WEEK 13 AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE PREVIEWS
FRIDAY, NOV. 26 • 3:30 P.M. • ESPN
SOUTH FLORIDA at UCF
The Bounce House (44,206/Natural Grass)
Orlando, Florida
Television
ESPN
Roy Philpott, Kelly Stouffer and Lauren Sisler South Florida UCF Radio
WHNZ-AM 1250 WYGM-FM 96.9
THE GAME • THE WAR ON I-4
Friday’ s game will be the seventh meeting between South Florida and UCF and will break a 6-6 tie in the series … The Bulls won six of the first eight meetings, but the Knights have won four straight, including a 58-46 decision in Tampa last season … UCF QB Dillon Gabriel threw for 336 yards and four touchdowns in last year’s matchup.
SOUTH FLORIDA
2-9, 1-6 American
Head Coach
Jeff Scott (Clemson ’03) 3-17, second season
Notes
South Florida looks to snap a four-game slide in its 2021 finale after the Bulls fell 45-14 at Tulane … South Florida has faced four opponents ranked in this week’s top 25 (Cincinnati, NC State, BYU, Houston) and has faced the 13th-toughest schedule nationally according to the NCAA rankings … Freshman QB Timmy McClain has thrown for 1,666 yards and five touchdowns and has three rushing TDs … RB Jaren Mangham has 578 rushing yards and is second in the American Athletic Conference 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 and is averaging 34.8 yards per return … LB Antonio Grier has a team-high 83 tackles with 3.0 sacks, 6.5 tackles for loss and two interceptions.
UCF
7-4, 5-3 American
Head Coach
Gus Malzahn (Henderson State ‘90)
7-4, first season at UCF 84-42, 10th season as collegiate head coach
Notes
UCF has won four of its last five games following a 49-17 win against UConn Saturday … The only loss in that stretch was a 55-28 setback at SMU Nov. 13 … UCF has held its opponents to 17 points or fewer in its last six wins … QB Mikey Keene has started the last eight games after QB Dillon Gabriel was sidelined indefinitely with an upper body injury … Keene has completed 145 of 224 passes for 1,471 yards and 15 touchdowns against six interceptions … Gabriel, who has nine touchdown passes in three games, resumed practice last week … WR Ryan O’Keefe is the top receiver with 72 catches for 682 yards and six touchdowns, while WR Brandon Johnson has a league-leading 10 TDs among his 37 receptions … LB Tatum Bethune has 83 tackles, while DE Big Kat Bryant has 5.0 sacks.
FRIDAY, NOV. 26 • 3:30 P.M. • ABC
CINCINNATI at EAST CAROLINA
Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium (50,000/Natural Grass)
Greenville, North Carolina
Television
ABC
Jason Benetti, Andre Ware and Paul Carcaterra
Cincinnati Radio East Carolina Radio
WLW-AM 700 WNCT-FM 107.9
SiriusXM 136/207/969 SiriusXM 390/980
THE GAME
Friday’s game will be the 25th meeting between Cincinnati and East Carolina in a series that dates to 1986 … The Pirates hold a 13-11 series lead, but the Bearcats have won the last three, including a 55-17 decision in Cincinnati last season … The last meeting in Greenville saw Cincinnati escape with a 46-43 win on a field goal as time expired.
4/4 CINCINNATI
11-0, 7-0 American
Head Coach
Luke Fickell (Ohio State ’97)
46-14, fifth season at Cincinnati 52-21, sixth season as collegiate head coach
Notes
Cincinnati remains one of the nation’s three unbeaten teams (along with UTSA and Georgia) after the Bearcats scored a 48-14 win against SMU … Cincinnati is ranked No. 4 in the national polls, falling one spot despite the impressive win against the eight-win Mustangs … The Bearcats lead the nation in pass efficiency defense (94.9), having allowed seven passing touchdowns against 16 defensive interceptions … QB Desmond Ridder has thrown for 2,699 yards and 25 touchdowns and has six rushing TDs … RB Jerome Ford has 971 rushing yards and a league-leading 16 touchdowns … CB Ahmad Gardner and CB Coby Bryant were both named as semifinalists for the Jim Thorpe Award, while LB Darrian Beavers (78 tackles, 3.5 sacks) is a finalist for the Butkus Award.
EAST CAROLINA
7-4, 5-2 American
Head Coach
Mike Houston (Mars Hill ’94)
14-18, third season at East Carolina 94-43, 11th season as collegiate head coach
Notes
East Carolina picked up its fourth straight win after the Pirates took a 38-35 win at Navy on a 54-yard field goal by K Owen Daffer as time expired… 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 97.9 yards per game … Mitchell has rushed for 1,077 yards and nine touchdowns on 157 carries (6.9 yards per attempt) … QB Holton Ahlers has passed for 2,898 yards and 17 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 61 catches for 764 yards and four TDs … CB Ja’Quan McMillian is a Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist with 15 pass breakups and five interceptions.
