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CFB-FBS: American Athletic Conference Week 10 Previews

FRIDAY, NOV. 10 • 9 P.M. • ESPN2

NORTH TEXAS at SMU

Gerald J. Ford Stadium (32,000/FieldTurf) Dallas, Texas

Television ESPNU Anish Shroff, Andre Ware and Paul Carcaterra

North Texas Radio SMU Radio KEGL-FM 97.1 KTCK-FM 96.7

THE GAME

Friday’s game will be the 41st meeting between SMU and North Texas in a series that dates to the 1922 season … The Mustangs hold a 35-6-1 series and have taken the last four, including a 48-10 win in Denton last season … North Texas is looking for its first series win as the road team since a 24-13 victory in 1977 at the Cotton Bowl.

NORTH TEXAS 3-6, 1-4 American

Head Coach Eric Morris (Texas Tech ’08)

3-6, first season at North Texas 27-24, fifth season as collegiate head coach

Notes

North Texas looks to snap a three-game slide after the Mean Green fell 37-29 to UTSA last Saturday … All three losses during the current stretch have been one-score games against teams that are a combined 14-1 in conference play … The Mean Green leads The American in total offense (482.3 ypg) and is third in scoring offense (34.8 ppg) … QB Chandler Rogers saw a streak of 288 consecutive passes without an INT end last week against UTSA … Rogers has thrown for 2,445 yards and 21 touchdowns against only three interceptions this season … WR Ja’Mori Maclin has 44 catches for 766 yards and a conference-leading 11 touchdowns … RB Ayo Adeyi has rushed for 716 yards and four touchdowns and is third in The American at 79.6 rushing yards per game.

rv/rv SMU 7-2, 5-0 American

Head Coach Rhett Lashlee (Arkansas ’08)

14-8, second season

Notes

SMU takes a five-game winning streak into Friday’s game after the Mustangs held off Rice for a 38-31 win in Houston … It was the first conference win for the Mustangs that was decided by at least 18 points … SMU is 5-0 in conference play for the first time since 1977, when the Mustangs won their first seven games in the Southwest Conference … SMU is one of four schools to rank in the top 10 nationally in both scoring offense and scoring defense (joining Michigan, Georgia and Penn State) … QB Preston Stone has completed 166 of 282 passes for 2,362 yards and 21 touchdowns against five interceptions … TE RJ Maryland has 23 catches for 315 yards and five touchdowns … DE Elijah Roberts has a team-high 7.5 sacks to lead a defense that has registered 31 sacks this year … LB Kobe Wilson has a team-high 51 tackles.

SATURDAY, NOV. 11 • NOON • ESPN+

TEMPLE at SOUTH FLORIDA

Raymond James Stadium (65,000/Natural Grass) Tampa, Florida

Television ESPN+ Ted Emrich and Patrick Murray

Temple Radio South Florida Radio WPEN-FM 97.5 WHPT-FM 102.5

THE GAME

Saturday’s game will be the 10th meeting between Temple and South Florida in a series that began in 2012, when both schools competed under the Big East banner … Temple holds a 6-3 series lead and took last year’s meeting in Philadelphia 54-28 … South Florida was a 34-14 winner in Tampa in 2021 and is 3-1 at home against the Owls.

TEMPLE 3-6, 1-4 American

Head Coach Stan Drayton (Allegheny ’93)

6-15, second season

Notes

Temple enjoyed its best performance of the season as the Owls returned from an open week with a 32-18 win against Navy last Saturday … The win snapped a five-game slide … The victory was sparked by the return of QB E.J. Warner, who had missed the previous two games due to injury … Warner threw for 402 yards and four touchdowns against Navy and enters Saturday’s game as The American’s passing leader at 306.1 yards per game … Warner has thrown for 2,143 yards and 16 touchdowns in seven games … RB Joquez Smith is the leading rusher with 311 yards and a touchdown on 67 carries … WR Amad Anderson Jr. has 30 catches for 478 yards and a touchdown, while TE David Martin-Robinson has 355 yards and three TDs … LB Jordan Magee has team highs with 71 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.

