The American Athletic Conference will enter Week 9 as one of only two FBS conferences with two unbeaten teams (along with the Big Ten) as Cincinnati and SMU both improved to 7-0 overall and 3-0 in conference play. Houston, meanwhile, sits atop the league standings after the Cougars registered their sixth consecutive victory to get to 4-0 in The American.
No. 2 Cincinnati found itself in a tough battle at Navy, where the Midshipmen had won 21 of their 25 American Athletic Conference home games, but the Bearcats used a big third quarter to pull away for a 27-20 win and remain unbeaten. The Bearcats came up with a key play at the end of the first half when LB Deshawn Pace blocked Navy’s attempt for the go-ahead field goal and returned it 28 yards to set up their own 52-yard field goal as time expired. RB Jerome Ford added a 43-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, while QB Desmond Ridder had two touchdown passes for Cincinnati, which has won its last nine conference games.
Navy got two rushing touchdowns from QB Tai Lavatai, and the Midshipmen finished with a 308-271 advantage in total yards and a 22-14 margin in first downs.
SMU exploded for a 55-26 win against Tulane Thursday at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. The Mustangs reeled off 612 yards of offense as QB Tanner Mordecai threw for 427 yards and three touchdowns, giving him 29 TD passes in seven games. WR Danny Gray had eight catches for 140 yards, while RB Tre Siggers had two of the Mustangs’ four touchdown runs as part of an 81-yard day.
QB Michael Pratt passed for 234 yards and three touchdowns for Tulane, but the Green Wave suffered its fifth straight loss.
Houston saw its game against East Carolina delayed by more than five hours due to inclement weather, but the Cougars withstood the Pirates’ late comeback to take a 31-24 overtime win at TDECU Stadium. RB Alton McCaskill’s 25-yard touchdown run on the first play of overtime stood up as the gamewinner as LB Donavan Mutin forced a fumble on East Carolina’s second play of the extra period. The Cougar defense had three fumble recoveries, including the clincher in overtime, and held the Pirates to 82 rushing yards and 1-of-11 efficiency on third down.
UCF evened its conference record with an impressive defensive performance as the Knights were 24-7 winners against Memphis at the Bounce House Friday. Neither team was able to pass 300 yards of offense, but UCF finished with six sacks and forced four turnovers. DE Big Kat Bryant led the way with two sacks and three tackles for loss, while RB Isaiah Bowser paced the offense with 111 rushing yards on 26 carries.
South Florida turned in its best performance of the season as the Bulls set a program record with 421 rushing yards in a 34-14 win against Temple at Raymond James Stadium. RB Jaren Mangham pounded out 152 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries, while RB Kelley Joiner Jr. added 126 yards and a TD on 14 attempts. The Bulls finished with a season-high 526 yards of offense, had a 34-8 advantage in first downs and held possession for 44:35.
