College Football Betting Preview: A Look at Troy-Florida Atlantic

Troy Trojans at Florida Atlantic Owls, Lockhart Stadium, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Saturday, December 4, 2010, 2:00 pm Eastern, TV: ESPNU
Opening Line: Troy -4
Current Line: Troy -5
Opening Total: 55
Current Total: 55
Money Line: Troy -200 / FAU +180

The Troy Trojans are a 5 point favorite on the road at Sun Belt Conference foe Florida Atlantic

The 6-5 Troy Trojans travel to Ft. Lauderdale to take on the 4-7 Florida Atlantic Owls. Troy can clinch a share of the Sun Belt Conference title if they win this game and Florida International loses to Middle Tennessee St later in the day. Though FIU would hold the tiebreaker as they beat Troy 52-35 earlier in the season. Win or lose against Florida Atlantic, Troy seems headed for the Godaddy.com Bowl in nearby Mobile, AL. Florida Atlantic is just trying to finish their season, but they are better than their 4-7 record would indicate. The Owls gave Florida International their only conference loss 21-9 at the end of October. Troy has won 6 of the last 7 straight-up in the series versus the Owls. The Trojans have covered the number 5 of the last 6 times vs the Owls. Troy is 1-7 ATS as a favorite this season and 2-8 ATS in Saturday games this season. FAU is 7-16 ATS in all games the last 2 seasons, and is 2-8 ATS in Saturday games this season.

Troy has been outscored 33-31 so far this season. Troy averages 437 yards a game including 287 passing yards per game. They give up 423 yards a game including 243 passing yards. The Trojans have forced 30 turnovers this season but only have a turnover margin of +5. The Trojans have forced almost 3 sacks a game on the season. They do give up almost 80 yards a game in penalties. The offense is led by quarterback Corey Robinson. Robinson has thrown for just over 3,000 yards a game to go with 21 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. Ten Trojan receivers have caught at least one touchdown catch. Though Jerrel Jernigan, Jason Bruce, Tebiarus Gill, and Chip Reeves are the top receivers. Each has at least 24 catches, 407 yards, and 3 touchdown catches. Troy rushes for 151 yards a game led by Shawn Southward, DuJuan Harris, Chris Anderson and Jernigan. Jernigan is a multi-purpose weapon who has 10 total touchdowns, passing, rushing, receiving, punt returns, and kick returns.

Florida Atlantic is coached by the legendary Howard Schnellenberger. The Owls have been outscored 28-18 on the season. FAU is giving up 394 yards a game while gaining only 296 yards a game. The owls exploded for 32 points in their season opening upset of Alabama-Birmingham but have not scored more than 23 in any game since then. They have a turnover margin of -6 and are allowing almost 3 sacks a game. Not surprisingly for a team that struggles offensively, FAU only converts on 3rd down 32 percent of the time. The offense is led by quarterback Jeff Van Camp. He has only thrown for 2,157 yards this season which is just under 200 yards a game. He has 16 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions for the season. Lester Jean is the Owls top receiver with 58 catches 936 yards, and 8 touchdowns. Rob Housler has 4 touchdowns on only 36 catches. The Owls only rush for 96 yards a game. Alfred Morris lead the rushing game with 214 carries for 882 yards and 7 rushing touchdowns. The Owls only have 8 rushing touchdowns on the season. Morris also has a touchdown catch.

The strength of Troy’s defense is forcing turnovers, and Florida Atlantic has a tendency to turn the ball over frequently. The Owls struggle to move the ball and score. Troy is the superior team here but Florida Atlantic can be tough to beat depending on which team shows up.