FRIDAY, SEPT. 30 • 7 P.M. • ESPN
TULANE at HOUSTON
TDECU Stadium (40,000/Synthetic)
Houston, Texas
Television ESPN
Beth Mowins, Kirk Morrison and Stormy Buonatony
Tulane Radio Houston Radio
KVDU-FM 104.1 KPRC-AM 950
SiriusXM 381/971 SiriusXM 382/972
THE GAME
Friday’s game will be the 27th meeting between Tulane and Houston in a series that dates to 1968 … Houston holds a 19-7 series lead and has won the last two matchups, including a 40-22 decision last year … The Green Wave’s last victory was a 38-31 win in 2019, when Tulane scored the winning touchdown as time expired.
TULANE
3-1, 0-0 American
Head Coach
Willie Fritz (Pittsburg State ’83)
34-44, seventh season at Tulane
205-113, 25th season as collegiate head coach
Notes
Tulane fell from the ranks of the unbeaten last Saturday as the Green Wave dropped a 27-24 decision to Southern Miss … Tulane had opened the season with wins against Massachusetts (42-10), Alcorn State (52-0) and Kansas State (17-10) … Tulane has outscored its first four opponents by a 135-47 margin … Perhaps more remarkably, Tulane has not been assessed a defensive penalty on 240 snaps this season … Tulane’s defense leads the nation with only 102.5 passing yards allowed per game … QB Michael Pratt has completed 61 of 96 passes for 905 yards and seven touchdowns against three interceptions … RB Tyjae Spears has 205 rushing yards and six TDs on the ground … LB Dorian Williams has 26 tackles with an interception.
HOUSTON
2-2, 0-0 American
Head Coach
Dana Holgorsen (Iowa Wesleyan ’93)
21-17, fourth season at Houston
82-58, 12th season as collegiate head coach
Notes
Houston has played a challenging schedule to a 2-2 record thus far, including two overtime games to start the season … The Cougars were 34-27 winners against Rice last Saturday in the Bayou Bucket Classic … Houston opened with a three-overtime loss at UTSA and a two-overtime setback at Texas Tech … Houston has been assessed an average of 10.75 penalties per game, ranking last in FBS … QB Clayton Tune has completed 83 of 128 passes for 993 yards and seven touchdowns against three interceptions … WR Nathaniel Dell has 25 receptions for 380 yards and three TDs … RB Ta’Zhawn Henry is the leading rusher with 195 yards and two touchdowns … DE Derek Parish, who has 5.0 sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss, was declared out for the year with a biceps injury.
SATURDAY, OCT. 1 • NOON • ESPNU
TEMPLE at MEMPHIS
Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium (58,325/AstroTurf)
Memphis, Tennessee
Television
ESPNU
John Schriffen and Rene Ingoglia
Temple Radio Memphis Radio
WPEN-FM 97.5 WKIM-FM 98.9
SiriusXM 381/971 SiriusXM 380/970
THE GAME
Saturday’s game will be the eighth meeting between Temple and Memphis in a series that began with the formation of the American Athletic Conference in 2013 … Temple holds a 4-3 series lead after the Owls took a 34-31 win last season in Philadelphia … The home team has won the last five meetings.
TEMPLE
2-2, 0-0 American
Head Coach
Stan Drayton (Allegheny ’93)
2-2, first season
Notes
Temple evened its record with a solid 28-0 shutout against Massachusetts last Saturday … It was the Owls’ first shutout since a 31-0 win against Tulane in the 2016 season … The Owls have not allowed an offensive touchdowns in their last two games and their last nine quarters … Temple ranks second in The American (16th nationally) in total defense (267.5.3 ypg) … The Owls are third nationally in sacks (3.75 per game) and fourth in tackles for loss (9.0 per game) … Freshman QB E.J. Warner has completed 44 of 73 passes for 561 yards and five touchdowns with three interceptions … WR Adonicas Sanders has 17 receptions for 236 yards and a touchdown… LB Layton Jordan leads the defense with 19 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 7.0 tackles for loss and an interception … LB Jordan Magee has 24 tackles with 6.0 tackles for loss.
MEMPHIS
3-1, 1-0 American
Head Coach
Ryan Silverfield (Hamden-Sydney ’03)
17-13, third season
Notes
Memphis has won three straight games after the Tigers scored a 44-34 victory against North Texas last Saturday … Memphis has the early lead in the American Athletic Conference race after the Tigers were 37-13 winners at Navy to open conference play Sept. 10 … The Tigers dropped a 49-23 decision at Mississippi State in Week 1 for their only loss of the season … QB Seth Henigan has completed 81 of 121 passes for 1,081 yards and eight touchdowns with one interception … TE Caden Prieskorn has 15 receptions for 138 yards and a team-high four touchdowns and is one of five Memphis players with at least 100 receiving yards … RB Brandon Thomas has 191 yards and four touchdowns on 45 carries … S Quindell Johnson has 35 tackles, a fumble recovery and two interceptions to lead the defense.
