FOOTBALL 2021 SEASON Release (August 30, 2021) Contact: Jordan Stepp | [email protected] | 805.551.8648 STANDINGS East Division W-L Pct. H A Div. Pts. Opp. W-L Pct. H A Pts Opp. Charlotte 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 - - - 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 - - FIU 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 - - - 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 - - Florida Atlantic 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 - - - 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 - - Marshall 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 - - - 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 - - Middle Tennessee 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 - - - 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 - - Old Dominion 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 - - - 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 - WKU 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 - - - 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 - - West Division W-L Pct. H A Div. Pts. Opp. W-L Pct. H A Pts Opp. UTEP 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 - - - 1-0 1.000 0-0 1-0 30 3 Louisiana Tech 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 - - - 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 - - North Texas 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 - - - 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 - - Rice 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 - - - 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 - - Southern Miss 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 - - - 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 - - UAB 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 - - - 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 - - UTSA 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 - - - 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 - - RECENT RESULTS Houston at Rice (CBSSN) 5:30 pm PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Texas State at FIU (ESPN+) 6 pm SE Louisiana at LA Tech (ESPN3) 6 pm OFFENSE SATURDAY, AUGUST 28 WR JACOB COWING, UTEP North Texas at SMU (ESPN+) 6 pm UTEP 30, New Mexico State 3 Sophomore, Maricopa, Arizona Hampton at Old Dominion (ESPN3) 6 pm Cowing picked up right where he left off in 2020, Grambling State at Southern Miss (ESPN3) 6 pm recording a career-high 158 receiving yards on just UPCOMING GAMES (ALL TIMES CT) five receptions and a 59-yard touchdown catch on SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 Saturday. The 158 yards receiving marked Cowing’s WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1 sixth 100-yard game of his career as the Miners SMU at LA Tech (CBSSN) 2:30 pm started the 2021 season on the right foot. Cowing Jacksonville State at UAB (ESPN) 6:30 pm Fordham at Florida Atlantic (ESPN3) 5 pm solidified himself as a deep threat for the Miners, East Carolina at Marshall (CBSSN/Facebook) 5 pm making receptions of 72 and 59 yards in the win over the Aggies. The 59-yard touchdown on the THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 2 Middle Tennessee at UTSA (ESPN+) 5 pm Long Island at FIU (ESPN3) 6 pm opening drive of the second half was the seventh Old Dominion at Liberty (ESPN3) 5 pm touchdown reception of Cowing’s young career. UT Martin at WKU (ESPN+) 7 pm Charlotte at Georgia State (ESPN+) 6 pm FIU at Texas Tech (ESPN+) 6 pm DEFENSE FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 3 Troy at Southern Miss (ESPN+) 6 pm S DY’VONNE INYANG, UTEP Duke at Charlotte (CBSSN) 6 pm UAB at North Texas (Stadium) 6:30 pm Senior, Missouri City, Texas Old Dominion at Wake Forest (ACC Network) 6 pm Rice at Texas (LHN) 7 pm Inyang led the Miner defense with six total tackles, including four solo stops, as the Miners snapped a three-game losing streak against the Aggies SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 4 THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 in the Battle of I-10 rivalry. The six tackles for Rice at Arkansas (SEC Network +) 1 pm Marshall at Appalachian State (ESPN) 6:30 pm Inyang tied a career-high mark for the veteran Marshall at Navy (CBSSN) 2:30 pm safety, who last tallied six tackles in UTEP’s game LA Tech at Mississippi State (ESPNU) 3 pm at Charlotte in 2020. As a whole, Inyang led a FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 defensive unit that held New Mexico State to its Monmouth at Middle Tennessee (ESPN3) 6 pm Middle Tennessee at Charlotte (CBSSN) 5:30 pm lowest point total since scoring three points at Florida Atlantic at Florida (SEC Network) 6:30 pm Ole Miss on Nov. 9, 2019. The three points scored Northwestern State at North Texas (ESPN3) 6:30 pm SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 by the Aggies marks the lowest point total in a UTSA at Illinois (Big Ten Network) 6:30 pm FIU at Central