THURSDAY, SEPT. 28 • 7:30 P.M. • ESPN
TEMPLE at TULSA
H.A. Chapman Stadium (30,000/FieldTurf)
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Television: ESPN
Matt Barrie, Dan Mullen and Harry Lyle Jr.
Temple Radio Tulsa Radio
WPEN-FM 97.5 KXBL-FM 99.5
SiriusXM 380 SiriusXM 381
THE GAME
Thursday’s game will be the eighth meeting between Temple and Tulsa in a series that dates to 1987 … Tulsa holds a 4-3 series lead, but Temple has won three of the five meetings under the American Athletic Conference banner … Tulsa has won the last two, including a 27-16 decision in Philadelphia last season.
TEMPLE
2-2, 0-0 American
Head Coach: Stan Drayton (Allegheny ’93) – 5-11, second season
Notes
Temple has alternated wins and losses through the first four games of 2023 … The Owls look to avoid back-to-back losses as they enter Thursday on the heels of a 41-7 setback to Miami (Fla.) to close nonconference play … The wins have been against Akron (24-21) and Norfolk State (41-9) … The Owls play on the road for the second time after having lost at Rutgers 36-7 in Week 2 … QB E.J. Warner has passed for exactly 1,000 yards with five touchdowns in his sophomore season … RB Joquez Smith, a freshman, is the leading rusher with 191 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries, good for 6.4 yards per attempt … WR Amad Anderson Jr. has 21 catches for 297 yards … S Tywan Francis has a team-high 32 tackles and the Owls’ only defensive interception … LB Jordan Magee has 3.5 tackles for loss among his 23 total stops.
TULSA
2-2, 0-0 American
Head Coach: Kevin Wilson (North Carolina ’84) – 2-2, first season at Tulsa / 27-49, seventh season as collegiate head coach
Notes
Tulsa battled back from an early deficit to score a satisfying road win as the Golden Hurricane topped 22-14 last Saturday … Tulsa opened with a 42-7 victory against Akransas-Pine Bluff … The two losses were to nationally ranked opponents — 43-10 at Washington and 66-17 to Oklahoma … Tulsa has been looking for consistency at the quarterback position as three players have started … Opening Day starting QB Braylon Braxton left the season-opener with an ankle injury and has not yet returned to the lineup … RB Anthony Watkins has rushed for 243 yards, while RB Jordan Ford has 215 yards through four games … WR Marquis Shoulders has team highs with 207 receiving yards and three touchdown catches … S Kendarin Ray leads The American with 38 tackles.
THURSDAY, SEPT. 30 • 4 P.M. • ESPN2
BOISE STATE at MEMPHIS
Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium (58,325/AstroTurf)
Memphis, Tennessee
Television: ESPN2
Beth Mowins, Kirk Morrison and Stormy Buonantony
Radio: WXMX-FM 98.9 (Memphis flagship) SiriusXM 391
THE GAME
Saturday’s game will be the first meeting between Boise State and Memphis … The Tigers have gone 7-4 against current members of the Mountain West Conference, including a 38-10 win against Utah State in last year’s First Responder Bowl, while the Broncos are 13-5 all-time against The American’s current lineup.
BOISE STATE
2-2, 1-0 Mountain West
Head Coach: Andy Avalos (Boise State ’04) – 19-11, third season
Notes
Boise State improved to 2-2 with a 34-31 win at San Diego State last Friday … The Broncos have won their last two following losses to No. 10 Washington (56-19) and UCF (18- 16) to start the season … Boise State topped North Dakota 42-18 prior to the conference opener against San Diego State … The Broncos got the win Friday behind the play of RB Ashton Jeanty, who had a career-high 205 yards with two touchdowns against the Aztecs … Boise State won its conference opener for the 24th consecutive season … Jeanty has rushed for 407 yards and six touchdowns and is averaging 101.8 rushing yards per game … QB Taylen Green has completed 58 of 109 passes for 738 yards and four touchdowns … WR Eric McAlister has 20 receptions for 328 yards and three touchdowns, leading the Broncos in all three categories.