SATURDAY, OCT. 1 • NOON • CBS
NAVY at AIR FORCE
Falcon Stadium (46,692/Falcon Grass)
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Television
CBS
Rich Waltz, Aaron Taylor and Sherree Burruss
Navy Radio
WBAL-AM 1090 (flagship)
SiriusXM 111/202/965
THE GAME
Saturday’s game will be the 56th meeting between Navy and Air Force in the first game of the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy series between the nation’s three FBSplaying service academies … Air Force holds a 32-22 series lead and has won the last two against the Midshipmen after a 23-3 victory last season in Annapolis.
NAVY
1-2, 1-1 American
Head Coach
Ken Niumatalolo (Hawaii ’89)
106-77, 15th season
Notes
Navy picked up its first win of the season with last Saturday’s 23-20 overtime win at East Carolina … The Midshipmen’s first three opponents are a combined 9-3 this season … The Midshipmen have won four of their last five games away from Annapolis … Navy’s defense ranks 10th nationally with 3.3 sacks per game … The Midshipmen, who had 16 sacks in the 2021 season, have 10 sacks through three games of the 2022 campaign … QB Tai Lavatai has passed for 386 yards and two touchdowns and has 101 rushing yards with two TDs on the ground … RB Maquel Haywood is the leading rusher with 149 yards … The defense has been led by LB John Marshall, who has 28 tackles with 2.0 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss … DE Jacob Busic has 3.0 sacks, while LB Colin Ramos has 22 tackles with a forced fumble, a sack and 2.0 tackles for loss.
AIR FORCE
3-1, 1-1 Mountain West
Head Coach
Troy Calhoun (Air Force ’89)
114-76, 16th season
Notes
Air Force has won three of its first four games after the Falcons scored a 48-20 win against Nevada last Friday … The only loss on the ledger was a 17-14 setback at Wyoming Sept. 16 … The Falcons opened with wins against Northern Iowa (48-17) and Colorado (41-10) … Air Force has gone 24-6 in the last three full seasons, excluding the 2020 COVID-affected campaign … The Falcons are 29-4 at home in nonconference games under Troy Calhoun … Air Force leads the nation in rushing (412.3 ypg) and ranks second nationally in fewest penalty yards (24.0 ypg) and time of possession (36:38) … RB Brad Roberts leads the team with 465 rushing yards and seven touchdowns … QB Haaziq Daniels has thrown three touchdown passes and has 179 rushing yards with two TDs … LB Alec Mock has 22 tackles with 2.5 tackles for loss and a fumble recovery.
SATURDAY, OCT. 1 • 3:30 P.M. • ESPNU
SMU at UCF
FBC Mortgage Stadium (44,206/Natural Grass)
Orlando, Florida
Television
ESPNU
Clay Matvick, Rocky Boiman and Dawn Davenport
SMU Radio UCF Radio
KTCK-FM 96.7 WYGM-FM 96.9
SiriusXM 381/971
THE GAME
Saturday’s game will be the 11th meeting between SMU and UCF … The Knights hold an 8-2 series lead and have won four of the five matchups under the American Athletic Conference banner, but the Mustangs took last year’s meeting 55-28 in Dallas … UCF is 5-0 against SMU in Orlando.
SMU
2-2, 0-0 American
Head Coach
Rhett Lashlee (Arkansas ’08)
2-2, first season
Notes
SMU looks to bounce back from back-to-back losses after the Mustangs dropped a 42-34 decision to TCU in the annual Battle for the Iron Skillet … The Mustangs opened the season with wins against North Texas (48-10) and Lamar (45-16), but fell at Maryland 34-27 in Week 3 … SMU has averaged 38.5points and 506.3 yards through its first four games … QB Tanner Mordecai has completed 97 of 166 passes for 1,385 yards and 12 touchdowns with five interceptions … Mordecai is raned third nationally with 346.2 passing yards per game … RB Tre Siggers has 200 yards and four touchdowns on 50 carries… WR Rashee Rice has 34 receptions for 565 yards and four touchdowns and leads all FBS players with 141.2 receiving yards per game … LB Isaac Slade-Matautia leads the team with 26 tackles.
UCF
3-1, 0-0 American
Head Coach
Gus Malzahn (Henderson State ’90)
12-5, second season at UCF
89-43, 11th season as collegiate head coach
Notes
UCF has strung together consecutive wins after the Knights handled Georgia Tech 27-10 last Saturday in Orlando … The only loss on UCF’s ledger was a 20-14 setback to Louisville in Week 2 … The other wins were against South Carolina State (56-10) and Florida Atlantic (40-14) … QB John Rhys Plumlee is averaging 206.8 passing yards and 101.0 rushing yards per game … Plumlee has hit 300 passing yards and 100 rushing yards in two of the Knights’ first four games and is The American’s leading rusher … RB Isaiah Bowser has a team-leading five rushing touchdowns … WR Javon Baker has team highs with 18 receptions, 257 receiving yards and two touchdown catches … LB Jason Johnson has a team-high 32 tackles to lead the defense.
