WEEK THIRTEEN C‐USA FOOTBALL PREVIEW

WKU (6‐5, 4‐3 in C‐USA) at FIU (6‐4, 4‐3 in C‐USA) Friday, November 24 7 p.m. ET Miami, Florida (Riccardo Silva Stadium) Television: beIN SPORTS Announcers: Mike Gleason (PxP), Brett Romberg (AN), Michelle Gingras (SL) All‐Time Series: WKU leads 5‐4 Last Meeting: at WKU 49, FIU 21 (Nov. 5, 2016)

FAST FACTS **WKU is now bowl eligible for the seventh straight season following last week’s 41‐38 triple‐overtime win over Middle Tennessee. **The Hilltoppers are now 25‐5 in their last 30 conference games. WKU has a 35‐11 record in its last 46 games overall. **WKU senior QB Mike White turned in his best statistical day of the season in the Hilltoppers 41‐ 38 triple‐overtime win over Middle Tennessee last Friday night that made WKU bowl‐eligible for the seventh straight season. He set season highs for completions, attempts and passing yards, going 39‐of‐ 54 for 485 yards with five touchdowns and no . On deep passes last week (more than 20 yards downfield), White was 4‐of‐6 for 237 yards and two touchdowns. **WKU senior QB Mike White He has thrown for five TDs and no interceptions three times this season, with five different receivers scoring one touchdown in each game. White has thrown for 300+ yards in six consecutive games and 15 times in 25 games overall as a Hilltopper. In two seasons as a starter, White is 592‐for‐888 (66.6 percent) for 7,834 yards and 59 touchdowns with 14 interceptions. **In his last three games, FIU senior QB Alex McGough has completed 87‐of‐125 passes for a 70% completion percentage. He has also thrown a pair of touchdown passes in each of those four games. **Senior LB Anthony Wint registered 11 tackles at Florida Atlantic last week ‐ the fourth double‐digit tackles game for the senior linebacker this season. After his second tackle last Saturday, Wint moved into second place on the FIU career tackles list passing former Panther linebacker Scott Bryant (302 tackles). Wint currently has 312 career tackles. Former FIU and current safety Johnathan Cyprien is the all‐time FIU tackles leader with 365. *FIU will still have one more regular season game left after this one. The Panthers will host Massachusetts next Saturday, a game that was added after FIU’s Sept. 16 contest at Indiana was postponed to Hurricane Irma.

MORE FIU Football: http://www.fiusports.com/index.aspx?path=football WKU Football: http://www.wkusports.com/index.aspx?path=football

NORTH TEXAS (8‐3, 6‐1 in C‐USA) at RICE (1‐10, 1‐5 in C‐USA) Saturday, November 25 12 p.m. ET Houston, Texas (Rice Stadium) Television: ESPN3 Announcers: Alex Del Barrio (PxP), ND Kalu (AN) All‐Time Series: Rice leads 5‐2 Last Meeting: North Texas 42, at Rice 35 (ot) (Sept. 24, 2016)

FAST FACTS **Just two years after finishing 1‐11, the Mean Green will make their first C‐USA title game appearance under second‐year head coach Seth Litrell. North Texas is seeking its first conference championship since winning four straight Sun Belt titles from 2001‐04. The Mean Green have defeated every C‐USA team they have faced except for FAU, posting a perfect 4‐0 home record and earning road wins at Louisiana Tech and Southern Miss. **West Division champion North Texas won a thriller over Army last Saturday, 52‐49, to extend the Mean Green’s win streak to four. It gave North Texas an undefeated record at home for the first time since 2003 and a 6‐0 mark for the first time since 1966. **North Texas sophomore QB Mason Fine threw for 386 yards and four touchdowns against Army, including directing a 46‐yard scoring drive in the final minute capped by a 39‐yard Trevor Moore field goal with five seconds to play for the three‐point Mean Green victory. Fine, with 3,198 yards, takes over the top spot in single‐season passing yards at North Texas and his four TD throws Saturday gave him 26 this year, tying for the most in school history. This was Fine’s sixth 300‐yard passing game of the year. **North Texas ranks second in Conference USA in scoring offense at 38.2 points per game. The Mean Green have scored 43 or more points in six of its eight victories. **Senior LB Emmanuel Ellerbee leads C‐USA with 63 solo tackles and second with 10.2 tackles per game (112 total) through 11 games. He needs six tackles to match his career‐best total from last year and move into a tie for 10th on the Rice single‐season list. Ellerbee recorded his 13th career double digit tackle effort in his last 22 games (6th this year) with 11 at ODU last week. He has compiled 230 tackles in last two years, matching the third‐highest mark in school history. **Freshman WR Aaron Cephus leads C‐USA and ranks second in the country with a 24.9 yard average per catch (minimum of 20 catches) and with six receptions of 50 yards or longer… Has tied Jarett Dillard’s Rice freshman record with five TD catches and needs 14 yards to break James Casey’s freshman receiving yardage mark of 585. **Senior DL Brian Womac leads C‐USA in sacks (8) and tackles for loss (19). His TFL total is third in C‐ USA and two shy of the school mark. Womac ranks seventh nationally with 19 TFL’s, tied for seventh with 1.7 TFL’s per game and seventh with 87 lost yards on TFL’s.

