The upper echelon of the American Athletic Conference continues to do its part to gain national attention, for the league, and top teams are becoming impossible to ignore both in the rankings and in the postseason bowl picture.
Memphis got a national showcase with a Friday night trip to Tulsa, and followed up the previous week’s victory over Ole Miss with a 66-42 win. In the process, it avoided a potential trap game and kept itself unbeaten.
“Last week was an emotional and physical game,” Memphis coach Justin Fuente said, referring to the Ole Miss win. “[As a result], this game was an incredible challenge. I had a feeling that it wouldn’t be a very pretty game and it wasn’t. I am happy we found a way to win the game, but we did a lot of bad things out there. We made a lot of mistakes, and played a little bit like a team that is still getting over the previous week physically and emotionally.”
The Tigers still have a very tough road to finishing an unbeaten season, including back-to-back road games against the other two undefeated AAC teams. But Fuente has his team focused only on the week ahead.
“It’s going to be a pretty tough stretch,” wide receiver Mose Frazier said. “We have a lot of good teams coming up back-to-back, but we aren’t really worried about the rest of the season we are worried about next week. Our main goal is to go 1-0 next week, and we will take everything else when it comes.”
Temple also had a weeknight game — and the closest call among the top teams. The Owls played at East Carolina on Thursday, and trailed 14-10 late in the fourth quarter. But a P.J. Walker touchdown pass to Robby Anderson with 3:31 to play gave the Owls the lead, and a blocked punt after the Pirates’ next possession led to a game-clinching Jahad Thomas touchdown run.
“There are a lot of things we have to clean up, but I’m really proud of them,” coach Matt Rhule said. “To be 7-0 for the first time in school history, that’s something to really be proud of. They didn’t look ahead, they didn’t look behind, they were concentrating on this game and found a way to win it.”
Houston went on the road as well, but had a much easier time of it, knocking off a winless and reeling Central Florida squad 59-10. Despite the final score, coach Tom Herman was unhappy that his team struggled early in the game, and trailed 10-7 until the final moments of the first half.
“I’m really proud, though, of how both sides of the ball, the whole team really, responded to that adversity,” Herman said. “We were down 10-7 going into the second quarter and the defense, offense, and special teams really responded, got their act together, and had a much more laser-like focus, especially in the second and third quarter. We kind of got things going from there.”
All three of the league’s undefeated teams are at home for Week 9. Memphis hosts fellow AAC rival Tulane, but the other two have another chance to gain some attention by knocking off big-name squads. Houston hosts the SEC’s Vanderbilt, while Temple plays arguably the biggest game in its program history when it takes on Notre Dame at Lincoln Financial FieldSaturday night.
CENTRAL FLORIDA (0-8, 0-4)
Game: Houston 59, Central Florida 10. The Knights surrendered the final 49 points of the game to remain winless in another disappointing performance at home. UCF was dominated on both sides of the ball.
Takeaway: Just 28,350 fans showed up for homecoming, the second game in a row the Knights have drawn fewer than 30,000. Media reports indicated that coach George O’Leary had decided to retire.
Next: at Cincinnati, Oct. 31.
CINCINNATI (4-3, 1-2)
Game: Cincinnati 37, Connecticut 13. Gunner Kiel threw for 327 yards and a pair of touchdowns to get the Bearcats their first AAC victory. Hosey Williams added 140 yards on the ground, while Mike Boone ran for another 117.
Takeaway: Kiel got his chance because Hayden Moore was battered in last week’s loss at BYU, and looked sharp even in the rainy weather. It was an especially impressive offensive performance considering the opponent — UConn’s coach is former Cincinnati defensive coordinator Bob Diaco.
Next: vs. Central Florida, Oct. 31.
CONNECTICUT (3-5, 1-3)
Game: Cincinnati 37, Connecticut 13. The Huskies defense allowed a season-worst 612 yards in sloppy conditions to fall on the road. Bryant Shirreffs ran for 97 yards on 17 carries, but completed just 12 of his 27 pass attempts for 87 yards.
