UPCOMING GAMES (ALL TIMES CT)

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 26
WKU at Florida Atlantic (CBSSN) 11 am

Rice at North Texas (ESPN+) 1 pm

UTEP at UTSA (Stadium) 2:30 pm

UAB at LA Tech (CBSSN) 2:30 pm

Middle Tennessee at FIU (ESPN3) 5 pm

MTSU IS BOWL ELIGIBLE, FOUR MORE ON THE VERGE

Joining UTSA (9-2), North Texas (6-5) and WKU (7-4), Middle Tennessee is now bowl eligible (6-5), while Florida Atlantic (5-6), Rice (5-6), UAB (5-6) and UTEP (5-6) are just one win away heading into the final weekend of the regular season.

TWO STILL ALIVE FOR FINAL C-USA CHAMPIONSHIP GAME PLACE
Though North Texas (5-2 C-USA) is in the driver’s seat for the 2022 Ryan C-USA Championship Game, WKU (5-2 C-USA) is still very much alive for the final spot and an opportunity for a rematch with regular season champion UTSA. Though Florida Atlantic could also potentially finish in a three-way tie with North Texas and WKU at 5-3, they would not win that by virtue of the combined record tiebreaker between those three teams (see below for further explanation). North Texas can clinch a spot in the title game with a win over Rice in the final week of the season, OR
if they were to lose to Rice AND FAU beats WKU, it would be a three-way tie at 5-3 with FAU and WKU (North Texas would win the three-way tiebreaker by virtue of holding a 2-0 record against FAU and WKU, while FAU would be 1-1 and WKU would be 0-2 in this scenario). WKU can clinch a spot in the title game with a win in the final week of the regular season at FAU coupled with a North Texas loss to Rice.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK, PRESENTED BY BLENDERS EYEWEAR (WEEK 12)
OFFENSE
QB CHASE CUNNINGHAM, MTSU
Redshirt Senior, Knoxville, Tennessee
Cunningham threw for a career-high 448 yards on a personal-best 40 completions (second most completions in school history) in Middle Tennessee’s 49-21 win over Florida Atlantic. Five touchdown passes are the 12th-most in a single game in the country this season and second-most in C-USA and his 40 completions in a game are the sixth-most nationally in 2022. Cunningham set single-game program half records by completing 31-42 passes for 372 yards and four touchdowns in the first half. It was his second 400-yard passing game of his career.

DEFENSE
DB TELDRICK ROSS, MTSU
Redshirt Junior, Macon, Georgia
Ross finished with seven tackles and a career-high five pass break-ups in Middle Tennessee’s 49-21 win over Florida Atlantic on Saturday to lift the Blue Raiders to six wins and bowl eligibility. Five pass break-ups in a single game is the most in Conference USA and second-most in the country this season (one shy of the national high this year).

SPECIAL TEAMS
K, JARED SACKETT, UTSA
Redshirt Senior, Fort Worth, Texas
Sackett extended his streak of consecutive field goals made to nine, after going 2-2 in UTSA’s 41-7 road win over Rice on a cold and rainy Saturday afternoon in Houston. The senior kicker split the uprights from 30 and 36 yards in the third quarter to help the Roadrunners clinch the C-USA regular season crown and the right to host the championship game for the second straight year. Sackett also made all five extra-point attempts to push his season tally to 48 without a miss. Sackett is 17-21 on the year, ranking 16th nationally with 1.55 field goals per game.

QUICK HITTERS
A LOOK AT WEEK 13
Ten C-USA teams are in action yet again this week, all of which are key conference fixtures. A five-game slate on Saturday kicks off at 11 a.m. CT in Boca Raton between Florida Atlantic and WKU, a 1 p.m. CT matchup that sees North Texas host Rice, a 2:30 p.m. kickoff in San Antonio between regular season champion UTSA and the UTEP, another 2:30 p.m. CT kickoff in Ruston between UAB and Louisiana Tech, and a 5 p.m. CT kickoff in Miami as FIU hosts Middle Tennessee.