MORE North Texas Football: http://www.meangreensports.com/sports/m‐footbl/ntex‐m‐footbl‐body.html Rice Football: http://www.riceowls.com/sports/m‐footbl/rice‐m‐footbl‐body.html

UTEP (0‐11, 0‐7 in C‐USA) at UAB (7‐4, 5‐2 in C‐USA) Saturday, November 25 12 p.m. ET Birmingham, Alabama (Legion Field) Television: CUSA TV Announcers: David Crane (PxP), Steve Irvine (AN), Trey Ragland (SL) All‐Time Series: UAB leads 3‐1 Last Meeting: at UAB 21, UTEP 6 (Oct. 16, 2010)

FAST FACTS **The two teams are meeting for the first time since 2010, as they did not play each other from 2011‐14 as part of Conference USA’s cross‐division schedule rotation. **At 7‐4 overall and 5‐2 in Conference USA play, a UAB victory against UTEP would set a program record for FBS wins (8) and C‐USA wins (6) in a season. **The Blazers are 5‐0 this season at home and look to go 6‐0 at Legion Field for the first time in program history. **After a standout performance at Florida, cornerback Darious Williams moved up to fourth nationally in passes defended at 1.60 per game. Williams had a career‐high four pass breakups at Florida and now has 14 this season which leads Conference USA, as does his total number of passes defended (18 ‐ 14 PBUs, four interceptions). **True freshman RB Spencer Brown continues to be the nation’s second leading rusher among freshmen. The Freshman All‐American candidate has 1,194 yards this season and ranks third on UAB’s single season rushing list. He also has 10 rushing touchdowns. **UTEP is 3‐0 during the last three years in the last regular game of the season. The Miners blew past North Texas, 52‐24, last season, topped North Texas 20‐17 in 2015 and edged out Middle Tennessee in 2014. **Though UTEP fell, 42‐21 against Louisiana Tech last Saturday, the Miners reached season highs in points, offensive yards (410) and first downs (19). UTEP also gained season highs in rushing yards (164) and passing yards (246 yards on just 11 completions). **The Miners have recovered eight in 2017, tied for first in Conference USA with UTSA, Marshall and Old Dominion. It’s also the most for UTEP since recovering 10 fumbles in 2014. **UTEP true freshman RB Joshua Fields rushed for a career‐high 137 yards on a career‐most 23 carries (6.0 avg.) against LA Tech last week. The native of El Paso gained 97 of those yards during the first half, while finding the end zone on the second half against the Bulldogs. His previous high was an 87‐yard output at Middle Tennessee on Nov. 4

MORE UTEP Football: http://www.utepathletics.com/index.aspx?path=football UAB Football: http://uabsports.com/index.aspx?path=football

FLORIDA ATLANTIC (8‐3, 7‐0 in C‐USA) at CHARLOTTE (1‐10, 1‐6 in C‐USA) Saturday, November 25 2 p.m. ET Charlotte, North Carolina (Jerry Richardson Stadium) Television: Stadium on Facebook Announcers: Damon Amendalora (PxP), Geoff Schwartz (AN), Shae Peppler (SL) All‐Time Series: Series Tied 1‐1 Last Meeting: Charlotte 28, at Florida Atlantic 23 (Oct. 9, 2016)

