Why would you want him to be able to deduct half? The two of you come out ahead if you deduct it all and he uses the standard deduction.
Do the math. Use this tool to do to both returns both ways: https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tools/calculators/taxcaster/?s=1.
But to answer your question: Would this allow him to meet the 2nd requirement ?
Yes, probably. But, it's iffy.
