The American’s Heisman Candidates State Their Case In Week 1
UCF and Houston have launched formal Heisman Trophy campaigns on behalf of their most prominent players, and both players delivered big-time performances in Week 1 of the season. UCF quarterback McKenzie Milton, who finished eighth in the Heisman voting last year, went 24 of 32 for 346 yards and five touchdowns in the Knights’ 56-17 win at UConn. Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver, who was tabbed as the nation’s top player for 2018 by ESPN, CBS Sports and Sports Illustrated, delivered 13 tackles with 3.5 tackles for loss and two quarterback hurries in the Cougars’ 45-27 win at Rice.
Oliver is listed at No. 2 in ESPN’s Heisman Watch this week, while Milton is No. 5. The American Athletic Conference is the only league with two players among the top five in that ranking.
Five Power 6 Games – Including Four at Home for The American in Week 2
Cincinnati gave the American Athletic Conference is 27th nonconference win against a Power 6 conference opponent or Notre Dame since the start of the 2015 season (the first year of The American’s current configuration) with the Bearcats’ 26-17 win at UCLA. The American has five matchups against other Power 6 teams scheduled for this week, including four games that will be played at the home site of The American team, beginning with Friday’s Iron Skillet rivalry game between SMU and No. 16 TCU in Dallas. Saturday’s schedule has Arizona at Houston, Georgia Tech at USF, North Carolina at ECU and Tulsa at Texas.
New Quarterbacks Find Early Success
Three American Athletic Conference teams introduced quarterbacks who had not previously played for their respective teams, adding to an already impressive group of signal-callers in the conference. Memphis’ Brady White, a transfer from Arizona State, threw for 358 yards and five touchdowns in the first half of a season-opening win against Mercer. USF’s Blake Barnett, whose last Opening Day start was with Alabama in 2016, had 305 yards and three TDs in a win against Elon. ECU sophomore Reid Herring threw for 304 yards and two touchdowns in his first career start in the Pirates’ loss to North Carolina A&T.
UCF Goes For Conference Record Saturday
UCF’s season-opening win against UConn extended the Knights’ winning streak to 14 games, the longest active winning streak among NCAA FBS teams. If UCF is able to win its home-opener Saturday against South Carolina State, the Knights would tie the American Athletic Conference record with their 15th straight win. Memphis won 15 games spanning the 2014 and 2015 seasons.
Houston, USF Play Saturday Matinees on ABC
Saturday’s nonconference ledger is highlighted by a pair of home games for American Athletic Conference teams that will be televised nationally on ABC with a reverse mirror on ESPN2. Houston looks for a second straight win against Arizona (and looks to improve The American to 4-0 against the Pac-12 since the start of the 2017 season) when the Cougars and Wildcats meet at Houston’s TDECU Stadium. USF, which 22-4 since the 2016 season, welcomes Georgia Tech to Raymond James Stadium. Both games begin at noon ET/11 a.m. CT.
Memphis Visits Navy In Key West Division Matchup
While UCF and UConn got conference play started last week with an East Division game, action heats up in The American’s West Division when Memphis visits Navy Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network). The game will feature the last two West Division champions as the Tigers took the 2017 divisional crown, while the Midshipmen won in 2016.