Week six was a terrible weekend for a majority of Conference USA, save Southern Miss and UAB. Preseason favorite WKU barely got past UTEP, Louisiana Tech lost to UAB, undefeated UTSA fell to Southern Miss, and Marshall had a ton of trouble putting away a terrible Charlotte team.
Otherwise, we are down to four undefeated teams among the G5 with San Diego State, Central Florida, and Navy winning on Saturday. South Florida had a bye week.
Three performances to remember:
- Southern Miss: I was a bit harsh in not giving the Golden Eagles enough credit for beating UTSA. That was a big win over a team that demolished them in 2016 and even more impressive considering it was without their top quarterback. I have strong feelings on the lack of quality as a whole in Conference USA this year, but that is another thought for another day. Southern Miss did a hell of a job Saturday night.
- Tulane: How many Georgia Southern fans felt their hearts break a bit when they saw what Willie Fritz and company did to Tulsa? The Green Wave is playing at a very high level and now need only three more wins to go bowling with Cincinnati, ECU, and FIU still on the schedule. It would stun me is Tulane isn’t bowling this December.
- San Diego State: Though they are getting little love (compared to USF) in the AP Poll, the Aztecs continue to impose their will in late night Saturday games. Rashaad Penny is only of only two players in the nation with 900+ yards on the ground, averaging over 160 yards per game.
MACTION game of the week:
- Western Michigan 71, Buffalo 68/7OT: We got the MACtion we have been craving all season long and didn’t even have to wait for a midweek game. The Broncos and Bulls combined for 63 first downs, 1,328 yards, 139 points, and a quarterback that nearly hit 600 yards passing. Buffalo quarterback Drew Anderson ended the day with 597 yards and 7 touchdowns with no interceptions in the loss.
Three biggest disappointments:
- Ohio: Saturday set up for the Bobcats to take control of the division and set up a route for another trip to the MAC title game. Instead, they could not figure out a CMU defense that forced four turnovers. Head coach Frank Solich will be kicking himself after the Chippewas blocked a first half-ending field goal attempt and ran it back for a score. Now, we are left with Akron sitting pretty as the only undefeated team in the division.
- WKU/Louisiana Tech/UTSA: These three teams were preseason favorites to play in the CUSA title game. WKU was the overall favorite, while everyone expected either the Bulldogs or Roadrunners to win the west. A small credit goes to WKU for actually winning on Saturday, but that performance versus UTEP may give Hilltopper fans flashbacks to the David Elson era.
- Hawaii: Remember when we all thought that Hawaii would give the top of the Mountain West a challenge after the Wyoming game? That seems like light years away as Colorado State rolled them, followed by this perplexing loss to Nevada. This is a Nevada team that was easily beaten by Idaho State. It is possible for the Warriors to get to bowl eligibility, but there is no room for error.
Barely saved face:
- Marshall 14, Charlotte 3
- WKU 15, UTEP 14
- Toledo 20, EMU 15
- Georgia State 27, Coastal Carolina 21
Five Worst G5 teams in the nation:
1. Charlotte
2. Coastal Carolina
3. Georgia Southern
4. UTEP
5. UConn
National stat leaders (only if leading alone, no ties):
- Rashaad Penny, SDSU: 220.83 all-purpose yards per game.
- Tyler Hall, Wyoming: 44.0 kickoff return average.
- John Ursua, Hawaii: 130.6 receiving yards per game.
- Anthony Winbush, Ball State: 7.5 sacks.
- Sutton Smith, NIU: 14.5 TFL.
- Frank Ginda, SJSU: 106 tackles, 15.1 per game.
Week Six Scoreboard:
- Memphis 70, UConn 31
- #25 UCF 51, Cincinnati 23
- Tulane 62, Tulsa 28
- Temple 34, ECU 10
- Navy 48, Air Force 45
- Houston 35, SMU 22
- MTSU 37, FIU 17
- UAB 23, La. Tech 22
- FAU 58, Old Dominion 28
- Marshall 14, Charlotte 3
- Army 49, Rice 12
- Southern Miss 31, UTSA 29
- WKU 15, UTEP 14
- Toledo 20, EMU 15
- CMU 26, Ohio 23
- BGSU 37, Miami 29
- Akron 31, Ball State 3
- NIU 24, Kent State 3
- WMU 71, Buffalo 38/7OT
- Boise State 24, BYU 7
- #19 San Diego State 41, UNLV 10
- Colorado State 27, Utah State 14
- Fresno State 27, SJSU 10
- Nevada 35, Hawaii 21
- Arkansas State 43, Georgia Southern 25
- ULM 45, Texas State 27
- Appalachian State 45, NMSU 31
- ULL 21, Idaho 16
- Georgia State 27, Coastal Carolina 21
Players of the week:
- Offense: Anthony Miller, Memphis: 15 catches for 224 yards and 4 touchdowns in a 70-31 win over UConn.
- Defense: Tae Hayes/Clifton Duck, Appalachian State: Combined for 10 tackles, one sack, and six interceptions (3 apiece) in a 45-31 win over NMSU.
- Special Teams: Cannon Rooker, MTSU: 3/3 FG, 4/4 XP in a 37-17 win over FIU.
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