Army at North Texas became the undisputed game of the week in the AAC. However, a pair of eventful weeknight match-ups alongside a contender staying viable in the conference race added flair to a weekend packed with action.
The AAC Begins the Week With a Bang
The AACβs weeknight slate may have set the bar too high for the rest of the league. On Thursday night, East Carolina (5-4, 3-2 in the AAC) continued its upward trajectory with a 49-14 thrashing of Florida Atlantic (2-7, 0-5 in the AAC). Pirates QB Katin Houser made the East Carolina staffβs decision to start Jake Garcia for most of the season look foolish with his second consecutive game throwing five touchdown passes.
The Pirates raced to a 35-7 halftime lead and never looked back. Since firing their head coach, East Carolina now looks like a rejuvenated team that will earn its third bowl in the past four years. The Pirates have a winnable game against Tulsa next week and will almost certainly hit the six-win mark before the season ends.
Meanwhile, Florida Atlanticβs quarterback situation has become anything but secure. QB Kasen Weisman performed well in relief of starter Cam Fancher, throwing for a pair of touchdowns and adding 41 rush yards. Might we see a change down in Boca? The Owls should look to get young players experience and see what pieces they have for next year, a likely make-or-break year for FAU Head Coach Tom Herman.
The following day, Rice (3-7, 2-4 in the AAC) nearly pulled its second upset over an AAC frontrunner, falling to Memphis (8-2, 4-2 in the AAC) by a score of just 27-20. The Owls only trailed 17-13 at halftime. They almost took the lead in the third quarter before QB EJ Warner fumbled at the Memphis five-yard-line, changing the game’s complexion. Memphis then scored ten unanswered points to put the game away. A late Rice score made it a seven-point game, but the Owls could not stop Memphis in the final two minutes.
Memphis RB Mario Anderson continued his steady year with 144 yards, bringing his total to 977 yards with two regular season games remaining. With the win, the Tigers stayed alive in a conference race that now hinges on epic meltdowns from Navy and Tulane down the stretch.
Navy Shuts Down USF
Navy (7-2, 5-1 in the AAC) responded well to their embarrassing loss to Rice last week. The Mids bounced back against USF (4-5, 2-3 in the AAC), winning 28-7. The Mids put up two first-quarter touchdowns and never looked back. They finished with 328 yards rushing and a lot less finesse than usual. FBs Dana Fofana and Alex Tecza anchored the attack with 121 combined yards, even as USFβs defense held Navy QB Blake Horvath to just 56 yards on 19 carries. Star Navy SB Eli Heidenreich got just six carries. After taking a three-touchdown lead to halftime, Navyβs play calling grew conservative, leading to a mostly uneventful second half.
Navy has its biggest conference test of the season against Tulane this weekend. This matchup will likely become a play-in game for the AAC Championship Game. On the other side, though USF fell to 4β5, they have winnable games against Charlotte, Rice, and Tulsa remaining. The Bulls should still make back-to-back bowls games for the first time since 2017-18.
Other Notes From Around the League
Tulane easily defeated Temple, 52-6. Green Wave RB Makhi Hughes had his fifth-straight 100-yard game with 153 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Tulaneβs defense held Temple to 159 yards of total offense and helped Tulane stay undefeated in conference play.
Finally, UAB again blew a second-half lead this past weekend, this time in a 31-23 loss to UConn. The Blazers led 20-3 heading into the half halftime but could not hold on.
UAB QB Jalen Kitna threw for 233 yards a week after his sensational 404-yard, six-touchdown performance against Tulsa. Despite the loss, the Blazers showed signs of maybe becoming a team that could compete in the American next year in what may very well be Head Coach Trent Dilferβs final chance to save his job.
Go Army! Beat Notre Dame!!!
Cover image via @ECUPiratesFB.
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