A lot is at stake when WKU (7-5, 5-2 C-USA) travels to Boca Raton to take on Florida Atlantic (5-6, 4-3 C-USA) on Saturday at 11 a.m. CT on CBS Sports Network. WKU has an opportunity to potentially clinch a return trip to San Antonio for the 2022 Ryan Conference USA Championship Game with a win (and a North Texas loss to Rice), while Florida Atlantic is seeking its sixth win and bowl eligibility. WKU fell 41-17 at Auburn last week in a non-conference tilt, while FAU was beaten 49-21 at Middle Tennessee last week.

North Texas (6-5, 5-2 C-USA) has its second chance to clinch a berth in the 2022 Ryan C-USA Championship Game and can do so with a win, when it hosts Rice (5-6, 3-4 C-USA) at 1 p.m. CT in Denton on ESPN+. North Texas was off last week, but fell 41- 21 at UAB on Nov. 12, while Rice was beaten 41-7 at home last week. The Owls can earn bowl eligibility with a win and reach the postseason for the first time since 2014.

USA Today AFCA Coaches Poll No. 25 UTSA (9-2, 7-0 C-USA) hosts UTEP (5-6, 3-4 C-USA) on Saturday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. CT on Stadium. UTSA has already sewn up hosting duties for the 2022 Ryan C-USA Championship Game, but is looking to finish a perfect 8-0 in conference play, something that eluded them in the final week of the regular season in 2021. UTEP on the other hand, is seeking a sixth win and bowl eligibility in a second straight season under head coach Dana Dimel. UTSA was dominant last week in a 41-7 win at Rice, while UTEP won comfortably, 40-6, at home over FIU.

UAB (5-6, 3-4 C-USA) travels to Ruston to take on Louisiana Tech (3-8, 2-5 C-USA) on Saturday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. CT, on CBS Sports Network. UAB is looking to win its sixth game of the season and earn bowl eligibility, while LA Tech is in search of a positive punctuation on the 2022 season, the first under new head coach Sonny Cumbie. UAB fell at No. 6 LSU last week 41-10, while the Bulldogs dropped a
26-21 decision at Charlotte.

The final game of the day sees Middle Tennessee (6-5, 3-4 C-USA) travels to Miami to take on FIU (4-7, 2-5 C-USA) at 5 p.m. CT on ESPN3. Middle Tennessee handled its business last week, 49-21 on senior day against Florida Atlantic, while FIU fell 40-6 on the road at UTEP. Middle Tennessee is in search of a perfect 3-0 record against teams from the Sunshine State after already having dispatched of then-No. 25 Miami and Florida Atlantic.

UTSA CLINCHES SPOT AND HOSTING DUTIES FOR C-USA TITLE GAME
UTSA (9-2, 7-0 C-USA) was dominant for the second consecutive week, beating Rice (5-6, 3-4 C-USA) 41-7 on the road on Saturday afternoon to clinch a berth and hosting duty for the 2022 Ryan C-USA Championship Game. QB Frank Harris totaled five touchdowns (three on the ground) in just two and-a-half quarters of play, while carrying seven times for 124 yards in the win. UTSA’s defense forced three Rice turnovers and held
the Owls to just 230 yards of total offense (3.1 yards per play).

Rice travels to North Texas next week with a chance to earn a sixth win and bowl eligibility. North Texas on the other hand, can clinch a spot to play UTSA on Dec. 2 in San Antonio with a win.

MTSU GETS BOWL ELIGIBLE WITH 49-21 WIN OVER FLORIDA ATLANTIC
Middle Tennessee is now bowl eligible for the seventh time in the last 10 seasons after a commanding 49-21 win over Florida Atlantic (5-6, 4-3 C-USA) on Saturday, where the Blue Raiders totaled 615 yards of total offense at a 6.8 yards per play clip. QB Chase Cunningham threw for 448 yards and five touchdowns, while RB Frank Peasant found the end zone on three occasions (twice through the air). Peasant caught eight passes for 107 yards, and WR Jaylin Lane hauled in eight for 95 yards. Defensively, LB Christian Dixon led the Blue Raiders with eight tackles, a sack, 1.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble in the win.

UTEP PICKS UP FIFTH WIN OF THE SEASON
UTEP (5-6, 3-4 C-USA) moved within one win of bowl eligibility with a 40-6 win over FIU on Saturday in El Paso. The UTEP defense held FIU to 71 yards of total offense, the fifth-fewest allowed by a team in C-USA history.