MEMPHIS
3-1, 1-0 American
Head Coach: Ryan Silverfield (Hamden-Sydney ’03) – 24-17 fourth season
Notes
Memphis fell from the ranks of the unbeaten with a 34-27 setback against Missouri last Saturday in St. Louis … The Tigers had opened the year with wins against Bethune-Cookman (56-14), Arkansas State (37-3) and Navy (28-24) … Memphis has won its last four home games and has gone 12-4 at Simmons Liberty Bank Stadium since 2021 … QB Seth Henigan has completed 102 of 147 passes for 1,107 yards and eight touchdowns against five interceptions … RB Blake Watson a transfer from Old Dominion, rushed for a career-high 169 yards with a touchdown on 10 carries against Navy and has 342 rushing yards with four TDs on the season … WR Roc Taylor has 22 receptions for 297 yards and a touchdown and is one of seven players with at least one touchdown catch … LB Chandler Martin has 26 tackles with 3.5 tackles for loss.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 30 • NOON • ESPN2
UAB at TULANE
Yulman Stadium (30,000/UBU Speed Series 5M)
New Orleans, Louisiana
Television: ESPN2
Roy Philpott, Roddy Jones and Alex Chappell
UAB Radio Tulane Radio
WJOX-FM 94.5 KVDU-FM 104.1
SiriusXM 380 SiriusXM 381
THE GAME
Saturday’s game will be the 12th meeting between UAB and Tulane in a series that dates to 1999 … The Blazers hold a 6-5 series lead and have won the last two meetings, including a 28-21 victory in New Orleans in 2021 … Tulane’s last win in the series was a 55-45 decision at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in 2012.
UAB
1-3, 0-0 American
Head Coach: Trent Dilfer (Fresno State) – 1-3, first season
Notes
UAB looks to rid itself of a three-game slide after the Blazers fell 49-21to top-ranked Georgia last Saturday … UAB opened the season with a 35-6 win against North Carolina A&T, but fell 49-35 to Georgia Southern in Week 2 and 41-21 to Louisiana in Week 3 … QB Jacob Zeno, a transfer
from Baylor, has been a bright spot … Zeno has completed 130 of 173 passes for 1,206 yards and eight touchdowns against four interceptions … Zeno is second on the team in rushing with 116 yards and a team-high three TDs and is ranked fourth among FBS players in total offense at 330.5 ypg … Five players have at least 100 receiving yards, including WR Tejhaun Palmer, who leads the Blazers with 185 yards … LB Jackson Bratton has 24 tackles to go with two sacks, 2.5 tackles for loss and a fumble recovery … LB Keondre Swoopes also has 19 tackles
rv/rv TULANE
3-1, 0-0 American
Head Coach: Willie Fritz (Pittsburg State ’83) – 46-46, eighth season at Tulane / 200-115, 25th season as collegiate head coach
Notes
Tulane has won three of its first four games to start the year after the Green Wave cruised to a 36-7 win against Nicholls at Yulman Stadium … Tulane’s only loss was a 37-20 decision to Ole Miss in Week 2 … The win against Nicholls was the 200th for head coach Willie Fritz against NCAA four-year institutions, ranking him sixth among active FBS coaches … QB Michael Pratt, who had missed the last two games due to injury, returned to the lineup against Nicholls … Pratt has completed 32 of 38 passes (84.2%) for 484 yards and six touchdowns against one interception … WR Lawrence Keys is the leading receiver with 345 yards and three touchdowns … RB Makhi Hughes has a team-high 245 rushing yards … CB Lance Robinson has three interceptions to lead the defense.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 30 • 3:30 P.M. • CBSSN
SOUTH FLORIDA at NAVY
Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (34,000/FieldTurf)
Annapolis, Maryland
Television: CBS Sports Network
Jordan Kent, Randy Cross and Sheehan Stanwick Burch
South Florida Radio Navy Radio
WHPT-FM 102.5 WBAL-AM 1090
SiriusXM 136 or 201
THE GAME
Saturday’s game will be the fourth meeting between South Florida and Navy … The first meeting was in 2015, when Navy joined The American … Navy has won two of the first three meetings as each team has defended its home stadium … The last meeting was in 2019, when Navy scored a 35-3 victory in Annapolis.
