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Tulsa vs UCF Houston vs Cincinnati Tulane vs UConn
Memphis vs Navy East Carolina vs USF
UCF at TULSA
Saturday, Nov. 7 • Noon • ESPNews
H.A. Chapman Stadium (30,000/FieldTurf)
Tulsa, Okla.
#UCFvsTULSA
Television
ESPNews -
WATCH LIVE -
LIVE STATS
Eamon McAnaney and Rocky Boiman
UCF Radio - WYGM-AM 740 (flagship)
Tulsa Radio - KTCK-FM 96.7 (flagship)
THE GAME
Saturday’s game will be the ninth meeting between UCF and Tulsa in a series that started in 2005 … Tulsa is 5-3 against the Knights and had won four straight in the series until UCF’s 31-7 decision last year in Orlando … The last meeting in Tulsa was the Golden Hurricane’s 33-27 win in the 2012 Conference USA Championship.
UCF
0-9, 0-5 American
Interim Head Coach
Danny Barrett (Cincinnati ’88)
0-1, first season
NOTES
UCF fell to 0-9 overall and 0-5 in The American after a 52-7 setback at Cincinnati last Saturday … Head coach George O’Leary announced his retirement after the Knights fell to Houston Oct. 24 … Quarterbacks coach Danny Barrett, a former head coach of the Saskatchewan Rough Riders in the Canadian Football League, will serve as the interim head coach for the remainder of the 2015 season … Despite the record, UCF has held a lead in seven of its nine games this year, including five times after the second quarter or later … QB Justin Holman has completed 86 of 167 passes for 860 yards and four touchdowns with nine interceptions … WR Tre’Quan Smith has a team-high 34 receptions for 441 yards and two TDs … RB Dontravious Wilson returned to the backfield two weeks ago against Houston after missing five games due to injury and should bolster an offense that has rushed for three touchdowns … LB Domenic Spencer has 64 tackles with a team-leading 7.5 tackles for loss … CB Shaquill Griffin leads the team with 10 pass breakups and has the Knights’ only two interceptions … UCF has forced nine turnovers this season, but has committed 24 turnovers.
TULSA
4-4, 1-3 American
Head Coach
Philip Montgomery (Tarleton State ’95)
4-4, first season
NOTES
Tulsa improved to 4-4 with a 40-31 win at SMU … The Golden Hurricane has scored at least 40 points in four of its eight games and has at least 34 points in six of the eight … Tulsa ranks ninth nationally in total offense (532.0 ypg) and passing in offense (348.5 ypg) … WR Keyarris Garrett ranks fifth nationally in receiving yards (124.0 ypg) and is eighth in receptions (7.9 per game) … Garrett has 63 catches for 992 yards and five touchdowns this season, while WR Josh Atkinson has 43 catches for 699 yards and three TDs … WR Keevan Lucas had a team-high five touchdown receptions before he was lost for the season with a knee injury against Houston … QB Dane Evans has completed 187 of 305 passes for 2,788 yards and 15 touchdowns … Evans leads The American and is ranked sixth nationally in passing yards (348.5 ypg) … RB Zack Langer has rushed for 631 yards and 14 touchdowns and is ranked fourth nationally in scoring (12.0 ppg) … S Michael Mudoh is 10th nationally with 10.9 tackles per game … Mudoh has made 87 tackles with five pass breakups … LB Matt Linscott has 67 tackles, 5.0 sacks, 13.0 tackles for loss and an interception … Tulsa needs two wins in its final four games to clinch bowl eligibility.
CINCINNATI at HOUSTON
Saturday, Nov. 7 • 3:30 p.m. • ESPN2
TDECU Stadium (40,000/Synthetic)
Houston, Texas
#
CINvsHOU
Television
ESPN2 -
WATCH LIVE -
LIVE STATS
Dave Lamont, Ray Bentley and Allison Williams
Cincinnati Radio - WLW-AM 700 (flagship)
Houston Radio - KPRC-AM 950 (flagship)
THE GAME
Cincinnati and Houston have met 22 times since 1957 … The Cougars hold a 13-9 series lead, but the Bearcats have won the last five meetings, including a pair of American Athletic Conference matchups … The Bearcats were 38-31 winners last year behind three rushing touchdowns from RB Mike Boone and two TD passes from QB Gunner Kiel.