SATURDAY, OCT. 1 • 7 P.M. • ESPN+
EAST CAROLINA at SOUTH FLORIDA
Raymond James Stadium (65,857/Natural Grass)
Tampa, Florida
Television
ESPN+
Ted Emrich and Taylor McHargue
East Carolina Radio South Florida Radio
WNCT-FM 107.9 WHPT-FM 102.5
THE GAME
Saturday’s game will be the 13th meeting between East Carolina and South Florida in a series that began in 2002 … The Bulls hold a 9-3 series lead, but the Pirates have won the last two, including a 29-14 victory in Greenville last season … ECU was a 44-24 winner in 2020, which was the last meeting in Tampa.
EAST CAROLINA
2-2, 0-1 American
Head Coach
Mike Houston (Mars Hill ’94)
16-21, fourth season at East Carolina
96-46, 12th season as collegiate head coach
Notes
East Carolina dropped a 23-20 overtime decision to Navy in the Pirates’ conference opener last Saturday … The Pirates opened with a 21-20 loss to NC State, but bounced back with wins against Old Dominion (39-21) and Campbell (49-10) … East Carolina played its first four games at home … The Pirates are led by QB Holton Ahlers, who became The American’s career total offense leader in the game against Navy (12,622 yards) … Ahlers has completed 89 of 134 passes for 1,067 yards and nine touchdowns with three interceptions … RB Keaton Mitchell is second in The American in rushing at 96.5 yards per game … Mitchell has 46 carries for 386 yards and three TDs, but left the game against Navy due to injury … WR Isaiah Winstead has 28 catches for 402 yards and a touchdown.
SOUTH FLORIDA
1-3, 0-0 American
Head Coach
Jeff Scott (Clemson ’03)
4-21, second season
Notes
South Florida struggled in a 41-3 setback at Louisville last Friday and looks to snap a two-game slide … The Bulls have faced two top-25 teams in their first four games as they opened the season with a 50-21 setback to then-No. 25 BYU and battled No. 18 Florida to the wire in a 31-28 loss … The lone victory was a 42-20 decision against Howard … The Bulls do not have a passing touchdown in 2022 … South Florida has 11 rushing touchdowns and one kickoff return TD … QB Gerry Bohanon has completed 55 of 103 passes for 569 yards with six interceptions … RB Brian Battie, an NCAA consensus All-America pick as a return specialist last year, has rushed for 295 yards and three touchdowns … The defense is led by S Mekhi LaPointe, who has a team-high 23 tackles with a sack and an interception.
SATURDAY, OCT. 1 • 7 P.M. • ESPNU
CINCINNATI at TULSA
H.A. Chapman Stadium (30,000/FieldTurf)
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Television
ESPNU
Jay Alter and Hutson Mason
Cincinnati Radio Tulsa Radio
WLW-AM 700 KXBL-FM 99.5
SiriusXM 381/971
THE GAME
Saturday’s game will be the 37th meeting between Cincinnati and Tulsa in a series that dates to 1946 … Cincinnati has won the last three meetings, which has tied the overall series standings at 17-17-2 … The Bearcats have won eight of the last nine matchups … Tulsa’s last victory was a 40-37 overtime decision in 2016.
rv/rv CINCINNATI
3-1, 0-0 American
Head Coach
Luke Fickell (Ohio State ’97)
52-16, sixth season at Cincinnati
58-23, seventh season as collegiate head coach
Notes
Cincinnati takes a three-game winning streak into Saturday’s conference opener after a 45-24 victory against Indiana last Saturday … The lone loss on the ledger was a 31-24 setback to Arkansas in the season-opener … Cincinnati has won 29 straight games at Nippert Stadium, trailing only Clemson (36) for the nation’s longest home field winning streak … QB Ben Bryant has completed 92 of 137 passes for 1,217 yards and 11 touchdowns and three interceptions … The leading receiver is WR Tyler Scott, who has 25 catches for 423 yards and a conference-leading five TDs … RB Charles McClelland has 236 rushing yards and three touchdowns … LB Ivan Pace Jr. has 46 tackles with 11 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and a forced fumble … Pace leads The American with 11.5 tackles per game.
TULSA
2-2, 0-0 American
Head Coach
Philip Montgomery (Tarleton State ’95)
40-48, eighth season
Notes
Tulsa saw a modes two-game winning streak end with a 35-27 loss at No. 13 Ole Miss last Saturday … The Golden Hurricane opened with an overtime loss at Wyoming (40-37), but scored home wins against Northern Illinois (38-35) and Jacksonville State (54-17) … Tulsa ranks fourth nationally in passing offense (358.5 ypg), thanks in large part to QB Davis Brin … Brin has completed 83 of 132 passes for 1,318 yards and 12 touchdowns against one interception, but he left the game against Ole Miss in the second quarter due to injury and did not return … WR Keylon Stokes has 31 receptions for 507 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 126.8 yards per game … WR JuanCarlos Santana has 381 yards and four TDs on 18 receptions and averages 95.3 yards per game … S Bryson Powers has a team-high 38 tackles.
