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Cincinnati, UCF look to join Memphis atop AAC

The Sports Xchange

December 03, 2014 at 12:17 am.

Justin Holman (13) has played well for UCF this season. (David Manning-USA TODAY Sports)

The Memphis Tigers did their part. Now, it’s time to see if Cincinnati and Central Florida can follow suit.

Justin Fuente’s squad dominated Connecticut on Saturday, earning a 41-10 victory that clinches at least a share of the American Athletic Conference title. It’s a performance that may have caught the league by surprise, but not the team.

“Coach [Fuente] told us during the spring that we were going to do something special this year,” Memphis cornerback Bobby McCain said. “People thought he was just talking but I believed him. I saw the potential we had and I knew what we were capable of doing. We put forth the effort and the leadership of this senior class and made sure the guys were ready to come in and work every day on and off the field.”

While Memphis is the surprise of the league, coming off a 3-9 finish a year ago, preseason favorite Cincinnati is peaking at the right time. The Bearcats victory over Temple was its sixth in a row, and a victory over Houston next week will tie the Bearcats with the Tigers in AAC play with a 7-1 record.

“I didn’t have a doubt that we would turn around our defense and get the ball rolling,” linebacker Nick Temple said. “We were not consistent during the beginning of the season, but we got the ball moving, had fun and everything took care of itself.”

Coach Tommy Tuberville is hoping the reward is a trip away from the Midwest weather.

“Warm. Someplace warm,” Tuberville said, when asked which bowl game he preferred. “I don’t know what the farthest south [bowl game] is, but we will take it.”

Central Florida’s only league defeat was an inexplicable loss at woeful Connecticut on Nov. 1. The Knights have won three in a row, including this week’s shutout of rival South Florida, but now have to knockoff high-octane East Carolina on Thursday to draw even at the top of the standings.

“They’re a good team. We play them on Thursday, so it’s a quick turnaround,” defensive lineman Thomas Niles said. “We’ll just prepare like nobody else does and be ready to play.”

Temple also has a lot on the line. The Owls have dropped three in a row, and at 5-6 need to win this weekend to finish at .500 and become bowl-eligible.

“We will pick ourselves off the ground and get ourselves ready to get bowl eligible next week against Tulane,” Owls coach Matt Rhule said. “I think we will look back at the end of the year and see three or four games that were a touchdown away or three games that we lost by one score and see that we are maybe making some progress and it’s just not quite enough yet, and we will try and get it to be enough.”

CENTRAL FLORIDA (8-3, 6-1)

Game: Central Florida 16, South Florida 0. The Knights shut out the rival Bulls on the road to maintain its hopes of winning a share of the AAC title. The Central Florida defense dominated, holding USF to five rushing yards and a 5-14 performance on third-down conversion attempts.

Takeaway: Central Florida’s two touchdowns both came in the second quarter, and a safety completed the scoring. It wasn’t a pretty offensive effort, but it was enough to keep the team in the hunt for a share of the AAC title.

Next: at East Carolina, Dec. 4.

CINCINNATI (8-3, 6-1)

Game: Cincinnati 14, Temple 6. Gunner Kiel threw for one touchdown and Mike Boone ran for another to pace the Bearcats in a defensive struggle on the road. Cincinnati kept P.J. Walker in the pocket most of the day, sacking him three times and forcing a fumble.

Takeaway: This was an exceedingly rare case where the defense carried the load in tha Cincinnati win. Though the Bearcats were ranked 105th in total defense entering the week, it has now held opponents without a touchdown in two consecutive games.

Next: vs. Houston, Dec. 6.

CONNECTICUT (2-9, 1-6)

Game: Memphis 41, Connecticut 10. The Huskies stayed in the game early, but ultimately were pushed aside by a Tigers team that clinched at least a portion of the AAC championship on Saturday. Sophomore Tim Boyle got the start and finished 12-24 for 160 yards.

Takeaway: As Memphis celebrated its share of the AAC title, UCOnn coach Bob Diaco was citing the program as a model. The Tigers went 3-9 a year ago, and turned its record around to finish at 9-3 in the 2014 regular season. Of course, the Huskies will need to beat Southern Methodist next week simply to match the number of wins secured by that 2013 Memphis squad.

