WEEK 12 AAC PREVIEWS
FRIDAY, NOV. 19 • 9 P.M. • ESPN2
MEMPHIS at HOUSTON
TDECU Stadium (40,000/FieldTurf)
Houston, Texas
Television
ESPN2
Jason Benetti, Andre Ware and Paul Carcaterra
Memphis Radio Houston Radio
WKIM-FM 98.9 KPRC-AM 950
SiriusXM 387/977 SiriusXM 84
THE GAME
Friday’s game will be the 30th meeting between Memphis and Houston in a series that dates to 1963 … The Cougars hold a 15-14 series lead, though the Tigers have won the last five meetings, including a 30-27 decision in Memphis last season … Last year’s game ended on a 47-yard field goal by K Riley Patterson as time expired.
MEMPHIS
5-5, 2-4 American
Head Coach
Ryan Silverfield (Hamden-Sydney ’03)
13-9, second season at Memphis
Notes
Memphis was unable to string together back-to-back wins as the Tigers fell 30-29 in overtime to East Carolina last Saturday … Both teams scored touchdowns in overtime and Memphis coach Ryan Silverfield played for the win by going for two after the Tigers scored … The Tigers opened the season with three straight wins, but are 2-5 in the last seven… QB Seth Henigan is second among NCAA FBS freshmen in passing and 12th among all FBS players with 308.7 yards per game … Henigan has thrown for 2,778 yards and 21 touchdowns … RB Brandon Thomas has rushed for 669 yards and eight touchdowns on 116 carries … The leading receiver is WR Calvin Austin III, who has 67 receptions for 1,026 yards and eight touchdowns … LB JJ Russell leads The American with 104 tackles, while S Quindell Johnson has 89 tackles and eight pass breakups.
17/17 HOUSTON
9-1, 7-0 American
Head Coach
Dana Holgorsen (Iowa Wesleyan ’93)
16-14, third season at Houston
77-55, 11th season as collegiate head coach
Notes
Houston became the first team to clinch a spot in the American Athletic Conference Championship Game with its 37-8 win at Temple last Saturday … The Cougars, who have won nine straight, will make their second American Championship Game appearance and their first since the inaugural game in 2015 … Houston has limited its
opponents to 20.8 points and 290.5 yards per game … QB Clayton Tune has thrown for 2,448 yards and 21 touchdowns and has completed 203 of 292 passes … RB Alton McCaskill has rushed for 731 yards and 14 touchdowns in his freshman season … WR Nathaniel Dell has 58 receptions for 865 yards and eight touchdowns … CB Marcus Jones has four special teams touchdowns (two punt returns, two kickoff returns.
SATURDAY, NOV. 20 • NOON • ESPN+
SOUTH FLORIDA at TULANE
Yulman Stadium (30,000/UBU Spee Series 5M)
New Orleans, Louisiana
Television
ESPN+
Jack Benjamin and Brian Kinchen
South Florida Radio Tulane Radio
WHNZ-AM 1250 KVDU-FM 104.1
SiriusXM 381/971
THE GAME
Saturday’s game will be only the third meeting between South Florida and Tulane … The schools split a pair of meetings in 2017 and 2018 as South Florida took a 34-
28 decision in New Orleans in the first matchup before the Green Wave claimed a 41-15 victory in Tampa the following season.
SOUTH FLORIDA
2-8, 1-5 American
Head Coach
Jeff Scott (Clemson ’03)
3-16, second season
Notes
South Florida scored a 28 points against then-No. 2 Cincinnati, the most the Bearcats have allowed in a game this season, but the Bulls were unable to keep pace in a 45-28 setback last Friday … South Florida has faced four opponents ranked in this week’s top 25 (Cincinnati, NC State, BYU, Houston) … Freshman QB Timmy McClain has thrown for 1,534 yards and five touchdowns and has three rushing TDs … RB Jaren Mangham has 560 rushing yards and is tied for the American Athletic Conference lead with 15 touchdown runs … WR Xavier Weaver is the top receiver with 37 receptions for 640 yards and two touchdowns … RB Brian Battie has scored three touchdowns on kickoff returns, but was injured in the game against Cincinnati … LB Antonio Grier has a team-high 79 tackles with 3.0 sacks and two interceptions.
TULANE
1-9, 0-6 American
Head Coach
Willie Fritz (Pittsburg State ’83)
30-41, sixth season at Tulane
184-110, 25th season as collegiate head coach
Notes
After opening the season with a strong showing against then-No. 2 Oklahoma (a 40-35 loss) and a 69-20 win against Morgan State, Tulane is mired in an eight-game slide following a 20-13 overtime setback to Tulsa … Tulane’s schedule has included four games against teams that are ranked in this week’s top 25 (Cincinnati, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Houston) … QB Michael Pratt has thrown for 1,923 yards and 17 touchdowns against five interceptions … TE Tyrick James has been the top receiver with 27 catches for 380 yards and three touchdowns … RB Cameron Carroll has a team-high 492 rushing yards with two touchdowns, while RB Tyjae Spears has 488 rushing
yards with five TDs … LB Nick Anderson has 46 tackles with 3.0 sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss to lead the defense.