Takeaway: Connecticut has now lost five of its last six games following a 2-0 start. With games against East Carolina, Houston and Temple remaining, it’s not going to get any easier through Bob Diaco’s squad.
Next: vs. East Carolina, Oct. 30.
EAST CAROLINA (4-4, 2-2)
Game: Temple 24, East Carolina 14. The Pirates led the ranked Owls with less than five minutes to play, but critical mistakes allowed for two more Temple touchdowns and a 10-point home defeat. Penalties and turnovers plagued ECU throughout the contest.
Takeaway: East Carolina’s secondary gave up two big passing plays on the go-ahead drive. When ECU then went three-and-out, Worth Gregory’s punt was blocked and Temple scored again two plays later to put the game away. In that sense, all three phases of the game really did doom ECU down the stretch.
Next: at Connecticut, Oct. 30.
HOUSTON (7-0, 4-0)
Game: Houston 59, Central Florida 10. Kenneth Farrow ran for 167 yards and three touchdowns, and the Cougars overcame a slow start to overwhelm the winless Knights on the road. After trailing 10-7 with less than five minutes to play in the second quarter, Houston rebounded to score the final 49 points.
Takeaway: Houston finished with 600 yards of total offense, with Farrow having a career day on the ground. Those 167 rushing yards came on just 13 carries. Greg Ward Jr. completed 16 of his 23 passes for 210 yards and a score.
Next: vs. Vanderbilt, Oct. 31.
MEMPHIS (7-0, 3-0)
Game: Memphis 66, Tulsa 42. Memphis used a record-setting performance on offense to win a shootout at Tulsa on Friday. The Tigers totaled a program-record 704 yards of total offense, and quarterback Paxton Lynch threw for a record 447 yards.
Takeaway: The Tigers had to sweat a bit in the third quarter, when Tulsa scored twice to cut the margin to 42-35. But Memphis again showed the ability to respond, scoring 17 in a row to end the suspense and remain unbeaten.
Next: vs. Tulane, Oct. 31.
NAVY (6-1, 3-0)
Game: Navy 31, Tulane 14. Navy was held to 133 rushing yards, well below its average of 335.4 rushing yards entering the game. But the Midshipmen still scored three times on the ground and held Tulane’s offense in check to win at home.
Takeaway: Tulane stacked nine players in the box, fully committing to stopping the run and daring Navy to attack through the air. Keenan Reynolds completed 7 of 11 passes for 134 yards, and also ran for two scores, but Navy can expect similar schemes from AAC opponents going forward.
Next: vs. South Florida, Oct. 31.
SOUTHERN METHODIST (1-6, 0-3)
Game: South Florida 38, Southern Methodist 14. The week off didn’t seem to do much to help the Mustangs, which never seemed to mentally make the trip to Tampa. Southern Methodist was dominated by a Bulls team that was missing its leading running back.
Takeaway: After putting up a disappointing performance on the road, coach Chad Morris felt compelled to urge the Mustangs fans not to abandon the team when it returns home this week. “I encourage our fans to get out there and support these guys,” Morris said. “They’re not giving up. They’re fighting hard. We’ll just keep fighting and that’s what I tell the guys. Seems like the same song different verse, you just keep battling and you keep fighting and we’re going to flip it. At some point it’s going to end and you’re going to flip it and get it going, we just have to stay the course.
Next: vs. Tulsa, Oct. 31.
SOUTH FLORIDA (4-3, 2-1)
Game: South Florida 38, Southern Methodist 14. Quinton Flowers ran all over SMU, setting a team record for a quarterback with 201 rushing yards in a dominating performance at home. It gave the Bulls their first three-game winning streak since the 2011 season.
Takeaway: Marlon Mack sat out with a hamstring injury, but that didn’t stop the USF ground attack. As a team, the Bulls finished with 255 rushing yards, the fifth time in seven games that South Florida has finished with more than 200 yards on the ground.
Next: at Navy, Oct. 31.
TEMPLE (7-0, 4-0)
Game: Temple 24, East Carolina 14. The Owls trailed 14-10 in the fourth quarter, but scored twice in the final four minutes to knock off the Pirates on the road. Robby Anderson finished with eight receptions for 126 yards, including the go-ahead touchdown with 3:31 to play.
