CINCINNATI at EAST CAROLINA
Saturday, Nov. 28 • Noon • CBSSN
Dowdy-Ficklin Stadium (50,000/Grass)
Greenville, N.C.
Television
CBS Sports Network -
LIVE STATS
Dave Ryan, Corey Chavous and Lauren Gardner
Cincinnati Radio - WLW-AM 700 (flagship)
East Carolina Radio - WNCT-FM 99.5 (flagship)
THE GAME
Saturday’s game will be the 19th meeting between Cincinnati and East Carolina … East Carolina holds a 12-6 series lead, though Cincinnati was a 54-46 winner last year … Last year’s matchup saw the teams combine for 1,158 yards as the Bearcats won it on a 47-yard field goal from K Andrew Gantz with 15 seconds left.
CINCINNATI
6-5, 3-4 American
Head Coach
Tommy Tuberville (Southern Arkansas ’76)
23-13, third season at Cincinnati
153-90, 19th season as collegiate head coach
NOTES
Cincinnati looks to bounce back from a 65-27 setback at USF which denied the Bearcats back-to-back wins … Cincinnati has gone 5-1 at Nippert Stadium and is 1-4 on the road this year … The Bearcats rank fourth nationally in total offense (571.5 ypg) and passing offense (382.5 ypg) … QB Gunner Kiel has completed 176 of 269 passes for 2,507 yards and 18 touchdowns with 10 interceptions, while QB Hayden Moore has thrown for 1,683 yards and nine TDs with eight interceptions … The Bearcats have three running backs within 13 yards of each other, led by RB Tion Green, who has rushed for 671 yards and eight touchdowns … RB Mike Boone has 661 yards and seven TDs, while RB Hosey Williams has 658 yards and four touchdowns … WR Shaq Washington has 73 receptions for 847 yards and five touchdowns, leading a group of six receivers with at least 400 receiving yards … Washington holds Cincinnati’s career receptions record (223), while WR Chris Moore has a school-record 26 touchdown receptions … LB Eric Wilson leads the defense with 97 tackles .
EAST CAROLINA
5-6, 3-4 American
Head Coach
Ruffin McNeill (East Carolina ’80)
42-33, sixth season at East Carolina
43-33, sixth full season as collegiate head coach
NOTES
East Carolina snapped a three-game slide in emphatic fashion with a 44-7 win at UCF last Thursday … The Pirates need to beat Cincinnati Saturday to secure bowl eligibility for the fourth consecutive year and the ninth time since 2006 … QB Blake Kemp has thrown for 2,326 yards and 15 touchdowns with 10 interceptions and has completed 69.5 percent of his passes (226 of 325) … QB James Summers provides East Carolina with a dual threat behind center … Summers has rushed for 445 yards and is tied for the team lead with eight rushing touchdowns … Summers has thrown for 681 yards and four TDs … RB Chris Hairston has rushed for a team-high 738 yards and eight TDs … WR Isaiah Jones ranks seventh nationally in receptions (7.8 rpg) and has 85 catches for 958 yards and five touchdowns … TE Bryce Williams has 53 catches for 549 yards and three TDs … LB Zeek Bigger leads the defense with 89 tackles, while LB Montese Overton has 62 stops to go with 7.5 sacks and 10.0 tackles for loss … CB Josh Hawkins is the leader in the secondary with two interceptions, including a 100-yard return against Tulsa earlier this season.
SMU at MEMPHIS
Saturday, Nov. 28 • Noon • ESPNews
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium (61,000/FieldTurf)
Memphis, Tenn.
#SMUvsMEM
Television
ESPNews -
WATCH LIVE -
LIVE STATS
Mike Couzens and Cole Cubelic
SMU Radio - KTCK-FM 96.7 (flagship)
Memphis Radio - WREC-AM 600 (flagship)
THE GAME
Saturday’s game will be the eighth meeting between SMU and Memphis … The Tigers hold a 4-3 series lead after a 38-7 win last season in Dallas … Memphis won the first three matchups, while last year’s win snapped SMU’s three-game series winning streak … The Tigers had a 582-251 advantage in total offense in last year’s win.
SMU
2-9, 1-6 American
Head Coach
Chad Morris (Texas A&M ’92)
2-9, first season
NOTES
SMU snapped an eight-game losing streak as the Mustangs won their final home game of 2015 with a 49-21 decision against Tulane last Saturday … The Mustangs are looking for their first back-to-back wins since Nov. 16 and 23 of the 2013 season … SMU has played a challenging schedule — five of the teams that have defeated the Mustangs this season are ranked in this week’s national polls … QB Matt Davis has started all 11 games and has completed 178 of 317 passes for 2,231 yards and 16 touchdowns with six interceptions … Davis also is SMU’s leading rusher with 738 yards and 10 touchdown on 171 carries … Davis has rushed for at least 100 yards in four games this season and six times in his career … Freshman WR Courtland Sutton has team highs with 47 receptions, 817 yards and nine touchdown catches … RB Xavier Jones has rushed for 640 yards and 10 TDs after his three-touchdown effort against Tulane … The defense is led by DE Justin Lawler, who has 61 tackles with 5.0 sacks, 9.0 tackles for loss and a forced fumble … S Darrion Richardson has 53 tackles, an interception and four passes defended … DE Zach Wood has 3.5 sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss.