Next: vs. Southern Methodist, Dec. 6.

EAST CAROLINA (8-3, 5-2)

Game: East Carolina 49, Tulsa 32. Shane Carden threw for four touchdowns and the Pirates overcame a sluggish start to race past the Golden Hurricane on the road. The Pirates trailed 14-7 early, and led just 28-25 late in the third quarter before pulling away late.

Takeaway: The Pirates can still secure back-to-back 10-win seasons for the first time in program history with victories in the regular-season finale and the bowl game. After Tulsa pulled within three, East Carolina scored the next 21 points to away with the win.

Next: vs. Central Florida, Dec. 4.

HOUSTON (7-4, 5-2)

Game: Houston 35, Southern Methodist 9. The Cougars struggled in the first half, but stormed back with a vengeance after halftime to keep the Mustangs winless. The defense held the Mustangs to just 80 yards after the break.

Takeaway: Houston came back to win by making the game less complicated. The Cougars pounded the ball on the ground, with Kenneth Farrow finishing with 110 yards and two touchdowns, and quarterback Greg Ward rushing for 93 yards and three scores of his own.

Next: at Cincinnati, Dec. 6.

MEMPHIS (9-3, 7-1)

Game: Memphis 41, Connecticut 10. The Tigers locked up at least a share of the AAC title as a balanced offensive attack led the team past the Huskies. Memphis finished the game with 178 rushing yards and 194 through the air.

Takeaway: It’s hard to believe this squad went 3-9 a year ago. The nine wins mark the most the program has had in a season since 1963, and it’s put itself in position to be an attractive candidate when the bowls start to consider which AAC teams to take.

Next: Regular season complete

SOUTHERN METHODIST (0-11, 0-7)

Game: Houston 35, Southern Methodist 9. The Mustangs led at halftime, but collapsed after intermission in falling to the Cougars. Houston scored 21 third-quarter points to storm back from its 9-7 halftime deficit.

Takeaway: SMU will have to win at Connecticut next week to avoid a winless season. The sheer number of injuries have made a bad situation worse, particularly on defense. The Mustangs wore down again on Saturday, surrendering 248 yards and four touchdowns in the second half.

Next: at Connecticut, Dec. 6.

SOUTH FLORIDA (4-8, 3-5)

Game: Central Florida 16, South Florida 0. The Bulls were shut out at home for the first time in program history by the rival Knights in the season finale. USF forced three turnovers, but couldn’t turn any of them into points.

Takeaway: Coach Willie Taggart said after the finale that Mike White would enter the offseason as the starting quarterback, but that doesn’t mean White can rest easy with Steven Bench and Quinton Flowers waiting in the wings. “We’re going to always keep it competitive, especially going into the offseason,” Taggart said. “You have to keep it competitive and keep guys on their toes.”

Next: Season complete

TEMPLE (5-6, 3-4)

Game: Cincinnati 14, Temple 6. The Owls were held without a touchdown in dropping a home decision to the red-hot Bearcats. Temple was helf to just 267 yards of total offense.

Takeaway: Though the defense held Cincinnati well below its season averages for both points (37.3) and yards (547), that wasn’t enough to overcome its own continuing offensive woes. The Owls have dropped three in a row and will need a win against Tulane in the regular-season finale to be bowl-eligible.

Next: at Tulane, Dec. 6.

TULANE (3-8, 2-5)

Game: Bye

Next: vs. Temple, Dec. 6.

TULSA (2-10, 2-6)

Game: East Carolina 49, Tulsa 32. The Golden Hurricane stayed in the game until the second half, but the Pirates surged in the second half to send Tulsa’s seniors home with a defeat on senior day. Tulsa was within 28-25 in the third quarter, but East Carolina scored the next 21 points to end the suspense.

Takeaway: Dane Evans closed his season with 199 passing yards and a touchdown, while Keevan Lucas’s 1,219 receiving yards are the sixth-most in school history. Those are two of the pieces coach Bill Blankenship will be counting on to see his program rebound next year.

Next: Season complete.

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