Michigan (TBD) TBD home game for the Aggies since they lost, 59- 0, to Boise State on Oct. 2, 2010 in Las Cruces. Southern Miss at South Alabama (ESPN3) 7 pm Florida Atlantic at Air Force (FS1/FS2) TBD Bethune-Cookman at UTEP (ESPN3) 8 pm UTSA at Memphis (TBD) TBD SPECIAL TEAMS UAB at Tulane (TBD) TBD K GAVIN BAECHLE, UTEP FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10 Southern Miss at Alabama (TBD) TBD Junior, McKinney, Texas UTEP at Boise State (FS1) 8:30 pm Buffalo at Old Dominion (ESPN Networks) 5 pm Baechle accounted for 12 of UTEP’s 30 points Texas Southern at Rice (ESPN Networks) 5:30 pm scored after finishing a perfect 3-for-3 on field goals and connected on all three of his PAT at- SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 11 North Texas at LA Tech (Stadium) 6 pm tempts in the win over New Mexico State. The WKU at Army (CBSSN) 10:30 am Indiana at WKU (CBSSN) 7 pm 12 points and three field goals by Baechle tied Middle Tennessee at Virginia Tech (ACC Net Extra) 1 pm New Mexico at UTEP (ESPN Networks) 8 pm his career-high marks as a Miner, both of which Ga. Southern at Florida Atlantic (Stadium) 2:30 pm were previously set in UTEP’s win over Hous- ton Baptist to open the 2019 campaign. Baechle UAB at Georgia (ESPN2) 2:30 pm Conference Games in Bold connected on field goals from 35, 27 and 33 Gardner Webb at Charlotte (ESPN3) 5 pm yards out. McKinney, Texas, native also handled Lamar at UTSA (ESPN3) 5 pm kickoff duties for the Miners with six kickoffs N.C. Central at Marshall (ESPN+) 5:30 pm for 360 yards (60.0 avg.) with five touchbacks. FOOTBALL 2021 SEASON Release (August 30, 2021) Contact: Jordan Stepp | [email protected] | 805.551.8648 QUICK HITTERS 2021 SEASON OPENERS Old Dominion* 6 2 2 PRESEASON WATCH LIST UTEP kicked off the 2021 season last week with a win Rice 9 10 5 (as selected by the league’s head coaches) to open Conference USA’s 27th season. Southern Miss 9 10 7 UAB 8 9 2 OFFENSE All 14 C-USA programs will be in action this week in a UTEP 10 9 4 QB Grant Wells, RS Fr., Marshall busy four-day stretch for the conference. Defending QB Bailey Zappe, GS, WKU UTSA 10 11 3 RB Frank Gore, Jr., Fr., Southern Miss C-USA champion UAB opens Week 1 in the national WKU 5 5 4 RB Sincere McCormick, Jr., UTSA spotlight on ESPN on Wednesday, Sept. 1, when they * Returning starters from 2019, ODU’s last season RB DeWayne McBride, So., UAB take on Jacksonville State in the Cramton Bowl in RB D’Vonte Price, Sr., FIU Mobile, AL. RB Marcus Williams, Jr., GS, Louisiana Tech RETURNING LETTERWINNERS WR Jason Brownlee, Jr., Southern Miss FIU and WKU host Thursday night games against Here’s a look at the number of lettermen returning WR Jacob Cowing, So., UTEP WR Jarrin Pierce, RS Sr., Middle Tennessee Long Island and UT Martin, respectively, while Char- and lost for each C-USA school: lotte hosts Duke, and ODU is in action for the first WR Brandon Robinson, RS Sr., Florida Atlantic WR Bradley Rozner, RS Jr., Rice time since 2019, when the Monarchs travel to Wake School Ret. Lost WR Jyaire Shorter, RS So., North Texas Forest, both on Friday night. The other nine member Charlotte 55 20 WR Victor Tucker, RS Sr., Charlotte institutions are in action throughout the first full Sat- FIU 76 22 OL Shea Baker, RS Jr., Rice urday of the college football season. OL Jacob Brammer, RS Jr., North Texas Florida Atlantic 32 40 OL Spencer Burford, Sr., UTSA Louisiana Tech 55 16 OL Bobby DeHaro, RS Jr., UTEP C-USA COACHING DEBUTS OL D’Mitri Emmanuel, RS Sr., Charlotte The league has two new head coaches for 2021: Marshall 48 22 Middle Tennessee 50 15 OL Arvin Fletcher, RS Sr., Southern Miss Fresh off of a national championship at Alabama, OL Lyndell Hudson, Jr., RS So., FIU Charles Huff takes over at Marshall. Will Hall, former North Texas 37 21 OL Alex Mollette, RS Sr., Marshall offensive coordinator at Tulane (2019-20) and asso- Old Dominion 26 34 OL Joshua Mote, Jr., Louisiana Tech ciate head coach at Memphis (2018) takes over as Rice 88 14 OL Jordan Palmer, Jr., Middle Tennessee the 22nd head football coach at Southern Miss. Old Southern Miss 50 8 OL Nick Saldiveri, RS So., Old Dominion OL Cole Spencer, RS Jr., WKU Dominion, whch did not play football last fall, will de- UAB 58 13 but former Penn State offensive coordinator OL Kadeem Telfort, RS Jr., UAB Ricky UTEP 53 11 OL Khalique Washington, Sr., Southern Miss Rahne as its second head coach. UTSA 71 9 OL Isaac Weaver, Sr., Old Dominion WKU 46 20 OL Nick Weber, RS Jr., Florida Atlantic 2021 SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN Here’s a look at C-USA’s non-league FBS opponents DEFENSE by conference during the 2021 season: RETURNING NATIONAL LEADERS DL Praise Amaewhule, RS So., UTEP C-USA has several players that are ranked among the DL Evan Anderson, Fr., Florida Atlantic ACC: Duke, NC State, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest top 10 returnees in major statistical categories.