SOUTH FLORIDA 4-5, 2-3 American

Head Coach Alex Golesh (Ohio State ’06)

4-5, first season

Notes

South Florida returned from an open week and fell at Memphis in a wild 59-50 shootout … The Bulls have established themselves as one of the nation’s most improved teams under first-year head coach Alex Golesh, who has led South Florida to as many wins this season as they had in the previous three years combined … QB Byrum Brown has passed for 2,222 yards and 17 touchdowns and is the team’s rushing leader with 673 yards and eight TDs … Brown leads The American in total offense at 321.7 yards per game … RB Nay’Quan Wright has 621 rushing yards and six TDs … WR Sean Atkins has team highs with 60 receptions, 639 yards and four touchdown catches, while WR Naiem Simmons has 30 catches for 530 yards and four TDs … S Daquan Evans has team-highs with 10 tackles for loss and three sacks to go with 43 tackles.

SATURDAY, NOV. 11 • NOON • ESPN2

TULSA at TULANE

Yulman Stadium (30,000/UBU Speed Series 5M) New Orleans, Louisiana

Television ESPN2 Roy Philpott, Roddy Jones and Taylor McGregor

Tulsa Radio Tulane Radio KXBL-FM 99.5 KVDU-FM 104.1

THE GAME

Saturday’s game will be the 20th meeting between Tulsa and Tulane … The series originated in 1968, and the teams have met each year since 2005 … Tulsa holds a 13-6 series lead, but Tulane took the most recent matchup with a 27- 13 decision … The Golden Hurricane took the last meeting in New Orleans, 20-13, in 2021.

TULSA 3-6, 1-4 American

Head Coach Kevin Wilson (North Carolina ’84)

3-6, first season at Tulsa 29-53, seventh season as collegiate head coach

Notes

Tulsa dropped its fourth consecutive game after the Golden Hurricane fell 33-26 in overtime to Charlotte at H.A. Chapman Stadium … Tulsa has had to play from behind for much of the season as the opponent has scored first in seven of the Golden Hurricane’s nine games … Tulsa has struggled to find consistency at the quarterback position, primarily due to injuries, as four players have seen significant game action … QB Cardell Williams has thrown for 1,149 yards and 10 touchdowns with seven interceptions … RB Anthony Watkins has rushed for 592 yards and three touchdowns … WR Devan Williams has a team-high 29 receptions for 399 yards and two TDs … S Kendarin Ray has a league-leading 89 tackles, while DE Ben Kopenski has 5.5 sacks.

20/20 TULANE 8-1, 5-0 American

Head Coach Willie Fritz (Pittsburg State ’83)

51-46, eighth season at Tulane 205-115, 25th season as collegiate head coach

Notes

Tulane continued to move up in the national polls as the Green Wave enters Week 11 ranked No. 20 … Tulane’s only loss was a 37-20 decision to Ole Miss in Week 2 in which QB Michael Pratt did not play … Pratt, who missed two games due to injury, has returned to the lineup and has completed 118 of 168 passes (70.2%) for 1,597 yards and 15 touchdowns against three interceptions … Freshman RB Makhi Hughes leads The American in rushing at 97.4 yards per game … Hughes has rushed for 877 yards and five touchdowns on 166 carries … WR Lawrence Keys has a team-high 32 receptions for 593 yards and seven touchdowns … DE Darius Hodges has 5.5 sacks while DE Patrick Jenkins has 4.5 sacks … CB Lance Robinson leads The American with four interceptions.

SATURDAY, NOV. 11 • 2 P.M. • ESPN+

MEMPHIS at CHARLOTTE

Jerry Richardson Stadium (15,314/Synthetic) Charlotte, North Carolina

Television ESPN+ Richard Cross, Taylor McHargue and Morgan Uber

Memphis Radio Charlotte Radio WXMX-FM 98.9 WZGV-AM 730

THE GAME

Saturday’s game will be the first meeting between Memphis and Charlotte … Charlotte is the only American Athletic Conference team that Memphis has not previously faced, while the Tigers are one of six first-time opponents in conference play for the 49ers, who are in their first season as members of The American.

MEMPHIS 7-2, 4-1 American

Head Coach Ryan Silverfield (Hamden-Sydney ’03)

28-18 fourth season

Notes

Memphis is looking for a fourth consecutive win after the Tigers won a wild 59-50 decision against South Florida last Saturday at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium … The Tigers have averaged 53 points in their current three-game winning streak and have scored at least 20 points in 23 consecutive games, which is the longest active streak nationally … QB Seth Henigan has completed 208 of 314 passes for 2,535 yards and 20 touchdowns against seven interceptions … RB Blake Watson a transfer from Old Dominion, is second in The American in rushing at 91.8 yards per game … Watson has rushed for 826 yards and 10 touchdowns on 130 carries … WR Roc Taylor has 47 receptions for 752 yards and four touchdowns … LB Chandler Martin has 68 tackles with 9.5 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles.

