Breaking the two-game losing streak last week, Florida Atlantic football (4-5, 3-3 AC) is now traveling to Yulman Stadium to face the Tulane Green Wave (7-2, 4-1 AC) and keep their bowl game chances alive.

Even with the 40-21 win last week against Tulsa (2-7, 0-6 AC), there was concern that starting quarterback Caden Veltkamp would be out for the next one after sustaining a right shoulder injury in the fourth quarter. However, he was listed as active for Saturday night’s game against Tulane.

Veltkamp and head coach Zach Kittley will be planning against a Tulane defensive line that has 21sacks on the season, which is ranked fourth in the American Conference.

FAU has not performed well against teams with a ranking above .500 this season, but Tulane recently suffered a 48-26 loss to the UTSA Roadrunners (4-5, 2-3 AC) just two weeks ago, so an upset is possible.

The University Staff has some mixed predictions for this week. Here are the predictions:

Anthony Ortiz, Staff Writer

FAU is coming off a win against a struggling Tulsa team at home, and this week they get another test going against the Tulane Green Wave, who are still in contention for the Group of Five spot in the CFP. Imagine FAU defeating this team on the road and taking away their chance of being in the CFP. FAU will need to do some hard things in order to steal one on the road.

The Green Wave offense is one of the best in the American Conference, primarily due to their quarterback, Jake Retzlaff, who is coming off a stellar game against the Memphis Tigers (8-2, 4-2 AC), with over 300 passing yards and three touchdowns. In conference play, Retzslaff is fantastic with an almost perfect QBR and also rushing for 6.4 yards per carry. He will be a handful for FAU, as they have dual-threat quarterbacks.

In the last game, the FAU defense managed to force three turnovers, their most in a single game this season. To have a chance against Tulane, they must be aggressive to take the ball away. FAU’s main linebackers and defensive line will be tested the most this week, with Tulane using four running backs each game. A more balanced rushing attack that FAU needs to stop.

On the other side of the ball, FAU simply has to take care of the football and do what they do on offense, which is to air it out and play fast. Listen, Tulane is 7-2 and you can’t take that record away, but this is a team the Owls can win convincingly. Statistically, Tulane is middle of the pack on everything on offense and defense. 

It is just a matter of the big play, a takeaway here or an explosive play there. FAU will stun Tulane on the road because of its big-play ability and newfound ability to take the ball away.

Score Prediction: 27-21, FAU

Morgan Larkins, Contributing Writer

FAU is coming into this matchup against Tulane with some momentum after a win against Tulsa. With three games remaining, FAU cannot lose more than one of those games. However, they are underdogs in every game for the rest of the season, according to ESPN. 

Tulane may be the most intimidating team remaining on FAU’s schedule. Tulane is 7-2, fighting for a spot in the American Conference championship, and could potentially even make the playoffs as the last automatic qualifier. 

QB Jake Retzlaff is the biggest name at Tulane and potentially the entire American Conference. Retzlaff has 1954 passing yards and also leads the team in rushing with 556 yards. FAU has struggled against dynamic quarterbacks who can run in the past, as well as in games against Navy, South Florida, and even Florida International. 

Tulane has proven to be one of the best teams in the conference throughout the season, with wins against Memphis and East Carolina. FAU continues to be a team that makes mistakes, produces penalties, and loses to the top teams in the American. Unfortunately for FAU, this game against Tulane will continue to confirm this. 

Score prediction: 38-27, Tulane