FAST FACTS **Florida Atlantic's 52‐24 win over FIU in the Shula Bowl last Saturday night allowed the Owls to clinch the East Division Championship and the right to host the 2017 Dynacraft Conference USA Football Championship Game on Saturday, December 2 (Noon ET on ESPN2). **Picked in the preseason to finish fifth in the East Division, Lane Kiffin has led the Owls to a perfect 7‐0 mark in Conference USA games and an 8‐3 mark overall in his first season at FAU. Florida Atlantic’s current seven‐game winning streak is the school’s longest since moving to the FBS level in 2005 and the eight wins tie for the most since the school became an FBS member. **Led by sophomore RB Devin “Motor” Singletary, the nation’s touchdown leader with 23, FAU is ranked in the top 10 nationally in rushing offense and scoring offense. **Junior LB Azeez Al‐Shaair is fourth in the nation and first in C‐USA in total tackles (116, already his top mark in a season, or 11.6 per game), and is 16th in FBS in solo tackles (5.8 per game). In league games only, those marks increase to 12.4 and 6.0. He is on a streak of six straight games with double‐digit tackles, and has done so in eight of the 10 games he has appeared in this year. **FAU senior WR Kalib Woods returned to the Owls lineup in late October and really has been a force in the last two outings, posting 10 catches for 290 yards and three touchdowns. **Charlotte wraps up its fifth football season at home against C‐USA East Division Champion Florida Atlantic. The 49ers defeated FAU, last year in Boca Raton, Fla., 28‐23, for the 49ers first C‐USA victory in school history. It was the first of three league road wins in 2016. **49ers sophomore DB Ben DeLuca ranks third in the league with 10.0 tackles per game in C‐USA play. He had 10 or more tackles in four straight games earlier in the season and is second on the team with 86 tackles (seventh in C‐USA at 8.6 per game). His 86 tackles are tied for third‐most in a single‐season for the 49ers (Branden Dozier), 22 shy of Nick Cook's school record of 108 (2016). **Niners sophomore RB Benny LeMay is seventh in C‐USA with a 68.7 rushing average that includes a career‐high 178 yards outing at FIU. With 687 rushing yards, he is third all‐time for the 49ers in a FBS season.

MORE Florida Atlantic Football: http://www.fausports.com/sports/m‐footbl/fau‐m‐footbl‐body.html Charlotte Football: http://www.charlotte49ers.com/index.aspx?path=football

SOUTHERN MISS (7‐4, 5‐2) at MARSHALL (7‐4, 4‐3 in C‐USA) Saturday, November 25 2:30 p.m. ET Huntington, West Virginia (Joan C. Edwards Stadium) Television: Stadium Announcers: Ron Thulin (PxP), Max Starks (AN) All‐Time Series: Series Tied 6‐6 Last Meeting: at Southern Miss 24, Marshall 14 (Oct. 29, 2016)

FAST FACTS **Southern Miss has clinched its 17th winning season over the last 22 years and 70th overall in 101 years of football. It is also the team’s third consecutive year of seven or more wins. **Senior RB Ito Smith leads the Golden Eagles in rushing at 1,173 yards on 203 carries (5.8 per carry), reaching the 1,000‐yard plateau for the third time in his career. He is one of only 10 players in FBS history to record at least 4,000‐yards rushing and 1,000‐yards receiving during his career. Smith has generated 601 of his yards after contact this year, the third straight season he has reached that plateau. He averages 3.1 yards per attempt after contact. **Southern Miss junior WR Korey Robertson is the team leader in receptions (65), receiving yards (952) and TD receptions (10). His TD total ranks fifth on USM’s single‐season chart. Robertson ranks first in C‐ USA receiving yards and TD catches and second in receiving per game (86.5). **Junior K Parker Shaunfield hit all three of his field goals tries last week (23, 40, 21) to increase his string of made field goals to 15. He is 17‐for‐19 this season on field goal attempts and his made total ranks tied for fifth on the Golden Eagle single‐season chart. Shaunfield has also converted 37‐of‐38 extra point attempts this season. **Marshall is 4‐1 at home this season. Since Joan C. Edwards Stadium opened in 1991, the Thundering Herd is 155‐31 (.833) in Huntington, the best home field winning percentage in the FBS. **Marshall ranks second in Conference USA in scoring defense, allowing just 18.5 points per game. The Thundering Herd has allowed 10 or fewer points in four of its seven league games. **Senior TE Ryan Yurachek leads all Conference USA tight ends with six TD catches and is second in receptions with 40. He has caught a pass in 40 straight games, the nation’s fourth‐longest streak. **Senior LB Chase Hancock is third in the league in tackles per game (9.3) and 21st nationally on a unit that is the league’s top rushing defense (118.5 yards per game). He is Marshall’s leading tackler with 102 stops, including 7.5 tackles for loss. Hancock is second on the team with six pass breakups and also has two sacks and a pair of recoveries.

MORE Southern Miss Football: http://www.southernmiss.com/sports/m‐footbl/smis‐m‐footbl‐body.html Marshall Football: http://www.herdzone.com/sports/m‐footbl/mars‐m‐footbl‐body.html

OLD DOMINION (5‐6, 3‐4 in C‐USA) at MIDDLE TENNESSEE (5‐6, 3‐4 in C‐USA) Saturday, November 25 2 p.m. CT Murfreesboro, Tennessee (Floyd Stadium) Television: ESPN3 Announcers: Jake Rose (PxP), TBA (AN), Sara Cardona (SL) All‐Time Series: Middle Tennessee leads 1‐0 Last Meeting: Middle Tennessee 41, at Old Dominion 28 (Sept. 26, 2014)

