Click here to read the 2016 Popeyes Bahamas Bowl Weekly Release – Week 7 – October 14-15 (PDF)
THIS WEEKEND: Week 7 begins in the American on Friday as Memphis (4-1, 1-0) visits Tulane (3-2, 0-1). Saturday, the American has three games as UConn (3-3, 1-2) heads to East leader USF (5-1, 2-0), Tulsa (4-1, 1-0) is at Houston (5-1, 2-1) in a key West contest and Temple (3-3) is at UCF (3-2 1-0) in an important East matchup. Four of the six Conference USA games on Saturday are league affairs, led by WKU’s (3-3, 1-1) visit to East leader Middle Tennessee (4-1, 2-0) in a battle of the first two C-USA Popeyes Bahamas Bowl representatives. Also, East tri-leader FIU (2-4, 2-0) is at Charlotte (2-4, 1-1). In non-conference action, Southern Miss (4-2) visits ranked SEC foe LSU. In the MAC, all 12 teams are in action with six conference games, with the biggest one involving the current division leaders as unbeaten Western Michigan (6-0, 2-0) travels to East co-leader Akron (4-2, 2-0). The other East co-leader Ohio (4-2, 2-0) hosts Eastern Michigan (4-2, 1-1). Also, Bowling Green (1-5, 0-2) vists Toledo (4-1, 1-0) as the Rockets try to keep pace behind Western Michigan in the West race.
WEEK 6 REVIEW: In the American, Navy extended its home field winning streak to 13 games with a win against ranked Houston, the Midshipmen’s first victory against a top-10 team since a 1984 win against No. 2 South Carolina. USF ran its’ record to 5-1 overall with a 38-22 victory over East Carolina. In C-USA, Louisiana Tech survived a shootout 55-52 victory over WKU. UTSA established several school offensive records in a 55-32 win over Southern Miss, the most points the Roadrunners have scored against a FBS opponent. In the MAC, Western Michigan earned a 45-30 win over NIU to improve to 6-0 overall for the first time since 1941. WMU is the only team in FBS that has not committed a turnover. Akron had a 35-13 win over Miami, and the Zips have won nine of their last 11 games dating back to last year.
POLLING PLACE: Houston (AAC) is No. 12 in the Amway Coaches’ Poll and No. 14 in the Associated Press Poll after Week 6, Western Michigan (MAC) is No. 23 in the Coaches and No. 24 in the AP while Navy enters the AP poll at No. 25. South Florida (AAC) is receiving votes in the AP poll. Those receiving votes in the Coaches’ Poll (in order of votes received) are Navy, South Florida, Memphis (AAC), Tulsa (AAC) and Middle Tennessee (C-USA).
WEEK 7 SCHEDULE
Friday, Oct. 14
* Memphis at Tulane (ESPNU)
Saturday, Oct. 15
* UConn at USF (CBSSN)
* Tulsa at Houston (ESPN2)
* Temple at UCF (ESPNU)
CONFERENCE USA
Saturday, Oct. 15
* WKU at Middle Tennessee (ESPN3
Louisiana Tech at UMass (ESPN3)
* FIU at Charlotte (CUSATV)
* Florida Atlantic at Marshall (ASN)
* UTSA at Rice (beIN)
Southern Miss at LSU (SECN)
MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE
Saturday, Oct. 15
* Eastern Michigan at Ohio (ESPN3)
* Kent State at Miami (ESPN3)
* Ball State at Buffalo (ESPN3)
* Bowling Green at Toledo (ASN/ESPN3)
* Central Michigan at Northern Illinois (ESPN3)
* Western Michigan at Akron (CBSSN)
* – conference games
WEEK 6 RESULTS
AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
Thursday, Oct. 6
* Memphis 34, Temple 27
Friday, Oct. 7
* Tulsa 43, SMU 40 (OT)
Saturday, Oct. 8
* UConn 20, Cincinnati 9
* USF 38, East Carolina 22
* Navy 46, Houston 40
CONFERENCE USA
Thursday, Oct. 6
* Louisiana Tech 55, WKU 52
Friday, Oct. 7
Old Dominion 36, UMass 16
Saturday, Oct. 8
* UTSA 55, Southern Miss 32
* North Texas 38, Marshall 21
* FIU 35, UTEP 21
Sunday, Oct. 9
* Charlotte 28, Florida Atlantic 23
MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE
Saturday, Oct. 8
* Ohio 30, Bowling Green 24
* Central Michigan 24, Ball State 21
* Akron 35, Miami 13
* Toledo 35, Eastern Michigan 20
* Kent State 44, Buffalo 20
* Western Michigan 45, Northern Illinois 30
* – conference games
WEEK 6 INDIVIDUAL HONORS
AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
Offensive Player of the Week
Navy QB Will Worth: The senior rushed for 115 yards and two touchdowns and passed for another score in a 46-40 victory over Houston.
Defensive Player of the Week
Navy LB Josiah Powell: The senior had two interceptions and three tackles in the 46-40 victory over Houston.
Special Teams Player of the Week
Navy K Bennett Moehring: The sophomore made three field goals and five PATs in the 46-40 victory over Houston.
CONFERENCE USA
Co-Offensive Player of the Week
Charlotte QB Hassan Klugh: The sophomore threw three touchdowns and ran for another in a 28-23 victory over Florida Atlantic.
Co-Offensive Player of the Week
Louisiana Tech WR Carlos Henderson: The junior caught eight passes for 232 yards and three touchdowns in a 55-52 win over WKU.
Defensive Player of the Week
UTSA LB Josiah Tauaefa: The freshman had 12 total tackles and an interceptions in a 55-32 victory over Southern Miss.