CINCINNATI
5-3, 2-2 American
Head Coach
Tommy Tuberville (Southern Arkansas ’76)
22-11, third season at Cincinnati
152-88, 19th season as collegiate head coach
NOTES
Cincinnati picked up a 52-7 win against UCF last Saturday to improve to 5-3 overall and 2-2 in The American … The Bearcats have won back-to-back games for the first time this season … Cincinnati has gone 4-1 at Nippert Stadium and is 1-2 on the road this year … QB Gunner Kiel started the first four games, but QB Hayden Moore had started two straight before Kiel reclaimed the spot against UConn two weeks ago … Kiel went 15-for-15 for 319 yards and five touchdowns against UCF last week … Kiel has completed 111 of 161 passes for 1,514 yards and 12 touchdowns with five interceptions … RB Hosey Williams leads a talented trio of running backs with 548 rushing yards and three touchdowns … RB Tion Green has 542 yards and five TDs, while RB Mike Boone is at 439 yards and four TDs … WR Shaq Washington has 55 receptions for 645 yards and four touchdowns, leading a group of six receivers with at least 250 receiving yards … LB Eric Wilson leads the defense with 76 tackles … The Bearcats have committed 17 turnovers in eight games and have eight takeaways.
18/18 HOUSTON
8-0, 4-0 American
Head Coach
Tom Herman (Minnesota ’96)
8-0, first season
NOTES
Houston is off to an 8-0 start under first-year head coach Tom Herman … Herman is the second Houston coach in program history to begin his career with eight wins (John Jenkins, 1990) … Herman is the only new head coach nationally who remains undefeated … Houston is ranked in both national polls for the third straight week, standing at No. 18 in the AP and USA Today polls … Houston ranks 11th nationally in rushing defense through eight games (103.6 ypg) and is eighth nationally in rushing offense (273.9 ypg) … QB Greg Ward Jr. leads all FBS players with 16 rushing touchdowns … Ward has completed 70.8 percent of his passes (148 of 209) for 1,955 yards and 11 touchdowns with two interceptions and is a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award… RB Kenneth Farrow has 751 rushing yards and nine TDs … WR Demarcus Ayers has a team-leading 56 receptions for 713 yards and five touchdowns … LB Steven Taylor leads The American with 8.0 sacks and 13.0 tackles for loss … LB Elandon Roberts leads the conference, and is fifth nationally, in tackles (11.3 per game) … Roberts has 90 tackles with 2.5 sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss … S Adrian McDonald leads The American with five interceptions and has 17 career picks.
UCONN at TULANE
Saturday, Nov. 7 • 4 p.m. • ESPNews
Yulman Stadium (30,000/UBU Speed Series 5M)
New Orleans, La.
#UCONNvsTULN
Television
ESPNews -
WATCH LIVE -
LIVE STATS
Mike Corey and Rene Ingoglia
UConn Radio WTIC-AM 1080 (flagship)
Tulane Radio - WMTI-FM 106.1 (flagship)
THE GAME
UConn and Tulane meet for the second time … The only previous matchup was last season, when the Green Wave took a 12-3 win at Yulman Stadium … Tulane got its points on a touchdown pass, a safety and a field goal as the Green Wave held the Huskies to 217 yards of total offense … The Tulane defense registered four sacks in last year’s meeting.
UCONN
4-5, 2-3 American
Head Coach
Bob Diaco (Iowa ’95)
6-15, second season
NOTES
UConn snapped a two-game slide with a 31-13 victory against East Carolina last Friday … The Huskies are 3-2 at home and 1-3 on the road this season … The Huskies rank fifth in The American in total defense (383.1 ypg) and fourth in scoring defense (21.1 ppg) … UConn has leaned on QB Bryant Shirreffs behind center … Shirreffs has completed 61.6 percent of his passes (149 of 242) for 1,907 yards and eight touchdowns with six interceptions … Shirreffs also has rushed for 343 yards and three TDs … RB Arkeel Newsome is the primary threat in the backfield … Newsome has 591 rushing yards and six touchdowns on the ground and is the second-leading receiver with 34 receptions for 548 yards and two TDs … The top receiver is WR Noel Thomas, who has 42 catches for 548 yards and a touchdown … The defense is paced by S Andrew Adams, who has 73 tackles and two interceptions … Adams leads a talented secondary that includes CB Jhavon Williams and CB Jamar Summers, who have combined for eight interceptions … Summers is tied for the conference lead with five picks … DE Folrunso Fatuksai has a team-high. 4.5 sacks.
