib injury. Back in 2019, at Central Michigan, Lewis rushed for over 1,000 yards.

On the pass-catching front, FAU returns the three-headed monster of Tony Johnson, Je'Quan Burton, and Lajohntay Wester. Those three picked right up where they left off last season as they combined for 14 receptions, 202 yards, and all five touchdowns versus Monmouth.

Led by one of the best offensive line coaches in Ed Warriner, the big uglies up front return four with full-time starting experience and total 113 career starts. Last year, this group paved the way for 185 rush yards per game and only had 14 sacks allowed.

Defensively, the Owls return 10 starters from last year to go along with nine potential impact transfers. They return 87% of their tackles and 90% of their "Big Plays," which leads the nation.

With new defensive coordinator Roc Bellantoni's focus on stopping the run, the Owls were faced with a big challenge last week going against the rushing leader in all Division 1 football in Monmouth's Jaden Shirden. He rushed for 1,722 yards last year but was held to only 66 yards on 24 carries.

Prediction Center

While San Diego State was a tough test on the road, Ohio will face its most complete opponent so far this week as FAU presents a well-balanced offense led by a talented, experienced quarterback in Thompson, along with a quality offensive line and experienced playmakers at the skill positions. Last year, Ohio finished as one of the worst teams in the nation against the pass. While their cornerbacks are improved from last year, look for FAU to spread out the Ohio defense and allow Thompson to try to pick apart the Bobcat secondary. This should also open up the run game for McCammon and company.

This line opened with FAU a 5-point favorite and has since dropped to 3.5 with news of Rourke likely starting at quarterback for Ohio. Even with Ohio getting their key skill players back from injury, the Owls own a huge overall talent edge, have the coaching advantage, are playing at home, and have the returning production on defense to stifle Rourke and the Ohio offense.