SATURDAY, NOV. 20 • 3:30 P.M. • ESPN
SMU at CINCINNATI
Nippert Stadium (40,000/UBU Speed Series 55-M)
Cincinnati, Ohio
Television
ESPN
Bob Wischusen, Dan Orlovsky and Kris Budden
SMU Radio Cincinnati Radio
KTCK-FM 96.7 WLW-AM 700
SiriusXM 389/979 SiriusXM 108/202/965
THE GAME
Saturday’s game will be the sixth meeting between SMU and Cincinnati in a series that began with the formation of the American Athletic Conference in 2013 … Cincinnati has won four of the first five meetings, including two straight wins in Dallas (in 2018 and 2020) … SMU’s lone win was a 31-28 decision at Nippert Stadium in 2017.
rv/rv SMU
8-2, 4-2 American
Head Coach
Sonny Dykes (Texas Tech ‘93)
30-16, fourth season at SMU
68-61, 11th season as collegiate head coach
Notes
SMU emphatically snapped a two-game slide with a 55-28 win against UCF Saturday … The Mustangs have averaged 41.6 points and 498.7 yards, leading The American in both categories, and have scored at least 55 points three times in 10 games … QB Tanner Mordecai has been named as a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award as the nation’s top player … Mordecai has completed 267 of 382 passes for 3,264 yards and 37 touchdowns … Mordecai needs one TD pass to tie The American’s single-season record of 38, set in 2017 by Memphis’ Riley Ferguson … RB Tre Siggers leads the squad with 663 rushing yards and eight touchdowns … WR Danny Gray has 49 receptions for 803 yards and nine touchdowns, while WR Rashee Rice has 51 catches for 599 yards and eight TDs.
3/3 CINCINNATI
10-0, 6-0 American
Head Coach
Luke Fickell (Ohio State ’97)
45-14, fifth season at Cincinnati
51-21, sixth season as collegiate head coach
Notes
Cincinnati is one of the nation’s three unbeaten teams (along with UTSA and Georgia) after the Bearcats scored a 45-28 win against South Florida … Cincinnati is ranked No. 3 in the Associated Press poll after spending four weeks at No. 2 … The Bearcats lead the nation in pass efficiency defense (95.2) and have allowed only six passing touchdowns … QB Desmond Ridder has thrown for 2,425 yards and 22 touchdowns against six interceptions and has five rushing TDs … RB Jerome Ford has 888 rushing yards and a league-leading 15 touchdowns … Ford missed last week’s game against South Florida with an injury … CB Ahmad Gardner and CB Coby Bryant were both named as semifinalists for the Jim Thorpe Award, while LB Darrian Beavers is a semifinalist for the Butkus Award.
SATURDAY, NOV. 20 • 3:30 P.M. • CBSSN
EAST CAROLINA at NAVY
Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (34,000/FieldTurf)
Annapolis, Maryland
Television
CBS Sports Network
John Sadak, Randy Cross and Sheehan Stanwick Burch
East Carolina Radio Navy Radio
WNCT-FM 107.9 WBAL-AM 1090
SiriusXM 388/978 SiriusXM 119/204/967
THE GAME
Saturday’s game will be the ninth meeting between East Carolina and Navy … The Midshipmen have gone 7-1 against the Pirates, including a 4-0 mark in American Athletic Conference games … Navy was a 27-23 winner in Greenville last season. … East Carolina’s only win in the series was a 38-35 decision in Annapolis in 2011.
EAST CAROLINA
6-4, 4-2 American
Head Coach
Mike Houston (Mars Hill ’94)
13-18, third season at East Carolina
93-43, 11th season as collegiate head coach
Notes
East Carolina picked up its third straight win after the Pirates took a 30-29 overtime win at Memphis last Saturday … The Pirates have gone 4-1 at home in 2021 …
East Carolina is bowl eligible for the first time since the 2014 season … RB Keaton Mitchell leads The American in rushing at 98.3 yards per game … Mitchell has rushed for 983 yards and eight touchdowns on 139 carries (7.1 yards per attempt) … QB Holton Ahlers has passed for 2,493 yards and 14 touchdowns to go with six rushing TDs … Ahlers is fourth on The American’s career passing chart with 9,586 yards …The leading receiver is WR Tyler Snead, who has 56 catches for 627 yards and two TDs … CB Ja’Quan McMillian is a Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist with 15 pass breakups and five interceptions.
NAVY
2-7, 2-4 American
Head Coach
Ken Niumatalolo (Hawaii ‘89)
103-74, 14th season
Notes
Navy looks to bounce back from a 34-6 setback to No. 8 Notre Dame Nov. 6 prior to last week’s open date … The Midshipmen have played the toughest schedule in the nation according to the NCAA … The Midshipmen’s first nine opponents have a combined 57-24 record (.704) … Eight of Navy’s nine opponents to date are at .500 or
better, while four of the nine teams have at least eight wins in 2021 … Navy has been led by QB Tai Lavatai, who has started six games and has 235 rushing yards and five touchdowns … Lavatai left the game against Notre Dame due to injury as QB Xavier Arline finished the contest … FB Isaac Ruoss has a team-high 510 rushing yards with two touchdowns … The defense is led by LB Diego Fagot, who has a team-high 78 tackles to go with 9.0 tackles for loss, a sack, an interception and a forced fumble.
