AAC Notebook: Conference remains in solid standing

Let’s get the worst result out of the way early. Temple hosted No. 9 Notre Dame, and led 20-17 after kicking a field goal with 4:45 to play. But Notre Dame drove down the field for a touchdown to make it 24-20, and P.J. Walker threw just his fourth interception of the year on the final Temple drive.

Coach Matt Rhule wasn’t recording this as a moral victory — but he did acknowledge that the Owls did enough to silence any doubters not impressed by the team’s 7-0 start.

“The message was very simple. If they were not sure how good they were, they know now,” Rhule said. “They went out there and they played, so they know. There are no moral victories. We’re not here to lose. They made one more play, so we’re going to fight, scratch, and claw to make sure we don’t lose anymore.”

The Owls dropped just one spot in the coaches’ poll and two in the writers’, leaving it the consensus No. 23 team in the country. The team also remains unbeaten in AAC play, and will play in the conference championship game if it wins out.

Houston enters the week ranked No. 18 in both polls. The Cougars came away with the league’s most impressive win of the week, shutting out Vanderbilt 34-0. The two teams last met in the 2014 BBVA Compass Bowl, which saw the Commodores earn a 41-24 victory. That didn’t go unmentioned at Houston practices this week.

“When we went out to practice, the graduate assistants would have big cardboard signs with the score from the last time we played them,” safety Adrian McDonald said. “It was motivation in practice. That was what we were working towards.”

The Cougars also got to prove something before a national TV audience, which coach Tom Herman took full advantage of.

“Any time you get an opportunity to play on national TV, and to showcase what you’re all about and showcase, the things that you’ve been working so hard to achieve and instill in our guys, it’s nice to let the whole country see that,” Herman said. “It was a great advertisement for the University of Houston.”

For a brief moment, it looked like the league’s highest-ranked team would suffer a major upset. But after spotting Tulane 13 points early, Memphis roared back to secure a 41-13 win.

“I feel like the kids knew we were heavy favorites, but they did a good job tonight of not doing things out of habit, or not losing their cool when things aren’t going the way they’re supposed to go, or that we want it to go,” Memphis coach Justin Fuente said. “This defense can cause some real problems, and we had some tough matchups. The thing you worry about, which did not happen, but when things aren’t going well when you’re supposed to win, how do you respond to that? It’s a different feeling but we handled it extremely well.”

CENTRAL FLORIDA (0-9, 0-5)

Game: Cincinnati 52, Central Florida 7. The Knights didn’t score until late in the fourth quarter to spoil interim coach Danny Barret’s debut. UCF allowed touchdowns on the first three Bearcat possessions to end the suspense early.

Takeaway: It was hard to find many positives in this one, which saw UCF dominated on both sides of the ball. The Knights were outgained 726 yards to 313, though C.J. Jones did break off a 51-yard run in the fourth quarter and rushed for 123 on the day.

Next: at Tulsa, Oct. 7.

CINCINNATI (5-3, 2-2)

Game: Cincinnati 52, Central Florida 7. Gunner Kiel completed all 15 of his pass attempts to lead the Bearcats to an easy win over the winless Knights. It gave the Bearcats a two-game winning streak for the first time all season.

Takeaway: Cincinnati finished with 726 yards of total offense, but take the stat sheet with a grain of salt. While the Bearcats looked as smooth as they have all season, they were facing an opponent that looked impatient to catch the next flight back home along with their interim coach.

Next: at Houston, Nov 7.

CONNECTICUT (4-5, 2-3)

Game: Connecticut 31, East Carolina 13. Akeel Newsome ran for 179 yards, 90 of which came on a third-quarter touchdown run, as the Huskies snapped a two-game losing streak with an impressive performance at home. UConn forced four interceptions and held ECU to 137 passing yards.

Takeaway: Called out this week after a miserable performance against Cincinnati in its previous outing, the UConn defense responded by shutting down East Carolina. The Pirates offense didn’t reach the end zone until late in the fourth quarter, at which point the game was all but over.

Next: at Tulane, Nov. 7.

EAST CAROLINA (4-5, 2-3)

Game: Connecticut 31, East Carolina 13. The Pirates threw four interceptions and were held to 137 passing yards in dropping its second consecutive game. East Carolina’s offense now has just one touchdown over its last six quarters.

Takeaway: James Summers played until late in the third quarter and misfired on his final six passes, finishing 12-for-21 for 87 yards and an interception. Blake Kemp came in to lead the only ECU touchdown drive, but threw three picks of his own.

Next: vs. South Florida, Nov. 7.

HOUSTON (8-0, 4-0)

Game: Houston 34, Vanderbilt 0. The Cougar defense forced four turnovers and shut down the Commodore defense in a dominating performance at home. Houston outgained Vanderbilt 371 yards to 185.

Takeaway: While the offense didn’t always look smooth, in part because its offensive line was missing four players that have spent time in the rotation, the defense was able to take center stage in this one. Vanderbilt didn’t even cross into Houston territory until the third quarter.

