Florida Atlantic football (1-1) is back on the road at Pitbull Stadium, where they will face the FIU Panthers in Week 3 on Sept. 13 at 6 p.m. It’s “Shula Bowl” time, and the Owls are seeking their 8th straight win over the Panthers this Saturday.

FAU responded after Week 1 with a 56-14 victory over Florida A&M at home. Back on the road, the Owls face a familiar foe: FIU. With newfound confidence in the offense and an incredible performance last Saturday, FAU’s chances of going 2-1 are high. Our sportswriters at the University Press made their predictions:

Anthony Ortiz, Contributing Writer

The Owls responded in their last matchup vs. FAMU. Caden Veltkamp threw over 300 yards and had five touchdowns and zero interceptions. Veltkamp was feeding multiple receivers, not just one. Easton Messer, Asaad Waseem, Jayshawn Platt, and Dominique Henry all got touches in last week’s victory, significantly impacting the outcome. 

There can’t be any dismissal of the rushing game either. Gemari Sands rushed for 8.3 yards a carry in the previous game, which opened up the offense.

Their next game brings a different challenge, but the same foe. The Florida International Panthers are coming off a 34-0 loss, but this was against No. 2 Penn State, a team they weren’t prepared for. 

In this one, we have two evenly matched teams. Underdog believes FAU is favored in this matchup, as they should. FAU has won seven straight games against FIU, and those games were all by three possessions, followed by some. 

However, the Panthers have an offensive identity, and that is one thing, win or lose, that they have been consistent on so far. FIU so far is averaging 182 rushing yards per game. They have six rushing touchdowns compared to their zero passing touchdowns. 

FIU is an improved team, and if FAU wants to win its 7th straight Shula Bowl, it would have to bring its “A” game. Luckily, FAU’s air raid on offense should be enough to defeat the Panthers even if their defense doesn’t hold up.

In the first two games, FIU’s secondary allowed a receiver to go over 100 yards in their win against Bethune-Cookman and 200 receiving yards in their loss against No. 2 Penn State.

This game should be competitive through the first three quarters, but FAU brings too much on offense. FIU has a strong running game and may be able to slow it down; however, it is a battle of willpower, and FIU doesn’t bring enough to the table against FAU.

Prediction: 35-24, FAU

Madison Norton, Contributing Writer

Florida Atlantic is coming off an epic win against Florida A&M, where the Owls won 56-14. Quarterback Veltkamp threw five touchdown passes, contributing to the win against the Rattlers. The offense totaled 553 yards, and the defense held the Rattlers to 74 rushing yards. 

When asked what stood out between the Maryland and Florida A&M games, defensive end Wilky Denaud told the University Press, “The attention to detail; we preached all week, and we can’t let what happened the previous week happen again. Especially with this being our first home game and the new staff, we want to bring some energy back here. So winning was our main goal.”

Looking at Florida International University’s week one and two games, I see that the Panthers fell into a similar situation to the Owls. In week one against B-CU, the Panthers won 42-9, where Keyone Jerkins threw for 187 yards, assisted by Joe Pesansky, who threw for 46 yards, totaling six touchdowns. 

The Panthers struggled in week two against Penn State, similar to the week one Owls’ performance. Penn State held the Panthers to zero touchdowns, points, and 290 total yards. 

The Shula Bowl kicks off Saturday, where the Owls are determined to keep the trophy at home. The mindset heading into the game is shaped by last week’s win and the lessons it offered.

“We had a complete game and won, but are dialing into the little mistakes. Fine tooning a couple of things, knowing who the opponent is and what we can focus on.” Wilky noted. 

With the attention to detail and confidence gained from the Owls’ recent performance, the Owls hope to add another victory. 

Lastly, Wilky explains what coach Zach Kittley preaches heading into this bowl game: “Attention to details and knowing we only have 12 opportunities each season.” 

Prediction: 14-10, FAU

Maddox Greenberg, Contributing Writer

“That little school down the road. We don’t even say their names; they don’t have that respect from us,” first-year head coach Willie Simmons said during his weekly press conference ahead of the 23rd Shula Bowl. 

The Owls looked strong against Florida A&M, but any team could look like a championship team against a Football Championship Subdivision program. All units were cohesive; the offense utilized the air raid offense, the defense recorded three sacks and kept the Rattlers at 14 points, and special teams made memorable plays, including one from sophomore cornerback Lawrence Johnson.

Florida International put up a fight against No. 2 Penn State in the first half, but couldn’t continue that momentum in the second half. The Panthers’ defense couldn’t stop the run or the passing game, giving up 409 yards and two touchdowns. 

Both these teams have a strong incentive to win: the Panthers to get back in the win column in this series, and the Owls to avoid having a losing record to start conference play. Zach Kittley has more incentive to win this game. 

You don’t want to be in your first year as a coach, trying to win the fanbase over, and in your first season, you lose to the team you are meant to beat every year. The Owls need to win by more than one possession.

The Owls need to look like a championship team out there. Redshirt junior quarterback Caden Veltkamp needs to throw over 300 yards again. The defense must make Jenkins’ night miserable and quiet Florida International’s receivers. And special teams need to keep making big plays. 

To paraphrase NBA player Joel Embiid, it’s not much of a rivalry if one team always kicks the other’s you-know-what. Because new head coaches lead these two programs, and we haven’t seen what these teams are capable of yet, I don’t see this game being a blowout victory. 

However, I believe the Owls will win this game based on what I saw last week against Florida A&M. Florida A&M and Florida International are both low-tier programs, and I think Veltkamp and the offense might struggle at first. Still, they will find their rhythm soon, and that defense for the Owls looked great against the Rattlers. 

Prediction: 38-21, FAU

Mikai Datilus, Contributing Writer

Who could’ve predicted that? Florida Atlantic University looked astounding in their home opener, bouncing back from an embarrassing loss, routing Florida A&M 56-14 and giving their home fans the time of their lives. In the 22nd annual Shula Bowl, FAU aims to extend its 7-game win streak against its arch rivals. 

Both teams come into this game looking peculiar. FAU was abysmal in week one and incredible in week two; it was the opposite for FIU. After a blowout win versus Bethune-Cookman, they were dismantled by Penn State. 

A small caveat is that FIU was playing the No. 2 team in the country. Clearly, in that game, they couldn’t hold up. Penn State’s pass rush was there almost every play, and FIU Quarterback Keyone Jenkins looked flustered all night against that stout defense. 

Meanwhile, Veltkamp was sharp. Five total touchdowns in that game, six on the season; six times the amount that Jenkins has thrown. Even against Maryland, there were signs that FAU could move the football through both the air and ground game, and we have not seen that ability from their opponents. 

So FAU can learn lessons from how Penn State handled FIU: they need to stop the run game, prevent Jenkins, who’s extremely athletic, from getting out in open space, and RUSH the quarterback. Two total sacks last week, and I fear they will need a lot more against FIU. 

Ultimately, this is an actual test for what this team will be. Will they be a highly competitive team that fans can be proud of, or will they falter like last year? No matter which happens, a loss to FIU is never acceptable, at least in the eyes of the fans. FAU has the coaching, talent, and ability to win this game, and they will. 

Prediction: 33-21, FAU

For information regarding this or other stories, DM the staff on Instagram: Madison @madisonjoy.photography, Maddox @maddoxblade04, Mikai @mikaismh, and Anthony @ajortiz_38.