Conference USA News and Notes

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) –

EAST CAROLINA: The Pirates (8-2, 6-1) picked up their fourth consecutive victory on Senior Day, as they rolled to a 63-14 decision over UAB on Saturday. Shane Carden threw three of his five touchdown passes to Reese Wiggins and finished with 347 passing yards. Wiggins tallied five receptions and 142 yards, while Justin Hardy reeled in five catches for 47 yards and a score. Vintavious Cooper also had a monster performance as he racked up 126 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries. Breon Allen contributed 92 yards on 13 totes. ECU’s defense registered a pair of interceptions and the team scored six unanswered touchdowns to pull away for yet another lopsided win. The Pirates will conclude their regular season slate with a two-game road trip that includes a non-conference matchup with NC State in Raleigh, and a battle for the divisional title at Marshall.

FIU: The struggle continued for the Panthers (1-9, 1-5) as their 33-10 loss to Texas-El Paso marked their fifth straight setback. The Miners held a 407-200 edge in total yards, and limited FIU to only 11 first downs. Lamarq Caldwell rushed for 95 yards on 20 carries and also threw a touchdown pass to T.J. Lowder. E.J. Hilliard threw for 53 yards on 5-of-14 passing, and Jake Medlock also got a turn under center, finishing with just 36 yards on 3-of-7 passing. Isame Faciane stood out on the defensive side of the ball with a team-best 12 tackles, including two stops for loss. The Panthers will play their final home game of the season this Saturday versus Marshall.

FLORIDA ATLANTIC: The Owls (4-6, 3-4) inched closer toward bowl eligibility, as they used 333 rushing yards to power past Southern Miss, 41-7. It was the largest margin of victory against a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent in program history, and the team has logged back-to-back wins for the first time since 2010. Jaquez Johnson racked up 111 rushing yards and scored his 10th touchdown of the season, to set the school standard for a signal caller. Jay Warren added 105 rushing yards and Damian Fortner finished just two yards shy of the century mark on the ground. FAU limited the Golden Eagles to just 189 yards of offense, and Christian Milstead picked off Nick Mullens twice. Milstead returned one of the interceptions 61 yards for six points. The win improved interim head coach Brian Wright’s record to 2-0. He will look for his third victory this Saturday when FAU hosts New Mexico State in non-conference action.

LOUISIANA TECH: The Bulldogs (4-6, 3-3) had their brief two-game win streak snapped at Rice Stadium on Saturday as they were downed by the Owls, 52-14. Louisiana Tech turned the ball over four times and gained only 146 rushing yards, while allowing 415 yards on the ground to Rice. Scotty Young and Ryan Higgins both saw action under center. Higgins threw for 138 yards with a touchdown and an interception on 9-of-15 passing. Young produced just 43 yards and an interception in going just 6-of-15. Rice picked up 35 first downs with the help of a 14-of-19 effort on third down. The Bulldogs can still become bowl eligible if they manage to defeat Tulsa and Texas-San Antonio to close out their regular season.

MARSHALL: Rakeem Cato threw for 456 yards and five touchdowns to lead the Thundering Herd (7-3, 5-1) to a 45-34 come-from-behind victory over Tulsa at H.A. Chapman Stadium last Thursday. The Golden Hurricane’s defensive unit registered five total takeaways to overcome a 31-14 halftime deficit and take a 34-31 lead. Marshall finally ended its drought as Cato connected with Shuler for an 18-yard touchdown that put the Herd back in front, 38-34. The MU defense then made a key stop as Ra’Shawde Myers sacked Evans at Tulsa’s 4-yard line on 4th-and-11 to clinch the win. Devon Smith made seven receptions for 114 yards and a score, while Shuler reeled in nine balls for 105 yards and two touchdowns. Steward Butler paced the team on the ground with 75 yards on 10 attempts and Essray Taliaferro tallied 68 yards and a touchdown on 20 totes. Gator Hoskins caught two more passes in the end zone to bring his season total to nine. Marshall heads to Miami to take on FIU this Saturday, but will have a chance to book its ticket to the C-USA Championship Game when its hosts ECU on Black Friday regardless of this weekend’s outcome.

MIDDLE TENNESSEE: The Blue Raiders (6-4, 4-2) had an open date following their victory over FIU on Nov. 9, which marked their third straight win and made them bowl eligible. They will play their final road game of the season this Saturday at winless Southern Miss.

