American Athletic Conference News and Notes

Oct 21, 2013 - 2:53 PM Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) -

CINCINNATI: It was an all-around effort from the Bearcats that led them to a 41-16 rout of Connecticut on Saturday. Cincinnati finished with 525 yards of total offense with five scoring drives of less than three minutes including three that lasted less than 60 seconds. Cincinnati also recorded season-highs on defense in interceptions (three), sacks (eight) and tackles for loss (11). Brandon Kay threw for a season-high 300 yards on 17-of-24 passing and matched a personal best with four touchdown passes. Kay also rushed for a touchdown. Chris Moore brought in three passes for 65 yards and had two touchdown receptions. It was the first time Moore had caught multiple touchdown passes in a single game. Max Morrison (four receptions, 54 yards, TD) and Shaq Washington (four receptions, 52 yards) tied for the team-lead in receptions. Jordan Luallen had 51 yards on 12 carries as the leading rusher. Jordan Stepp and Silverberry Mouhon each had a pair of sacks. Cincinnati will be off next weekend but will be back in action on Oct. 30 against Memphis.

CONNECTICUT: Another week ended in another loss for the Huskies, who dropped to 0-6 on the season with a 41-16 defeat to Cincinnati. UConn has just two wins in 10 all-time meetings with the Bearcats. The Huskies scored just twice on four red zone trips and had 377 yards of total offense. Tim Boyle accounted for 310 of those yards on 22-of-39 passing but was also intercepted three times while taking eight sacks. Geremy Davis had eight catches for 140 yards as he set a career-high in receiving yards. Max DeLorenzo tallied 46 yards on six carries as the leading rusher and also scored the only offensive touchdown of the day for the Huskies. DeLorenzo's score was also the first of his career. Lyle McCombs, UConn's leading rusher this season, had just 14 yards on nine carries. Yawin Smallwood had 13 total tackles in the contest and has now had at least nine stops in every game this season including five double-digit efforts. UConn's rough season will likely not improve next week against UCF.

HOUSTON: In a shootout with BYU, Houston came up just short as a last minute touchdown sent it to its first loss of the season (47-46). The Cougars are now 5-1 overall this season but remain undefeated in league play. Houston has scored in 31 straight quarters dating back to last season though it did have nearly 200 fewer yards of total offense than BYU (681-483). John O'Korn had three touchdown passes but had as many interceptions, while totaling 363 yards on 29-of-45 passing. Thanks to Daniel Spencer (seven receptions, 186 yards, TD) and Xavier Maxwell (five receptions, 136 yards, TD), the Cougars had a 100-yard receiver for the fifth time this season. Deontay Greenberry had 11 receptions for 68 yards and also scored twice. Ryan Jackson was the lead rusher with 61 yards on 14 carries. The Cougars had just 48 rushing yards as a team. Houston had its first safety since 1992 in the contest as well as 10 tackles for loss and eight sacks. Derrick Mathews had three sacks and an interception. Houston gets back to conference action next week against Rutgers.

LOUISVILLE: The Cardinals let a 28-7 third quarter lead slip away, as well as their national title hopes, as they fell 38-35 at home to UCF. The win dropped the Cardinals to 6-1 overall and 2-1 in league play. Louisville also fell out of the AP top ten, moving to No. 18 in the most recent poll. The 21-point blown lead was the largest in a single game for the Cardinals since 1980. Louisville had 445 yards of total offense. Teddy Bridgewater threw for 341 yards and two scores on 29-of-38 passing. Bridgewater has thrown for a touchdown in 19-straight games. Bridgewater has 20 touchdowns and just two interceptions this season. Eli Rogers had 10 receptions for 95 yards and a score and DeVante Parker returned from a shoulder injury to total five catches for 66 yards and a touchdown. Dominique Brown had 88 yards and two scores on 12 carries for the Cardinals, who had 104 yards rushing as a team. Brown also had 41 receiving yards to set a career-high with 129 yards of total offense. Preston Brown (12) and Calvin Pryor (11) each had double-digit tackles while Pryor also had an interception. Louisville will try to bounce back next week against USF.