Next: vs. Cincinnati, Nov. 7.

MEMPHIS (8-0, 4-0)

Game: Memphis 41, Tulane 13. The Tigers spotted the Green Wave a 13-point lead, then scored the final 41 points of the game to cruise to victory. Paxton Lynch threw for 343 yards, the seventh game in a row he’s thrown for more than 300.

Takeaway: Slow starts continue to be the one flaw in a stellar season for the Tigers. Saturday was the sixth time this season Memphis has fallen behind early, though it obviously has come back to win every time.

Next: at Navy, Nov. 7.

NAVY (7-1, 4-0)

Game: Navy 29, South Florida 17. Keenan Reynolds tied the NCAA career rushing touchdown record with two fourth quarter scores to lead the Midshipmen past the Bulls at home. Three different Navy players ran for more than 100 yards, and the Midshipmen finished with 428 rushing yards.

Takeaway: Navy trailed in the fourth quarter, but came on strong in time to stay unbeaten in AAC play. Reynolds scored the game-clinching touchdown on a fourth-and-one with less than two minutes to play, as he convinced coach Ken Niumatalolo to eschew a short field goal that would have left the Bulls just eight points down.

Next: at Memphis, Nov. 7.

SOUTHERN METHODIST (1-7, 0-4)

Game: Tulsa 40, Southern Methodist 31. The Mustangs jumped on top of Tulsa early, taking a 14-3 lead in the first quarter, but fell behind just before halftime in falling to the Golden Hurricane at home. The loss officially eliminates SMU from bowl contention.

Takeaway: Matt Davis hit Courtland Sutton eight times for 165 yards and a pair of scores, but finished the game with just 236 passing yards. Now that opposing teams have been able to take away his room to run, Davis has looked much more ordinary attempting to sustain SMU drives.

Next: vs. Temple, Nov. 6.

SOUTH FLORIDA (4-4, 2-2)

Game: Navy 29, South Florida 17. USF led midway through the fourth quarter, but gave up two late rushing touchdowns to drop back to .500 for the season. The 12-point defeat in Annapolis ended the Bulls’ three-game winning streak.

Takeaway: South Florida proved to be its own worst enemy. The Bulls missed two field goals and fumbled a kickoff late in the fourth quarter that helped Navy tack on the final touchdown and put the game away.

Next: at East Carolina, Nov. 7.

TEMPLE (7-1, 4-0)

Game: Notre Dame 24, Temple 20. The Owls gave Notre Dame all it could handle, but a fourth-quarter Irish touchdown proved to be the distance as the Owls lost a heartbreaker to the No. 9 Irish. Temple kicked a field goal with 4:45 to play to take a 20-17 lead, but six plays and 2:43 later, Notre Dame was ahead for good.

Takeaway: It’s no accident that the Owls stayed in the Top 25 despite the loss — the game showed Temple’s start wasn’t a fluke and that it can play with anyone. With a pair of winnable road games at Southern Methodist and South Florida next, Temple could find itself in the national spotlight again when it hosts undefeated Memphis on Nov. 21.

Next: at Southern Methodist, Nov. 6.

TULANE (2-6, 1-4)

Game: Memphis 41, Tulane 13. Tulane jumped out on undefeated Memphis early, scoring the game’s first 13 points. But it was all Tigers after that, as Tulane allowed the game’s final 41 points and 581 yards of total offense.

Takeaway: Jordy Joseph looked impressive in his first career start, leading the Green Wave to touchdowns on the first two Tulane possessions. But after completing his first five passes, he connected on just four of his final 17 attempts.

Next: vs. Connecticut, Nov. 7.

TULSA (4-4, 1-3)

Game: Tulsa 40, Southern Methodist 31. Tulsa fell behind early, but took the lead for good on a touchdown 19 seconds before halftime to give coach Philip Montgomery his first AAC win. Zack Langer scored three rushing touchdowns, and D’Angelo Brewer ran for 119 yards and another score.

Takeaway: The Tulsa defense started off slowly, allowing the Mustangs to score touchdowns on their first two drives. But the Golden Hurricane allowed just 174 yards after that, and the final 12 SMU drives resulted in just 17 points.

Next: vs. Central Florida, Nov. 7.

NOTES, QUOTES

–If there was any doubt that Central Florida is a team that’s simply counting the days until the offseason, it’s tough to argue otherwise following Saturday’s 52-7 loss at Cincinnati.

The 0-9 Knights didn’t put up much of a fight for interim coach Danny Barrett, who took over the reins when George O’Leary stepped down last Sunday. Cincinnati starting quarterback Gunner Kiel completed all 15 of his pass attempts, while Hayden Moore came off the bench to go 11-for-15. By the time the offense got in the end zone with 2:37 to play, the only thing at stake was helping Barrett to avoid being shut out in his debut.

