THIS WEEKEND: Week 5 begins in the American as UConn travels to 4-0 and No. 6-ranked Houston for a conference matchup. Friday in the MAC, unbeaten Toledo is at BYU for a non-conference matchup. Saturday, key matchups dominate all three partner conferences. In the MAC West, the first two Popeyes Bahamas Bowl participants play as 4-0 Western Michigan goes to 3-1 Central Michigan in one of four rivalry games in the conference. In the American East, USF goes to Cincinnati in a game between a pair of 3-1 teams. The other two AAC unbeatens are on the road in non-conference action as 3-0 Navy is at Air Force while 3-0 Memphis visits SEC foe Ole Miss. In Conference USA, division co-leaders meet as 3-1 Middle Tennessee (East) plays at 2-2 North Texas (West), while 3-1 Southern Miss hosts Rice in a West Division tilt. Marshall visits ACC foe Pittsburgh in a non-conference game.
WEEK 4 REVIEW: Last week, Conference USA got into league play as Old Dominion beat UTSA, North Texas needed OT to beat Rice, Middle Tennessee came from 20 points down to beat Louisiana Tech and Southern Miss beat UTEP. In the American, Tulane needed four overtimes to beat Louisiana 41-39, Tulsa came back from 31 points down and needed a pair of OTs to beat Fresno State 48-41, and three AAC teams scored 50 or more points in non-conference victories: Memphis (77), Houston (64) and UCF (53). In the MAC, Western Michigan went to 4-0 with a 49-31 victory over Georgia Southern while Buffalo held off Army 23-20 in OT. Eastern Michigan improved to 3-1 with a 27-24 victory over Wyoming, and Ball State also moved to 3-1 with a 31-27 victory over Florida Atlantic.
POLLING PLACE: Houston (AAC) is No. 6 in the Associated Press and No. 7 in the Amway Coaches’ Poll after Week 4. Those receiving votes in the AP poll (in order of votes received) are Western MIchigan (MAC), Memphis (AAC) and Toledo (MAC). Those receiving votes in the Coaches’ Poll (in order of votes received) are Western Michigan, Memphis, Navy (AAC), Toledo and South Florida (AAC).
CATCH THIS: Louisiana Tech WR Trent Taylor leads the FBS in touchdowns (7) and ranks third in receptions (43) and receiving yards (632). Western Michigan WR Corey Davis (40 games) is tied for first in most consecutive games with a reception.
RECORD AMONG CONFERENCES: The American finished 3-0 vs. C-USA and 3-0 vs. the MAC, while the MAC had a 3-2 record vs. C-USA this season.
WEEK 5 SCHEDULE
AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
Thursday, Sept. 29
* UConn at Houston (ESPN)
Saturday, Oct. 1
* UCF at East Carolina (CBSSN)
* SMU at Temple (ESPNews)
Navy at Air Force (CBSSN)
Tulane at UMass (ADN/ESPN3)
Memphis at Ole Miss (ESPN2 or SECNAlt)
* USF at Cincinnati (ESPNU)
CONFERENCE USA
Saturday, Oct. 1
* Old Dominion at Charlotte (CUSATV)
* Florida Atlantic at FIU (beIN)
* UTEP at Louisiana Tech (ASN)
* Middle Tennessee at North Texas (CI)
* Rice at Southern Miss
Houston Baptist at WKU (CUSATV)
Marshall at Pittsburgh (ACCRSN)
MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE
Friday, Sept. 30
Toledo at BYU (ESPN2)
Saturday, Oct. 1
Buffalo at Boston College (ACCN/ESPN3)
* Ohio at Miami (TWCSC/ESPN3)
* Eastern Michigan at Bowling Green (ESPN3)
* Akron at Kent State (ESPN3)
* NIU at Ball State (ASN/ESPN3)
* Western Michigan at Central Michigan (CBSSN)
* – conference games
WEEK 4 RESULTS
AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
Friday, Sept. 23
TCU 33, SMU 3
Saturday, Sept. 24
Florida State 55, USF 35
Temple 48, Charlotte 20
Virginia Tech 54, East Carolina 17
Syracuse 31, UConn 24
Cincinnati 27, Miami (Ohio) 20
Tulsa 48, Fresno State 41 (2 OT)
UCF 53, FIU 14
Houston 64, Texas State 3
Memphis 77, Bowling Green 3
Tulane 41, Louisiana 39 (4 OT)
CONFERENCE USA
Saturday, Sept. 24
* Old Dominion 33, UTSA 19
* North Texas 42, Rice 35 (2 OT)
* Middle Tennessee 38, Louisiana Tech 34
* Southern Miss 34, UTEP 7
Louisville 59, Marshall 28
Temple 48, Charlotte 20
Vanderbilt 31, WKU 30 (OT)
Ball State 31, Florida Atlantic 27
UCF 53, FIU 14
MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE
Friday, Sept. 23
Eastern Michigan 27, Wyoming 24
Saturday, Sept. 24
Alabama 48, Kent State 0
Virginia 49, Central Michigan 35
Ohio 37, Gardner-Webb 21
Appalachian State 45, Akron 38
Cincinnati 27, Miami 20
Western Illinois 28, NIU 23
Ball State 31, Florida Atlantic 27
Buffalo 23, Army 20 (OT)
Western Michigan 49, Georgia Southern 31
Memphis 77, Bowling Green 3
* – conference games
WEEK 4 INDIVIDUAL HONORS
AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
Offensive Player of the Week
Memphis QB Riley Ferguson: The junior completed 20 of 27 passes for 359 yards and 6 TDs in a 77-3 victory over Bowling Green.
Defensive Player of the Week
Tulsa S Jeremy Brady: The senior had an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovers in a 48-41 double-OT victory at Fresno State.
Special Teams Player of the Week
Tulane K Andrew DiRocco: The junior made four field goals and scored 15 points in a 41-39 four-OT victory over Louisiana.
CONFERENCE USA
Offensive Player of the Week
Middle Tennessee RB I’Tavius Mathers: The senior had 237 total yards and scored 4 TDs in a 38-34 victory over Louisiana Tech.
Defensive Player of the Week
North Texas S Kishawn McClain: The junior had 10 tackles, an inteception and a forced fumble in a 42-35 double-OT victory Rice.
Special Teams Player of the Week
North Texas KR Tyler Wilson: The freshman returned three kickoffs for 100 yards in a 42-35 double-OT victory over Rice.
MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE
East Division Offensive Player of the Week
Buffalo QB Tyree Jackson: The redshirt freshman ran for two touchdowns and passed for a TD in a 23-20 overtime victory over Army.
East Division Defensive Player of the Week
Miami LB Junior McMullen: The junior had 14 tackles, including one for loss vs. Cincinnati.
East Division Special Teams Player of the Week
Buffalo K Adam Mitcheson: The sophomore made a 33-yard field goal in OT and two PATs for a 23-20 victory over Army.
West Division Offensive Player of the Week
Western Michigan QB Zach Terrell: The senior threw for 270 yards and four touchdowns in a 49-31 victory over Georgia Southern.
West Division Defensive Player of the Week
Eastern Michigan LB Jeremiah Harris: The sophomore had five tackles and a sack in a 27-24 victory over Wyoming.
West Division Special Teams Player of the Week
Western Michigan KR Darius Phillips: The junior returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown in a 49-31 victory over Georgia Southern.
“POWER FIVE” VICTORIES
A list of American, C-USA and MAC victories over “Power Five” opponents (teams from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC)
Team (Conference): Opponent/Score
Sept. 3
Houston (AAC): Oklahoma (Big 12)/33-23
Southern Miss (C-USA): Kentucky (SEC)/44-35
Western Michigan (MAC): Northwestern (Big Ten)/22-21
Sept. 10
Cincinnati (AAC): Purdue (Big Ten)/38-10
Central Michigan (MAC): Oklahoma State (Big 12)/30-27
East Carolina (AAC): N.C. State (ACC)/33-30
Ohio (MAC): Kansas (Big 12)/37-21
Sept. 17
Memphis (AAC): Kansas (Big 12)/43-7
UConn (AAC): Virginia (ACC)/13-10
USF (AAC): Syracuse (ACC)/45-20
Western Michigan (MAC): Illinois (Big Ten)/34-10
INDIVIDUAL ACCLAIM
Southern Miss junior RB Ito Smith and Western Michigan sophomore RB Jamauri Bogan are the only two FBS players with at least 100 rushing yards in all four games this season.
East Carolina senior WR Zay Jones is second in FBS in receptions per game at 12.3 and fourth in receiving yards per game at 139.5.
Western Michigan WR Corey Davis has 4,180 career receiving yards and needs only eight yards to become the MAC’s all-time career leading receiver.
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
Each week in 2016, the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl will spotlight an alumni player from each of our partner conferences: the American Athletic Conference, Conference USA and the Mid-American Conference.
BRETT FAVRE (SOUTHERN MISS)
Southern Miss QB Brett Favre (Photo Credit: Southern Miss Athletics)
Former star NFL quarterback Brett Favre played his college career at Southern Miss from 1987-90.
Favre started as a 17-year-old freshman, and he became one of the school’s all-time greats. He led the Golden Eagles to 29 victories including road wins over Alabama, Auburn and Florida State during his career.