FEWEST YARDS ALLOWED GAME
41 Southern Miss vs. Savannah State (9-10-16)
53 Cincinnati vs. Kansas (9-20-97)
60 Louisville vs. Grambling (9-9-00)
70 UTEP vs. UTSA (10-25-14)
71 UTEP vs. FIU (11-19-22)

Backup QB Calvin Brownholtz helped lead the Miners to the win on senior day with an efficient day through the air (12-18 for 190 yards) and totaled three touchdowns on the day (two through the air). WR Rey Flores led the Miners on the ground, carrying 13 times for 128 yards and two scores in the win. UTEP ran for 335 as a team.

CHARLOTTE CONLUDES 2022 WITH 26-21 WIN
Charlotte (3-9, 2-6 C-USA) picked up a 26-21 win in its final game of the season, knocking off Louisiana Tech (3-8, 2-5 C-USA) on Saturday on Senior Day. RB Cameron Camp carried 11 times for 111 yards and three touchdowns in the win. Louisiana Tech wraps its season next week at home against UAB.

WKU FALLS AT AUBURN
WKU (7-5) fell 41-17 at Auburn (5-6) in its final nonconference game of the season. The Hilltoppers rallied to tie the game at 17-17 after trailing early, however turnovers doomed the Hilltoppers on Saturday night at Jordan-Hare Stadium. WR Malachi Corley led the way offensively for WKU, hauling in 12 catches for 99 yards. WKU (5-2 in C-USA play) remains in the C-USA title game chase and would clinch a spot next week with a win over Florida Atlantic, combined with a North Texas loss to Rice in Denton.

UAB DROPS GAME AT NO. 6 LSU
UAB (5-6) lost 41-10 at No. 6 LSU (9-2) under the lights in a rainy Death Valley in Baton Rouge on Saturday night. The Blazers need a win next week in its final game of the season to earn win No. 6 and bowl eligibility. UAB travels to Ruston, Louisiana, to take on Louisiana Tech at 2:30 p.m. CT on CBS Sports Network. It was a tough night in Baton Rouge for the Blazers, who were led defensively by DB Jalen Key, who recorded a game-high 12 tackles, nine of which were solo.

HARRIS IS TOTALLY OFFENSIVE
UTSA QB Frank Harris ranks sixth in the FBS in total offense (333.4 yards per game). The redshirt senior ranks 12th nationally in passing yards per game (285.6). Harris is also 19th nationally in completions per game (23.36), seventh in completion percentage (69.5%), ninth in points responsible for (196), and 13th in points responsible for per game (17.8). Harris has completed 257-370 passes for 3,142 yards with 24 touchdowns (18th in FBS), only seven interceptions and has also carried 92 times for 525 yards and eight more scores in 11 games thus far in 2022.

DEBO4DOAK

UAB RB DeWayne McBride ranks second in the nation in rushing yards per game (144.1), ranks fourth in the FBS in scoring per game (10.8 ppg), is ninth in all-purpose yardage per game (145.10), sixth in rushing yards per carry (6.64) and second in rushing touchdowns (18). McBride has carried 217 times for 1,441 yards with 18 touchdowns in just nine games played thus far in 2022.

REED MAKING MAJOR IMPACT FOR WKU
WKU QB Austin Reed ranks fifth nationally in total offense (335.0 yards per game). The graduate transfer ranks third nationally in passing yards per game (319.8), is tied for the lead in the FBS in points responsible for (246), fifth in points responsible for per game (20.5), fourth in passing touchdowns (33), fourth in completions per game (27.08) and 30th in completion percentage (65.5%). Reed has completed 325-496 passes for 3,837 yards with 33 touchdowns and nine interceptions, while also carrying 81 times for 181 yards and seven more scores in 12
games thus far in 2022.

TAKEAWAYTOPS

WKU enters Week 13 as the national leader in turnovers forced (30 in 12 games). The Hilltoppers are second in the country in interceptions with 17. WKU has brought six of their 30 forced turnovers back for touchdowns, which leads the FBS.