And Still Undefeated
There are 14 teams that remain unbeaten in FBS football in 2018. Three of those teams are from the American Athletic Conference as Cincinnati stands at 5-0, while UCF and USF are both 4-0. The American and the SEC are the only conferences in the nation with at least three undefeated teams.
Defensive Turnaround Brings Success At ECU
In the 2017 season, ECU ranked at or near the bottom of the national statistics in most defensive categories, leading head coach Scottie Montgomery to stress the importance of adding more speed and depth to his roster. The Pirates have made a remarkable turnaround on defense thus far in 2018, highlighted by last Saturday’s win against Old Dominion – a team that had scored 49 points against Virginia Tech a week earlier. ECU’s defense registered nine sacks and 15 tackles for loss against the Monarchs as defensive end Nate Harvey finished with 3.0 sacks on his own. Harvey enters this week’s game at Temple as the national leader in tackles for loss with an average of 2.75 per game, while the Pirates have registered 17 sacks and 41 tackles for loss collectively –surpassing last year’s totals in only four games.
Pow6rful Minds In The American
American Athletic Conference football teams will take part in the league’s Pow6rful Minds campaign this week in conjunction with the conference’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. The campaign is part of the SAAC’s initiative to improve awareness of mental health issues and promote academic success. All 12 American teams will have a green ribbon decal on their helmets this week, beginning with Thursday’s game between Tulsa and Houston on ESPN..
Freshman Quarterbacks Finding Success
Two American Athletic Conference schools have taken freshman quarterbacks off the bench this season and have come up with positive results. Desmond Ridder gave Cincinnati.an immediate spark late in the first quarter of the Bearcats’ season-opening win at UCLA and has been the starter for the last four games of the team’s 5-0 start. SMU has turned to freshman William Brown to start the last two games, and Brown has delivered back-to-back wins to the Mustangs. Most recently, Ridder threw for 270 yards and two touchdowns in Cincinnati’s win at UConn, while Brown threw for a career-high 309 yards and two TDs in a win against Houston Baptist.
Tulsa-Houston Gets Week 6 Underway On ESPN
The American Athletic Conference’s most-played rivalry kicks off Week 6 of the season Thursday as Tulsa and Houston meet for the 43rd time. Houston holds a 23-19 series lead, but the Golden Hurricane scored a 45-17 win last year in Tulsa. Thursday’s game will be televised on ESPN at 8 p.m. ET.
Tough Ticket In Orlando
UCF”s 17-game winning streak is not only the longest active streak nationally and an American Athletic Conference record. It also is the catalyst behind the Knights’ strong attendance figures this season. Through three home dates, UCF has seen 132249 spectators through the turnstiles, or 99.8-percent of the Spectrum Stadium capacity. That total includes a sellout crowd of 44,904 for last Saturday’s win against Pitt.