The American Athletic Conference delivered an exciting Week Nine. Games we least expected to steal the spotlight created the best headlines. This week alone saw a 28-point comeback, a team score over fifty points after firing their coach, and a near upset. The American will continue to be must-watch TV if the slate continues to thrill like this.
Navy Fumbles Away Upset Bid Against Notre Dame
The headline says it all. Navy was its own worst enemy against the Fighting Irish this past weekend, losing 51-14. The Mids turned the ball over six times, their first turnovers since the season opener against Bucknell. Two fumbles gifted Notre Dame fourteen points, with the Irish returning one to the Navy seven and recovering another in the Navy end zone. Two other fumbles and an interception derailed promising Navy drives.
Ironically, Navy actually moved the ball well throughout most of the game. QB Blake Horvath ran for 129 yards and threw for another 88. Runs of 60 and 47 yards highlighted his day. However, a team cannot turn the ball over six times and expect to beat the #12 team in the country.
Navy’s College Football Playoff hopes are not over, but the Midshipmen must win out and hope for meltdowns by Boise State and UNLV to end the season.
Tulane Wins Wild Shootout Over North Texas
North Texas could have vaulted itself back into the AAC Title race with a win over Tulane, but the Green Wave showed that they are still the class of the conference with their 45-37 win. RB Makhi Hughes notched his third straight 100-yard game for Tulane and his fourth such performance in the last five games. Meanwhile, Tulane QB Darian Mensah continued his stellar freshman season with three touchdown passes on just 13 throws. Mensah must surely be considered a frontrunner for Freshman All-American honors.
Tulane took a 45-24 lead into the fourth quarter before two North Texas touchdowns in the final five minutes made things interesting. Mean Green QB Chandler Morris’ quest for 4,000 yards continued with 449 yards, putting him at 2,873 yards with four games remaining.
The Mean Green may be out of the AAC title race with two losses, but they could still play spoiler with a game against Army coming up. Tulane, meanwhile, remains undefeated in the conference with a crucial two-game stretch against Navy and Memphis ahead to end the season.
Tulsa Comes Back From 28-Points Down
Hardly anyone anticipated 3-4 UTSA and 2-5 Tulsa’s match-up having any spark, but it was arguably the conference game of the week. Tulsa overcame a 35-7 halftime deficit to win, 46-45. Golden Hurricane QB Cooper Legas proved he should have been the Day One starter over Kirk Francis in the comeback. Legas came off the bench and threw for 333 yards and five touchdowns while also leading the Golden Hurricane in rushing. Once written off in the bowl picture, Tulsa has winnable games against UAB, East Carolina, USF, and Florida Atlantic alongside a 3-5 record. The Golden Hurricane could realistically land a bowl bid for the first time since 2021.
With the loss, UTSA enters full rebuild mode. However, sophomore QB Owen McCown continued his solid first year as the Roadrunners’ starter. McCown threw for 434 yards and four touchdowns. For the year, he has 2,084 yards and 16 touchdowns against just four interceptions. TE Houston Thomas also proved himself a worthy heir apparent to outgoing star tight end Oscar Cardenas with 132 receiving yards. Still, the Roadrunners look like they may not make a bowl. They’re currently 3-5 with games against Memphis, North Texas, and Army left to go. Still, they have the pieces they need to succeed in the future.
Memphis Escapes Scare Against Charlotte
The American’s most inconsistent team struck again. Charlotte nearly had a program-defining win against Memphis, but then they allowed the Tigers to drive 75 yards in 49 seconds to winid up with a 33-28 loss.
Two drives that stalled via turnovers on downs nearly killed Memphis’ conference championship hopes. Still, the Tigers delivered when it mattered most. Tiger RB Mario Anderson continued his steady season with 141 yards this past week. This follows a 183 yard rushing performance against North Texas.
If Charlotte can harness some consistency, they could win their final three games against USF, FAU, and UAB and reach only their second bowl ever. Meanwhile, Memphis stays alive in the conference championship race with only one conference loss, though they will need some help. Memphis’ Thanksgiving night clash with Tulane will have major championship implications.
East Carolina Drops 56 After Firing Their Head Coach
2024 seemed like a lost cause for East Carolina after the school fired Head Coach Mike Houston following their loss to Army. However, the Pirates now look like they made the right decision following a 56-34 win over Temple.
Like Cooper Legas of Tulsa, Pirate QB Katin Houser proved he should have been the starter all along. Houser threw five touchdown passes this week. With that, the Pirates showed incredible balance, boasting two 100-yard receivers in Chase Sowell and Anthony Smith alongside a 100-yard rusher in Rahjai Harris. Harris finished with 130 yards on just 11 carries. Moreover, he showed an explosiveness not seen this year, having come into the game averaging less than four yards/carry.
East Carolina can salvage its once seemingly lost season with wins in the next two weeks against FAU and Tulsa. That would make them bowl eligible. After that, they face North Texas and Navy.
Rice Nearly Upsets UConn
The Rice defense continued its stellar play, but it was not enough. They lost, 17-10, to UConn. A week after keeping Tulane’s vaunted offensive attack at bay, the Owls defense forced two turnovers and kept their struggling offense in the game.
Alas, the offense could not find any rhythm, amassing only 178 total yards. Rice freshman QB Drew Devillier struggled in his first career start, throwing for 88 yards.
Rice fired Head Coach Mike Bloomgren after the loss. The Owls look to see what pieces they have for the future in a slate that includes lowly UAB and a mediocre USF squad. However, at 2-6, their bowl hopes are all but dead.
Go Army! BEAT Air Force!!!
Cover image via @TulsaFootball.
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