A pair of Friday night non-conference games and a slate of six Saturday matchups makes up this week’s schedule in Conference USA. Four of the six Saturday games are league contests, including the season-opener for Rice. Games are spread throughout the day with the first kickoff at Noon CT and the final one at 7 pm CT.
FIU (0-2, 0-1 in C-USA) welcomes Jacksonville State to town for the first of three Friday night home games on the Panthers schedule (6 pm CT on ESPN3). FIU has the top-ranked rushing offense in the league, averaging 229.0 yards per game on the ground.
UAB (4-1, 2-0 in C-USA) steps out of league play for a matchup with a Louisiana-Lafayette team (3-1, 2-1 in Sun Belt) that spent a month ranked in the Top 25 (7 pm CT on CBS Sports Network). The Blazers have won three in a row, allowing a total of just 37 points over that span.
Both Charlotte (1-2, 1-1 in C-USA) and UTEP (3-2, 0-1 in C-USA) enter this week’s game following unexpected off weekends due to COVID-19 postponements (11 am CT on ESPN+). This will be the home opener for the 49ers, while the Miners will play their third straight road game.
Southern Miss (1-3, 1-1 in C-USA) has seen back-to-back games postponed due to COVID- 19-related issues, but are ready to get in action at Liberty (5-0) on Saturday (12 pm CT on ESPN3). The Golden Eagles are second in C-USA in passing, averaging 278.0 yards per game, but will be challenged by a Liberty team that ranks sixth in the FBS against the pass.
Conference USA’s two unbeaten teams will square off when Florida Atlantic (1-0, 1-0 in C-USA) makes the trip to No. 22 Marshall (4-0, 2-0 in C-USA) in Huntington, West Virginia (1:30 pm CT on Stadium). The last time the Owls lost a game was last October when the Thundering Herd came to Boca and left with a 36-31 victory. Both teams are averaging more than 210 yards per game on the ground.
Rice is set to gets its season underway when it meets Middle Tennessee (1-5, 1-3 in C-USA) for the first time (2:30 pm CT on ESPN3). This will be the first meeting between the schools in Houston. The Owls look to build on the three-game winning streak they had to close out the 2020 season, while the Blue Raiders seek a return to the win column for the second time in three weeks.
WKU (1-4, 1-2 in C-USA) will look to get back on track when the Hilltoppers’ face Chattanooga (0-0) in the Mocs only game of the fall (3 pm CT on ESPN3).
A pair of teams coming off tough losses last week meet in San Antonio when West Division rivals Louisiana Tech (3-2, 2-1 in C-USA) and UTSA (3-3, 1-1 in C-USA) renew acquaintances for the ninth straight season (7 pm CT on ESPNU).
WEEK EIGHT C-USA FOOTBALL PREVIEW
JACKSONVILLE STATE (2-1) at FIU (0-2, 0-1 in C-USA)
Friday, October 23
7 p.m. ET
Miami, Florida (Riccardo Silva Stadium)
Television: ESPN3
Announcers: AJ Ricketts (PxP), Cam Lynch (AN)
All-Time Series: First Meeting
FAST FACTS
**FIU senior RB D’vonte Price has topped the 100-yard mark in each of the first two games of the season, marking his first career back-to-back 100-yard efforts. He followed up a career-high 148 yards in the opener at Liberty with 112 yards on 13 carries on Saturday vs. Middle Tennessee along with a touchdown. In two games he has 26 carries for 260 yards (10.0 yards per carry) and three scores.
**Redshirt sophomore RB Shaun Peterson, Jr. rushed for a career-high 117 yards and two touchdowns vs. Middle Tennessee on Oct. 10. He entered the season with just 73 yards on the ground in 15 games, but has rushed for 171 on 23 attempts (7.4 per carry) in the first two games of 2020.
**FIU sophomore CB Josh Turner recorded his first career interception and had two pass-breakups in the Middle Tennessee game. He also has nine tackles in the first two games.
**Senior DB Richard Dames has registered a team-high eight tackles in each of the first two games. Twelve of his 16 stops have been solo and he has added 1.5 tackles for loss and two pass breakups.
**FIU’s defense has earned 18 tackles for loss this season in only two games, to give the Panthers a 9.0 TFL average per contest. That total is tied for the ninth-highest in the nation and second-best in C-USA. The Panther duo of junior DL Jason Mercier and redshirt junior Tevin Jones lead FIU with 2.5 each so far this year.