SATURDAY, NOV. 27 • NOON • CBSSN
HOUSTON at UCONN
Pratt & Whitney Stadium (40,000/Natural Grass)
East Hartford, Connecticut
Television
CBS Sports Network
Jason Knapp, Ross Tucker and Tina Cervasio
Houston Radio
KPRC-AM 950
SiriusXM 132/201/964
THE GAME
Saturday’s game will be the fourth meeting between Houston and UConn … The three previous meetings came when UConn was a member of the American Athletic Conference … UConn took the first matchup in 2015, but Houston won the last two, including a 24-17 decision in 2019 in the most recent meeting.
19/16 HOUSTON
10-1, 8-0 American
Head Coach
Dana Holgorsen (Iowa Wesleyan ’93)
17-14, third season at Houston 78-55, 11th season as collegiate head coach
Notes
Houston became the fourth team to go 8-0 in American Athletic Conference play after the Cougars took a 31-13 win against Memphis last Friday … The Cougars, who have
won 10 straight, will make their second American Championship Game appearance and their first since the inaugural game in 2015 … Houston has limited its opponents to 20.1 points and 293.4 yards per game … QB Clayton Tune has thrown for 2,712 yards and 22 touchdowns and has completed 223 of 325 passes … RB Alton McCaskill has
rushed for 786 yards and 15 touchdowns in his freshman season … WR Nathaniel Dell has 65 receptions for 965 yards and nine touchdowns … CB Marcus Jones has five interceptions and four special teams touchdowns (two punt returns, two kickoff returns.
UCONN
1-10
Interim Head Coach
Lou Spanos (Tulsa ’94) 1-8, 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 1-10 mark following a 49-17 loss at UCF … 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 have lost their last 20 games against American Athletic Conference teams … QB Steven Krajewski has taken over as the starting signal-caller … Krajewski has passed for 1,138 yards and six touchdowns against 10 interceptions … RB Nathan Carter has rushed for 565 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 4.6 yards per carry … WR Keelan Marion has 24 catches for 434 yards and five TDs … The defense is led by LB Jackson Mitchell, who has 111 tackles with 6.5 tackles for loss.
SATURDAY, NOV. 27 • NOON • ESPNU
NAVY at TEMPLE
Lincoln Financial Field (69,596/Natural Grass)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Television
ESPNU
Kevin Brown and Hutson Mason
Navy Radio Temple Radio
WBAL-AM 1090 WPEN-FM 97.5
SiriusXM 103/205/968 SiriusXM 381/971
THE GAME
Saturday’s game will be the 16th meeting between Temple and Navy … The Owls are 8-7 against the Midshipmen, though Navy took last year’s meeting in Annapolis 31-29 … .Temple had won three straight against Navy from 2016-18, including a 34-10 victory in the 2016 American Athletic Conference Championship Game.
NAVY
2-8, 2-5 American
Head Coach
Ken Niumatalolo (Hawaii ‘89) 103-75, 14th season
Notes
Navy looks to bounce back from a heartbreaking 38-35 loss to East Carolina in which the Pirates hit the game-winning field goal from 54 yards as time expired … The Midshipmen have played the toughest schedule in the nation according to the NCAA … The Midshipmen’s schedule includes two of the top five teams in this week’s national polls (No. 4 Cincinnati, No. 5 Notre Dame) … Navy has been led by QB Tai Lavatai, who has started seven games and has 286 rushing yards and five touchdowns … Lavatai has completed 25 of 44 passes for four touchdowns and two interceptions as well … FB Isaac Ruoss has a team-high 542 rushing yards with three touchdowns … The defense is led by LB Diego Fagot, who has a team-high 83 tackles to go with 9.0 tackles for loss, a sack, an interception and a forced fumble.
TEMPLE
3-8, 1-6 American
Head Coach
Rod Carey (Indiana ’93)
12-18, third season at Temple 64-48, ninth season as collegiate head coach
Notes
Temple looks to snap a six-game slide after the Owls fell 44-10 to Houston last Saturday … The Owls had won three out of four games prior to the current six-game
losing streak … Temple is 2-3 at home and went 1-5 on the road this season … Freshman QB Justin Lynch has started the last two games … Lynch has thrown for 805 yards and four touchdowns with four interceptions and is the Owls’ second-leading rusher with 287 yards and a TD … RB Edward Saydee has a team-high 330 rushing yards … The defense is led by S Amir Tyler, who has a team-high 69 tackles … LB William Kwenku leads the squad with 9.5 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks … CB Keyshawn Paul has a team-leading two interceptions for a unit that ranks second in The American in pass defense (187.5 ypg).