Special Teams Player of the Week
Louisiana Tech K Jonathan Barnes: The junior made a pair of field goals and 7 PATs in the 55-52 victory over WKU.
MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE
East Division Offensive Player of the Week
Kent State QB Nick Holley: The junior rushed for 224 yards and four touchdowns in a 44-20 victory over Buffalo.
East Division Defensive Player of the Week
Ohio S Javon Hagan: The redshirt freshman had nine tackles (seven solo) and an interception in a 30-24 victory over Bowling Green.
East Division Special Teams Player of the Week
Bowling Green P Joseph Davidson: The junior averaged 59.7 yards per punt and had a FBS-2016-best 79-yard punt in a loss at Ohio.
West Division Offensive Player of the Week
Western Michigan RB Jarvion Franklin: The Junior had 249 all-purpose yards and scored a pair of TDs in a 45-30 victory over NIU.
West Division Defensive Player of the Week
Central Michigan DB Amari Coleman: The junior had four tackles, an interception and three pass breakups in a 24-21 victory over Ball State.
West Division Special Teams Player of the Week
Northern Illinois K Christian Hagan: The junior made three field goals and three PATs in a loss to Western Michigan.
“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
SATURDAYS TO SUNDAYS
Three players who saw action in the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl are currently on active 53-man NFL rosters in 2016.
S Kevin Byard – Tennessee (Middle Tennessee)
TE Tyler Higbee – Los Angeles (WKU)
DE Leterrius Watson – Pittsburgh (Central Michigan)
INDIVIDUAL ACCLAIM
In C-USA, Southern Miss WR Allenzae Staggers and WKU WR Nicholas Norris are the only FBS WRs to have multiple catches of 80 yards or longer in 2016.
The MAC features two of the top three quarterbacks in the country in pass efficiency as Toledo QB Logan Woodside ranks second in the nation with a 204.0 rating and Western Michigan QB Zach Terrell ranks third in the country with a 186.9 rating.
In the American, Tulsa RB D’Angelo Brewer is 4th in FBS with a 143.2-yard per game average, while East Carolina WR Zay Jones leads FBS at 14.0 receptions per game.
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.
JOE GREENE (NORTH TEXAS)
Pro Football and College Football Hall of Famer Joe Greene, a 1968 consensus All-American, played his college career at North Texas from 1966-68.
Greene, whose iconic nickname of “Mean Joe” referenced the Mean Green nickname of the then-North Texas State, was part of a 23-5-1 record by the school in his three seasons as a defensive tackle.
In his 29 games at defensive tackle, North Texas held the opposition to 2,507 yards gained on 1,276 rushes, a per-carry average of less than two yards per attempt.
A consensus All-American in his senior season of 1968, Greene was selected No. 4 overall by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1969 NFL Draft.
Greene was the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1969, and was selected to the Pro Bowl that same season.
A dominant defensive tackle, Greene became the lynchpin of the Steelers’ famed Steel Curtain defense during the 1970s.
He was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1972 as the Steelers advanced to the AFC Championship Game. In 1974, he won the honor again as Pittsburgh won the first of four Super Bowls with Greene, beating Minnesota in Super Bowl IX. He was also part of the Steelers’ title teams in Super Bowls X, XIII and XIV.
He was a five-time All-NFL performer, 11-time All-Conference pick and a 10-time Pro Bowler.
The 13-year pro (1969-81), a 1970s NFL All-Decade Team and NFL 75th Anniversary Team selection, was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1984 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987.
POPEYES BAHAMAS BOWL MEDIA PROJECTIONS
Media Organization (Reporter) – Date: Matchup
10thYearSeniors.com (John Marc Nutt) – Oct. 12: Tulsa vs. Eastern Michigan
Nassau Tribune (Renaldo Dorsett) – Oct. 12: Cincinnati vs. Louisiana Tech
USA Today (Erick Smith) – Oct. 12: Middle Tennessee vs. Central Michigan
Bleacher Report (Kerry Miller) – Oct. 11: North Texas vs. Central Michigan
SI.com (Colin Becht) – Oct. 11: UConn vs. Ball State
Athlon Sports (Steven Lassan) – Oct. 11: Ohio vs. Louisiana Tech
Gridiron Now (Mike Huguenin) – Oct. 11: Memphis vs. Old Dominion
CBSSports.com (Jerry Palm) – Oct. 10: Louisiana Tech vs. Ohio
The Sporting News (Bill Bender) – Oct. 10: UCF vs. Louisiana Tech
Phil Steele Magazine (Phil Steele) – Oct. 10: Cincinnati vs. Western Michigan
CollegeFootballNews.com (Pete Fiutak) – Oct. 10: Army vs. Akron
Campus Insiders (Dave Miller) – Oct. 9: UCF vs. Toledo
ESPN.com (Brett McMurphy) – Oct. 9: North Texas vs. UConn
ESPN.com (Mark Schlabach) – Oct. 9: Louisiana Tech vs. Tulsa
Orlando Sentinel (Brant Parsons) – Oct. 9: Temple vs. Central Michigan
SB Nation (Jason Kirk) – Oct. 9: Tulsa vs. Eastern Michigan
FOXSports.com (Stuart Mandel) – Aug. 30: Tulsa vs. Akron
Sports on Earth (Matt Brown) – Aug. 22: Memphis vs. Northern Illinois
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; FCS opening-weekend game; 13 college bowl games, 11 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.); Montgomery Kickoff Classic (Montgomery, Ala.); 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.); 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.); PK80 (Portland, Ore.); State Farm Armed Forces Classic (Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Honolulu); State Farm Champions Classic (New York City); Tire Pros Invitational (Orlando, Fla.) and Wooden Legacy (Orange County, Calif.)
