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Conference USA Football 2020: Week 1 C-USA Roundup

September 6, 2020 By Matthew Bartlett

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

Team Week 1 Result Week 2
Charlotte — OFF —  — at App State
FAU — OFF —  — — OFF —
FIU — OFF —  — — OFF —
LA Tech — OFF —  — at Baylor
Marshall vs EKU W, 59-0 — OFF —
MTSU at Army L, 42-0 — OFF —
North Texas vs HBU W, 57-31 — OFF —
Rice — OFF —  — — OFF —
Southern Miss vs South Alabama L, 32-21 — OFF —
UAB vs Central Arkansas W, 45-35  at Miami
UTEP vs SFA W, 24-14 at Texas
UTSA — OFF —  — at Texas St
WKU — OFF —  — at Louisville

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.

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Filed Under: Football, Archive Tagged With: Conference USA, Conference USA football

Conference USA Football: Reaction and “Snubs” from All-Conference team

August 26, 2020 By Matthew Bartlett

The 2020 Conference USA Football Coaches All-Conference teams are out. Which players should have had their names mentioned?

Before we really get going, let’s all agree that all-conference lists are inherently subjective. The 2020 Conference USA Football Coaches Preseason Teams was never going to make every fan base happy. And frankly, it wasn’t supposed to achieve those ends.

It was meant to recognize athletes who have proven themselves to be the best their conference has to offer. With that as the ground rules, there are a few “snubs” that deserved recognition on this list of C-USA’s best in some form or another.

Asher O’Hara – QB, Middle Tennesse

If I were building a team from scratch with Conference USA quarterbacks, Chris Robison from FAU would have been my first pick, judging by on-field ability alone. He’s no longer on the Owls’ roster. Asher O’Hara would have been my second.

O’Hara carried the Middle Tennesee offense on his back last season, willing an injury-plagued team within a few unfortunate bounces of bowl eligibility. He’s dangerous with his legs and his arms, and he’s still getting better. His 1,058 rushing yards were more than five times any other player on his team.

Instead, Jack Abraham gets the nod. The Southern Miss quarterback has shown flashes of being a top-notch player, but his abundance of elite pass catchers and inconsistencies make it hard for me to anoint him the best quarterback in the conference. Top 5? Sure. No. 1? That’s a tough sell. Charlotte’s Chris Reynolds has an argument to be made for him, too.

Victor Tucker – WR, Charlotte

If the conference included an all-purpose slot or one more nomination for a receiver, Tucker would have been the next name mentioned. All three of the guys mentioned in front of him are equally as deserving, but Tucker isn’t far behind by much, if at all.

Tucker has already secured a place among the best receivers in Charlotte football history. He’s the second leading returning receiver in the conference entering 2020, trailing only UAB’s Austin Watkins. He’s a home run threat that will continue to be a key cog in the 49ers’ offense in 2020.

Brontae Harris – CB, UAB

Harris not making the cut for the preseason list is explainable. He missed the entirety of his junior season with a foot injury. It’s hard for players to stay on these lists when they miss that many games, to some extent it really is “out of sight, out of mind”. So perhaps Harris being omitted isn’t quite a “snub”, but he’s worthy of the honor.

Pro Football Focus graded Harris as the highest-rated corner during his redshirt sophomore season, his last healthy year. Entering 2019 he was named to the Jim Thorpe Award preseason watch list, just as he was this season. He’s an elite corner who won’t be overlooked if he gets in a full season in 2020.

You can get all our conference preseason team picks in The Roost’s 2020 Conference USA Season Preview, available now for $5.

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

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Filed Under: Football, Archive Tagged With: Conference USA, Conference USA football

College Football and COVID-19: Early August Roundup

August 9, 2020 By Matthew Bartlett

This week has brought plenty of updates as to the status of the upcoming college football season amid a pandemic. Here are a few highlights.

This edition of the round up comes one week removed from the previous edition, and my goodness, what can change in a week! A week ago conferences were still sorting out how many games they were going to play. There’s been some more clarity on that front, and less clarity on others. Here’s the latest.

Big 12 goes conference plus one

Following in the footsteps of the ACC, the Big 12 has opted to allow its teams to play one non-conference game. That makes sense given the league’s 10 members with less intraleague options available for scheduling purposes. They were the last Power 5 conference to announce their decision.

UConn cancels football season

UConn became the first FBS program to cancel their 2020 college football season in its entirety. The Athletic ($) reported earlier in the week that head coach Randy Edsall was going to give his players a voice in what the program was going to do this season. Days later, the school announced they would not be playing this season. The players released this joint statement:

 “As a team we are in full support of the decision to not compete in 2020.  We have many health concerns and not enough is known about the potential long term effects of contracting COVID-19. Additionally, we have not had the optimal time to train mentally & physically to be properly prepared to compete this season.  We love this game and love competing.  We came to campus in the beginning of July knowing there would be challenges presented by the pandemic but it is apparent to us now that these challenges are impossible to overcome.”

The MAC becomes first FBS conference to cancel all fall sports

Days after UConn became the first program to shut down football this fall, the MAC became the first conference to hit the pause button on the 2020 season. The league hopes to play in the spring, but deemed a fall season not feasible. Conference commissioner Jon Steinbrecher said, “This isn’t a financial decision. It’s a health & well-being decision.”