TULANE
2-6, 1-4 American
Head Coach
Curtis Johnson (Idaho ’85)
14-30, fourth season
NOTES
Tulane looks to snap a four-game slide on the heels of a 41-13 setback at Memphis … The Green Wave has gone 0-4 on the road this season, but is 2-2 at Yulman Stadium … Tulane’s last four opponents have a current combined record of 30-1 … Three players have started games at quarterback for Tulane this season after QB Jordy Joseph made his first career start last week … QB Tanner Lee is first on the depth chart, but has battled injuries through the season … RB Dontrell Hilliard leads a talented group of running backs with 389 rushing yards and six touchdowns … WR Teddy Veal leads the Green Wave with 35 catches for 431 yards and three touchdowns, while WR Devon Breaux has 20 catches for 383 yards and three TDs … LB Eric Thomas leads the Green Wave with 55 tackles to go with 6.0 tackles for loss … LB Nico Marley, the grandson of music legend Bob Marley, has 51 tackles and 8.0 tackles for loss … The Green Wave had registered one quarterback sack in its first three games, but has 17 sacks in its last five … DE Royce LaFrance has a team-high 5.0 sacks with 10.0 tackles for loss … Six players have one interception each for the Green Wave … Tulane is 18th nationally in tackles for loss, averaging 7.6 per game.
NAVY at MEMPHIS
Saturday, Nov. 7 • 7 p.m. • ESPN2
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium (61,000/FieldTurf)
Memphis, Tenn.
#NAVYvsMEM
Television
ESPN2 -
WATCH LIVE -
LIVE STATS
Adam Amin, Kelly Stoufffer and Olivia Harlan
Navy Radio Memphis Radio
WBAL-AM 1090 (flagship) WREC-AM 600 (flagship)
THE GAME
Saturday’s game will be the first meeting between Navy and Memphis … It will be the 100th career game for Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo … The two starting quarterbacks — Navy QB Keenan Reynolds and Memphis QB Paxton Lynch — are semifinalists for the Maxwell Award as the nation’s top player.
rv/rv NAVY
6-1, 4-0 American
Head Coach
Ken Niumatalolo (Hawaii ’89)
61-36, eighth season
NOTES
Navy has turned in back-to-back wins to stand at 6-1 overall, while the Midshipmen bring a 4-0 American Athletic Conference record into Saturday’s game following a 29-17 win against USF … Navy received votes in both national polls this week … The offensive leader is QB Keenan Reynolds, who tied the NCAA career record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback (77) … Reynolds needs one rushing TDs to break the tie with former Wisconsin running back Montee Ball (77) … Reynolds has rushed for 753 yards and 13 touchdowns this season and has thrown two touchdown passes … Navy ranks fourth in the nation in rushing offense, averaging 319.7 yards per game … FB Chris Swain has rushed for 582 yards and five touchdowns, while FB Quentin Ezell has five rushing TDs as well … WR Jamir Tillman has a team-high 14 receptions for 190 yards and a touchdown … LB Micah Thomas has a team-high 46 tackles, while LB Kevin McCoy has 2.5 sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles to lead the front seven … CB Brandon Clements has two interceptions … The Midshipmen have recovered 10 fumbles on defense..
