Thursday Night in Denton: Florida Atlantic and North Texas Bring Two Top-10 Passing Attacks Into a Game That Moves UTSA's Race
The Mean Green are 3-0 in the American and the Owls 2-1, the total is set at 77.5, and Florida Atlantic comes out of Denton to host conference leader UTSA next Thursday on ESPN.
The American Conference race runs through Denton on Thursday night, where Florida Atlantic visits North Texas in a primetime matchup of two of the nation's most productive passing attacks. Both teams are 5-2; North Texas is 3-0 in conference play and Florida Atlantic 2-1, and the game kicks off at 6:30 p.m. CT at DATCU Stadium on ESPN.
The numbers explain the billing. Florida Atlantic ranks eighth in the nation in passing at 312 yards per game behind quarterback Caden Veltkamp, failing to reach 300 passing yards only twice all season, according to College Football News' preview. North Texas throws it even more — only Oregon State averages more passing yards than the Mean Green's 341 per game — and North Texas ranks fourth nationally in total offense and second in scoring. The consensus total for the game is 77.5 points, with North Texas favored by 13.5.
San Antonio's stake is direct: UTSA, the conference leader on its bye week, goes to Florida Atlantic next — the Owls host the Roadrunners on Thursday, Nov. 5, in a game selected for ESPN — so Thursday night's loser arrives at that game with a second conference loss while the winner keeps pace at the top. North Texas won the last meeting 41-37 in 2024 and has won the last three in the series.
