Though Army-Notre Dame put on the weekβs biggest spectacle, several other games contributed to an eventful penultimate slate. Multiple teams punched tickets to bowl games; others tried to salvage failing seasons. The action from this past week set the stage for an impactful and much-anticipated finale weekend.
UTSA and USF Ride Explosive Offensive Performances to Bowl Season
Two of the conference’s disappointments righted the ship by reaching bowl eligibility. UTSA scored early and often in a 51-27 Friday night win over Temple. The Roadrunners ran for 282 yards in the first half on the way to a 28-17 halftime lead. Roadrunner RB Robert Henry posted 178 yards and a pair of touchdowns to lead the offense. Touchdown runs of 88 yards by Henry and 75 yards by QB Owen McCown highlighted the performance.
A late Temple push brought the Owls to within 11 at the start of the 4th quarter, but the Roadrunners put Temple away with 13 unanswered points to end the game. Temple ends the year next week with another team trying to reach bowl eligibility in North Texas, while UTSA hopes to upset Army to continue their resurgence.
A week after compiling 551 yards of offense, USF also raised the bar with 715 yards of total offense against Tulsa. The bulls won, 63-30. As expected, QB Bryson Archie thrived against the last-ranked Tulsa pass defense, throwing for 305 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Backup QB Israel Carter added 102 more yards and two more touchdowns to give USF its first 400-yard passing game since their win over Rice last year. RB Kelley Joiner led a rushing attack that put up 331 yards rushing. He had 131 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns. USF can position itself for a better bowl by advancing to 7-5 against Rice this week.
ππππ ππππ
— UTSA Football π (@UTSAFTBL) November 25, 2024
UTSA π Army
π 11 a.m. CT
ποΈ Saturday, Nov. 30
ποΈ Michie Stadium
π West Point, N.Y.
πΊ CBS Sports Network #210TriangleOfToughness#LetsGo210 | #BirdsUp π€ pic.twitter.com/XRH14pUhsQ
East Carolina Holds Off North Texas Push For Bowl
East Carolina continued its remarkable turnaround with a fourth straight victory, defeating North Texas, 40-28. The Pirates overcame a 21-0 first-half deficit, scoring 31 unanswered to put the game out of reach. North Texas’s much-maligned defense struggled again, allowing ECU QB Katin Houser to throw for 298 yards and a pair of touchdowns. ECU RB Rahjai Harris added 128 yards rushing alongside a trio of touchdowns of his own. Harris is now 142 yards from 1000 yards on the season with a regular season game and a bowl game remaining. He looks to follow his predecessor, former ECU RB Keaton Mitchell, onto a roster in the NFL. More importantly, this victory earned Interim Head Coach Blake Harrell the permanent head coaching position. East Carolina removed the interim tag from Harrell’s position on Monday.
North Texas now must beat 3-8 Temple to reach bowl eligibility, while East Carolina has a game against 7-3 Navy to culminate their in-season turnaround.
We got our guy! π΄ββ οΈ
— ECU Football (@ECUPiratesFB) November 25, 2024
(Pending BOT Approval) pic.twitter.com/1PkYq9ziuR
Other Notes From Around the League:
UAB relied on their run game instead of their passing attack to defeat Rice, 40-14. RB Lee Beebe Jr. ran for 161 yards on ten carries and scored twice for the Blazers. The Blazers have been awful, but their wins have been dominant, averaging a more than 30-point margin of victory in their three wins. They will end the year against Charlotte. Head Coach Trent Dilfer can perhaps cool his seat with a win this weekend.
Charlotte QB DeShawn Purdie gave the 49ers hope for the future with 396 yards passing in a 39-27 win over Florida Atlantic. That marked the third-best single-game output in 49ersβ program history. The 4-7 49ers draw UAB next, while 2-9 FAU travels to 3-8 Tulsa to finish the season.
Just a bunch of chill guys π
— Charlotte Football (@CharlotteFTBL) November 23, 2024
Believe Dat! π€#GoldStandardβοΈ pic.twitter.com/pdJunooz75
Go Army! Beat UTSA!!!
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