Conference USA Football was back in action this weekend. Here’s the latest from the teams on the gridiron in Week 4.

Notable Week 4 results – Standings

Blazers prove to be the team to beat in the West

UAB had the unenviable task of traveling to play a hot South Alabama team without starting quarterback Tyler Johnston. Not only did the Blazers rise to the occasion, backup Bryson Lucero slung the ball all over the yard, racking up 319 yards and two touchdowns. On the ground, Spencer Brown became the program leader in rushing touchdowns. The defense was stout, holding USA to 3-for-12 on third down. UAB looks every bit the contender many expected them to be.

Rice is back

After delaying their season multiple times, Rice football has returned to practice. The Owls began fall camp this week and are on schedule to open their 2020 season against Middle Tennessee on Oct. 24. The Owls currently have six games on their schedule.

THREE WIN UTEP

UTEP started out strong with a pair of wins over FCS schools, equally their win total over the past two seasons. Saturday the Miners further impressed, thumping Louisiana Monroe on the road. Gavin Hardison threw for 302 yards. Deion Hankins rushed for 118 yards and three scores. It wasn’t a perfect performance, but it was a big win for the UTEP program and head coach Dana Dimel.

Week 5 storylines

Third time’s the charm

Postponements have been a weekly occurrence in college football this year and it doesn’t seem like something that will be going away any time soon. The loss of games has been more impactful to some programs than others. FAU and Rice are the only active C-USA teams who haven’t played a game yet this season. FAU will try for their debut next week against Charlotte after losing potential openers against Georgia Southern and South Florida.

Roadrunner gut check

A 3-0 start has UTSA fans riding high. Given the circumstances, it certainly seems like Jeff Traylor has done a phenomenal job in his first few months in San Antonio. Week 5 will put that growth to the test as the Roadrunners visit the UAB Blazers. An upset there could turn a feel-good start into legitimate conference title aspirations.

Last tune-up for Louisiana Tech

Louisiana Tech overcame significant adversity to win their season-opening game against Southern Miss in the final seconds. After downing HBU this week, the Bulldogs get a challenging test in Week 5 against a BYU squad that was only recently added to the schedule. Showing clear improvement against the Cougars (and maybe settling on a QB1) could but them in a great place before returning to conference play.

Rice Football Opponent Scouting Report

A weekly update on who the Owls will be playing this season including updates on key storylines, injuries and more.

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• Conference USA Football 2020: Week 4 C-USA Roundup
• College Football and COVID-19: Mid September Roundup
• The Roost Podcast | Ep 53 – Breaking News: Rice Football is back
• BREAKING: Rice Football returns to practice, on track to play this fall

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Conference USA Football was back in action this weekend. Here’s the latest from the teams on the gridiron in Week 3.

Notable Week 3 results – Standings

Have Ya Heard about the Herd?

It was hard not to get exciting when freshman quarterback Grant Wells dazzled in a 59-0 debut win over Eastern Kentucky. But knocking off a ranked App State squad in his second career game was an encore better than most could have imagined. Not only is Marshall 2-0, but they’ve also solidified themselves as one of the frontrunners in the East.

Don’t give us Liberty

With several Power 5 conferences shutting off their non-conference slate, Liberty paired up with several Conference USA football squads for games this year. The Flames will play FIU next week and Southern Miss later in the year in games that might be more interesting than expected after Liberty dropped 30 points on what most expected to be a stingy Western Kentucky defense.

Mayhem continues in Hattiesburg

Southern Miss parted ways with head coach Jay Hopson last week after an embarrassing loss to South Alabama. For much of their Week 3 game with Louisiana Tech, it looked like the switch to interim man Scottie Walden would prove to smooth things out. Then Bulldogs’ quarterback Luke Anthony found Griffin Hebert for a toe-touching go-ahead touchdown in the final seconds to extend the dour mood in Hattiesburg for at least one more week.

This is definitely a (potential game-winning) TD for Louisiana Tech pic.twitter.com/v81h18yGDU

— Yahoo Sports College Football (@YahooSportsCFB) September 20, 2020

Week 4 storylines

National Spotlight

One of the perks of the slimmer slate of games this fall has been more opportunities in the spotlight for Conference USA football. It hasn’t all been positive — some of it has been downright dismal. UAB’s matchup with South Alabama on ESPN on Thursday will afford the Blazers a chance to do what Southern Miss couldn’t do and do it with a large audience.

HBU stops before others start

Schedules have been strange in 2020 and you don’t have to look much further than a Houston Baptist team who faces their second C-USA opponent next week. A game against Louisiana Tech completes a three-game slate for the Huskies, which also included losses to North Texas and Texas Tech earlier in September. Next week HBU will finish their season on the same weekend FIU begins.

UTS-Ahead of schedule?

New head coach Jeff Traylor turned some heads when the Roadrunners knocked off Texas State in overtime in his head coaching debut. Unfortunately, he won’t get a chance to knock off a ranked Memphis team after that game was canceled on Saturday. Still, beating Middle Tennessee would elevate UTSA to 3-0. That’s a fantastic start no matter the circumstances.

Rice Football Opponent Scouting Report

A weekly update on who the Owls will be playing this season including updates on key storylines, injuries and more.

