FAU plays its second home game this season against the Fordham Rams on Saturday, Sept. 18 at 6 p.m.

Following the dominant 38-6 victory in the home opener against Georgia Southern, head coach Willie Taggart will look to keep FAU’s dominance at home going against Fordham, which will be the first-ever encounter between the Owls and Rams.

The University Press Sports Staff announces their predictions for the game after going 4-0 with choosing the victorious team for a second consecutive time.

Richard Pereira – Sports Editor (2-0)

It will be interesting to see how FAU prepares against a team it has yet to face throughout its history with the likes of Fordham.

Graduate quarterback N’Kosi Perry dominated in his home debut against Georgia Southern, completing 19 of his 27 passes for 332 yards and four touchdowns. After Conference USA awarded him the Co-Offensive Player of the Week award for his excellent performance, Perry has shown he deserves the starting spot and will assure FAU with his fierce competitiveness as the Owls prepare for Saturday. 

The receivers will need to maintain their performances from last week, particularly freshman LaJohntay Wester, redshirt senior John Mitchell, and redshirt sophomore Je’Quan Burton. Wester had a game-high seven receptions for 124 yards and a touchdown, Mitchell caught four passes for 60 yards and two touchdowns, and Burton caught a 50-yard pass for a touchdown. They’ll have to keep up the momentum heading into the game against Fordham for FAU’s offense to be a threat to opposing teams.

Should Perry replicate a performance similar to how he played against Georgia Southern, expect another routing victory for the Owls at home.

Prediction: FAU 45, Fordham 10

Eston Parker III – Photo Editor (2-0)

The Owls may have started slow against Georgia Southern, but once they gathered a hint of momentum, they were unstoppable. 

Dropping 38 unanswered points against the Eagles is a very encouraging sign coming into this Saturday’s game against Fordham, who are now 0-2 following losses to Nebraska and Monmouth. It seems improbable that Fordham will be able to stop a relentless FAU offense led by last week’s C-USA player of the week N’Kosi Perry, who threw for 332 yards and four touchdowns against Georgia Southern.

On the opposite end, FAU’s defense has continued to force turnovers which have dramatically swung momentum in favor of the Owls. While the defense has struggled to get to the quarterback in their first two games, only getting one sack against Georgia Southern and recording none against Florida, this can be the game where the Owls’ pass rush comes alive.

Fordham allowed three sacks last week against Monmouth, and one against Nebraska, FAU’s defense should look to put an overwhelming hold over the Rams’ offense. This game should be a comfortable win for FAU.

Prediction: FAU 52, Fordham 10

Bryce Totz – Staff Writer (2-0)

Saturday’s game should be a win for the Owls if they do their homework.

Last week graduate quarterback N’Kosi Perry proved that he belongs as the starter. He posted 332 yards and four touchdowns on 19 completions for a quarterback rating of 81.1. Perry’s outstanding performance put him in the C-USA spotlight, as he earned Co-Offensive Player of the Week. 

Perry’s favorite target was freshman LaJohntay Wester with seven receptions for 124 yards and a touchdown. Overall, Perry completed passes to eight different receivers.

The defense needs to repeat their dominant performance from last week if the Owls want to win. Last week, the Fordham Rams had 469 total yards on offense. Senior quarterback Tim DeMorat threw for 352 yards and three touchdowns on 27 completions. Fordham had 49 pass attempts and 28 rushes last week.

FAU should extend their winning streak at home to nine dating back to the 2019 season (excluding the 2019 Boca Raton Bowl).

Prediction: FAU 49, Fordham 7

Trey Avant – Staff Writer (2-0)

FAU’s talent on both sides of the ball will likely be too much for Fordham to overcome. In two games this season, Fordham has given up 529 yards rushing. Expect running backs Johnny Ford and Malcolm Davidson to be given plenty of carries against a porous run defense.

Quarterback N’Kosi Perry will likely pick up where he left off and shred Fordham’s secondary, while FAU’s defense will make it tough for Fordham to get anything going on offense.

Fordham’s best bet is to get the ball in the hands of their playmakers, namely wide receiver Dequece Carter and running back Trey Wilson III. Carter has 10 catches for 166 yards and two touchdowns this season, while Wilson III has 30 carries for 136 yards on the season.

Outside of a couple great grabs from wide receiver Dequece Carter, Fordham will likely be overwhelmed from start to finish.

Prediction: FAU 41, Fordham 3

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).