UPCOMING GAMES (ALL TIMES CT)
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23
Marshall at Appalachian State (ESPN) 6:30 pm
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24
Middle Tennessee at Charlotte (CBSSN)5:30 pm
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25
FIU at Central Michigan (ESPN+) 11 am
UTSA at Memphis (ESPNU) 2:30 pm
Buffalo at Old Dominion (ESPN+) 5 pm
Texas Southern at Rice (ESPN3) 5:30 pm
North Texas at LA Tech (Stadium) 6 pm
Southern Miss at No. 1 Alabama (SEC Network)6:30 pm
Florida Atlantic at Air Force (FS2) 7 pm
UAB at Tulane (ESPN+) 7 pm
Indiana at WKU (CBSSN) 7 pm
New Mexico at UTEP (ESPN+) 8 pm
QUICK HITTERS
A LOOK AT WEEK FOUR
All 14 Conference USA teams are in action in Week 4, with two more conference games. Middle Tennessee travels to Charlotte to take on the 49ers on Friday night, while North Texas makes the trip to Ruston to battle Louisiana Tech. The other 10 C-USA teams are in non-conference battles.
Marshall (2-1) makes the trip to Boone, North Carolina, to face off against Sun Belt foe Appalachian State (2-1) on Thursday night on ESPN at 6:30 p.m. CT on Thursday. Marshall dropped its first game of the season last week in a 42-38 loss at home to East Carolina. Appalachian State defeated Elon 44-10 last week.
A Friday night C-USA battle between Middle Tennessee (1-2, 0-1 C-USA) and Charlotte (2-1) takes place at Jerry Richardson Stadium at 5:30 p.m. CT live on CBS Sports Network. Middle Tennessee dropped its league opener last week at UTSA, 27-13. Charlotte also fell, suffering its first loss of 2021 on the road at Georgia State, 20-9.
The Saturday slate kicks off at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN+, as FIU (1-2) travels to take on Central Michigan. FIU was beaten on the road at Texas Tech, 54-21 last week, while the Chippewas fell 49-21 at LSU.
The lone undefeated team remaining in C-USA, UTSA (3-0, 1-0 C-USA) travels to the Liberty Bowl to face Memphis (3-0) at 2:30 p.m. CT on ESPNU. UTSA opened conference play with a 27-13 win over Middle Tennessee, while Memphis won a wild game over SEC foe, Mississippi State, 31-29.
Old Dominion (1-2) hosts Buffalo (1-2) at 5 p.m. CT on ESPN+ at S.B. Ballard Stadium in Norfolk. ODU fell 45-17 on the road at Liberty, while Buffalo kept it close against No. 16 Coastal Carolina, dropping a tough one, 28-25 at home.
Rice (0-3) looks to bounce back from a slow start, and a very difficult non-conference schedule (losses at Arkansas, Houston and at Texas). The Owls host Texas Southern (0-2) at 5:30 p.m. CT on ESPN3. Rice was beaten 58-0 at Texas in Austin, while Texas Southern is coming off a bye. The Tigers fell 66-7 at Baylor its last time out.
North Texas (1-2, 0-1 C-USA) dropped its league opener 40-6 at home to UAB last week, and hits the road to take on Louisiana Tech (1-2) on Saturday night at 6 p.m. CT on Stadium. The Bulldogs lost a heartbreaker at home to SMU, 39-37, on the final play, a 33-yard touchdown on a deflection as time expired.
Southern Miss (1-2) makes the trip to Tuscaloosa to play No. 1 Alabama at 6:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network. Southern Miss fell 21-9 at home against Troy, while the Crimson Tide escaped the Swamp with a 31-29 win over No. 11 Florida in Gainesville last week.
Florida Atlantic (2-1) travels to take on Air Force (2-1) at 7 p.m. CT on FS2. FAU has won its last two games after knocking off Fordham 45-14 in Boca Raton last week. Air Force fell at home to Utah State, 49-45, in Colorado Springs.
UAB (2-1, 1-0 C-USA) is on the road in New Orleans to take on Tulane (1-2) at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN+. UAB went on the road and beat North Texas comfortably, 40-6 in Denton last week, while Tulane was beaten 61-21 on the road at Ole Miss.
WKU (1-1) is back in action this week following a bye, and the Hilltoppers host a Big Ten foe in Indiana (1-2) at 7 p.m. CT on CBS Sports Network. WKU dropped a tough decision at Army back on Sept. 11, 38-35, while Indiana fell at home to No. 8 Cincinnati, 38-24, last week.
UTEP (1-2) rounds out the Week 4 action for C-USA, as the Miners host New Mexico (2-1) at 8 p.m. CT on ESPN+. UTEP last played on Sept. 10, when they fell at Boise State 54-13, while New Mexico was shut out at No. 7 Texas A&M, 34-0.
C-USA PLAY UNDERWAY
UAB and UTSA opened league play on Saturday with a pair of impressive wins, as the Blazers knocked off North Texas 40-6 on the road to improve to 2-1, and the Roadrunners defeated Middle Tennessee 27-13 in the Alamodome to improve to 3-0. There are two more C-USA games this coming weekend, as Middle Tennessee travels to Charlotte to take on the 49ers, and North Texas hits the road to face off against Louisiana Tech.
UTSA TRIO SHOWS OUT
UTSA stayed undefeated with its 27-13 win over Middle Tennessee to open league play, and that’s thanks in large part to the trio of QB Frank Harris, RB Sincere McCormick and WR Zakhari Franklin. Harris finished 24-39 for 264 yards and two touchdowns and 56 yards rushing. McCormick carried 23 times for 105 yards and Franklin hauled in eight catches for 114 yards and a touchdown.
PRINCE BREAKS OUT FOR BLAZERS
UAB TE Gerrit Prince had a breakout performance for UAB in its win at North Texas. He caught three passes for 136 yards and two scores. Prince leads the Blazers in receiving with seven catches for 204 yards and three touchdowns through the team’s first three games.
ALI KEEPS ROLLING
Marshall RB Rasheen Ali kept his strong start to the season for the Thundering Herd, as he found the end zone three more times on the ground, bringing his season total to seven and is now tied for the national lead in rushing scores. Ali carried 24 times for 189 yards (7.88 yards per carry) and three scores in Marshall’s 42-38 loss at home to East Carolina.
PERRY LEADS FLORIDA ATLANTIC
Florida Atlantic QB N’Kosi Perry, who earned co-Offensive Player of the Week honors last week, helped lead the Owls to their second straight win, as FAU knocked off visiting Fordham 45-14. Perry was 27-43 for 278 yards and three total scores (two passing). The win for the Owls maintains head coach Willie Taggart’s perfect home record since taking over the helm in Boca Raton (6-0). Perry has yet to throw an interception in 2021, and Florida Atlantic is one of just 19 teams in the country who haven’t thrown an interception.
