The source for Rice sports news

AAC Football 2024: Week 7 Roundup

By

AAC Football was back in action this weekend. Here’s the latest from the teams on the gridiron this week.

Team Record  This Week Result Up Next
Army 6-0 (5-0) vs UAB W, 44-10 vs ECU
Charlotte 3-3 (2-0) — OFF —  — at Navy
ECU 3-3 (1-1) — OFF —  — at Army
FAU 2-4 (0-2) vs North Texas L, 41-37 at UTSA
Memphis 5-1 (1-1) at USF W, 21-3 vs North Texas
Navy 5-0 (3-0) — OFF —  — vs Charlotte
North Texas 5-1 (2-0) at FAU W, 41-37 at Memphis
Rice 2-4 (1-2) vs UTSA W, 29-27 at Tulane
Temple 1-5 (0-2) — OFF —  — vs Tulsa
Tulane 4-2 (2-0) — OFF —  — vs Rice
Tulsa 2-4 (0-2) — OFF —  — at Temple
UAB 1-5 (0-3) at Army L, 44-10 at USF
USF 2-4 (0-2) vs Memphis L, 21-3 vs UAB
UTSA 2-4 (0-2) at Rice L, 29-27 vs FAU

Notable Results and Storylines // (Standings)

Memphis won’t go quietly

When Memphis lost to Navy a few weeks ago much of the ire fell on the Tigers who seemingly had coughed away the driver’s seat in the AAC team despite being a heavy favorite. That loss looks more understandable as time goes on and Memphis might not be out of it just yet, especially if they keep posting results like they did on Saturday. USF isn’t the same without Byrum Brown and the challenges thrown their way by the hurricane couldn’t have helped. Still, Memphis took care of business and looks to be the real deal.

Rice gets off the mat

A heroic last-second touchdown pass from EJ Warner to Matt Sykes gave Rice Football its first FBS win of the season and moved the Owls to 1-2 in AAC play. The victory over UTSA got Rice out of the basement of the league standings, leaving Temple and UAB as the only one-squads remaining in the AAC. Six AAC teams remain winless in league play, but the Owls are not among them.

FAU underwhelms

Florida Atlantic was picked to finish sixth in the preseason but the 2-4 (0-2) Owls keep falling down the standings. They went toe-to-toe with North Texas on Saturday and looked to have the game won with a Morgan Suarez field goal in the fourth quarter that put them up by 10 points with 4:21 remaining. Instead, North Texas engineered back-to-back touchdown drives in the final minutes to hand FAU another loss. North Texas has now outscored their opponents 135 to 63 in the second half this season.

Looking ahead – Key storylines

Can anyone slow down Army?

The Black Knights continue to run roughshod through the AAC in their first season in the league. Nobody has been able to stop quarterback Bryson Daily who tied the school record for consecutive 100-yard rushing games and ranks in the top five in the nation in rushing touchdowns. ECU is on deck. The Pirates rank third in the conference in yards per carry allowed, but the triple option is an entirely different monster.

Somebody has to win

Basement dwellers Tulsa and Temple square off next weekend in a battle to avoid the bottom spot in the league standings and keep feeble postseason hopes alive for at least another week. Both teams are coming off a bye so there’s no excuse not to be ready for what should be a winnable game with the potential to salvage some hope in an otherwise challenging season for both sides.

Prove your mettle, Mean Green

North Texas is the surprise entrant to the top of the league standings, but how long they stay there might depend on what happens next weekend. The Mean Green travel to Memphis for what could be a pivotal game in determining the pecking order at the top of the league. A win by Memphis keeps them in the AAC title race. A win by North Texas would be a statement that declares they belong in that conversation.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

AAC Football 2024: Week 6 Roundup

By

AAC Football was back in action this weekend. Here’s the latest from the teams on the gridiron this week.

Team Record  This Week Result Up Next
Army 5-0 (4-0) at Tulsa W, 49-7 vs UAB
Charlotte 3-3 (2-0) vs ECU W, 55-24 — OFF —
ECU 3-3 (1-1) at Charlotte L, 55-24 — OFF —
FAU 2-3 (0-1) — OFF —  — vs North Texas
Memphis 4-1 (0-1) — OFF —  — at USF
Navy 5-0 (3-0) at Air Force W, 34-7 — OFF —
North Texas 4-1 (1-0) — OFF —  — at FAU
Rice 1-4 (0-2) — OFF —  — vs UTSA
Temple 1-5 (0-2) at UConn L, 29-20 — OFF —
Tulane 4-2 (2-0) at UAB W, 71-20 — OFF —
Tulsa 2-4 (0-2) vs Army L, 49-7 — OFF —
UAB 1-4 (0-2) vs Tulane L, 41-20 at Army
USF 2-3 (0-1) — OFF —  — vs Memphis
UTSA 2-3 (0-1) — OFF —  — at Rice