SOUTH FLORIDA
2-2, 1-0 American
Head Coach: Alex Golesh (Ohio State ’06) – 2-2, first season
Notes
South Florida enters Saturday’s game at 2-2, but the Bulls have impressed in their last two outings – a 17-3 setback against No. 10 Alabama and a 42-29 victory against Rice … The win against Rice saw the Bulls score 22 consecutive points to erase a 20-21 third-quarter deficit … The win snapped a 13-game losing streak in American Athletic Conference games and an 18-game slide against FBS opponents … QB Byrum Brown has passed for 885 yards and six touchdowns and leads The American in rushing with 351 yards and five TDs … WR Naiem Simmons, a transfer from Wagner, has 15 catches for 357 yards and two touchdowns following his breakout game against Rice … S Daquan Evans has team-highs with nine tackles for loss and three sacks to go with 21 tackles … Evans is the national leader in tackles for loss at 2.2 per game.
NAVY
1-2, 0-1 American
Head Coach: Brian Newberry (Baylor ’98) – 1-2, first season
Notes
Navy has played only three games over the course of five weeks as the Midshipmen return from an open week that followed a 28-24 setback at Memphis Sept. 14 … The Midshipmen began their season Aug. 26 against Notre Dame and won’t finish the regular season until Dec. 9 against Army, making for the longest regular season of any NCAA team … Navy is 1-0 in Annapolis this season with a 24-0 win against Wagner in Week 2 … QB Tai Lavatai has completed 21 of 38 passes for 337 yards and two touchdowns … The rushing leader is FB Alex Tecza, who has 209 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries … WR Brandon Chatman has five receptions for 100 yards and is the leading receiver … LB Will Harbour leads the defense with 20 tackles, while S Rayuan Lane has a team-high two interceptions and six pass breakups.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 30 • 7 P.M. • ESPN+
EAST CAROLINA at RICE
Rice Stadium (47,000/FieldTurf)
Houston, Texas
Television: ESPN+
Richard Cross and Taylor McHargue
East Carolina Radio Rice Radio
WNCT-FM 107.9 Varsity Network
SiriusXM 383
THE GAME
Saturday’s game will be the fifth meeting between East Carolina and Rice … The first four meetings came when both schools were members of Conference USA … The teams have split the first four matchups as the home team has prevailed each time … The last meeting was in 2010, when Rice scored a 62-38 win in Houston.
EAST CAROLINA
1-3, 0-0 American
Head Coach: Mike Houston (Mars Hill ‘94) – 23-27, fifth season at East Carolina / 103-52, 13th season as collegiate head coach
Notes
East Carolina had been stymied through its first three games against a challenging schedule, but the Pirates broke through with a 44-0 win against Gardner-Webb last Saturday … East Carolina opened with losses to Michigan, Marshall and Appalachian State, which are a combined 9-2 … QB Alex Flinn has started the last two games and has completed 34 of 68 passes for 365 yards and a touchdown with four interceptions … QB Mason Garcia has gone 32-of-55 for 234 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions … Garcia is the leading rusher with 178 yards, while RB Rahjai Harris has 171 yards and three TDs … LB Michael Edwards has a team-high 30 tackles with 4.5 tackles for loss … The Pirates have registered three sacks and have one interception through four games.
RICE
2-2, 0-1 American
Head Coach: Mike Bloomgren (Florida State ’99) – 18-41, sixth season
Notes
Rice held a 21-20 lead against South Florida in the Owls’ American Athletic Conference opener last Saturday, but an untimely injury to QB JT Daniels helped contribute to the Bulls’ 42-29 win in Tampa … The game at South Florida marked Rice’s first game outside the state of Texas this season before the Owls return to Houston for its next two … Daniels, who left the game in the third quarter with an ankle injury, has thrown for 1,237 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2023 … Daniels leads The American in passing at 309.3 yards per game … WR Luke McCaffrey has 20 receptions for 370 yards and four touchdowns … RB Dean Connors has 139 rushing yards, while RB Daelen Alexander has a team-high five touchdowns among his 17 carries and is The American’s leading scorer at 9.5 points per game … LB Myron Morrison leads the defense with 27 tackles.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 30 • 7 P.M. • ESPN+
ABILENE CHRISTIAN at NORTH TEXAS
DATCU Stadium (30,850/Power Blade HP)
Denton, Texas
Television: ESPN+
James Westling and Ladarrin McLane
Radio: KEGL-FM 97.1 (North Texas flagship) SiriusXM 381
THE GAME
Saturday’s game will be the 26th meeting between North Texas and Abilene Christian in a series that dates to 1926 … The Mean Green holds a 16-8-1 series lead and has won the last eight matchups, including a 51-31 decision in Denton in 2019 … North Texas is 13-2-1 all-time against the Wildcats in Denton.
