AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE FOOTBALL REPORT 2020 Season • Final @American_FB Contact: Chuck Sullivan, Assistant Commissioner for Communications [email protected] • 469.840.3132 • @ChuckSullivan15 545 East John Carpenter Freeway • Irving, TX 75062 AMERICAN OVERALL SCHOOL AP/Coaches W-L PCT PF PA H A W-L PCT PF PA H A N STREAK CINCINNATI 8/8 6-0 1.000 248 90 4-0 2-0 9-1 .900 375 168 7-0 2-0 0-1 Lost 1 TULSA rv/rv 6-0 1.000 187 123 3-0 3-0 6-3 .667 244 194 3-0 3-2 0-1 Lost 2 MEMPHIS rv/rv 5-3 .625 223 259 4-0 1-3 8-3 .727 341 307 6-0 1-3 1-0 Won 2 UCF 5-3 .625 350 262 2-2 3-1 6-4 .600 422 332 2-2 4-1 0-1 Lost 1 SMU -/rv 4-3 .571 240 243 2-1 2-2 7-3 .700 386 309 3-1 4-2 0-0 Lost 2 HOUSTON 3-3 .500 200 185 2-1 1-2 3-5 .375 240 256 2-2 1-2 0-1 Lost 2 NAVY 3-4 .429 156 193 1-3 2-1 3-7 .300 166 303 1-4 2-3 0-0 Lost 5 TULANE 3-5 .375 258 239 2-2 1-3 6-6 .500 416 337 3-2 3-3 0-1 Lost 1 EAST CAROLINA 3-5 .375 243 270 1-3 2-2 3-6 .333 272 319 1-3 2-3 0-0 Won 2 TEMPLE 1-6 .143 139 260 1-2 0-4 1-6 .143 139 260 1-2 0-4 0-0 Lost 5 USF 0-7 .000 181 301 0-3 0-4 1-8 .111 208 359 1-3 0-5 0-0 Lost 8 BOWL RESULTS POSTSEASON HONORS TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22 OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR FAMOUS IDAHO POTATO BOWL Desmond Ridder • Jr. • QB • Cincinnati • Louisville, Ky. Nevada 38, Tulane 27 Ridder, who is a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award as the nation’s most outstanding player, has been instrumental Tulane: Michael Pratt, 12 of 25, 168 yards, 2 TD, 3 in Cincinnati’s 9-0 record. He has passed for 2,090 yards and 17 touchdowns while rushing for 609 yards and 12 TDs, INT; Cameron Carroll, 10 att., 120 yards, 1 TD; Jha’Quan engineering an offense that averages 39.3 points and 467.2 yards per game. He has accounted for 23 touchdowns in Jackson, 2 rec., 69 yards, 2 TD. the Bearcats’ last six games, throwing 11 touchdown passes and rushing for 12 scores. Ridder, who was The American Rookie of the Year in 2018, is the first Cincinnati player to be chosen as the conference’s Offensive Player of the Year. ROOFCLAIM.COM BOCA RATON BOWL BYU 49, UCF 23 DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR UCF: Dillon Gabriel, 21 of 45, 217 yards, 2 TD; Greg Zaven Collins • Jr. • LB • Tulsa • Hominy, Okla. McCrae, 18 att., 77 yards, 1 TD; Jacob Harris, 4 rec., 67 Collins was unanimously chosen as The American Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the first player in league history yards, 1 TD. to earn unanimous player-of-the-year honors. A finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as the nation’s top defensive player the runner-up for the Butkus Award as the top linebacker, Collins has registered 53 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 23 four sacks and four interceptions, including two that were returned for touchdowns. Two of Collins’ four interceptions MONTGOMERY BOWL clinched wins for Tulsa, including a highlight-reel 96-yard pick six against Tulane in an overtime victory. He is the first Memphis 25, Florida Atlantic 10 player from Tulsa to be named as the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year. Memphis: Brady White, 22 of 34, 284 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT; Tahj Washington, 8 rec., 105 yards, Jason Ivory, 7 rec., SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE YEAR 126 yards, 1 TD; Asa Martin, 15 att., 96 yards. Chris Naggar • Sr. • K • SMU • Arlington, Texas Naggar is a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award and is the first SMU player to be selected as THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24 The American’s Special Teams Player of the Year. Naggar leads the conference in scoring in 2020, averaging 9.4 points NEW MEXICO BOWL per game, and has made a league-leading 17 field goals in 21 attempts. He hit game-winning field goals in back-to-back Hawaii 28, Houston 14 weeks for the Mustangs in victories against Memphis and Tulane to help SMU to a 5-0 start. Houston: Clayton Tune, 20 of 38, 216 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT; Nathaniel Dell, 6 rec., 112 yards, 1 TD; Mulbah Car, 15 ROOKIES OF THE YEAR att., 47 yards. Rahjai Harris • Fr. • RB • East Carolina • Duncan, S.C. Harris rushed for 624 yards and four touchdowns in eight games, averaging 4.9 yards per carry and ranking