From the AAC office...
Highlights from Week 12:
Highlights from Week 12:
- The race for the American Athletic Conference Football Championship will come down to the last week of the regular season.
- In the West Division, Navy and Houston will meet Friday at TDECU Stadium with a berth in the conference championship at stake. Navy holds a one-game lead on the Cougars in the standings, but a Houston win would forge a tie for the division title and give the Cougars the tiebreaker.
- The East Division slot will go to either Temple or USF. Temple needs to win its game against UConn Saturday to reach the championship game, although the Owls could also clinch the spot if USF loses at UCF on Thanksgiving. If the Bulls win Thursday, then USF would get the spot if UConn defeats Temple.
- USF turned in what might have been the most impressive showing of the week as the Bulls raced to an early 34-0 lead on their way to a 65-27 win against Cincinnati at Raymond James Stadium. The resurgent Bulls, who have won six of their last seven games, set an American Athletic Conference record with 51 first-half points as USF moved within one game of first-place Temple in The American’s East Division race.
- QB Quinton Flowers threw for 165 yards and four touchdowns for the Bulls, while TE Sean Price had a pair of touchdown receptions and RB Marlon Mack had two touchdown runs.
- Temple QB P.J. Walker threw for 261 yards and two touchdowns in a 31-12 win against Memphis at Lincoln Financial Field. The Owls finished with 461 yards of offense, while the Temple defense limited the Tigers to 232 yards and 13 first downs while keeping Memphis out of the end zone.
- UConn secured bowl eligibility for the first time since the 2010 season as the Huskies handed Houston its first loss of the 2015 season with a 20-17 win at Pratt & Whitney Stadium. UConn, which has won three straight, held Houston to 318 yards of offense — nearly 200 yards below the Cougars’ average — and forced four turnovers against the team that entered the contest as the national leader in turnover margin.
- WR Noel Thomas had seven receptions for 108 yards and two touchdowns for UConn, while RB Arkeel Newsome rushed for 114 yards on 32 carries. Houston, which saw an 11-game winning streak snapped, fell to 10-1 overall and 6-1 in The American.
- Navy took over the outright lead in the West Division as the Midshipmen finished with 524 yards of total offense, including 469 rushing yards, in a 44-21 win at Tulsa. Despite the eye-popping rushing total, the Midshipmen didn’t have a single player go for 100 yards. Instead, the Midshipmen had four players with at least 50 yards and 10 with at least 20 yards, led by QB Keenan Reynolds, who had 81 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries.
- East Carolina moved within one win of bowl eligibility as the Pirates were 44-7 winners against UCF. QB Blake Kemp led the way as he completed 34 of 50 passes for 448 yards and four touchdowns, while WR Isaiah Jones had 13 receptions for 164 yards and two TDs.
- SMU picked up its first conference win of the season as the Mustangs jumped to an early lead on its way to a 49-21 victory against Tulane at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. RB Xavier Jones rushed for 117 yards and three touchdowns, while QB Matt Davis ran for 156 yards and a TD.