“I take full responsibility,” Barrett said. “We’ve got to get them ready to play, but more importantly we have to get the right people on the field. We are limited in some areas but we’ve got to find the right people to get on the football field that can do the basic things that we are asking them to do.”

The secondary allowed six passing touchdowns, five of which travelled 11 yards or more. It gave up a 59-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter, and a 78-yard score in the third. Few of the completed Cincinnati passes were difficult throws, and the Bearcat quarterback often had his pick of open targets to choose from.

“That’s all it was, a game of big plays,” Barrett said. “You look at the numbers on the board, there were almost 500 yards passing. How many of those were big plays? Four, five of those led to the most damage. We have to find the right combination of guys on the back end that can help us out. We have to quit giving up easy plays.”

The Knights have three games left in their quest to avoid a winless season. UCF takes its final road trip of the season next weekend in Tulsa, and then closes at home against East Carolina and South Florida.

“We told the guys we are better than what we are showing,” Barrett said. “It’s about hard work. It’s about guys wanting to be out here, wanting to represent UCF in the right way. It’s about having some Knight pride, that’s the bottom line. And that is how you move forward.”

–Memphis may be undefeated, but the Tigers are living dangerously.

Justin Fuente’s squad has trailed early in six of the first eight games. In five of those games, Memphis has had to overcome double-digit holes, including Saturday’s 13-0 deficit against Tulane.

“I feel like it’s just a little bit of being overanxious, like we’re trying to do too much,” Fuente said. “I’m trying to convey that message, but I haven’t been able to get it across. But I don’t feel like it’s a problem — it just means that we’re ready to play, and once we settle in, everything works out.”

Saturday’s game proved challenging because of the Green Wave’s ability to sustain drives early. Tulane’s first drive covered 11:13 of the opening quarter, while the second took the game into the second quarter before the Memphis offense could step onto the field for the second time.

“They possessed the ball in the first quarter for almost the whole quarter,” Fuente said. “We weren’t staying on the field on offense, and with that long drive to start the game, it seemed like they had the ball forever. But then once we got settled down and into a little bit of a rhythm, we were able to overcome that first quarter.”

–The American Athletic Conference took on the Southeastern Conference this week, and the final result would have made an unfamiliar onlooker believe that the AAC is the league with the better claim at being the top conference in the country.

OK, so the matchup did pit one of the top teams in the AAC against an SEC program going through a tough 2015 campaign. But Houston’s 34-0 shutout of Vanderbilt was notable for how thoroughly the Cougar defense kept the Commodores out of their comfort zone, never letting the visitors within shouting distance of the end zone.

“In college football, [a shutout is] a pretty hard thing to do in today’s day and age,” Houston coach Tom Herman said. “There was not any fire and brimstone. I just reminded them before we went out to do their job to the best of their abilities and to play with a purpose. That purpose is for the love and success for the guy next to them. The defense certainly responded and played at the level they’re capable of.”

Vanderbilt did a nice job containing Greg Ward Jr. early, not giving him much room to run. Ward still finished with a touchdown both rushing and passing, but he did turn the ball over twice on fumbles.

“Obviously, we have to correct the two turnovers. That was really bad ball security on his part,” Herman said. “That’s something that certainly sticks in my craw. We were driving on both those series, and he turned the ball over, which is unacceptable. But he did make some really good decisions. If I had to put a number on it, he was somewhere around 90 percent on getting us into the right play.”

QUOTE TO NOTE: “Well I hope they say that’s a damn good football team. And that’s a heck of a place … You turn that on all across the country and see a great Temple crowd. You see a great week. Gameday was awesome, and then you see a great football game. I didn’t want to lose but I’m glad it was a great football game.” — Temple coach Matt Rhule, on what football fans watching on TV could take away from the 24-20 loss to Notre Dame.

FIVE BIGGEST TAKEAWAYS FROM WEEK 9 IN THE AAC:

1. Shaq Washington set Cincinnati’s career receptions record with his eighth catch in the Bearcats’ 52-7 victory over Central Florida. His 205 career catches are one more than Mardy Gilyard, Dominick Goodman and LaDaris Vann, who all ended their college careers with 204.

2. Navy’s victory over South Florida made it the first school this season to clinch a bowl bid. It will play in the Military Bowl against an ACC opponent, unless it wins the American Athletic Conference title and finishes as the highest rated Group of 5 champ. If that’s the case, it will play in one of the New Year’s Six bowls.

3. Houston won by 34, the sixth time this season the Cougars have won by 21 or more points. Only Baylor has won by that many points as often.

4. Temple is still looking for a smaller on-campus stadium, but for one night an NFL setting was the right one for the Owls. Temple-Notre Dame drew 69,280 to Lincoln Financial Field, the largest home crowd in school history.

5. Courtland Sutton was a bright spot for SMU, with eight catches for 165 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The redshirt freshman has to be a playmaker for the Mustangs to have any chance at a strong finish.