Notable Results and Storylines // (Standings)

5-0 Troops

For the first time since 1945, both Army and Navy have started the season 5-0. Army owns the nation’s longest winning streak (nine games) and has not trailed at any point during a game this season. Meanwhile Navy is cruising, too. The Midshipmen are the only team in the nation to score on every red zone appearance, converting 19-of-19 trips for scores this year. It’s a good time to be a service academy in the AAC.

Blazers down bad

UAB is not having a good time right now. Weeks removed from putting a scare into Arkansas the Blazers appear to have fallen apart, most recently being completely dismantled by Tulane. The Green Wave appear to be among the best of the best in the AAC, a stark difference from the product the Blazers are putting on the field right now. That’s not where Trent Dilfer and his staff hoped the program would be in year two, but that’s the reality they’re living in.

Niners off the mat

A similar sob story was close to being written about Charlotte, but the 49ers have rebounded from a perilous 1-3 start with back-to-back conference wins, this week blasting East Carolina in a burgeoning rivalry game. As things currently stand, the Nines are one of five AAC teams without a conference lost. That’s not someone anyone could have predicted a month ago, but things change quickly in this sport.

Looking ahead – Key storylines

In the thick of double bye weeks

It’s been back-to-back relatively light weeks for the AAC with almost half the league on bye this week and the other half on bye next week. If that feels like a lot of missing football, you’re not wrong. Because of the way the calendar falls this season each team will have two open weeks, split roughly in the first half and second half of the season. We’ll have much fuller AAC slates in Weeks 8 and Week 9 before another lull inaction later in the year.

Memphis and South Florida square off

Entering the year this Week 7 matchup between Memphis and South Florida was meant to be pivotal for the AAC Championship race, and that still very well might be true, but it’s taken on an additional degree of importance in recent weeks. Early stumbles by both squads and the hot starts of Army and Navy have upped the ante in this contest. The winner stays in the race while the loser might be out of luck before the calendar reaches Halloween.

What about the Mean Green?

North Texas has a Power conference loss to Texas Tech, but has otherwise handled business entering their first bye week of the season. The Mean Green weren’t expected to be among the conference frontrunners, but their offense looks like the real deal and they’re flying a bit under the radar following wins over Wyoming and Tulsa. A win over FAU this weekend would set them up for a potentially pivotal trip to Memphis in two weeks.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

AAC Football 2024: Week 5 Roundup

By

AAC Football was back in action this weekend. Here’s the latest from the teams on the gridiron this week.

Team Record  This Week Result Up Next
Army 4-0 (3-0) at Temple (Thr) W, 42-14 at Tulsa
Charlotte 2-3 (1-0) at Rice W, 21-20 vs ECU
ECU 3-2 (1-0) vs UTSA W, 30-20 at Charlotte
FAU 2-3 (0-1) vs Wagner W, 41-10 — OFF —
Memphis 4-1 (0-1) vs MTSU W, 24-7 — OFF —
Navy 4-0 (3-0) at UAB W, 41-18 at Air Force
North Texas 4-1 (1-0) vs Tulsa W, 52-20 — OFF —
Rice 1-4 (0-2) vs Charlotte L, 21-20 — OFF —
Temple 1-4 (0-2) vs Army (Thr) L, 42-14 at UConn
Tulane 3-2 (1-0) vs USF W, 45-10 at UAB
Tulsa 2-3 (0-1) at North Texas L. 52-20 vs Army
UAB 1-3 (0-1) vs Navy L, 41-18 vs Tulane
USF 2-3 (0-1) at Tulane L, 45-10 — OFF —
UTSA 2-3 (0-1) at ECU L, 30-20 — OFF —

Notable Results and Storylines // (Standings)

Green Wave Roll

Although South Florida quarterback Byrum Brown did leave this game early with an injury, it wouldn’t have changed the outcome in the slightest. Tulane mopped the floor with South Florida, exorcising some demons from a few near-misses against Power conference opponents in recent weeks. Army and Navy are the conference frontrunners thus far, but don’t sleep on a complete Tulane squad that can score and play elite defense.