ABILENE CHRISTIAN
2-2, 0-1 United
Head Coach: Keith Patterson (East Central ’86) – 9-6, second season at Abilene Christian / 9-7, second full season as collegiate head coach
Notes
Abilene Christian opened the year with wins against Northern Colorado (31-11) and Prairie View A&M (45-16), but the Wildcats enter Saturday’s game on a two-game slide after setbacks to Incarnate Word (27-20) and Central Arkansas (52-17) … The Wildcats are competing as members of the United Athletic Conference, which sprung from a merger of the ASUN and WAC … Saturday’s game against North Texas is one of two against FBS opponents for Abilene Christian, which faces Texas A&M Nov. 18 … QB Maverick McIvor has completed 55 of 96 passes for 847 yards and five touchdowns against one interception … RB Jermiah Dobbins has 292 rushing yards with a pair of touchdowns … WR Blayne Taylor has seven catches for 211 yards and a TD and is averaging 30.1 yards per reception.
NORTH TEXAS
1-2, 0-0 American
Head Coach: Eric Morris (Texas Tech ’08) – 1-2, first season at North Texas / 25-20, fifth season as collegiate head coach
Notes
North Texas picked up its first win of the season with a 40-37 decision at Louisiana Tech, giving head coach Eric Morris his first victory with the Mean Green … North Texas won the game on a field goal by K Noah Rauschenberg with three seconds left in regulation … It was Rauschenberg’s fourth field goal of the game … The Mean Green made a number of adjustments following losses to California (58-21) and FIU (46-39) in the first two weeks … QB Chandler Rogers made his first start of the season … Rogers has completed 38 of 63 passes for 524 yards and four touchdowns against one interception … RB Ayo Adeyi has 182 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries … WR Ja’Mori Maclin has a team-high four touchdown catches … Rauschenberg has gone 6-for-6 on field goals.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 30 • 7:30 P.M. • ESPNU
CHARLOTTE at SMU
Gerald J. Ford Stadium (32,000/FieldTurf)
Dallas, Texas
Television: ESPNU
John Schriffen, Rocky Boiman and Dawn Davenport
Charlotte Radio SMU Radio
WZGV-AM 730 KTCK-FM 96.7
SiriusXM 385 SiriusXM 382
THE GAME
Saturday’s game will be the first meeting between Charlotte and SMU … The game will mark the first of six American Athletic Conference games for Charlotte against teams that the 49ers had not previously faced … Charlotte has won its last three games played in the state of Texas.
CHARLOTTE
1-3, 0-0 American
Head Coach: Biff Poggi (Duke) – 1-3, first season
Notes
Charlotte looks to snap a three-game slide after the 49ers fell 22-7 at No. 25 Florida last Saturday in Gainesville … Charlotte opened the year with a 24-3 win against South Carolina State, but dropped games against Maryland (38- 20) and Georgia State (41-25) … The three teams to defeat the 49ers are a combined 11-1 thus far … The 49ers have used two quarterbacks through the first four games … QB Jalon Jones has completed 35 of 57 passes for 363 yards and two touchdowns with three interceptions and is the 49ers’ leading rusher with 261 yards and three TDs … QB Trexler Ivey has completed 28 of 42 for 352 yards and a touchdown and an INT … WR Jack Hestera has 15 catches for 202 yards and a touchdown … DE Eyabi Okie-Anoma, a transfer from Michigan, has two sacks, four tackles for loss and five quarterback pressures.
SMU
2-2, 0-0 American
Head Coach: Rhett Lashlee (Arkansas ’08) – 9-8, second season
Notes
SMU has alternated wins and losses through the first four games as the Mustangs look to avoid their first two-game slide of the season following a 34-17 setback at TCU last Saturday … SMU is 2-0 at home and 0-2 on the road through four games … QB Preston Stone has completed 80 of 137 passes for 1,056 yards and nine touchdowns against four interceptions … The backfield tandem of RB LJ Johnson Jr. and RB Jaylan Knighton have combined for 335 yards through four games as Knighton has 182 yards and Johnson has 153 … WR Jake Bailey has a team-high 14 receptions for 141 yards, while WR Jordan Kerley (19.1 yards per catch) and WR Jordan Hudson (19.9 ypc) have been the big-play threats … DE Elijah Roberts leads the defense with three sacks … The offensive line has allowed only four sacks this season.