FAST FACTS **Teams are meeting for the first time since Old Dominion’s first league home game as a member of Conference USA in 2014. **The winner of the game will become bowl‐eligible. That will give Conference USA a record nine teams to reach bowl‐eligibility this season. **The Blue Raiders have been bowl eligible in seven of the last eight seasons, while Old Dominion is seeking bowl‐eligibility for the second straight season. *Middle Tennessee junior QB Brent Stockstill now has 72 career touchdown passes, eighth among all active FBS players. He set the school record for TD tosses in just 22 games. Stockstill missed six games earlier this season and the Blue Raiders lost four games without him. Since he returned to the lineup three weeks ago, MT has won twice and fell in triple‐overtime in the other game, with Stockstill throwing seven TDs with just one . **The MT offense is averaging 379.6 yards for the season, but 421.1 over the last seven games. **Old Dominion makes its first trip to Murfreesboro carrying a three‐game winning streak. **Old Dominion senior RB Ray Lawry (645 rushing yards and seven TDs in seven games), who leads the program with 3,983 career rushing yards, has been strong since returning from a hamstring injury. He's run for an average of 125 yards per game with three TDs over the last three weeks. Lawry will be facing the third‐ranked rushing defense in C‐USA in Middle Tennessee. **ODU junior DE Oshane Ximines has started all 11 games at defensive end. He ranks second in Conference USA in sacks (7.5) and is fifth in tackles for loss (12). He leads C‐USA with four forced fumbles and also has three pass breakups.

MORE Old Dominion Football: http://www.odusports.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=31100&SPID=127313&SPSID=750425&DB_ OEM_ID=31100 Middle Tennessee Football: http://www.goblueraiders.com/index.aspx?path=football

UTSA (6‐4, 3‐4 in C‐USA) at LOUISIANA TECH (5‐6, 3‐4 in C‐USA) Saturday, November 25 6:30 p.m. CT Ruston, Louisiana (Joe Aillet Stadium) Television: ESPNU Announcers: Clay Matvick (PxP), Kirk Morrison (AN) All‐Time Series: Louisiana Tech leads 4‐1 Last Meeting: at Louisiana Tech 63, UTSA 35 (Nov. 12, 2016)

FAST FACTS **UTSA reached bowl‐eligibility for the second straight season with the win over Marshall last week. Louisiana Tech needs to win this game in order to become bowl‐eligible for the fourth straight year. **UTSA leads Conference USA in eight different defensive statistical categories. **Not only does UTSA lead C‐USA in scoring defense by yielding just 16.7 points per game, a statistic that ranks 10th nationally, the Roadrunners have scored three times on defense themselves this season. That number stands fourth in C‐USA and 14th among all FBS teams. **Roadrunners freshman K Jared Sackett was named Conference USA Special Teams Player of the Week on Monday for his performance in the 9‐7 victory over Marshall on Nov. 18. He made all three of his field‐goal attempts, including the game‐winner from 40 yards out with two seconds remaining. The Lou Groza Award semifinalist has now matched Sean Ianno's single‐season record with 17 field goals and he leads C‐USA in field goals per game (1.89) and field goal percentage (.895). **UTSA senior DE Marcus Davenport has accepted an invitation to play in the 2018 Reese’s . Davenport has registered 49 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, eight quarterback hurries, four pass breakups, three forced fumbles and a fumble return touchdown. He ranks 10th nationally in tackles for loss per game (1.6), 14th in sacks per game (0.75) and 17th in forced fumbles per contest (0.3). In his last six games, Davenport has posted 36 tackles, 11 TFLs, 5.5 sacks, a pair of forced fumbles, one QB pressure, one PBU and a fumble return TD. **Louisiana Tech sophomore RB Jaqwis Dancy rushed for a career‐high 135 yards on 15 carries in last Saturday’s 42‐21 victory at UTEP, including a 54‐yard rushing touchdown. Dancy, who is in is comeback season after battling Hodgkin lymphoma cancer in 2016, also had 18 receiving yards and 10 kick return yards on the day for a total of 163 all‐purpose yards. With Dancy’s help, LA Tech rushed for more yards as a team since 2013 with 343 yards on the ground against the Miners. *LA Tech QB J’Mar Smith has 2,657 passing yards as a sophomore, becoming just the third underclassmen QB in Tech history to throw for 2,500 yards and the first since 2001. He has thrown just four interceptions in 365 passing attempts with 13 passing touchdowns. Smith also ranks third on the team in rushing with 338 yards and four touchdowns. **Senior RB Boston Scott has led the Bulldogs in rushing in seven straight games dating back to Sept. 30, while scoring six of his seven rushing TDs over the last four games.

MORE UTSA Football: http://www.goutsa.com/index.aspx?path=football Louisiana Tech Football: http://www.latechsports.com/sports/m‐footbl/latc‐m‐footbl‐body.html