The FAU Owls will head out to Norfolk, Va. to take on Old Dominion on Saturday, Nov. 13 at 3:30 p.m.

With FAU’s home winning streak of 12 having been snapped due to the loss against Marshall, head coach Willie Taggart will need the team to regroup for them to keep their goal of topping the East Division in reach.

The University Press Sports Staff takes their picks after going 2-2 in their predictions of FAU’s matchup with Marshall.

Richard Pereira – Sports Editor (6-3)

After a difficult loss to Marshall at home, the Owls have to win against Old Dominion on the road to keep their chances of reaching a bowl game intact.

Sophomore running back Johnny Ford was FAU’s brightest spot in the loss to Marshall, running for 138 yards on 13 carries as he gave the opposing defense trouble. FAU has to continue giving him the ball to make the most of his scorching form with the rushing offense.

Besides limiting running back Blake Watson’s offensive production, the Owls need to keep an eye on Elijah Davis, who has 487 rushing yards and four touchdowns for the Monarchs.

When it comes to the Monarchs’ passing offense, FAU has to deny easy receptions to Zack Kuntz, who caught the ball 53 times for 550 yards and four touchdowns so far this season.

While FAU must keep track of those key players from Old Dominion, the team should cruise to victory as long as the offense gets going.

Prediction: FAU 41, Old Dominion 20

Eston Parker III – Photo Editor (5-4)

If there was ever a week where FAU needed a confidence boost, this is the week. Following last Saturday’s home defeat to Marshall, FAU faces a much easier opponent this Saturday going to Norfolk to face Old Dominion. 

The Owls have historically played ODU well, even away from Boca Raton, so Coach Taggart and his Owls will look to continue that trend.

The offense has to play better than they did against Marshall, specifically in the passing game. While graduate quarterback N’Kosi Perry did not have an excellent performance against Marshall, his receivers need to do a better job of eliminating dropped passes. It has been a problem that nearly everyone in the receiving corps has dealt with this season, and it has cost the Owls greatly in certain moments.

Beyond the passing game, expect the Owls to run all over Old Dominion. Johnny Ford will likely have another big game and show off his explosive ability, and will be complimented by James Charles and Perry’s scrambling ability.

Defensively, the Owls will need to stop the strong offense which has shown up for ODU in their last two games. Following last week’s 47-24 victory over FIU, ODU has also shown in previous games that their offense can keep them in big games against tough opponents. 

The defense had a lackluster week against Marshall but should be able to bounce back this week, especially by limiting ODU’s passing game.

Prediction: FAU 27, Old Dominion 17

Bryce Totz – Staff Writer (7-2)

Look for the Owls to bounce back this week and earn their sixth win. This will be the game that makes FAU eligible for a bowl game in 2021. FAU has not lost in Norfolk, Va. in three trips. 

The Owls have a slim chance to appear in a conference championship game after last week’s 28-13 loss at home against Marshall, but if they stick to the game plan on Saturday, they should keep their chances for a bowl game alive. Typically, a team needs at least six wins to appear in a bowl game, but the more the merrier. They might as well help themselves by taking advantage of a struggling ODU team.

ODU is 3-6 overall, but the record does not mean FAU can take them lightly. The Monarchs are on a two-game winning streak, as they beat LA Tech and FIU by an average score of 13 points (last week they beat FIU 47-24). They even forced overtime against Marshall in Week 6. 

The Owls should not have a problem as long as they execute well. This was an opportunity they missed against Marshall. N’Kosi Perry threw three deep passes on target that were dropped and could have resulted in either big gains or possibly touchdowns. 

If FAU plays and executes the way they should, they will walk all over the Monarchs and blow them out of the building.

Prediction: FAU 42, Old Dominion 14

Trey Avant – Staff Writer (6-3)

FAU has struggled on the road this season but the team has a favorable matchup against Old Dominion. 

While FAU has been a run-heavy team this season, they will likely look to pass early on due to ODU’s tough run defense. The Monarchs have a suspect pass defense so look for N’Kosi Perry to get many good looks early on.

Running back Blake Watson might prove difficult to contain due to FAU’s lackluster performance against opposing running backs, but FAU’s defense against the pass should be enough to make ODU one-dimensional.

The Monarchs do not have the offensive firepower to score against a solid FAU defense.

Prediction: FAU 31, Old Dominion 13

For information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected] or tweet the staff:  Richard Pereira (@Rich26Pereira), Eston Parker III (@EstonParker), Bryce Totz (@brycetotz) Trey Avant (@TreyAvant3).