American Athletic Conference News and Notes

Oct 28, 2013 - 3:26 PM Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) -

CINCINNATI: The Bearcats rode a two-game winning streak into this week's bye. Cincinnati will try to earn a third straight victory for the first time this week in a Wednesday night affair against Memphis.

CONNECTICUT: In the first half of a brutal two-game stretch, the Huskies were routed, 62-17, by No. 23 UCF at Bright House Networks Stadium. UConn, which trailed 45-10 at halftime, has lost all seven games this season, including the three it has played in league play and under interim head coach T.J. Weist. In the most recent losing effort the Huskies managed just 233 yards of total offense and 3.8 yards per play. The defense struggled as well, allowing 527 yards and 7.2 yards per snap. UConn converted on just 2-of-12 third down attempts. Tailback Lyle McCombs actually had a solid game with 88 yards and a score on 14 carries. However, the team only averaged 3.0 yards per carry overall. Tom Boyle threw for just 47 yards on 7-of-21 passing, while being intercepted twice. Casey Cochran took over and threw for 95 yards and a score on 7-of-11 passing. Brian Lemelle caught that lone touchdown pass and had 81 yards on three catches. Ty-Meer Brown finished with a game-high 12 tackles. Another difficult test awaits the Huskies next, as they come out of this week's bye to face nationally-ranked Louisville on Nov. 9.

HOUSTON: In a statement victory the Cougars blasted fellow dark-horse contender Rutgers, 49-14, at High Points Solutions Stadium this past weekend. The win allowed the Cougars to bounce back from a tough, 47-46, loss to BYU last week. Houston is 6-1 overall this season and holds a 3-0 mark against teams from the AAC, tying it with UCF for first place. Houston piled up 611 yards of total offense in the victory over Rutgers, averaging a robust 8.4 yards per play. Quarterback John O'Korn led the way with career-highs 364 yards and five touchdowns on 24-of-30 passing. O'Korn has thrown at least a pair of scoring strikes in the last five games. Deontay Greenberry had eight receptions for 168 yards and three touchdowns in the win.3 Greenberry's yards and touchdown totals were both career-highs. Daniel Spencer had six grabs for 117 yards to give the Cougars a pair of 100-yard receivers for the second- straight week. The Cougars also rushed for 211 yards as a team led by Greg Ward (91 yards, TD) and Kenneth Farrow (74 yards, TD).Steven Taylor and Trevon Stewart each had 10 tackles, while Turon Walker and Adrian McDonald each had a pair of interceptions. Houston will battle USF next in a Thursday night matchup.

LOUISVILLE: The Cardinals responded to their first loss of the season last week with a 34-3 rout of South Florida this past Saturday. The win improved the Cardinals to 7-1 overall and 3-1 in conference competition, keeping them a half-game behind Houston and UCF at the top of the league standings. Louisville finished the game with 485 yards of total offense and 26 first downs, while holding the Bulls to just 133 yards and eight first downs. Teddy Bridgewater was nearly flawless in the win with 344 yards and three touchdowns on 25-of-29 passing. Bridgewater completed a pass to 11 different receivers en route to his 12th-career 300-yard game. Dominique Brown was the most productive skill position player with 125 yards on 18 carries as well as a team-high six receptions for 61 yards and a score. Brown was making his first start of the season. Damian Copeland also took in five passes for 63 yards and a touchdown. Preston Brown tied for a team-high with four tackles including two sacks, while Marcus Smith collected a pair of the Cardinals' four sacks. Next on the schedule is a date against Connecticut in two weeks.

MEMPHIS: The Tigers limped into a bye week this past Saturday after opening the year on a 1-5 run. The second half of the campaign begins on Wednesday against Cincinnati.

RUTGERS: Despite having two weeks to get ready, Rutgers was caught unprepared against Houston as the Scarlet Knights were dropped, 49-14, on their home field. The loss was the second straight for the Scarlet Knights, who are now 4-3 overall and 1-2 in league play. Rutgers did finish with 420 yards of total offense but failed to score in the second half while letting up 611 yards of offense to the Cougars during the 60 minutes. Rutgers scored on just 2-of-4 attempts in the red zone. Gary Nova started the game at quarterback but was intercepted three times on 7-of-15 passing while recording 138 yards. Chas Dodd came in for Nova in the third quarter and finished with 78 yards and an interception on 11-of-15 passing. There were 10 different receivers who made a catch with Carlton Agudosi (two receptions, 59 yards) the top pass-catcher on the day. The two receptions were the first of his career. Justin Goodwin was a lone bright spot with career-highs in attempts (31) and yards (165) as well as two scores. Jamil Merrell had five tackles, two for loss and one of four sacks by Rutgers, which battles Temple next weekend.