SATURDAY, NOV. 27 • 4 P.M. • ESPN2
TULSA at SMU
Gerald J. Ford Stadium (32,000/FieldTurf)
Dallas, Texas
Television
ESPN2
Beth Mowins, Kirk Morrison and Dawn Davenport
Tulsa Radio SMU Radio
KXBL-FM 99.5 KTCK-FM 96.7
SiriusXM 387/977 SiriusXM 383/973
THE GAME
Saturday’s game will be the 28th meeting between Tulsa and SMU in a series that began in 1935 … The Mustangs hold a 15-12 series lead, but the Golden Hurricane was a 28-24 winner last year in Tulsa … The home team has won four straight in the series … Tulsa’s last win in Dallas was a 40-31 decision in 2015.
TULSA
5-6, 4-3 American
Head Coach
Philip Montgomery (Tarleton State ’95) 36-46, seventh season
Notes
Tulsa needed to win its final three regular-season games to secure bowl eligibility, and the Golden Hurricane is two-thirds of the way there after a 44-10 win against Temple last week … Tulsa has faced four opponents ranked in this week’s top 25 (Oklahoma State, Ohio State, Houston, Cincinnati) … QB Davis Brin has thrown for 2,740 yards and 15 touchdowns against 14 interceptions … RB Shamari Brooks has a team-leading 851 rushing yards with six touchdowns … RB Anthony Watkins has 553 yards and three touchdowns, while Deneric Prince has 469 rushing yards and three TDs… WR Josh Johnson has a team-high 69 catches for 868 yards and four touchdowns … LB Justin Wright has 70 tackles to go with 3.5 sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss … DT Jaxon Player has a team-high 12.0 tackles for loss.
rv/rv SMU
8-3, 4-3 American
Head Coach
Sonny Dykes (Texas Tech ‘93)
30-17, fourth season at SMU 68-62, 11th season as collegiate head coach
Notes
SMU has dropped three of its last four after the Mustangs fell 48-14 at No. 3 Cincinnati last Saturday … The Mustangs have scored at least 55 points three times in 2021 … QB Tanner Mordecai is a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award as the nation’s top player … Mordecai has completed 282 of 408 passes for 3,330 yards and 38 touchdowns … Mordecai has tied The American’s single-season record for touchdown passes, set in 2017 by Memphis’ Riley Ferguson … RB Tre Siggers leads the squad with 727 rushing yards and nine touchdowns … WR Rashee Rice has 58 catches for 620 yards and nine TDs … WR Danny Gray has nine touchdowns as well on 49 catches … LB
Delano Robinson has a team-high 73 tackles, while DE DeVere Levelston has 6.5 sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss.
SATURDAY, NOV. 27 • 7:30 P.M. • ESPNU
TULANE at MEMPHIS
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium (58,318/AstroTurf)
Memphis, Tennessee
Television
ESPNU
Tiffany Greene and Jay Walker
Tulane Radio Memphis Radio
KVDU-FM 104.1 WKIM-FM 98.9
SiriusXM 382/972 SiriusXM 381/971
THE GAME
Saturday’s game will be the 38th meeting between Memphis and Tulane in a series that dates to 1954 … The Tigers hold a 23-13-1 series lead, though the Green Wave
took last year’s matchup 35-21 in New Orleans … The home team has won the last five meetings, and Memphis has won the last seven at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.
TULANE
2-9, 1-6 American
Head Coach
Willie Fritz (Pittsburg State ’83)
31-41, sixth season at Tulane 185-110, 25th season as collegiate head coach
Notes
Tulane snapped an eight-game slide in convincing fashion as the Green Wave took a 45-14 win against South Florida last Saturday … 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 2,234 yards and 20 touchdowns against six interceptions … TE Tyrick James has been the top receiver with 28 catches for 410 yards and four touchdowns … RB Tyjae Spears has broken out as the leading rusher with 599 yards and seven touchdowns on 99 carries, while RB Cameron Carroll has 509 yards and three TDs on 109 attempts … LB Macon Clark and LB Dorian Williams have a team-high 67 tackles each, while LB Nick Anderson has 50 tackles with 4.0 sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss.
MEMPHIS
5-6, 2-5 American
Head Coach
Ryan Silverfield (Hamden-Sydney ’03)
13-10, second season at Memphis
Notes
Memphis looks to avoid a three-game slide to close the season after the Tigers fell 31-13 at Houston last Friday … Memphis needs a win against Tulane to clinch bowl
eligibility for the eighth straight season … The Tigers opened the season with three straight wins, but are 2-6 in the last eight… QB Seth Henigan is second among NCAA FBS freshmen in passing with 298.6 yards per game … Henigan has thrown for 2,986 yards and 22 touchdowns … RB Brandon Thomas has rushed for 669 yards and eight touchdowns on 116 carries … RB Rodrigues Clark has 359 yards and four TDs … The leading receiver is WR Calvin Austin III, who has 72 receptions for 1,129 yards and eight touchdowns … LB JJ Russell leads The American with 113 tackles, while S Quindell Johnson has 95 tackles and eight pass breakups.