Tell me more

East Carolina upset UTSA in a game in which the Roadrunners led 13-3 in the waning minutes of the first half. The Pirates have shown some spunk in recent results while UTSA hasn’t quite found its groove without Frank Harris. Which reality is more causal, though? Is ECU rising or UTSA sliding? Both? To what degree? It’s just too early to tell.

To the bottom

Rice outgained Charlotte and at the two-minute timeout but was unable to prevent the go-ahead score and missed a field goal at the end of regulation that would have won the game. Instead, they lost and now sit a 1-4 through five games. A promising season now sees the Owls enter the bye week tied with Temple for the worst record in league play. Temple has an FBS win, though. Rice does not.

Looking ahead – Key storylines

Rivalry, Beware

Navy has looked much improved this season while Air Force has struggled, but those things tend to go out the window when rivalry games arrive. A non-conference loss wouldn’t be catastrophic for the Midshipmen by any means, but it would mean a hit for — and I can’t believe I’m saying this — they’re potential College Football Playoff aspirations. Those are the sorting of dreams you get to have after taking down the preseason conference favorite and starting league play a sterling 3-0.

Bye week blues

Rice, UTSA and South Florida all enter their bye weeks in varying states of unrest. All three lost the week before and have some adjustments to do before kicking off the second half of their seasons in Week 7. None of this trio expected to be below ..500 at this point in the season, but it’s the cards they’ve been dealt. Whoever makes the most of this extra time has a chance to salvage things. UTSA and Rice will find that answer soon enough, meeting in Houston following their bye.

Fluke or Fortune?

Charlotte got a big win in Houston on Saturday, knocking off Rice. The game was going sideways before the 49ers made a quarterback change, sitting Trexler Ivey in favor of Deshawn Purdie, who led three scoring drives in the second half. Another win next week against East Carolina has the potential to bolster the 49ers’ aspirations and turn this from a lost season into a competitive one. We’ll find out soon enough.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

AAC Football 2024: Week 4 Roundup

By

AAC Football was back in action this weekend. Here’s the latest from the teams on the gridiron this week.

Team Record  This Week Result Up Next
Army 3-0 (2-0) vs Rice W, 37-14 at Temple (Thr)
Charlotte 1-3 (0-0) at Indiana L, 52-14 at Rice
ECU 2-2 (0-0) at Liberty L, 35-24 vs UTSA
FAU 1-3 (0-1) at UConn L, 48-14 vs Wagner
Memphis 3-1 (0-1) at Navy L, 56-44 vs MTSU
Navy 3-0 (2-0) vs Memphis W, 56-44 at UAB
North Texas 3-1 (0-0) vs Wyoming W, 44-17 vs Tulsa
Rice 1-3 (0-1) at Army L, 37-14 vs Charlotte
Temple 1-3 (0-1) vs Utah State W, 45-29 vs Army (Thr)
Tulane 2-2 (0-0) at Louisiana W, 41-33 vs USF
Tulsa 2-2 (0-0) at Louisiana Tech W, 23-20 (OT) at North Texas
UAB 1-2 (0-1) — OFF —  — vs Navy
USF 2-2 (0-0) vs Miami L, 50-15 at Tulane
UTSA 2-2 (0-0) vs Houston Christian W, 45-17 at ECU

Notable Results and Storylines // (Standings)

Salute the Troops

Army was the home favorite in their first-ever AAC home game against Rice and took care of business handily, but it was the other academy that made the biggest waves this weekend. Navy came out guns blazing and roughed up Memphis, knocking the preseason No. 1 team off in their first conference game. Midshipmen quarterback Blake Horvath paved the way with 211 rushing yards and Rayuan Lane delivered a game-sealing pick-six in the final minute to secure the upset.

Temple finds the win column

It wasn’t uncommon to see Temple predicted to go winless this season as recently as this past week. These Owls had other plans though. After falling behind by 14 points in the second quarter, the underdogs rallied to score 31 of the game’s final 38 points and secure the upset.  Quarterback Evan Simon’s five-touchdown day was impressive.

Tulane gets right

A brutal non-conference schedule left Tulane 1-2 entering their final non-conference game against a feisty Lousiana squad. The Green Wave could still make some noise in AAC action without this game, but the chance to get back on the right track before conference play begins has to provide some comfort. Makhi Hughes went for 166 on the ground to pace the victory.

Looking ahead – Key storylines

Heavy Weight Fight No. 1

The game of the week in the AAC takes place in New Orleans where Tulane hosts South Florida. With Memphis falling to Navy, the driver’s seat in the AAC is up for grabs. This pair of conference frontrunners could earn themselves some extra margin with a win on Saturday.