15/16 MEMPHIS
8-0 (4-0 American)
Head Coach
Justin Fuente (Murray State ’99)
25-20, fourth season
NOTES
Memphis extended its winning streak to 15 games with a 41-13 victory against Tulane … The Tigers are ranked in both national polls for the third straight week and take a No. 15 national mark in the Associated Press poll into Saturday’s game … The Tigers rank third nationally in scoring offense (47.9 ppg), behind only Baylor and TCU, and are sixth nationally in total offense (560.3 ypg) through eight games … Memphis’ 15-game winning streak ranks third among FBS programs, behind only Ohio State (21 straight) and TCU (16 straight) … The Tigers have been led offensively by QB Paxton Lynch, who continues to generate Heisman Trophy buzz with his play … Lynch has thrown for 2,079 yards and has completed 70.2 percent of his passes (200 of 285) with 18 touchdowns and one interception … Four Memphis backs have at least 200 rushing yards, led by RB Doroland Dorceus, who has 380 yards and a team-high seven touchdowns … WR Mose Frazier has a team-high 46 receptions for 565 yards and three touchdowns, while WR Anthony Miller has 33 catches for 574 yards and three TDs … K Jake Elliott is one of the top kickers in the nation is The American’s leader in kicker scoring (89 points).
USF at EAST CAROLINA
Saturday, Nov. 7:30 • 7 p.m. • CBSSN
Dowdy-Ficklin Stadium (50,000/Grass)
Greenville, N.C.
Television
CBSSN -
LIVE STATS
Dave Ryan, Corey Chavous and Lauren Gardner
East Carolina Radio - WNCT-FM 99.5(flagship)
Navy Radio - WBAL-AM 1090 (flagship)
THE GAME
USF and East Carolina have met five times prior to Saturday’s game … The Bulls won the first four meetings between 2002 and 2006, but East Carolina took last year’s matchup, 45-24, in Greenville, North Carolina … The Pirates scored three rushing touchdowns in the second half last year to rally from a 17-7 halftime deficit.
USF
4-4, 2-2 American
Head Coach
Willie Taggart (Western Kentucky ’98)
10-21, third season at USF
28-41, sixth season as collegiate head coach
NOTES
USF saw a three-game winning streak end with last week’s 29-17 setback at Navy … The Bulls started the season at 1-3, but had reeled off wins against Syracuse, UConn and SMU to match their wins total from last year … The Bulls need two wins in their last four games to become bowl-eligible for the first time since 2010 … RB Marlon Mack ranks third in The American in rushing at 102.6 yards per game … QB Quinton Flowers has started all eight games and has completed 98 of 162 passes (60.5 percent) for 1,246 yards and 10 touchdowns with six interceptions … Flowers also has rushed for 578 yards and seven TDs … He set The American’s single-game record for a quarterback with 201 rushing yards against SMU two weeks ago … WR Rodney Adams has 20 receptions for 333 yards and five touchdowns … S Jamie Byrd has 63 tackles with 5.0 sacks, 9.0 tackles for loss, two interceptions and two forced fumbles … The Bulls’ special teams have been outstanding … USF leads The American in both kickoff return average (27.57 ypr) and punt return average (15.58 ypr).
EAST CAROLINA
4-5, 2-3 American
Head Coach
Ruffin McNeill (East Carolina ’80)
41-32, sixth season at East Carolina
42-32, sixth full season as collegiate head coach
NOTES
East Carolina fell to 4-5 on the year with a 31-13 setback against UConn last week … The Pirates have won six straight November home games … East Carolina needs two wins in its final three games to secure bowl eligibility for the fourth consecutive year and the ninth time since 2006 … The Pirates have used two quarterbacks extensively … QB Blake Kemp has thrown for 1,878 yards and 11 touchdowns with 10 interceptions and has completed 69.8 percent of his passes (192 of 275) … QB James Summers provides East Carolina with a dual threat behind center … Summers has rushed for 401 yards and six touchdowns and has thrown for 515 yards and four TDs … RB Chris Hairston has rushed for a team-high 591 yards and seven TDs … WR Isaiah Jones has 70 receptions for 786 yards and three touchdowns … TE Bryce Williams has 41 catches for 417 yards and three TDs … LB Zeek Bigger leads the defense with 69 tackles, while LB Montese Overton has 53 stops to go with 7.5 sacks and 9.0 tackles for loss … CB Josh Hawkins is the leader in the secondary with two interceptions, including a 100-yard return against Tulsa three weeks ago