Sorry! This part of content is hidden behind this box because it requires a higher contribution level ($10) at Patreon. Why not take this chance to increase your contribution?

Recent Posts

• Conference USA Football 2020: Week 4 C-USA Roundup
• College Football and COVID-19: Mid September Roundup
• The Roost Podcast | Ep 53 – Breaking News: Rice Football is back
• BREAKING: Rice Football returns to practice, on track to play this fall

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Conference USA Football was back in action this weekend. Here’s the latest from the teams on the gridiron in Week 2.

Notable Week 2 results – Standings

Jay Hopson out at Southern Miss

Southern Miss didn’t have a game this week, but the program still lost, this time their head coach. Hopson leaves after being upset by South Alabama in the Golden Eagles’ season opener. We talked with Jamie Arrington and Jason Bailey of To The Top Talk Podcast on The Roost Podcast this week to get an insider’s perspective on what happened in Hattiesburg and what Southern Miss fans think of the news.

Miami finally gets a win over C-USA

After taking successive losses to FIU and Louisiana Tech, Miami prevailed against C-USA’s UAB to kick off Week 2 of college football. UAB couldn’t stem the Canes on the ground (337 yards, 3 touchdowns) and stubbed their toe with 11 penalties. The Blazers have now played a clearly inferior opponent and one a step above them and yet to play their best game but still should be a formidable C-USA contender.

Off with a bang

New UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor was dealt a rough hand when he inherited a program at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the challenges he and his staff faced, the Roadrunners pulled out an overtime victory against an upstart Texas State team.

Week 3 storylines

FAU debut

Willie Taggart’s first game as the head coach at FAU is this week. The Owls should be slight favorites when they visit Georgia Southern in Week 3. How FAU responds to a new quarterback could prove to be the difference-maker in a season with high expectations despite the offseason turnover in personnel and on the coaching staff.

Conference play is here

Weeks before Rice and FIU are scheduled to begin their 2020 season, the first C-USA conference game is on the docket. The interim coached-Southern Miss hosts Louisiana Tech in a game that could prove pivotal for the C-USA West Division race.

Two-win UTEP?

When we previewed UTEP on The Roost Podcast this summer, we talked about the real possibility of a winless season. With a win over SFA already under their belt, the Miners could surpass their entire 2019 win total by beating Abilene Christian next weekend. That’s kind of a big deal, especially in the midst of this uncertain season.

Recent Posts

• Conference USA Football 2020: Week 4 C-USA Roundup
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• The Roost Podcast | Ep 53 – Breaking News: Rice Football is back
• BREAKING: Rice Football returns to practice, on track to play this fall

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Conference USA Football kicked off its 2020 season this weekend. Here’s the latest from the six teams in action in Week 1.

Notable Week 1 results – Standings

Southern Miss reminded us why we love/hate this marvelous sport

The emotional rollercoaster that was this offseason took fans through every stage of hope and despair. Eventually, when kickoff had finally arrived, most had reached a place of optimism. After months of uncertainty, football was finally here! It took less than 15 minutes of game time before Southern Miss fans were calling for a coaching change. The Golden Eagles would go on to lose to South Alabama despite being double-digit home favorites. Ouch. Welcome back, college football.

Reigning West champs look wobbly

UAB beat FCS Central Arkansas by 10 points, but the Blazers and the Bears were neck and neck through a good portion of the game. The UAB offense veered back and forth between its ups and downs, spotting UCA great field goal position, from which they capitalized. A win is a win, but UAB had better get all their rust off during practice this week before taking on Miami in Week 2.

UTEP wins!

Dana Dimel’s program is at the point where any victory is a meaningful one, even if it comes in comeback fashion against an FCS team at home. The Miners trailed Stephen F. Austin early but rallied behind the legs of Deion Hankins and the arm of Gavin Hardison to outscore their opponents 21-0 after falling behind 14-3 early in the second quarter. And hey, anything would have been better than Middle Tennessee’s disastrous outing against Army. Sheesh.

Week 2 storylines

On Deck

After sitting out Week 1 four Conference USA teams will kick off their 2020 seasons in Week 2. Oddly enough, all four begin on the road. Charlotte visits Appalachian State, Lousiana Tech takes on Baylor, UTSA travels to Texas State and WKU plays at Lousiville. The two matchups against Power 5 teams could prove to be the most interesting.

Strange scheduling

Old Dominion made waves when they became the first Conference USA team to opt-out of the 2020 season entirely. The Monarchs won’t play any games this fall, but they’ll have played as many games in the first two weeks as FIU, FAU and Rice, all of which have open dates during Week 1 and Week 2 after their originally scheduled contests were postponed.

C-USA three-peat

FIU put a feather in C-USA’s collective cap last season when the Panthers knocked off Miami. LA Tech gave the conference an encore performance, shutting out the Hurricanes 14-0 in the Independence Bowl. Should UAB topple The U next weekend, Conference USA will be able to claim three consecutive victories over one of the ACC’s most storied programs.

Recent Posts

• Conference USA Football 2020: Week 4 C-USA Roundup
• College Football and COVID-19: Mid September Roundup
• The Roost Podcast | Ep 53 – Breaking News: Rice Football is back
• BREAKING: Rice Football returns to practice, on track to play this fall

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