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GAME CAPSULE: UTEP @ FAU Football - October 30, 2021

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FAU Looks To Keep C-USA East Lead With Win Over Surging Miners



The Matchup: UTEP (6-1, 3-0  C-USA) @ Florida Atlantic (4-3, 2-1 C-USA)


When: Saturday, October 30th, 6:00 PM

Where: Howard Schnellenberger Field at FAU Stadium

TV: ESPN+

Stream: Here

Radio: 640 The Hurricane

Opening Line: FAU - 14

Weather: Current conditions in Boca Raton, FL

The Series: The Owls and Miners have split their two matchups so far, with FAU winning the last matchup on Nov. 12, 2016, by a 35-31 margin at FAU Stadium.

UTEP Team Site: Here


Key Stats Comparison:




Owl Notes

After losing their first three road matchups of the season, Florida Atlantic snapped its losing skid away from home with a 38-9 walloping of the Charlotte 49ers. After averaging just 93 rushing yards in their road games, the Owls picked up 202 yards on the ground - with Johnny Ford picking up 92 of those with a touchdown on eight carries. Quarterback N'Kosi Perry had one of his best performances of the season as well, throwing for 225 yards and three touchdowns on 9-11 passing.

Head Coach Willie Taggart mentioned that their offense starts with the run - and that was exactly the case with the offense rushing the ball 40 times to just 11 pass plays. Winning the turnover battle also helped FAU win last week, as they had three takeaways to Charlotte's one. This was also one of the best showings from the defensive line this season, as Evan Anderson [photo], Jaden Wheeler, and Jaylen Joyner all each had four tackles - with Anderson notching a tackle for a loss.

With one of the most complete performances they've had all season in the rearview mirror, the Owls will look to build off of that - and they are returning to the friendly confines of Howard Schnellenberger Field. They're on an 11-game home winning streak and are looking to extend it to 12 against the Miners.




Miner Notes

One of the big surprises out of the C-USA West division, the UTEP Miners are off to a 6-1 start, including a 3-0 start in conference play. The Miners have been known for stopping the run thus far, ranking 11th in the nation in fewest rushing yards allowed per game, only allowing 94 yards on the ground per game. They've also forced the 19th-most turnovers per game in the nation with 1.9 per game.

The head of the turnover party in El Paso is defensive back Dennis Barnes, who has two interceptions and a fumble recovery along with 34 total tackles and a sack. DB Dy'vonne Inyang makes for a solid duo with Barnes, adding two picks of his own while matching Barnes' tackles and sacks total.

Offensively, Jacob Cowing ranks as one of the best receivers in the nation. His 775 receiving yards on 35 receptions ranks him sixth in the nation, adding four touchdowns as well. Quarterback Gavin Hardison also ranks among the top QBs in the nation, ranking fourth in passing yards per attempt (9.8) and adding 1,549 yards and eight touchdowns on 57.6% passing. The Owls have to capitalize on his risky passing, as he has seven interceptions on the season - the Owls defense has eight interceptions as a defense this season, including three against Charlotte last week.



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Looks like both Moss and Mungin are "probable" to play against UTEP's solid passing attack.


When I'm not in school, I'm schooling the CUSA Twitter game; Follow Me Here
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Coach Taggart with high praise to… Ahman Ross' mom!


When I'm not in school, I'm schooling the CUSA Twitter game; Follow Me Here
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Coach hopes to continue his dance moves after the top teams from each division clash Saturday night.


When I'm not in school, I'm schooling the CUSA Twitter game; Follow Me Here
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Here's what UTEP Head Coach Dana Dimel had to say today on their upcoming tilt against the Owls:

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Super excited for this game against UTEP.

@Jack always enjoying listening to the podcast and hearing your take! 
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Coach Taggart with some praise for the UTEP Staff:


When I'm not in school, I'm schooling the CUSA Twitter game; Follow Me Here
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Taggart on offensive continuity:


When I'm not in school, I'm schooling the CUSA Twitter game; Follow Me Here
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TheREALowlsley said

Super excited for this game against UTEP.

@Jack always enjoying listening to the podcast and hearing your take! 
Posted On: Oct 26th 2021, 2:39 PM #404391

Much appreciated! This game is really tough to call, but FAU surely has the talent to beat anybody remaining on the schedule.

When I'm not in school, I'm schooling the CUSA Twitter game; Follow Me Here
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This game I think will be a close one and come down to whoever has the ball last. We should be good if we limit the mistakes. 
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