What Happened in the AAC in Week 10?

There will be plenty of time to bemoan Cincinnati’s horrid outing against BYU from yesterday, but for now, let’s take stock of how the rest of the American Athletic Conference landscape shifted in week 10.

Temple 21 UConn 0

The Owls started hot, with quarterback Phillip Walker throwing for three touchdown passes in the first quarter. From there, they just slowly drained the life out of a UConn offense that managed only 160 yards of total offense and eight first downs. Bob Diaco even tried to shake things up by starting freshman Donovan Williams at quarterback, ending his previous redshirt status. But Williams only threw for 69 yards on 12-of-21 passing, although he did produce 66 on the ground.

Memphis 51 SMU 7

Holy blowouts, Batman! Behind a four-touchdown day from Riley Ferguson (who completed 20-of-27 passes for 287 yards), the Tigers ripped SMU to shreds, ending a two-game losing streak and giving them some momentum heading into a major test next week against USF. Anthony Miller had four receptions for 102 yards and two scores as Ferguson’s favorite target.

UCF 37 Tulane 6

Another game that was heavily one-sided, UCF did fall behind 6-0 early in the first quarter after a 14-yard touchdown run from Tulane’s Dontrell Hilliard. However, the Knights went on to score a program-record three defensive touchdowns over the final three quarters en route to an easy win. Defensive back Drico Johnson was the star, returning a fumble 30 yards for a touchdown and an interception 86 yards for a score as well.

Tulsa 45 East Carolina 24

Tulsa was in control throughout this one thanks to strong passing from Dane Evans and an impressive display on the ground. Evans threw for three touchdowns and 274 yards on 22-of-38 passing, targeting Josh Atkinson (10 receptions, 123 yards, 2 TDs) and Keevan Lucas (seven receptions, 91 yards, TD) almost exclusively. Meanwhile, James Flanders rushed for 181 yards and two touchdowns and D’Angelo Brewer added 180 yards and a score of his own as the Golden Hurricane racked up 342 on the ground. ECU tried to throw its way back into contention (436 yards passing), but a sorry effort on defense and in the running game (38 yards on 30 carries) doomed the Pirates to defeat.

Navy 28 Notre Dame 27

In a game that featured five lead changes, Navy got the last laugh in a thrilling victory over the Fighting Irish. Will Worth ran for 175 yards and two touchdowns and iced the game with a 15-yard completion to Jamir Tillman on fourth down with 1:19 to play. The win also came because Navy simply didn’t let Notre Dame have the ball that much, limiting the Irish to six total possessions. The win was just the fourth by the Midshipmen against ND since 1963 and ended a five-game winning streak for the Irish in the series.

Current AAC Standings

East Division

Temple 7-3, 5-1

USF 7-2, 4-1

UCF 5-4, 3-2

Cincinnati 4-5, 1-4

ECU 3-6, 1-4

UConn 3-7, 1-6

West Division

Tulsa 7-2, 4-1

Navy 6-2, 4-1

Houston 7-2, 4-2

Memphis 6-3, 3-2

SMU 4-5, 2-3

Tulane 3-6, 0-5