Week four was a bit of a kick in the teeth for the G5. With multiple chances to show the nation they were for real, teams like Appalachian State, Houston, Toledo, Boise State, and Louisiana Tech let games slip through their hands. On the other hand, UCF made the entire G5 nation proud with a dominant win over Big Ten foe Maryland.
One thing that stood out more than anything was the sheer number of one-score games. From Idaho/USA and Ohio/EMU going double OT to UMass getting a chance at the end to beat Tennessee, we saw so many games that could have gone either way.
Three best performances of week three:
- UCF: Maryland looked like the darlings of the Big Ten after two games and expected to have trouble but beat UCF. Instead, this was a beatdown of epic proportions with Scott Frost and company dominating the entire day. The Knights were especially dominant on defense in holding the Terrapins to 197 yards on the day while forcing two turnovers.
- Miami: The RedHawks are one of the better 2-2 G5 teams in the nation. Instead of struggling to put a game CMU team away, they rolled early to a 28-14 lead and threw a second-half shutout. The only thing keeping them from a 4-0 record is special teams in week one and a terrible decision at the end of the Cincinnati game.
- UTSA: Facing a game versus a “rival” and trying not to look a week ahead to Southern Miss, the Roadrunners proved they are very good in boat-racing Texas State. The offense will get most of the credit, but UTSA’s defense held the Bobcats under 200 yards and allowed only 1.2 yards per carry. That effort included 11 tackles for loss.
MACTION game of the week:
- ULM 56, ULL 50 (2 OT): Heading into this game, the Ragin’ Cajuns defense had given up 53 points per game in route to a 1-2 record. No much changed as they gave up another 56 points to the Rival Warhawks in one of the wildest games one can imagine. Some stats from the game: 106 points, 59 first downs, 1,119 yards, and 0 turnovers.
Three biggest disappointments of week three:
- Boise State: A team with high hopes heading into the season, the Broncos are sitting at 2-2 after an embarrassing loss to Virginia. The defense played its worst game of the season and the offense struggled to put anything together on a consistent basis. We may have to accept that Boise State is average at best this season.
- Tulsa: The Golden Hurricane were hosting a New Mexico team using a quarterback well down the depth chart and should have cruised to a win. Instead, the Tulsa offense never got rolling and they lost 16-13 on a walk-off field goal. This drops Tulsa to 1-3 with Navy, an improved Tulane, and Houston coming up next. Winning at least two of these games may be mandatory if they want to go bowling this season.
- Charlotte: A week after losing to NC A&T, the 49ers were dominated by a Georgia State team that was 0-2 with an FCS loss of their own, This game was never really that close and saw them face a 4th and goal at the 27-yard line at one point. Charlotte is now 0-4 and may officially be the worst team at the FBS level.
Barely saved face:
- Troy 22, Akron 17
- North Texas 46, UAB 43
- Memphis 44, SIU 31
Five Worst G5 teams in the nation:
- Charlotte
- Georgia Southern
- UTEP
- Coastal Carolina
- UConn
National stat leaders (only if leading alone, no ties):
- Anthony Winbush: 3 forced fumbles.
- Demetrius Monday, Kent State: 4 interceptions.
- Frank Ginda, SJSU: 73 tackles, 14.6 per game.
- Anthony Winbush, Ball State: 7.5 sacks.
Week Two Scoreboard:
- #21 South Florida 43, Temple 7
- Virginia 42, Boise State 23
- #10 Ohio State 54, UNLV 21
- #13 Virginia Tech 38, Old Dominion 0
- #14 Miami 52, Toledo 30
- #18 Washington State 45, Nevada 7
- #19 Louisville 42, Kent State 3
- #22 San Diego State 28, Air Force 24
- Texas Tech 27, Houston 24
- Tulane 21, Army 17
- Tennessee 17, UMass 13
- New Mexico 16, Tulsa 13
- Idaho 29, South Alabama 23 2OT
- Ohio 27, Eastern Michigan 20 2OT
- Central Florida 38, Maryland 10
- Indiana 52, Georgia Southern 17
- Wake Forest 20, Appalachian State 19
- South Carolina 17, Louisiana Tech 16
- Miami 31, Central Michigan 14
- Navy 42, Cincinnati 32
- ULM 56, ULL 50 2OT
- Troy 22, Akron 17
- Georgia State 28, Charlotte 0
- Western Illinois 52, Coastal Carolina 10
- North Texas 46, UAB 43
- Western Kentucky 33, Ball State 21
- Buffalo 34, FAU 31
- MTSU 24, BGSU 13
- SMU 44, Arkansas State 21
- Western Michigan 49, Wagner 14
- FIU 13, Rice 7
- Utah State 61, San Jose State 10
- UTSA 44, Texas State 14
- New Mexico State 41, UTEP 14
- Memphis 44, SIU 31
- Wyoming 28, Hawaii 21 OT
Players of the week:
- Offense: Davon Grayson, East Carolina: 11 catches for 223 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 41-38 win over Connecticut.
- Defense: Deatrick Nichols, South Florida: 3 tackles, 2 passes defended, 2 interceptions in a 43-7 win over Temple.
- Special Teams: Jason Sanders, New Mexico: 3-3 FG, 1/1 XP, including a 53-yard game winner as time expired in a 16-13 win over Tulsa.
