A showdown for first place in the American Athletic Conference West Division is in the limelight in Week 11 as Tulsa and Navy will battle for control of the division in Annapolis, Maryland.
Tulsa moved into a tie for first place in the West after the Golden Hurricane outpaced East Carolina 45-24 at H.A. Chapman Stadium. Tulsa reeled off 616 yards of offense and gained 37 first downs against the Pirates as the double-barrelled backfield tandem of RB James Flanders and RB D’Angelo Brewer continued to impress. Flanders finished with 181 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries, while Brewer had 180 yards and a TD on 23 attempts. WR Josh Atkinson had 10 catches for 123 yards and two touchdowns for the Golden Hurricane.
East Carolina fell despite yet another stellar performance from WR Zay Jones. Jones, the national leader in receptions, had 13 catches for a career-high 206 yards and a touchdown, leaving him 19 receptions shy of the NCAA career receptions record (387, set by East Carolina’s Justin Hardy in 2014).
Navy did its part to set up this week’s marquee matchup in the West despite playing a nonconference game. QB Will Worth rushed for 175 yards and two touchdowns helping the Midshipmen to a 28-27 win against Notre Dame in Jacksonville, Florida. Navy limited Notre Dame to six possessions by converting 4 of 5 fourth-down plays and rushing for 320 yards against the Fighting Irish.
Temple remained in control of the East Division race as the Owls made three first-quarter touchdowns stand up in a 21-0 win at UConn Friday. The Owls limited the Huskies to 160 total yards and eight first downs, while RB Jahad Thomas had a pair of touchdown receptions to pace the offense. Temple will take a 5-1 conference record into a Week 11 bye.
UCF kept itself in the thick of things in the East as the Knights pulled away from a one-point halftime lead to take a 37-6 win against Tulane at Bright House Networks Stadium. Aside from keeping the Green Wave off the scoreboard for the final three quarters, the UCF defense scored three touchdowns of its own as S Drico Johnson scored on a fumble recovery and an interception return. The Knights converted five Tulane turnovers into 27 points on their way to their fifth win of the season.
Memphis sits a game behind the leaders in the West after the Tigers raced past SMU 51-7 in Dallas to clinch bowl eligibility for the third consecutive season. QB Riley Ferguson threw for 287 yards and four touchdowns as the Tigers snapped a two-game slide.
Cincinnati completed the nonconference portion of its schedule with a 20-3 setback to Brigham Young. The Bearcats saw a streak of 30 straight wins against nonconference opponents at Nippert Stadium come to an end despite seven catches and 105 yards by WR Devin Gray.