Takeaway: The Owls have now had to come from behind in the fourth quarter for two weeks in a row. Sluggish starts may be more of a problem this week, when Notre Dame arrives. Jahad Thomas was on the bench at the start for academic reasons, but came on in the opening series and finished with 66 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Next: vs. Notre Dame, Oct. 31.
TULANE (2-5, 1-3)
Game: Navy 31, Tulane 14. The Green Wave did a nice job limiting the Navy running game, but the Midshipmen still picked up enough yards in key spots to knock off Tulane. Three turnovers in the fourth quarter doomed any chance at a comeback on the road.
Takeaway: Tulane held Navy to 133 rushing yards, more than 200 yards below the Midshipmen’s average. But it still gave up three rushing touchdowns, and the turnovers and penalties proved too much to overcome.
Next: at Memphis, Oct. 31
TULSA (3-4, 0-3)
Game: Memphis 66, Tulsa 42. Tulsa moved the ball on Memphis, but ultimately couldn’t stop the Tigers enough to come away with a win on Homecoming. The Golden Hurricane used a third-quarter surge to get within 42-35 early in the third quarter, but Memphis responded with a 17-0 run to put the game away.
Takeaway: The Tulsa defense gave up 704 yards to Memphis, and became the latest team to fall victim to the undefeated Tigers. But it also put together an offensive performance for the postseason highlight film, particularly a 46-yard spectacular Hail Mary from Dane Evans to Keyarris Garrett that ended the first half.
Next: at Southern Methodist, Oct. 31
NOTES, QUOTES
–In 2014, a ranked East Carolina squad travelled to Temple and lost. For more than 55 minutes, it looked like the Pirates might return the favor when they hosted the Owls on Thursday.
The Pirates led 14-10 midway through the fourth quarter, but Temple quarterback P.J. Walker led the Owls on a seven-play, 71-yard drive that ended with a touchdown pass to Robby Anderson with 3:31 left. After the defense forced ECU into a three-and-out, Sharif Finch blocked the ensuing punt, giving the Owls the ball back at the ECU 15. Jahad Thomas ran for a 14-yard touchdown, and Temple went back home with a 24-14 win.
“I told [my team] it was the best win I had ever been a part of. I told the East Carolina kids as they left that in many ways they outplayed us and they probably deserved to win the game,” Temple coach Matt Rhule said. “That’s what college football is, it’s coming in and finding ways to win games like this.”
It’s not the first time that the Owls have won despite going through a slower stretch, but Rhule’s team has been adept at finishing games late.
“We want to get the game to the fourth quarter,” he said. “We’re not a flashy team, we’re going to try to win it in the fourth. To win by ten in the fourth quarter shows you the power of finishing. They understood that.”
The loss makes it very unlikely that East Carolina can rebound to make the AAC championship game, with a pair of league losses already. Still, there’s a lot of football left to play.
“Those kids, they’ve got to know we’ve got a long season left,” Pirates coach Ruffin McNeill said. “Get away from it for two days, and get ready for UConn, and go from there.”
–In his first year as the Tulsa head coach, Philip Montgomery has been getting a good look as to what separates the Golden Hurricane from the upper echelon of the league.
Tulsa is 0-3 in the AAC, but the losses have come to Houston, East Carolina and Memphis. Two of those teams are ranked, and ECU is perennially one of the league’s top programs. Against Memphis on Friday, the Golden Hurricane trailed 42-21, but scored two quick touchdowns to move within 42-35 in the third quarter. However, the Tigers scored the next 17 points and escaped with a 66-42 victory.
“We’ve got to find ways to win those types of football games,” Montgomery said. “I mean, we got an opportunity right there in the third quarter where we got a couple big plays in there that kind of could have set it on fire. And then we just let it get out of control there a little bit right after that.”
The Golden Hurricane have been in the game in the second half of all four losses — it also dropped a 52-38 decision to in-state rival Oklahoma. It’s not surprising that the team isn’t coming on top against good teams, since Montgomery took over a 2-10 team with a lot of work to do in rebuilding the program. But he’s hopeful that the attitude in the locker room is a sign of better days to come.