Basement bowl

Through four weeks, Charlotte and Rice are the only teams that have played four games and remain winless against FBS opponents. That duo squares off at Rice Stadium this coming Saturday. Whoever loses this game will find themselves at the bottom of the AAC standings with a hard road to climb out.

Are the Pirates for real?

East Carolina is 2-2 on the season but isn’t that far away from being 4-0. The Pirates lost to Appalachian State by two points in Week 3 and had a 17-point lead at Liberty on Saturday in a game that included a four-hour weather delay that stifled their early momentum. UTSA comes to town next. It’s not a game they’re supposed to win, but combining those early flashes into a consistent effort could make this a sneak shot for an upset for ECU.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

AAC Football 2024: Week 3 Roundup

By

AAC Football was back in action this weekend. Here’s the latest from the teams on the gridiron this week.

Team Record  This Week Result Up Next
Army 2-0 (1-0) — OFF —  — vs Rice
Charlotte 1-2 (0-0) vs Gardner-Webb W,27-26 at Indiana
ECU 2-1 (0-0) vs App State L, 21-19 at Liberty
FAU 1-2 (0-1) vs FIU W, 38-20 at UConn
Memphis 3-0 (0-0) at Florida State W, 20-0 at Navy
Navy 2-0 (1-0) — OFF —  — vs Memphis
North Texas 2-1 (0-0) at Texas Tech L, 66-21 vs Wyoming
Rice 1-2 (0-0) at Houston L, 33-7 at Army
Temple 0-3 (0-1) vs Coastal Carolina L, 28-20 vs Utah State
Tulane 1-2 (0-0) at Oklahoma L, 34-19 at Louisiana
Tulsa 1-2 (0-0) vs 16 Oklahoma St L, 45-10 at Louisiana Tech
UAB 1-2 (0-1) at Arkansas L, 37-27 — OFF —
USF 2-1 (0-0) at Southern Miss W, 49-24 vs Miami
UTSA 1-2 (0-0) at Texas L, 56-7 vs Houston Christian

Notable Results and Storylines // (Standings)

3-0 Tigers

And then there was one. Memphis is the only 3-0 team in the American Conference, knocking off Florida State in Tallahassee to secure a perfect start. They’re not the only undefeated AAC squad — Army and Navy (2-0) were both off this week — but they’re in pole position in the conference and have a College Football Playoff spot in reach thanks to the power conference win. Now they need to stay the course.

Soul searching in Birmingham

A week removed from being blasted by Louisiana Monroe, UAB looked to have banished their demons entirely, opening their second quarter against Arkansas with a 34-yard touchdown pass from Jacob Zeno that put them up 17-3 over the Razorbacks. From that point onward, Arkansas outscored UAB 34-10, dropping the Blazers to 1-2 on the season and o-2 in games against FBS opponents. There are a lot of things to work on for this team headed into a bye.

Rivalries split

A year removed from knocking off Houston in double overtime to win the Bayou Bucket, Rice football was customarily dismantled in their return trip to TDECU stadium. Florida Atlantic, the other Owls in a rivalry battle this weekend faired much better, dispatching FIU to earn their first win of the season. Both of these teams are 1-2 both the Florida-based Owls have some momentum on their side now.

Looking ahead – Key storylines

Sunshine state slugfest

A game both sides have had circled since the season began arrives in Week 4 when South Florida hosts Miami at Raymond James Stadium. USF has scared Alabama in back-to-back seasons, could this be the game they break through with a signature win? To do so against an intrastate rival who is nationally ranked would surely catapult the Bulls into the College Football Playoff conversation as AAC play nears.

Are the Troops the real deal?

Even though they commended Memphis for a job well done on social media, the Midshipmen will still have to square off with the Tigers next weekend. Army draws a Rice team licking their wounds. Both service academies enter Week 4 undefeated through two games. A win by either squad would serve another step toward legitimizing their case a AAC contenders this season, particularly if the Naval Academy can make a victory announcement for one of their own games.

Can the Green Wave get off the mat?

Tulane might be the best 1-2 team in the country. The Green Wave acquitted themselves well against No. 17 Kansas State and No. 15 Oklahoma but were unable to pull out a win in either game. They scheduled hard and it didn’t work out. Now it’s time to prove they’re still a legitimate AAC contender which starts next weekend on the road against a 2-0 Louisiana team that’s off to a strong start. Three straight nonconference losses would sour a season with relatively high expectations for Jon Sumerall and company.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts