American Athletic Conference Football Report 2013 Season • Week 12 Contact: Chuck Sullivan, Director of Communications ([email protected] • 401.453.0660) 15 Park Row West • Providence, RI 02903 TheAmerican.org • Twitter: @American_FB • Facebook: fb.com/AmericanConf 2013 STANDINGS AMERICAN OVERALL SCHOOL W-L PCT PF PA H A W-L PCT PF PA H A N STREAK NOTABLE UCF 15/19 4-0 1.000 143 83 2-0 2-0 7-1 .875 278 149 3-1 4-0 0-0 Won 4 UCF is bowl-eligible for fourth time in five years Louisville 19/13 4-1 .800 154 68 1-1 3-0 8-1 .889 346 95 4-1 4-0 0-0 Won 2 Cardinals have won five straight road games Cincinnati -/rv 4-1 .800 161 108 3-0 1-1 7-2 .778 300 169 5-0 2-2 0-0 Won 4 Cincinnati is bowl-eligible for seventh time in eight years Houston rv/- 4-1 .800 145 84 2-0 2-1 7-2 .778 343 198 3-1 3-1 1-0 Lost 1 Houston’s streak of scoring in 39 straight quarters ended Rutgers 2-2 .500 102 145 1-1 1-1 5-3 .625 247 231 4-1 1-2 0-0 Won 1 Game-winning points against Temple came with 35 seconds left SMU 2-2 .500 170 161 1-1 1-1 3-5 .375 254 322 2-2 1-3 0-0 Lost 1 Mustangs had three 100-yard receivers against Cincinnati USF 2-2 .500 65 99 1-1 1-1 2-6 .250 123 250 1-4 1-2 0-0 Lost 2 Bulls had season-high 364 yards against Houston Memphis 0-4 .000 82 117 0-3 0-1 2-6 .250 163 175 2-4 0-2 0-0 Won 1 Tigers lead the nation in net punting UConn 0-4 .000 53 147 0-2 0-2 0-8 .000 125 277 0-5 0-3 0-0 Lost 9 Huskies have not scored more than 21 points this season Temple 0-5 .000 109 172 0-2 0-3 1-8 .111 201 270 1-3 0-5 0-0 Lost 2 Owls have led at halftime in each of their last four games Nov. 11 BCS Standings: 17 - UCF; 20 - Louisville Nov. 11 Associated Press Top 25: 15 - UCF; 19 - Louisville; rv - Houston Nov. 11 USA Today Top 25: 13 - Louisville; 19 - UCF; rv - Cincinnati Nov. 11 Harris Interactive Top 25: 14 - Louisville; 19 - UCF; rv - Houston THIS WEEK OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK Garrett Gilbert • Sr. • QB • SMU • Austin, Texas Saturday, November 16 Gilbert completed 38 of 47 passes for 403 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for another TD UCF at Temple .......................................... Noon in a 28-25 loss at Cincinnati. It was the third 400-yard game and the seventh 300-yard game of the American Game of the Week season for Gilbert, who has thrown for multiple touchdowns in five consecutive games. Gilbert, the Television: ESPN Regional national leader in total offense (408.3 yards per game), has thrown for 2,634 yards and 15 touchdowns this season Series: First meeting and has added five rushing touchdowns for the Mustangs. Cincinnati at Rutgers ............................... Noon Television: ESPNews DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK Series: Rutgers leads, 9-8-1 Brandon Alexander • Jr. • S • UCF • Orlando, Fla. Last Meeting: Nov. 17, 2012 — Rutgers, 10-3 Alexander led a UCF defense that held Houston — which had averaged 42.0 points per game and scored in every quarter this season — to just 14 points in the Knights’ 19-14 win, lifting UCF into sole UConn at SMU ........................................3 p.m. possession of first place in the American Athletic Conference. Alexander had seven tackles and an Television: ESPN3 interception and clinched the win with a fourth-down pass breakup in the closing seconds. Series: SMU leads, 1-0 Last Meeting: Sept. 16, 1989 — SMU, 31-30 Houston at Louisville .............................7 p.m. SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK Charles Gaines • So. • CB • Louisville • Miami, Fla. Television: ESPNU Series: Tied, 7-7 Gaines put Louisville on the board in the first quarter of the Cardinals’ 31-10 win at UConn when he blocked Last Meeting: Nov. 20, 2004 — Louisville, 65-27 a punt and returned it seven yards for a touchdown. Gaines added four tackles and an interception for the Cardinals, who improved to 8-1 overall and 4-1 in The American with the win. Memphis at USF .....................................7 p.m. Television: ESPN3 Series: USF leads, 3-2 HONOR ROLL Last Meeting: Dec. 20, 2008 — USF, 41-14 William Stanback • Fr. • RB • UCF • Hempstead, N.Y. Rushed for 74 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries in a 19-14 win against Houston. Greg Blair • Sr. • LB • Cincinnati • Pittsburgh, Pa. Had 10 tackles in a 28-25 win against SMU. Trevon Stewart • So. • S • Houston • Patterson, La. Had 13 tackles and an interception in a 19-14 loss at UCF. Marcus Smith • Sr. • DE • Louisville • Columbus, Ga. Had seven tackles, 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble in a 31-10 win at UConn. National leader in sacks (8.0). Brandon Hayes • Sr. • RB • Memphis • Chicago, Ill. Had 27 carries for 105 yards and two receptions for 15 yards and a touchdown in a 21-6 win against