SATURDAY, NOV. 20 • 4 P.M. • ESPN+
UCONN at UCF
The Bounce House (44,206/Natural Grass)
Orlando, Florida
Television
ESPN+
Connor Onion and Leger Douzable
UCF Radio
WYGM-FM 96.9
THE GAME
UCF and UConn have met seven times in a series that dates to the start of the American Athletic Conference in 2013 … UCF won five of the seven matchups prior to UConn’s departure from the conference … The Knights have taken the last four meetings and are 3-1 against the Huskies in Orlando.
UCONN
1-9
Interim Head Coach
Lou Spanos (Tulsa ’94)
1-7, first season
Notes
UConn, which competed in the American Athletic Conference from 2013-19, has struggled in its first on-field season as an independent with a 1-9 mark … The lone win was a 21-15 decision against Yale Oct. 16 … UConn’s last win against an FBS opponent was a 56-35 decision at Massachusetts in 2019 … The Huskies, who lost their last 19 games against American Athletic Conference teams, play two teams from The American in their final three games (UCF and Houston) … QB Steven Krajewski has taken over as the starting signal-caller … Krajewski has passed for 964 yards and six touchdowns against seven interceptions … RB Nathan Carter has rushed for 488 yards and a touchdown, averaging 4.5 yards per carry … WR Keelan Marion has 24 catches for 434 yards and five TDs .
UCF
6-4, 4-3 American
Head Coach
Gus Malzahn (Henderson State ‘90)
6-4, first season at UCF
83-42, 10th season as collegiate head coach
Notes
UCF saw a three-game winning streak with a 55-28 loss at SMU last Saturday … The Knights had won their previous three games by a combined 87-24 margin … UCF is 4-2 in its last six games … QB Mikey Keene has started the last seven games after QB Dillon Gabriel was sidelined indefinitely with an upper body injury … Keene has completed 122 of 195 passes for 1,263 yards and 13 touchdowns against six interceptions … RB Isaiah Bowser has rushed for 548 yards and seven touchdowns in seven games, while RB Johnny Richardson has 452 yards and two TDs … WR Ryan O’Keefe is the top receiver with 63 catches for 626 yards and six touchdowns, while WR Brandon Johnson has a team-high nine TDs among his 30 receptions … DE Big Kat Bryant has 4.5 sacks and 12.0 tackles for loss
SATURDAY, NOV. 20 • 4 P.M. • ESPN+
TEMPLE at TULSA
H.A. Chapman Stadium (30,000/FieldTurf)
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Television
ESPN+
Ted Emrich and Brandon Weeden
Temple Radio Tulsa Radio
WPEN-FM 97.5 KXBL-FM 99.5
SiriusXM 390/980 SiriusXM 381/971
THE GAME
Saturday’s game will be the sixth meeting between Temple and Tulsa … The schools played a home-and-home series in 1987 and 1988, both Tulsa wins, and have met three times as American Athletic Conference opponents, all Temple wins … The last meeting was a 31-17 Temple victory in 2018.
TEMPLE
3-7, 1-5 American
Head Coach
Rod Carey (Indiana ’93)
12-17, third season at Temple
64-47, ninth season as collegiate head coach
Notes
Temple looks to snap a five-game slide after the Owls fell 37-8 to Houston last Saturday … The Owls had won three out of four games prior to the current five-game losing streak … Temple is 1-4 on the road this season … QB D’Wan Mathis has thrown for 1,225 yards and six touchdowns against four interceptions, but Mathis left the game against East Carolina with an injury … QB Justin Lynch got the start last week against Houston … Lynch has thrown for 643 yards and three touchdowns in limited action … RB Edward Saydee, with a team-high 272 rushing yards, leads a group of five players with at least 100 yards … The defense is led by S Amir Tyler, who has a team-high 60 tackles … LB William Kwenku leads the squad with 9.5 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks.
TULSA
4-6, 3-3 American
Head Coach
Philip Montgomery (Tarleton State ’95)
35-46, seventh season
Notes
Tulsa snapped a two-game skid with a wild 20-13 overtime win at Tulane, scoring its second OT win against the Green Wave in as many years … Tulsa has faced four opponents ranked in this week’s top 25 in its first 10 games (Oklahoma State, Ohio State, Houston, Cincinnati) … QB Davis Brin has thrown for 2,443 yards and 13 touchdowns against 14 interceptions … RB Shamari Brooks has a team-leading 791 rushing yards with six touchdowns … RB Anthony Watkins has 521 yards and three touchdowns, while Deneric Prince has 411 rushing yards and three TDs… WR Josh Johnson has a team-high 60 catches for 709 yards and three touchdowns … WR Sam Crawford Jr. has a team-high four TD receptions … LB Justin Wright and LB Tyon Davis are tied for the team lead with 63 tackles, while Wright has 3.5 sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss.