He ranks second at Southern Miss in passing yards (7,695), is tied for second in touchdown passes (52) and is second in total offensive yards (7,606). He had five 300-yard passing games and five three-TD games, while his 7,695 regular-season pass yards ranked him among the top 30 of all-time NCAA passers.
Favre was MVP of the 1990 All-American Bowl in a loss to N.C. State, and he was also named MVP of the 1991 East-West Shrine Game.
He was a second-round pick in the 1991 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons and was traded to Green Bay before the 1992 season.
Favre played 16 seasons from 1992-2007 with the Packers. He was a three-time consecutive Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player (1995-97), a three-time All-Pro, an 11-time Pro Bowl participant and he led the Packers to the Super Bowl XXXI title.
He holds NFL records for completions (6,300), pass attempts (10,169) and passing yards (71,838). His 508 passing touchdowns, a NFL record at the time of his 2010 retirement, is now second in league history. He also holds the NFL mark for consecutive starts with 297 in the regular season (321 including playoffs).
He finished his career with the New York Jets and the Minnesota Vikings. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016.
POPEYES BAHAMAS BOWL MEDIA PROJECTIONS
Media Organization (Reporter) – Date: Matchup
10thYearSeniors.com (John Marc Nutt) – Sept. 28: East Carolina vs. Marshall
Nassau Tribune (Renaldo Dorsett) – Sept. 28: Cincinnati vs. Southern Miss
USA Today (Erick Smith) – Sept. 28: Marshall vs. Toledo
ESPN.com (Brett McMurphy) – Sept. 26: Marshall vs. East Carolina
ESPN.com (Mark Schlabach) – Sept. 26: Marshall vs. Tulsa
CBSSports.com (Jerry Palm) – Sept. 26: Marshall vs. Ohio
The Sporting News (Bill Bender) – Sept. 26: UConn vs. Louisiana Tech
Bleacher Report (Kerry Miller) – Sept. 26: Middle Tennessee vs. Ohio
Campus Insiders (Dave Miller) – Sept. 25: UConn vs. Toledo
CollegeFootballNews.com (Pete Fiutak) – Sept. 25: Temple vs. Akron
SB Nation (Jason Kirk) – Sept. 25: Tulsa vs. Akron
SI.com (Colin Becht) – Sept. 25: UConn vs. Ohio
Orlando Sentinel (Brant Parsons) – Sept. 18: Army vs. Central Michigan
FOXSports.com (Stuart Mandel) – Aug. 30: Tulsa vs. Akron
Sports on Earth (Matt Brown) – Aug. 22: Memphis vs. Northern Illinois
Athlon Sports (Steven Lassan) – July 6: Toledo vs. Marshall
Phil Steele Magazine (Phil Steele) – Magazine: Marshall vs. Bowling Green
ESPN EVENTS
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a large portfolio of collegiate sporting events worldwide. The roster includes three Labor Day weekend college football games; 13 college bowl games, 10 college basketball events and two college award shows, which accounts for approximately 250-plus hours of programming, reaches almost 64 million viewers and attracts over 700,000 attendees each year. With satellite offices in Albuquerque, Birmingham, Boca Raton, Boise, Dallas-Fort Worth, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Montgomery and St. Petersburg, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans.
ESPN Events also manages the Big 12 Corporate Partner Program.
Collegiate Football
AdvoCare Texas Kickoff (Houston); AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl (Houston); Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl (Atlanta); Birmingham Bowl (Alabama); Boca Raton Bowl (Florida); Camping World Kickoff (Orlando, Fla.); Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Boise); Gildan New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque); Hawai’i Bowl (Honolulu); Las Vegas Bowl (Nevada); Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl (Dallas-Fort Worth); MEAC/SWAC Challenge (Orlando, Fla.); Popeyes Bahamas Bowl (Nassau); Raycom Media Camellia Bowl (Montgomery, Ala.); St. Petersburg Bowl (Florida); The Home Depot College Football Awards (Atlanta) and Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl (Dallas-Fort Worth)
Collegiate Basketball
AdvoCare Invitational (Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fla.); Armed Forces Classic (Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Honolulu); DIRECTV Wooden Legacy (Orange County, Calif.); College Basketball Awards Presented by Wendy’s (Los Angeles); Gildan Charleston Classic (South Carolina); Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic (Honolulu); Jimmy V Men’s Classic presented by Corona (New York City); Jimmy V Women’s Classic presented by Corona (Uncasville, Conn.); NIT Season Tip-Off (Brooklyn, N.Y.); Puerto Rico Tip-Off (San Juan) and State Farm Champions Classic (New York City)