MEMPHIS
8-3 (4-3 American)
Head Coach
Justin Fuente (Murray State ’99)
25-23, fourth season
NOTES
Memphis had won 15 consecutive games spanning the 2014 and 2015 seasons after the Tigers raced to an 8-0 start this season … Memphis looks to snap a three-game slide in its final regular-season game, however, as the Tigers fell to Navy (45-20), Houston (35-34) and Temple (31-12) … The Tigers rank 11th nationally in scoring offense (38.2 ppg) and total offense (512.9 ypg) through 11 games … QB Paxton Lynch has thrown for 3,448 yards and has completed 69.1 percent of his passes (271 of 392) with 21 touchdowns and three interceptions … Lynch leads The American and is ranked ninth nationally in total offense (334.6 yards per game) and is 11th in pass efficiency rating (159.2) … Lynch is eighth among FBS quarterbacks in completions per game (24.6) … Five Memphis players have at least 200 rushing yards, led by RB Doroland Dorceus, who has 580 yards and a team-high eight touchdowns … WR Mose Frazier has a team-high 64 receptions for 694 yards and three touchdowns, while WR Anthony Miller has 41 catches for 624 yards and four TDs … LB Leonard Pegues has a team-high 59 tackles, while LB Wynton McManis has 54 tackles to go with three sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss.
UCONN at TEMPLE
Saturday, Nov. 28 • Noon • ESPNU
Lincoln Financial Field (68,532/Grass)
Philadelphia, Pa.
#UCONNvsTEM
Television
ESPNU -
WATCH LIVE -
LIVE STATS
Anish Shroff and Ahmad Brooks
UConn Radio - WTIC-AM 1080 (flagship)
Temple Radio - WPEN-FM 97.5 (flagship)
THE GAME
UConn and Temple meet for the 16th time Saturday in a series that dates to 1963 … Temple holds a 10-5 series lead after a 36-10 win in East Hartford, Connecticut, last year … UConn was a 28-21 winner in the last meeting in Philadelphia … Two of the last five meetings (2008, 2012) were decided in overtime.
UCONN
6-5, 4-3 American
Head Coach
Bob Diaco (Iowa ’95)
8-15, second season
NOTES
UConn takes a three-game winning streak into Saturday’s regular-season finale as the Huskies enter on the heels of a 20-17 win against then-No. 13 Houston last week … UConn has gained bowl eligibility for the first time since the 2010 season, when the Huskies played in the Fiesta Bowl … UConn has not allowed more than 17 points in any of its six wins … The Huskies have allowed two offensive touchdowns in their last three games … UConn ranks third in The American in total defense (355.1 ypg) and second in scoring defense (19.1 ppg) … QB Bryant Shirreffs has completed 60.3 percent of his passes (158 of 262) for 1,992 yards and nine touchdowns with seven interceptions … Shirreffs also has rushed for 428 yards and three TDs … Shirreffs left the game against Houston in the first quarter with a head injury and is listed as day-to-day … RB Arkeel Newsome has 759 rushing yards and six touchdowns … The top receiver is WR Noel Thomas, who has 49 catches for 656 yards and three touchdowns … The defense is paced by S Andrew Adams, who has 81 tackles and three interceptions … CB Jamar Summers has an American Athletic Conference-leading seven interceptions.
25/24 TEMPLE
9-2, 6-1 American
Head Coach
Matt Rhule (Penn State ’97)
15-18, third season
NOTES
Temple has returned to the top 25 of both national polls after the Owls scored a 31-12 win against Memphis last Saturday … Temple would win the outright East Division title and play in the American Athletic Conference Championship with a win against UConn … The Owls did not allow a touchdown to Memphis as the Temple defense limited the Tigers to four field goals … Temple has outscored its opponents in the third quarter by a 102-25 margin … The Owls have been led offensively by RB Jahad Thomas, who has rushed for 1,069 yards and 15 touchdowns on 229 carries … QB P.J. Walker has completed 177 of 317 passes (55.8 percent) for 2,289 yards and 17 touchdowns with six interceptions … WR Robby Anderson has a team-high 46 catches for 681 yards and six touchdowns … The defense is led by LB Tyler Matakevich, the Bronko Nagurski Award finalist who has 107 tackles, 4.0 sacks, 12.5 tackles for loss and five interceptions and is the NCAA’s active career leader in total tackles (461) … Matakevich became the seventh player in NCAA FBS history to register four seasons with 100 or more stops … LB Nate D. Smith has registered a team-high 8.0 sacks with 9.5 tackles for loss … S Sean Chandler has three interceptions.