Week Four put on an exciting week of football for the American Athletic Conference. A new favorite emerged, a league bottom-feeder got its first win, and much more filled an action-packed series of games.
Navy Becomes an AAC Frontrunner
Few people, if any, gave Navy a chance to beat Memphis after the Tigers beat Florida State last weekend for the first time since 1976. However, the Midshipmen surprised everyone with a 56-44 victory. Navy QB Blake Horvath had one of the greatest quarterback performances in Midshipmen history, putting up 211 rushing yards and four touchdowns on just 12 carries alongside 192 passing yards. This marked just the third time in history that a Navy quarterback scored more than 400 yards of total offense and the first since QB Will Worth did it in 2016.
Despite the prolific performance by its offense, the defense struggled late in the game, allowing 659 yards of total offense along with 44 points. Nonetheless, Midshipmen LB Colin Ramos established himself as a sleeper Butkus Award candidate with a 20-tackle performance.
Navy now holds a tiebreaker over Memphis should the teams finish with the same conference record. However, its road ahead in the AAC remains difficult with games against USF and Tulane still on its schedule.
The American Loses Two More to the Power Four
Both USF and Charlotte lost in blowout fashion to Power Four opponents. Many thought USF might compete with Miami, and for the first half, the Bulls proved the prognosticators right. But Miami finished on a 28-0 run to win, 50-15.
For the second time this year, USF faltered in the second half against a ranked Power Four team, calling the Bulls’ depth and ability to make adjustments into question. Miami shut down Bulls QB Byrum Brown and any hopes of a Heisman campaign, holding him to 254 passing yards and just 27 rushing yards in 14 carries. Meanwhile, the Hurricane offense got entirely too explosive, accumulating 592 yards of total. Miami QB Cameron Ward continued his Heisman campaign with 404 yards and three touchdowns.
USF still is an AAC frontrunner, but two losses to Power Five teams make their College Football Playoff hopes slim.
By comparison, Charlotte’s chances against Indiana faded much quicker than USF’s. The 49ers trailed the Hoosiers 31-14 at halftime. Charlotte QB Trexler Ivey threw for only 139 yards as the 49ers’ quarterback troubles continued. The team has now started three different quarterbacks in four games. The defense struggled too, allowing 590 yards to an explosive Hoosier attack. Coach Biff Poggi’s squad looks to shake off its early season struggles as they enter Conference play.
Tulsa Beats Louisiana Tech on the Road
Tulsa boosted its bowl hopes with a win against a tough Louisiana Tech team that gave NC State trouble. The Golden Hurricane’s defense shined in a 23-20 overtime victory over the Bulldogs. Tulsa notched five sacks and allowed just 87 rushing yards on just two yards/carry. Golden Hurricane WR Kamdyn Benjamin continued his Biletnikoff campaign with eight catches.
The Golden Hurricane still has a tough path ahead in conference play, but two wins in their non-conference schedule make reaching a bowl berth look realistic. Second-year Head Coach Kevin Wilson appears to have his rebuilld ahead of schedule.
Simon Says “Temple Beats Utah State”
Temple QB Evan Simon made former Owls’ starter E.J. Warner a distant memory with a five-touchdown performance in a 45-29 win over Utah State. Simon also showed a new element to his game, dropping 49 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. The Temple offense has its first quality dual threat quarterback in quite a few years and looks like a team that can upset some better AAC teams.
Alas, the rushing defense remains a concern. The Owls allowed 186 yards on the ground to the Aggies, including 148 to star RB Rahsul Faison. Worse, Temple has only a few days to resolve these issues before a Thursday night game against Army this week.
Makhi Hughes Shines Against Louisiana
In one of the most exciting games on the AAC slate, Louisiana kept things interesting before finally falling to Tulane, 41-33. QB Darian Mensah’s arm stole the headlines in the Green Wave’s first three games. This week, RB Makhi Hughes showed that fans should not forget about him, either, with a 166-yard performance against in-state rival Louisiana. Mensah took a step back this week, throwing for just 83 yards. Hughes looks to continue Tulane’s rich running back tradition, which includes NFL alumni Mewelde Moore and Matt Forte, along with three other 1000-yard rushers since Willie Fritz took over in 2016.
Tulane’s front seven showed legitimate areas of concern, however. The Ragin’ Cajuns ran the ball with ease against the Green Wave front, rushing for 175 yards total and over six yards/carry. This may come back to bite the Green Wave this week when they face USF and their dual threat star Byrum Brown. Tulane also has to face Navy later this year.
East Carolina Blows a Lead Against Liberty
East Carolina nearly had a signature non-conference win for the American, but they blew a 17-point lead to last year’s Group of Five New Year’s Six representative Liberty in a 35-24 loss. With that, the Pirates lost their second chance at a win against a Group of Five contender.
Liberty’s vaunted spread-option offense wore down East Carolina’s front, while QB Kaidon Salter threw four touchdown passes. The Pirates still look like a quality AAC team, but they keep losing games the same way.
Other Notes From the American
UTSA QB Owen McCown had a fantastic performance against FCS Houston Christian, throwing for three touchdowns in a 45-7 win. McCown’s starting job looks safe for at least another week after multiple appearances by backup QB Eddie Lee Marburger in the Roadrunners’ first couple games.
North Texas’ defense rebounded against Wyoming. They notched a 44-17 win at home. The Mean Green atoned for allowing 66 points against Texas Tech by allowing just 244 total yards and all of 69 rushing yards this week to the Cowboys.
Finally, UConn ran all over FAU in a 48-14 win. The Owls allowed more rushing yards to the Huskies (421) than they did against Army (405). Wow! Two Huskie backs ran for 156 yards apiece.
Florida Atlantic’s bowl hopes took a significant blow with the loss. They have plenty of raw talent on that team, but they only have so many more weeks to turn that talent into something.
Go Army! Beat Temple!!!
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