Conference USA Week Three Review

Another week is in the books for the 2015 college football season with Conference USA going 6-7 with two conference games (Rice-UNT, MTSU-Charlotte) taking place. Let's take a look at the good, bad, and ugly of week three Conference USA football action.

Week Three Scoreboard:                                                            

• Buffalo 33, Florida Atlantic 15                                                            
• Rice 38, North Texas 24
• Kansas State 39, Louisiana Tech 33 (3OT)
• Oklahoma State 69, UTSA 14
• Marshall 45, Norfolk State 7 
• Indiana 38, Western Kentucky 35
• Florida International 39, North Carolina Central 14  
• MTSU 73, Charlotte 14
• Southern Mississippi 56, Texas State 50  
• NC State 38, Old Dominion 14 
• UTEP 50, New Mexico State 47 (OT)  

Who/What Looked Good:

• Jalen Richard: The Southern Miss running back had a career high 230 yards rushing in the 56-50 win over Texas State. Richard also found the endzone four times and had an 8.5 yards per carry average in the win.
• Southern Miss’ Offense: The Golden Eagles shredded Texas State for 613 yards and 56 points in winning this crucial non-conference game. Jalen Richard rushed for 230 yards and 4 touchdowns, while Nick Mullens added 333 yards and four touchdowns in the air.
• MTSU’s Scoring Binge: No one doubted that MTSU would beat Charlotte in this game, but for the Blue Raiders to put up 42 points in the first quarter in route to 73 total points was unexpected. MTSU hit four touchdown plays of 30+ yards in the opening quarter and six total. Quarterback Brent Stockstill put up 369 yards passing and five touchdowns in the game.
• UTEP’s Passing Game: When running back Aaron Jones was ruled out for the season, much of the hope for the Miners was lost. Even worse, the Miners were down to backup quarterback Ryan Metz with Mack Leftwich out of play. Metz stunned the NMSU crowd in throwing for 218 yards and three touchdowns on only 19 attempts. Metz is now 21-28 passing for 252 yards and three touchdowns on the season.

Who/What Looked Bad:

• Florida Atlantic Turnovers: How do you lose a game by double digits that you dominate statistically with 490 yards of offense, 27 first downs, while holding your opponent to 13 first downs and 290 total offensive yards? Easy, three turnovers returned for scores. Yes, FAU had an interception and two fumbles returned for touchdowns in the defeat to Ohio. FAU even gave up a safety in the loss.
• Western Kentucky’s Defense: Word in Bowling Green heading into the season was a much improved defense would make WKU a force to be reckoned with. Giving up 639 yards, 34 first downs, and 38 points to Indiana did not make a strong case for the Hilltoppers. WKU cannot be taken seriously until defensive issues are taken care of.
• 0-4 Versus P5 Teams: Conference USA had MAC syndrome in week three, going 0-4 in G5-P5 games. Louisiana Tech (vs. Kansas State) and WKU (vs. Indiana) had multiple chances to win their games, while UTSA and Old Dominion were dominated by their foes. That puts the CUSA record versus P5 schools at 2-13 on the season.

Week Four Schedule:

• Southern Mississippi at Nebraska
• Florida International at Louisiana Tech
• Rice at Baylor
• Appalachian State at Old Dominion
• North Texas at Iowa
• Marshall at Kent State
• Miami (OH) at Western Kentucky
• Middle Tennessee at Illinois
• Florida Atlantic at Charlotte        
• Colorado State at Texas San Antonio
• Incarnate Word at UTEP