third in The THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31 American in rushing as a true freshman (78.0 ypg). LOCKHEED MARTIN ARMED FORCES BOWL Mississippi State 28, Tulsa 26 Ulysses Bentley IV • RFr. • RB • SMU • Houston, Texas Tulsa: Zach Smith, 26 of 46, 347 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT; Bentley, a redshirt freshman, led The American with 913 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns in 10 games and topped the Corey Taylor II, 20 att., 90 yards, 1 TD; Keylon Stokes, 9 conference with 91.3 yards per game. rec., 117 yards, 1 TD. COACH OF THE YEAR FRIDAY, JANUARY 1 Luke Fickell • Cincinnati CHICK-FIL-A PEACH BOWL Fickell was named as The American Coach of the Year for the second time in three seasons. Fickell takes his 9-0 Cincinnati Georgia 24, Cincinnati 21 squad into the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl with a national ranking of No. 6 in the Associated Press and USA Today polls. The Cincinnati: Desmond Ridder, 24 of 37, 206 yards, 2 TD; Bearcats have won their nine games by an average of 23.3 points against a schedule that included three top-25 opponents. Jerome Ford, 8 att., 97 yards, 1 TD. 1 AMERICAN NOTEBOOK Rank And File The American’s All-Americans 2020 CHAMPIONSHIP Cincinnati finished the 2020 season ranked No. 8 nation- Five American Athletic Conference players were cho- ally, marking the fourth time in the American Athletic sen to All-America teams by college football’s leading Conference’s eight seasons that the league finished presenters. CINCINNATI 27, TULSA 24 with a top-10 team. Associated Press Top-10 Finishes by American Athletic Conference Teams Zaven Collins, LB, Tulsa - First Team Nippert Stadium 2013 UCF (No. 10 AP) Ahmad Gardner, CB, Cincinnati - Second Team Cincinnati, Ohio 2015 Houston (No. 8 AP, No. 8 USA Today) James Wiggins, S, Cincinnati - Second Team Dec. 19, 2020 2017 UCF (No. 6 AP, No. 7 USA Today) 2020 Cincinnati (No. 8 AP, No. 8 USA Today) American Football Coaches Association Score by Quarters 1 2 3 4 Score Zaven Collins, LB, Tulsa - First Team Tulsa (6-2) 0 10 7 7 24 Bowling Lane Ahmad Gardner, DB, Cincinnati - Second Team Cincinnati (12-1) 10 7 7 3 27 Cincinnati’s appearance in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl marked the fifth time in seven seasons of the current Sporting News Scoring Summary: 1st 08:56 CIN FORD, Jerome 42 yd run (SMTIH, Cole kick) College Football Playoff format that the American Athletic Zaven Collins, LB, Tulsa - First Team 4 -75 1:54 , TLS 0 - CIN 7 Conference was represented in the New Year’s Six. Patrick Johnson, DL, Tulane - Second Team 00:05 CIN SMTIH, Cole 25 yd field goal ,11 -72 5:46, TLS 0 - CIN 10 Big Time Football Writers Association of America 2nd 11:08 TLS LONG, Zack 43 yd field goal , 11 -46 3:52, TLS 3 - CIN American Athletic Conference teams have gone 3-3 in Zaven Collins, LB, Tulsa - First Team 10 New Year’s Six/BCS bowls since the formation of the Ahmad Gardner, DB, Cincinnati - First Team 08:36 TLS TAYLOR II, Corey 10 yd run (LONG, Zack kick), 5 -28 1:37, TLS 10 - CIN 10 conference in 2013. Marcus Jones ,PR, Houston - First Team 03:17 CIN PIERCE, Alec 36 yd pass from RIDDER, Desmond 2013 UCF 52, Baylor 42 (Fiesta Bowl) Patrick Johnson, DL, Tulane - Second Team (SMTIH, Cole kick), 5 -64 2:04, TLS 10 - CIN 17 2015 Houston 38, Florida State 24 (Peach Bowl) 3rd 10:05 TLS PRINCE, Deneric 8 yd run (LONG, Zack kick), 3 -55 2017 UCF 34, Auburn 27 (Peach Bowl) Walter Camp Football Foundation 0:45, TLS 17 - CIN 17 2018 LSU 40, UCF 32 (Fiesta Bowl) Zaven Collins, LB, Tulsa - First Team 07:14 CIN RIDDER, Desmond 10 yd run (SMTIH, Cole kick), 6 2019 Penn State 53, Memphis 39 (Cotton Bowl) Patrick Johnson, DL, Tulane - Second Team -65 2:46, TLS 17 - CIN 24 4th 03:41 TLS SANTANA, JuanCarlos 13 yd pass from SMITH, Zach 2020 Georgia 24, Cincinnati 21 (Peach Bowl) (LONG, Zack kick) 7 -80 2:46, TLS 24 - CIN 24 ESPN 00:00 CIN SMTIH, Cole 34 yd field goal, 12 -51 3:34, TLS Defend This House Zaven Collins, LB, Tulsa - First Team 24 - CIN 27 Cincinnati will take a 20-game winning streak at Nippert Stadium into the 2021 season, while Memphis brings a CBS Sports TULSA CINCINNATI 15-game winning streak at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Zaven Collins, LB, Tulsa - First Team FIRST DOWNS 22 17 RUSHES-YARDS (NET) 37-199 38-151 into the season.