CHARLOTTE 3-6, 2-3 American

Head Coach Biff Poggi (Duke) 3-6, first season Information Contact Tom Whitestone (980) 253-4951, tewhites@uncc.edu Notes Charlotte has won two of its last three games after the 49ers went on the road for a 33-26 overtime victory against Tulsa last Saturday … The 49ers fell behind 17-0 before reeling off 18 straight points in what turned into a back-and-forth affair … Charlotte had season highs with 33 points and 431 yards of total offense against the Golden Hurricane … QB Trexler Ivey, a walk-on redshirt sophomore who had appeared in only one game prior to this season, enjoyed the best day of his career against Tulsa as he went 20-for-36 for 277 yards and a touchdown and added a rushing TD … Ivey has thrown for 946 yards and four touchdowns in eight games this season … WR Jack Hestera has 27 catches for 353 yards and three touchdowns … LB Demetrius Knight II leads the squad with 66 tackles to go with 5.5 tackles for loss.

SATURDAY, NOV. 11 • 3:30 P.M. • CBSSN

UAB at NAVY

Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (34,000/FieldTurf) Annapolis, Maryland

Television CBS Sports Network John Sadak, Randy Cross and Sheehan Stanwick-Burch

UAB Radio Navy Radio WJOX-FM 94.5 WBAL-AM 1090

THE GAME

Saturday’s game will be the first meeting between UAB and Navy … The Blazers have gone 5-0 against Army in UAB’s matchups against other service academy teams, with all five game … The game will be Navy’s first against a team from the state of Alabama since a 42-40 win against South Alabama in 2014.

UAB 3-6, 2-3 American

Head Coach Trent Dilfer (Fresno State) 3-6, first season

Notes

UAB snapped a two-game slide with a 45-42 win against Florida Atlantic … The Blazers are 3-2 at Protective Stadium and 0-4 on the road in 2023 … UAB has been led offensively by QB Jacob Zeno, who has completed 75.4% of his passes (218 of 289) for 2,389 yards and 17 touchdowns with seven interceptions … Zeno, who had missed the previous game against Memphis due to injury, passed for 484 yards and five touchdowns in the win against Florida Atlantic … Zeno is second in The American in passing (298.6 ypg) and total offense (316.8 ypg) … RB Jermaine Brown Jr. has a team-high 479 rushing yards and nine touchdowns … Brown is a receiving threat out of the backfield with 30 catches for 343 yards … WR Amare Thomas has a team-high 44 catches for 388 yards and three touchdowns … DE Kevin Penn has four sacks.

NAVY 3-5, 2-3 American

Head Coach Brian Newberry (Baylor ’98) 3-5, first season

Notes

Navy looks to get back to .500 in conference play after the Midshipmen fell 32-18 at Temple last Saturday … 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 needs to win its next three games to gain bowl eligibility … Navy is the only FBS team that has had four different starting quarterbacks this season … QB Tai Lavaitai and QB Blake Horvath are both out with injuries … QB Xavier Arline got the start against Temple … FB Alex Tecza has 547 yards and four touchdowns on 82 carries and has averaged 6.7 yards per carry … S Rayuan Lane has a team-high three interceptions to lead a solid defense … LB Colin Ramos has 66 tackles, while LB Will Harbour has 60 stops with seven tackles for loss.

SATURDAY, NOV. 11 • 4 P.M. • ESPN+

EAST CAROLINA at FLORIDA ATLANTIC

FAU Stadium (29,495/Natural Grass) Boca Raton, Florida

Television ESPN+ James Westling, Leger Douzable and Smacker Miles

East Carolina Radio Florida Atlantic Radio WNCT-FM 107.9 WMEN-AM 640

THE GAME

Saturday’s game will be the second meeting between East Carolina and Florida Atlantic … The only previous matchup was in the 2013 season, when the Pirates took a 31-13 win in Greenville, when East Carolina was in its final season in Conference USA and Florida Atlantic was making its debut in the conference.

