An abbreviated Week 2 schedule in the American Athletic Conference saw USF and Tulane as the only conference teams in action Saturday. Both squads came away with wins to improve the league’s early nonconference record to 4-1.
Tulane played one of the more exciting games on Saturday’s college football ledger as the Green Wave overcame a late 24-6 deficit to take a 27-24 victory at South Alabama, spoiling the Jaguars’ unveiling of their new stadium.
Tulane scored the last 21 points of the game and didn’t hold a lead until a 16-yard touchdown run by RB Amare Jones with 3:18 left in the fourth quarter. Redshirt freshman RB Tyjae Spears finished with a game-high 105 rushing yards on 11 carries, while RB Cameron Carroll had two key rushing touchdowns as the Green Wave rushed for 203 yards and four TDs.
USF made a winner of first-year head coach Jeff Scott in the season-opener as the Bulls enjoyed a 27-6 victory against The Citadel at Raymond James Stadium. On a wet and humid night in Tampa, the Bulls overwhelmed the Bulldogs thanks to 302 rushing yards, including a game-high 87 yards from RB Kelly Joiner.
The game also produced the early highlight of the 2020 season as WR Omarion Dollison scored his first career touchdown in unusual fashion. With The Citadel punting from its own end zone, the Bulldog punter mishandled the snap and rushed to get a punt airborne, only for Dollison to catch it in the end zone for a rare 0-yard punt return touchdown.
More conventionally, USF’s defense kept The Citadel out of the end zone and limited the Bulldogs to 284 total yards.
Week 3 promises to be busier for American Athletic Conference teams as eight conference teams take the field. Three of the seven games involving teams from The American will be on over-the-air broadcast television.
Next Saturday is highlighted by a doubleheader on ABC as Tulane hosts Navy in the conference opener for both teams (noon ET), while UCF begins its season with a nonconference game at Georgia Tech (3:30 p.m.).
Tulsa and USF will face nationally ranked opponents on the road as the Golden Hurricane opens against No. 15/16 Oklahoma State (noon ET, ESPN), while the Bulls visit No. 10/10 Notre Dame (2:30 p.m., USA).
Houston opens its season with a trip to Waco to face Baylor (noon ET, Fox), while SMU also makes an in-state road trip to visit North Texas (6 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network). Cincinnati, the ony team playing a nonconference home game this weekend, opens against Austin Peay (noon ET, ESPN+).