NCAA cancels DII and DII Championships

The NCAA hasn’t been at the forefront of much during this current crisis. They issued two decisions this week that seemed like more of a formality than earth-shattering news. Both DII and DII canceled fall championships this year. That comes on the heels of several conferences and additional programs announcing they would not participate this season, if it were to be played.

DII Presidents Council cancels fall 2020 championships: https://t.co/ANi4gC6C6b pic.twitter.com/DsUF0vrsQt

— NCAA Division II (@NCAADII) August 5, 2020

The rest of the Group of 5 offers varied structures

Conference USA, the American and Sun Belt will all retain their 12 game conference schedules this season. Rather, those conferences will allow their member institutions to play four non-conference games in addition to their preexisting schedule of eight conference opponents. Most teams will have to add games to reach 12 opponents following the canceled games against Power 5 teams.

The Mountain West will play eight conference games with two non-conference games.

Opt outs continue

The trickle of college football players opting out from the season is gradually picking up steam. It’s not just the quantity of players choosing to forgo the season, it’s the inclusion of big names who could see their names called early in the upcoming NFL Draft.

The most notable players to announce they would not play this week were Minnesota wide receiver Rashod Bateman, Purdue wide receiver Rondale Moore, Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons, Pitt defensive lineman Jaylen Twyman, Maryland quarterback Josh Jackson and countless others. The list will continue to grow.

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Filed Under: Archive, Football Tagged With: college football, Conference USA, Conference USA football, COVID-19

The Roost Podcast | Ep. 43 – Marshall Football Preview with Aaron Coleman

July 25, 2020 By Matthew Bartlett

The Roost Podcast welcomes Aaron Coleman who covers Marshall football with the Runnin’ With the Herd Podcast to break down their upcoming season.

July is almost over and, according to the schedule, the start of the 2020 season is just around the corner. After visiting with folks that cover each team in Conference USA West, the podcast ventured to the other side of the conference this week. We’re excited to welcome Aaron Coleman who covers all things Marshall football with the Runnin’ With the Herd Podcast. Aaron gives us his insight into the recent transfer of quarterback Isaiah Green and what to expect from the Herd this year.

You can always find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to our chat with Aaron Coleman on Episode 43.

Follow @TheRoostPod

Episode 43 Notes

  • Housekeeping — Thanks to all of you who have followed the show on Twitter and left a review on iTunes. It’s quick, but it makes a difference. Make sure you check out the Runnin’ With the Herd Podcast on Twitter and let him know if you enjoyed having him on the pod.
  • Rice/COVID-19 Updates — The vast majority of Rice football players have returned to campus for mandatory workouts this week. There are a few still on their way, but the Owls have the bulk of their roster back on campus and are doing their workouts in a socially-distant way.
  • Aaron Coleman joins the show — Aaron walked us through what’s turned into a relatively eventful offseason for Marshall and gave us this inside scoop on the latest happenings with the Herd including:
    • The “mild seat” and the plateau of Doc Holliday’s tenure
    • Options at QB with the departure of Isaiah Green
    • Marshall’s sneaky good defensive front seven
    • Brenden Knox’s rise from fourth string to star

Where can you find us?

Download and subscribe to The Roost Podcast on any of your favorite podcast providers. The show is available on iTunes, GooglePlay, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn and PodBean. Please consider leaving a review wherever you listen.

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

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Filed Under: Featured, Archive, Football, Podcast Tagged With: Conference USA football, podcast, Rice Football

The Roost Podcast | Ep. 42 – North Texas Football Preview with Matthew Brune

July 18, 2020 By Matthew Bartlett

The Roost Podcast welcomes Matthew Brune, who covers North Texas football for Mean Green 247 to break down expectations for the Mean Green this fall.

Rice Football opponent previews continue this week with another opponent from Conference USA West. This week we welcomed our friend Matthew Brune with Mean Green to give us the inside scoop on North Texas football and the interesting coaching trajectory of Seth Littrel.

You can always find previous episodes on the podcast page. All of the Conference USA team shows are there as well as the beginning of our Extended Offseason Series. That features popular Rice alums like Anthony Rendon, Christian Covington and James Casey, among others. For now, give a listen to our chat with Matthew on Episode 42.

Follow @TheRoostPod

Episode 42 Notes

  • Housekeeping — This week only: Leave us a five-star review and include what you like about the show. Also, make sure you follow Matthew on Twitter and let him know you enjoyed having him on the pod.
  • Subscribe on Patreon — If you enjoy the site and want to be a part of what we’re building at The Roost, please consider supporting us on Patreon.
  • Matthew Brune joins the show — Matthew shares his insight on North Texas football under Seth Littrell and what to expect from the Mean Green in 2020, including:
    • Littrell’s uncertainty coaching trajectory after the down season
    • The future at quarterback after Mason Fine
    • The array of weapons North Texas will have on offense
    • Which players could be difference-makers on defense
    • The Lightning Round

Where can you find us?

Download and subscribe to The Roost Podcast on any of your favorite podcast providers. The show is available on iTunes, GooglePlay, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn and PodBean. Please consider leaving a review wherever you listen.

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

Recent Posts
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  • Rice Football Recruiting: WR David Kasemervisz commits to Owls
  • Hickson gem propels Rice Baseball to series win over Charlotte
  • Rice Football Recruiting: WR Artis Cole commits to Owls

Filed Under: Football, Archive, Podcast Tagged With: Conference USA football, podcast, Rice Football

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