NORTH TEXAS: The Mean Green (7-3, 5-1) were idle following their 41-7 rout of Texas-El Paso on Nov. 9. UNT can clinch the West Division crown with wins in its final two games. The team will host Texas-San Antonio this Saturday before closing out the season at Tulsa.

RICE: Charles Ross had a career day to propel Rice (7-3, 5-1) to a 52-14 victory over Louisiana Tech in Houston. Ross set a new school record and tied the C-USA standard with five rushing touchdowns to go along with 215 yards on 27 carries. Taylor McHargue finished with 167 yards, a touchdown and an interception on 13-of-23 passing. Dennis Parks caught three balls for 67 yards and a score. Luke Turner carried the ball nine times for 76 yards and TD, while Jowan Davis also finished with 76 yards rushing on 15 carries for the Owls, who won for the sixth time in their last seven outings. Rice’s defense registered four total takeaways and limited the Bulldogs to 327 total yards. The Owls will have a short week before their Friday night road game at UAB.

SOUTHERN MISS: The longest active losing streak in the nation continued as USM (0-10, 0-6) was defeated, 41-7, by FAU to mark the Golden Eagles’ 22nd consecutive setback. Nick Mullens scored the team’s only touchdown on a quarterback keeper in the final frame to end the Owls’ run of 41 consecutive points. The freshman signal caller finished 12-of-37 for 169 yards and two interceptions, while USM was held to 189 yards of total offense and averaged less than a yard per carry. The defense allowed FAU to rush for 333 yards and four scores. USM will stay in Hattiesburg this weekend to host Middle Tennessee.

TEXAS-EL PASO: For the first time since Sept. 14, the Miners (2-8, 1-5) came out on top as they coasted to a 33-10 triumph over FIU at the Sun Bowl. UTEP amassed a season-high 327 rushing yards, as Nathan Jeffery racked up 130 yards and Blaire Sullivan added 104 more. The Miners finished with 407 total yards and limited the Panthers to only 200. Freshman quarterback Mark Leftwich connected on 3-of-7 pass attempts for 80 yards, including a 64-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Leslie. Devin Cockrell anchored the defense with 10 stops, and Roy Robertson recovered a fumble. UTEP’s special teams unit played a big role as Autrey Golden, Josh Bell and Eric Tomlinson combined for 113 yards on three kick returns. The Miners will begin their season-ending, two-game road swing on Saturday when they head to New Orleans to tangle with Tulane.

TULANE: The Green Wave (6-4, 4-2) received a much-needed bye after suffering their second straight loss in week 11. They will host Texas-El Paso on Saturday in their home finale.

TULSA:Despite a tremendous defensive effort against the C-USA’s most balanced offense, Tulsa (2-8, 1-4) suffered its fourth straight defeat and lost to Marshall for the first time in school history, 45-34, after letting a fourth- quarter lead slip through its fingers. Dane Evans connected on just 13-of-39 passes for 161 yards with one touchdown and an interception. Trey Watts racked up 169 yards and a pair of scores on 31 attempts, while Thomas Robinson finished with four catches for 58 yards and a touchdown. Shawn Jackson was relentless en route to 14 total tackles, two fumble recoveries and an interception. The Tulsa defense forced and recovered two additional fumbles to overcome a 31-14 halftime deficit, but it could not hold off the Herd in the final frame. The Golden Hurricane will play their final road game this Saturday at Louisiana Tech.

TX-SAN ANTONIO: The Roadrunners (5-5, 4-2) had a bye this past weekend. They will try to add to their three-game win streak and become bowl eligible for the first time in school history on Saturday when they take on North Texas in Denton.

UAB: Due to poor defensive play, the Blazers (2-8, 1-5) abandoned their usual offensive gameplan that revolved around the run and tried to match East Carolina’s conference-leading aerial attack. Jonathan Perry was picked off twice and completed only 16-of-34 passes for 210 yards, as the UAB fell in a lopsided 63-14 final to the Pirates, who scored six unanswered touchdowns to hand the Blazers their fourth consecutive loss. Perry also added 40 rushing yards and scored on one of his eight carries. Jordan Howard tallied 53 yards on 11 rushing attempts. Jamari Staples recorded a team-high five receptions for 78 yards. Jake Ganus anchored the Blazers’ defense with 13 total tackles, one tackle for loss and an interception. ECU finished with a 625-354 advantage in total yards and achieved 36 first downs compared to just 17 for UAB, which will return to Legion Field to host Rice this Thursday.

Categorized in: NCAA Football