Tennessee-Martin. AMERICAN NOTEBOOK Introduction Cougartown WATCH THIS The 2013 season is the first for the American Athletic Houston QB John O’Korn ranks third among FBS fresh- Conference. The American consists of 10 Football Bowl men in passing yards per game. O’Korn is averaging A look at American Athletic Conference players under consid- Subdivision teams that will play eight conference 261.3 yards, trailing only California’s Jared Goff (314.1) eration for 2013 major national awards. games. The league champion will earn an automatic and Florida State’s Jameis Winston (295.7) among Bednarik Award (Top Defensive Player) - Watch List berth to the Bowl Championship Series. rookies. Greg Blair, LB, Cincinnati Yawin Smallwood, LB, UConn Calvin Pryor, S, Louisville What’s In A Name? Totally Offensive Hakeem Smith, S, Louisville Jamal Merrell, LB, Rutgers The American Athletic Conference existed as the Big SMU QB Garrett Gilbert leads the nation in total offense DeDe Lattimore, LB, USF East Conference from 1979 through June 30, 2013. The (409.4 yards per game). Gilbert had 635 yards of total league formally changed its name as of July 1. offense in the Mustangs’ 59-49 win against Temple Oct. Biletnikoff Award (Top Wide Receiver) - Watch List Deontay Greenberry, Houston 26, which ranks as the seventh-best individual total in DeVante Parker, Louisville View From The Penthouse NCAA FBS history. Brandon Coleman, Rutgers UCF defeated Houston 19-14 Saturday to take sole Butkus Award (Top Linebacker) - Semifinalists possession of first place in the American Athletic Ordering Rings Yawin Smallwood, UConn Conference standings. Four of the 10 teams in The American won or shared Walter Camp Award (Top Player) - Watch List their conference’s regular-season championship last Yawin Smallwood, LB, UConn Stonewalled year. Cincinnati, Louisville and Rutgers were part of a Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville Louisville has allowed just 11 touchdowns this season. four-way tie for first in the final Big East standings, while Lou Groza Award (Top Kicker) - Semifinalists The Cardinals lead the nation in scoring defense (10.6 UCF won the Conference USA East Division crown. Shawn Moffitt, UCF ppg). Jake Elliott, Memphis Marvin Kloss, USF 7-10 Split Chase Hover, SMU Lines In The Sand Seven of the 10 teams in the American Athletic Con- Ray Guy Award (Top Punter) - Semifinalists Four American Athletic Conference teams rank among ference have been ranked in the top 25 of the Bowl Richie Leone, Houston the top 14 nationally in rushing defense. Championship Series standings since 2008: Tom Hornsey, Memphis Rank Team Rushing Yards Allowed Team Years Ranked John Mackey Award (Top Tight End) - Watch List 2. Louisville 78.0 UCF 2010 Gerald Christian, Louisville 6. Cincinnati 96.2 Cincinnati 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 Maxwell Award (Outstanding Player) - Watch List 11. Rutgers 104.3 UConn 2008 Blake Bortles, QB, UCF 14. Memphis 108.3 Houston 2009, 2011 Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville Louisville 2012 Nagurski Trophy (Defensive Player) - Watch List Security Instruments Rutgers 2012 Greg Blair, LB, Cincinnati Houston leads the nation in turnover margin. The USF 2008, 2009 Yawin Smallwood, LB, UConn Hakeem Smith, S, Louisville Cougars enter the week with 32 takeaways and have Aaron Lynch, DE, USF committed just 11 turnovers, a net average of 2.3 per Best Of The Best Davey O’Brien (Top Quarterback) - Semifinalists game. Louisville is third nationally in turnover margin Five of the 10 teams in The American have earned top-10 Blake Bortles, QB, UCF (1.6 per game), while UCF is eighth (1.0). rankings in the BCS since the 2006 season: Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville Team Highest Ranking - Year Outland Trophy (Top Interior Lineman) - Watch List Top Of The Charts Cincinnati No. 3 - 2009 Austen Bujnoch, OG, Cincinnati Louisville QB Teddy Bridgewater has established him- Houston No. 6 - 2011 Eric Lefeld, OT, Cincinnati Kaleb Johnson, OT, Rutgers self as arguably the top quarterback in college football Louisville No. 3 - 2006 Antwan Lowery, OG, Rutgers this season. Here’s where he ranked among the national Rutgers No. 6 - 2006 Rimington Trophy (Top Center) - Watch List statistical leaders entering the week: USF No. 2 - 2007 Bryce Redman, Houston Category Rank Total Betim Bujari, Rutgers Pass Efficiency 4th 182.9 Best And Brightest Austin Reiter, USF Taylor Lasecki, SMU Passing Touchdowns 6th 24 Six American Athletic Conference players are among Passing Yards 10th 2,845 the 170 candidates for the National Football Founda- Rotary Lombardi Award (Top Lineman) - Watch List Austen Bujnoch, OG, Cincinnati Passing Yards/Game 10th 316.1 tion National Scholar-Athlete Awards.