Every week, you can always count on at least one C-USA game to come down to the final play, and this Saturday was no different. Tulsa’s title hopes took a hit and the Green Wave washed away the Ponies. Let’s get at it:
Game of the Week:
Tulane 41, SMU 34 – The conference’s weekly miracle finish/overtime thriller went to Tulane this week, as star back Matt Forte shattered his own C-USA record with 342 rushing yards on 38 attempts. Forte is absolutely annihilating defenses right now, and at this point, has leapt past Paul and Kevin Smith to lead the player of the year race by at least a couple lengths. Forte is the only thing Tulane has going, but man is he something? Sure, the competition isn’t fantastic, but at 180 ypg, he’s the nation’s rushing leader and at this point, who in the C-USA isn’t scared of him? SMU got a career high in passing yards from sophomore QB Justin Willis, but after Forte scored on the first play of OT, Willis and the Pony offense did nothing in the extra session.
Best of the Rest:
Memphis 38, Rice 35 – Rice’s two week lease on the world’s largest rabbit foot ended Saturday, as the Owls finally met a team that wasn’t giving away turnovers like Halloween candy, and couldn’t muster enough points to stay with Memphis. If you want to keep your children busy for a couple hours, give them this puzzle: The Tigers outgained Rice by 150 yards, turned the ball over one less time, got 8 more first downs, committed 1 fewer penalty, and punted the ball 20 yards further per kick. And yet…they only won by 3. How is that even possible?
Ho Hum:
UCF 44, Tulsa 23 – They weren’t Matt Forte numbers from Kevin Smith, but they were good enough. Sadly for Golden Hurricane fans, Tulsa had no answer for Smith, and his success against the Tulsa run D makes the prospect of facing Forte two weeks from now that much scarier. Smith scampered for 170 yards on 33 carries, and Kyle Israel was pretty gosh done good at quarterback, tossing 224 yards and a TD on 29 attempts. Paul Smith won the QB duel, obviously, but his four picks were killer, and Tarrion Adams and the offensive line couldn’t do the job the UCF front men were doing, and Tulsa netted just 64 yards on 24 carries.
NC State 34, East Carolina 20 – Well, the Pirates didn’t get quite the statement game they were looking for, losing 34-20 in a weird game that featured scoring runs of 21, 20 and 13 points. NC State started off with 21 easy points in the first 17 minutes, and blood was definitely in the Greenville water. But ECU bounced back with two second-quarter TDs and two Ben Hartman field goals to close to 21-20 at the end of three. The Wolfpack put on the afterburners, however, notching another three scores in the final period to win going away, 34-20. By C-USA standards, the Pirates have had just a brutal non-conference slate; at season’s start, I thought it helped them. But what’s the merit in a game like this when you’re fighting for your division title in October? I don’t get it.
Booooooooooooring:
Houston 49, UAB 10 – Apologies to all you loyal readers who took my advice that UAB would compete with Houston this weekend. So sorry. The Cougars made short, short work of the Blazers, racing to a 35-10 half time lead and coasting to the final 49-10 margin. Each Cougar QB had almost identical numbers, and Anthony Aldridge looked great running and catching out of the backfield, on his way to 135 yards and 31 fantasy points. UAB got 35 rushing yards total just a week after beating Tulane. The Blazers have a brutal upcoming stretch, with ECU, So. Miss and UCF on the docket, and it will likely send them to 2-8. Well, this is the C-USA…you never know…
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