“I think it’s just any time you come in and you’re taking over a program, you’re changing the culture and you’re changing the things that are going on,” Montgomery said. “You’ve got to battle adversity and you’ve got to get on the right side of it and you’ve got to continue to keep working the way they are working. I want them to be upset about losing. I mean, there ain’t nothing good about it, and it’s hard and it’s tough. It stinks. But we’ve got to go back to work. We’ve got to keep battling and we’ve got to keep pushing the limits on what we can do and how we can do it and finding ways to put us on the top side.”
–Not long ago, a 59-10 final in a Central Florida conference game would have fans wondering who the Knights latest victim was. On Saturday, it proved yet another indication of how far the program has fallen.
Central Florida took an early 10-7 lead against Houston, only to see the Cougars dominate after that on their way to handing UCF its most lopsided home loss in program history.
Events started to go sour just prior to halftime, when Houston scored 17 points in the final 2:27 to lead 24-10 at the break. A Kenneth Farrow touchdown run 50 seconds into the second half effectively ended the competitive portion of the contest. This continued a trend where the Knights look better early in games, and then fall apart late.
“The trend I see is that they don’t sustain,” coach George O’Leary said. “I think some of it has to do with lack of strength and the youth. The other part is mental toughness. Bad things are going to happen and normally you just recoup and the older kids get that, but we don’t have a lot of them.”
Amid questions over the future of O’Leary — media reports on Sundat indicated that he was planning to retire — with any bowl hopes long gone and a pair of road games at Tulsa and Cincinnati next on the schedule, staying focused and motivated will be even more challenging down the stretch.
“We will never stop fighting,” running back Dontravious Wilson said. “We will continue to fight, play hard, and play with great effort and enthusiasm.”
Added wide receiver Taylor Oldham, “It’s tough when you’re losing like that. It’s hard. There’s nothing really to say. We’re losing. We are 0-8 now. We’ve got to keep fighting.”
QUOTE TO NOTE: “We spend an inordinate amount of time [teaching the team] how to respond to adversity. They took that training really well. Really, it’s just a matter of taking a deep breath and being very mindful. We tell them not to be primal. The primal human instinct is to freak out and do things that you’re not trained to do. We want to make sure that our guys, even when faced with a tremendous amount of adversity are mindful, take a deep breath, and focus on the next play. Doing something that is outside of yourself never works. What works, what’s 100 percent, undefeated, is going back to your fundamentals and playing with fanatical effort and purpose for the guy next to you.” — Houston coach Tom Herman, discussing how his team reacted to trailing Central Florida 10-7 late in the first half on Saturday.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
FIVE BIGGEST TAKEAWAYS FROM WEEK 8 IN THE AAC:
1. Keyarris Garrett had a huge game in defeat for Tulsa. The senior receiver finished with 14 catches for 268 yards and three touchdowns in the 66-42 loss to Memphis. The 268 yards set an American Athletic Conference record for receiving yards in a game, breaking the mark previously held by Temple’s Robby Anderson with 239.
2. Tulane quarterback Tanner Lee returned to the lineup after missing the Houston game with a concussion, but came out of the game in the fourth quarter after taking a crushing sack. It was unclear how seriously he was injured, but protecting the passer is going to be critical for the improvement of the offense going forward.
3. Keenan Ryenolds scored two more touchdowns on the ground for Navy. That gives him 75 for his career and breaks a tie with Travis Prentice to give Robinson sole possession of second place on the NCAA list. He’s two behind former Wisconsin tailback Montee Ball, who finished his college career with 77 rushing scores.
4. In the midst of what looks to be the best season in program history, Temple is looking to secure commitments for an on-campus football stadium. The proposed 35,000-seat stadium would cost an estimated $100 million. The Owls currently play their home games at Lincoln Financial Field, home of the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles.
5. Gunner Kiel regained the starting quarterback job for Cincinnati, and made the Bearcat coaches look like geniuses. He completed 26 of his 35 pass attempts for 327 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while running for another score. Not surprisingly, he’ll start this week as well.