Conference USA News and Notes

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) –

EAST CAROLINA: Shane Carden went 46-of-54 for a school-record 447 yards and five touchdowns to lead the Pirates to a 52-38 victory over Old Dominion. Justin Hardy tied his own school record for receptions in a game with 16 which he turned into 191 yards and Davon Grayson made three touchdown receptions. ECU gained just 34 yards on 22 carries in the win. Damon Magazu led the defensive unit with 11 total stops. The Pirates open up their C-USA slate on Thursday when they host Florida Atlantic.

FIU: In Ron Turner’s debut with the program, FIU suffered a 43-10 loss to Maryland. Lamarq Caldwell ran for 79 yards on 21 carries and scored the only touchdown for the Panthers. The Panthers threw the ball just 22 times, with quarterbacks Jake Medlock and E.J. Hilliard combining for only 10 completions and 80 yards, while being sacked five times. Sam Miller led the Panthers with nine total tackles. They will play their home opener on Friday when they host their in-state rival UCF.

FLORIDA ATLANTIC: The Owls had trouble with the Hurricanes’ defense as they were defeated, 34-6, at Miami. Jaquez Johnson connected on just 11-of-20 pass attempts for 83 yards for FAU. Greg Hankerson also spent some time under center for the Owls and collected 34 yards on 5-of-11 passing. Jonathan Wallace had a team-high of just 34 yards rushing for the Owls, who had five different players carry the ball at least five times. FAU allowed Miami’s Duke Johnson to rack up a career-best 186 rushing yards in the contest. The Owls will visit ECU on Thursday.

MARSHALL: Rakeem Cato tied a career-high with five touchdown passes as Marshall overcame a slow start to claim a 52-14 victory over Miami-Ohio at Joan C. Edwards Stadium. Cato completed 22-of-34 pass attempts for 253 yards. Tommy Shuler hauled in nine receptions for 67 yards and a touchdowns, while Gator Hoskins was on the receiving end of two touchdown passes. The Herd was also strong on the ground, rushing for 304 yards, led by Steward Butler’s 107- yard performance. Marshall more than doubled Miami-Ohio’s total yardage output (591 to 239) and had nearly four times as many first downs (34 to 9). Jermaine Holmes registered eight total stops, three tackles for loss and a sack in the victory. The Herd continue their campaign at home on Saturday when they host FCS opponent Gardner-Webb.

MIDDLE TENNESSEE: The Blue Raiders used a balanced attack to gain 475 yards of total offense en route to a 45-24 win over Western Carolina at Floyd Stadium on Thursday. Jordan Parker notched a career-high 156 yards and a score on 22 carries. Logan Kilgore went 12-of-18 for 144 yards before leaving with a shoulder injury. Austin Grammer went 7-of-9 for 61 yards in relief work. Kyle Griswould returned a punt for a touchdown for the first time in his career. MT will hit the road on Saturday as it takes on North Carolina in Chapel Hill.

NORTH TEXAS: Derek Thompson threw for a career-high 349 yards and two touchdowns as the Mean Green made easy work of the Idaho Vandals, 40-6, in non-conference action at Apogee Stadium. Brelan Chancellor was Thompson’s top target, registering 135 yards and a touchdown on six receptions. The team rushed for 187 yards, led by Brandin Byrd with 57 yards and two scores. The Mean Green tallied 591 yards of total offense and were outstanding on third down, converting 8-of-14. NT will play its first game outside of Texas of 2013 when it visits Ohio on Saturday.

RICE: The Owls went into halftime of their tilt with No. 7 Texas A&M down just a touchdown, but the return of Johnny Manziel was too much to overcome and they lost, 52-31. Charles Ross rushed for 107 yards and two touchdowns for Rice, which amassed 509 total yards on an Aggie defense that began the game minus six starters due to suspensions. Taylor McHargue threw for a pair of scores and went 18-of-29 passing for 180 yards with two interceptions. Rice suspended cornerback Phillip Gaines, the Conference USA Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, for the opener due to a violation of team rules. The Owls have a bye week before their non-conference home game versus Kansas.

SOUTHERN MISS: The Golden Eagles struggled offensively as they were defeated at home, 22-15, by Texas State. The Bobcats came out victorious despite gaining just 215 yards of total offense. Allan Bridgford had a strong showing for Southern Miss, going 28-of-53 passing for 377 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Rickey Bradley hauled in seven receptions for 193 yards in his team debut, and Tyre’oune Holmes finished with 12 catches and 96 yards. Three turnovers hindered the Golden Eagles’ chances and they will need to tighten up their offensive performance on Saturday when they visit Nebraska.

TEXAS-EL PASO: The Miners had a bye to start the 2013 season. They will begin their campaign on Saturday versus New Mexico.

TULANE: The Green Wave forced six turnovers and Orleans Darkwa rushed for 50 yards and a pair of touchdowns as they completed a 34-7 rout of Jackson State. Nick Montana went 6-of-14 passing for 144 yards and two touchdowns. Ryan Grant made three receptions for 82 yards. Darion Monroe registered a team-high total of nine tackles and also recovered a fumble in the win. Tulane will look to stay perfect on Saturday when it hosts South Alabama.

TULSA: The defending C-USA champions had an undesirable start to the 2013 season as they were dismantled, 34-7, by Bowling Green at Doyt Perry Stadium. Cody Green finished up 17-of-34 passing, for 172 yards before Dane Evans took over to hit on 3-of-7 attempts for 50 yards and a score late in the meeting. The Golden Hurricane finished with just 12 first downs, 51 yards rushing and 273 yards of total offense in the outing. Tulsa gave up 233 yards on the ground to BGSU. It will try to bounce back on Saturday when it plays Colorado State in its home opener at Chapman Stadium.

TX-SAN ANTONIO: Eric Soza threw for 237 yards and a pair of touchdowns as the Roadrunners overcame a double-digit first-half deficit to take down New Mexico, 21-13, on the road at University Stadium. Soza was 21-of-34 passing on the night and also led UTSA with 48 rushing yards. David Glasco II had just 40 total yards but finished with two touchdowns, one rushing and one receiving. The UTSA defense held New Mexico to just 277 yards of total offense. The Lobos were also ineffective on third down (2-of-13). The Roadrunners will have a difficult time staying undefeated as they visit Oklahoma State on Saturday.

UAB: The Blazers let a late-lead slip away before losing, 34-31, to Troy in overtime at Veterans Memorial Stadium. Troy’s Corey Robinson set an NCAA record for completion percentage with at least 30 attempts in a game (.938) by going 30-of-32 against UAB’s defense. For the Blazers, Kamarcus Nelson tallied a school-record 367 all-purpose yards, hauling in 10 receptions for 199 yards and two touchdowns, while accounting for 168 kick return yards and another score. Austin Brown threw for 301 yards and three touchdowns on 19-of-29 passing, while Jamari Staples also had a big day receiving with six catches for 103 yards and a touchdown. Darrin Reaves was solid on the ground, gaining 110 yards on 23 carries. UAB blew a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter and failed to score on the first possession of overtime, which led to a 30-yard game-winning field goal by Troy. The Blazers will try to even up their record on Saturday when the visit LSU.

Categorized in: NCAA Football