SMU: In the biggest shootout of the weekend in the conference the Mustangs were able to overcome Temple in a 59-49 triumph. The win was the second straight for the Mustangs, who are now a surprising 2-1 in conference action, though the two wins came against Temple and Memphis, who are each winless against the rest of the league. The Mustangs rolled up a program record 728 yards of total offense. It wasn't the only program record set on the day as SMU also collected records in passing yards (538), first downs (34) and points. The Mustangs scored touchdowns on six of their seven red zone trips and went 8-of-13 on third down. Garrett Gilbert was responsible for 635 of those yards which was not only a career-high but a SMU record. Gilbert completed 37-of-53 pass attempts for 538 yards and for touchdowns and also rushed for 97 yards and an additional score. Keenan Holman brought in 10 passes for 209 yards and three touchdowns. Holman set career-highs in touchdowns and the yards. SMU had a game-high 12 tackles, including a sack for the Mustangs. Up next the Mustangs will face Cincinnati, though not until Nov. 9.

SOUTH FLORIDA: The Bulls' surprising 2-0 start in league play came to a halt this past weekend as they were blasted, 34-3, by Louisville. The Bulls are 2-5 overall following the loss and now in a three-way tie for fourth place in the AAC standings with a mark of 2-1. The Bulls managed just 133 yards of total offense in the game, while amassing just eight first downs. The Bulls also failed to score in their only red zone trip, while converting just one in nine tries on third down. South Florida also had just 18:17 in time of possession. Steven Bench threw for 68 yards ad an interception on a mere 4-of-21 passing. The Bulls had only eight completions as a team. No player on the roster had more than one catch. Darius Tice was the leading rusher with 41 yards on seven carries. DeDe Lattimore posted a pair of sacks for the Bulls, who had five as a team. On Thursday the Bulls are back in action against conference-leading Houston.

TEMPLE: The Owls got caught up in a shootout when it went down to Dallas to face SMU but they fell short in a 59-49 decision. The Owls led 28-7 just before halftime but were unable to hold on to their advantage in the second half. Temple finished with a season-high 593 yards of total offense but also gave up 728 of yards to the Mustangs. Robbie Anderson was incredible in the losing effort as he set a program record with 239 receiving yards, while scoring two touchdowns on nine receptions. P.J. Walker continued to cement himself as the starter at quarterback as he threw for 293 yards and four touchdowns on 26-of-37 passing, while adding a team-high 92 yards and a score on the ground. Zaire Williams had 73 yards on nine carries and Kenneth Harper scored a touchdown. The setback against the Mustangs dropped the Owls to just 1-7 overall and in last place in the conference with four losses in as many games. Temple's next chance comes this weekend when it visits regional rival Rutgers.

UCF: There was no letup for the Knights after their improbable come-from- behind win over Louisville as they surged to a 62-17 victory over UConn on their home field. The win keeps UCF tied with Houston at the top of the AAC standings with a record of 3-0. The Knights were efficient on offense to the tune of 527 yards and 7.2 yards per play. The Knights then allowed just 233 yards on 62 plays to the Huskies. UCF had 10 trips into the end zone, seven of which ended in touchdowns. Blake Bortles threw for 286 yards and four scores on 20-of-24 passing, before giving way to backup Justin Holman, who threw for 65 yards and a score as well as an interception on 6-of-11 passing. J.J. Worton was the leading receiver with 119 yards and a touchdown on six receptions. Jeff Godfrey had six catches, for 54 yards, but scored three times. Storm Johnson scored a touchdown rushing and receiving. Rannell Hall also had a rushing touchdown while picking up a team-high 45 yards on the ground. Next UCF is off as it prepares for a huge matchup with Houston on Nov. 9.