EAST CAROLINA 1-8, 0-5 American

Head Coach Mike Houston (Mars Hill ‘94) 23-32, fifth season at East Carolina 103-57, 13th season as collegiate head coach

Notes

East Carolina remains in search of its first American Athletic Conference win after the Pirates dropped a 13-10 heartbreaker to No. 21 Tulane last Saturday … The Pirates have struggled offensively, having scored more than 20 points only three times in nine games … East Carolina ranks fourth in The American in total defense at 355.8 yards per game, and has a stout front that has limited opponents to 124.7 rushing yards per game, good for third in the conference … QB Alex Flinn has passed for 1,063 yards and four touchdowns with seven interceptions … RB Rahjai Harris has 324 yards and four touchdowns … WR Jaylen Johnson has 36 receptions for 381 yards and a touchdown … The defense is led by S Julius Wood, who has a team-high 67 tackles with an interception.

FLORIDA ATLANTIC 4-5, 3-2 American

Head Coach Tom Herman (Cal Lutheran ’97) 4-5, first season at Florida Atlantic 58-26, seventh season as collegiate head coach

Notes

Florida Atlantic was unable to string together back-toback wins as the Owls dropped a wild 45-42 decision at UAB last Saturday … Florida Atlantic overcame an early 21-7 deficit to lead 42-35 late in the fourth quarter before the Blazers closed with 10 straight points … The Owls are led by WR LaJohntay Wester, who has established himself as a legitimate candidate for the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top receiver … Wester is the NCAA leader in receptions (9.7 per game) and punt returns (22.4 ypr) … Wester has 87 catches for 1,004 yards and eight touchdowns and has 269 yards and a TD on 12 punt returns … QB Daniel Richardson has thrown for 1,555 yards and 11 touchdowns … DT Evan Anderson is a standout on defense with 45 tackles, 2.5 sacks and four tackles for loss.

SATURDAY, NOV. 11 • 7:30 P.M. • ESPNU

RICE at UTSA

Alamodome (36,582/FusionH XP2 Synthetic) San Antonio, Texas

Television ESPNU Drew Carter and Dustin Fox

Rice Radio UTSA Radio Varsity Network KTXR-AM 760

THE GAME

Saturday’s game will be the 11th meeting between Rice and UTSA … The schools have met each year since 2012, when the exception of 2020 … UTSA holds a 7-3 series lead and has won the last seven matchups after the Owls had taken the first three … UTSA is 4-1 against Rice in San Antonio.

RICE 4-5, 2-3 American

Head Coach Mike Bloomgren (Florida State ’99) 20-44, sixth season

Notes

Rice fell to 4-5 after the Owls dropped a 36-31 decision to SMU for their second straight loss … Rice fell to Tulane and SMU — two of the three teams that are 5-0 in conference play — by a combined seven points … QB JT Daniels has been the catalyst on offense … Daniels has thrown for 2,443 yards and 21 touchdowns, but left last week’s game against SMU due to injury … QB Chase Jenkins has gone 12-for-18 for 92 yards as the backup to Daniels … WR Luke McCaffrey has 45 receptions for 700 yards and nine touchdowns, and is fifth in The American at 77.8 yards per game … RB Dean Connors is the leading rusher with 414 yards and five touchdowns to go with 35 receptions for 371 yards and three TD catches … LB Josh Pearcy leads the team with 5.5 tackles for loss, while DE Coleman Coco has a team-high three sacks.

UTSA 6-3, 5-0 American

Head Coach Jeff Traylor (Stephen F. Austin ’90) 36-13, fourth season

Notes UTSA is off to a 5-0 start in conference play after a 37-29 win at North Texas last Saturday… The Roadrunners, who started 1-3, have reeled off five straight wins … UTSA has won 15 consecutive games against conference opponents (regular season and postseason) … The Roadrunners are 11-1 in the month of November under head coach Jeff Tray – lor … Veteran QB Frank Harris has thrown for 1,722 yards and 13 touchdowns this season … RB Kevorian Barnes has rushed for 606 yards and six touchdowns … WR Joshua Cephus is the leading receiver with 62 catches for 750 yards and seven touchdowns … LB Trey Moore leads the nation with a school-record 12 sacks and is 2.5 sacks shy of The American’s single-season record … The Roadrun – ners did not have a defensive takeaway in their first three games but have 12 takeaways in the last six contests.

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