MEMPHIS: The Tigers scored 26 unanswered points to close out the game but still fell short in a 34-29 decision to SMU. With the loss Memphis dropped to 1-5 overall on the campaign with a third-straight loss. The Tigers are also 0-3 against teams from the conference. The Tigers allowed 460 yards of total offense to SMU while picking up only 320 themselves. Memphis did win the time of possession battle holding the ball for more than 33 minutes. Paxton Lynch threw for 198 yards on 26-of-36 passing and had a touchdown to match an interception. Paxton, who was also sacked four times, threw for 117 of those yards in the fourth quarter. Joe Craig (five receptions, 43 yards) led the team in receptions. Nine different players had a reception for Memphis including Mose Frazier (four receptions, 46 yards, TD, who led in receiving yards. It was Frazier's first career touchdown. Brandon Hayes rushed for 65 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. Ryan Coleman had four tackles and a pair of fumble recoveries. Martin Ifedi had the only sack for the Tigers. Memphis will be idle next weekend.

RUTGERS: The Scarlet Knights got an extra week to lick their wounds following a 24-10 loss to Louisville. Up next is a battle with Houston this coming Saturday.

SMU: The Mustangs nearly let a 34-3 lead get away from them but were able to hang on for a 34-29 victory over Memphis. The win ended a three-game losing streak for SMU and was the first win of the season for the Mustangs against an FBS squad. SMU is 2-4 overall and has split its first two league games. The Mustangs finished with 460 yards of total offense and have had more than 430 in five of six games this season. Garrett Gilbert completed 27-of-43 pass attempts for 321 yards and two scores and was intercepted once. Gilbert's 79- yard touchdown pass to Keenan Holman in the first quarter was a career-long for both players. Gilbert also had 49 yards rushing. Holman finished with 126 yards on six total catches, while Jeremy Johnson had 10 catches for 100 yards. Johnson now holds the record for most double-digit reception games with five in his career. Traylon Shead was the leading rusher for the Mustangs with 83 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries. Beau Barnes had 3.5 tackles for loss, including a pair of sacks, and also had an interception. SMU will host Temple next weekend.

SOUTH FLORIDA: The Bulls were off this past weekend. They will test their perfect mark in league play (2-0) next Saturday against No. 18 Louisville.

TEMPLE: With a 33-14 win over Army, the Owls finally gave first-year head coach Matt Rhule his first career victory. The Owls had lost seven straight games dating back to last season before ending that streak on Saturday. Temple is now 1-6 overall this season. Temple also scored on its first drive of a game for the first time this season and also had its first interceptions of the year. P.J. Walker threw for 203 yards and two scores on 10-of-16 passing but did have an interception. Jalen Fitzpatrick had 128 of those yards and a score on four receptions. Fitzpatrick recorded a career-long 45-yard reception in the game as well. Zaire Williams piled up 94 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. Kenneth Harper had 50 additional yards and a score but Tyler Matakevich brought in one of the Owls' interceptions and also had a team-best 13 tackles. Matakevich has had 10 or more tackles in six of the last seven games. The Owls will head to the Lone Star State to face SMU next weekend.

UCF: The Knights stormed back from a 21-point deficit on the road against No. 8 Louisville to pull out a stunning 38-35 victory over the Cardinals. With the win the Knights improved to 5-1 overall and 2-0 in league play. UCF also moved to No. 21 in the Top 25. It is the first time UCF has been ranked since 2010. The win was the first-ever for the Knights against a top 10 team. Storm Johnson rushed for 109 yards and a score and was also the leading receiver for the Knights with four receptions for 79 yards and another touchdown. William Stanback scored a pair of rushing touchdowns as well. Blake Bortles threw for 250 yards and two scores on 21-of-32 passing and was intercepted once. His two-yard touchdown pass to Jeff Godfrey with 23 seconds left to play was the game-winning score. Sean Maag had a team-high 10 tackles and a fumble recovery. Jacoby Glenn had one of two sacks for the Knights, who will battle Connecticut next Saturday.