**Jacksonville State improved to 2-1 on the season as senior QB Zerrick Cooper ran for two scores and tied the school record with his 61st career touchdown pass as the Gamecocks defeated North Alabama, 24-17 last week.
LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE (3-1, 2-1 in Sun Belt) at UAB (4-1, 2-0 in C-USA)
Friday, October 23
7 p.m. CT
Birmingham, Alabama (Legion Field)
Television: CBS Sports Network
Announcers: Dave Ryan (PxP), Corey Chavous (AN), A.J. Ross (SL)
All-Time Series: UAB leads 2-1
Last Meeting: at Louisiana-Lafayette 34, UAB 0 (Sept. 21, 2002)
FAST FACTS
**UAB, winners of three straight, is receiving votes in the Coaches and AP polls.
**The game features two of the top five active career leading rushers in the NCAA. UAB senior RB Spencer Brown ranks second nationally in career rushing yards with 3,594, while Louisiana senior RB Trey Ragas ranks fifth with 3,034 yards. As a unit, UAB is averaging 186.8 rushing yards per game, while Louisiana is averaging 185.5.
**UAB is coming off its best defensive performance of the season in which the Blazers had four takeaways, five sacks and held WKU to just 250 yards of total offense. Over the past three games, UAB’s defense is allowing just 12.3 points per game and opponents have converted just 6-of-37 third down attempts during that span. The Blazers also rank third nationally in pass defense (154.2) and have yet to allow an opponent to pass for more than 200 yards in a game this year.
**True freshman RB DeWayne McBride starred for UAB against WKU last Saturday. McBride had a career-high 131 rushing yards on 10 carries, including a 71-yard touchdown run, which was UAB’s longest scoring play of the year. He is averaging 12.6 yards per carry this season and has 226 yards on just 18 carries.
**Sophomore LB Nikia Eason, Jr. was named C-USA Special Teams Player of the week on Monday. With UAB leading 24-14 early in the third quarter, Eason Jr. blocked a WKU punt which WR Ryan Davis returned 37 yards a touchdown to give the Blazers a 31-14 advantage. The blocked punt busted the game wide open and it marked UAB’s first blocked punt for a TD since 2018. He also had a sack and two tackles on defense.
**UAB was also very solid in the kicking game against WKU, as redshirt freshman K Matt Quinn made all three of his field goal attempts, including a career-long 44 yarder in the third quarter. He was named one of the Lou Groza Award Three Stars of the Week for his performance.
**Louisiana-Lafayette, which spent a month in the national rankings before falling out on Sunday following the loss to Coastal Carolina, has played three straight games decided by three points or less.
UTEP (3-2, 0-1 in C-USA) at CHARLOTTE (1-2, 1-1 in C-USA)
Saturday, October 24
12 p.m. ET
Charlotte, North Carolina (Richardson Field)
Television: ESPN+
Announcers: Dave Friedman (PxP), Reggie Walker (AN)
All-Time Series: Charlotte leads 1-0
Last Meeting: Charlotte 29, at UTEP 21 (Nov. 9, 2019)
FAST FACTS
**Both schools had their games last Saturday postponed due to COVID-19-related issues. It was the first UTEP game affected by the pandemic, while the 49ers have had one cancellation and two postponements.
**Charlotte won the first meeting between the schools last year in El Paso, 28-21. Chris Reynolds threw for 354 yards and two touchdowns to lead the 49ers, while Justin Garrett had six receptions, including a touchdown grab for the Miners.
**Improvement on defense has been a big key for UTEP this season. The Miners are third in C-USA and 16th nationally in total defense, allowing 326.0 yards per game. That figure is down from an average of 430.8 yards per game in 2019. UTEP is allowing 22.6 points per game this season, which is down from 35.6 last season. If you remove the one-sided loss at Texas (59-3), that figure drops to 13.5 per game.
**UTEP sophomore DE Praise Amaewhule wreaked havoc on Louisiana Tech’s offense for the entirety of the game on Oct. 10. He recorded career-highs for tackles (5), sacks (3.5 for 27 yards), tackles for loss (3.5) and pass breakups (four). Amaewhule now leads C-USA in sacks (6.0) an average of 1.20 sacks per game (11th in the nation). Amaewhule led a Miner defense that held the Bulldog offense to just 210 yards of total offense, which is the fewest for a LA Tech team since Nov. 30, 2013 at UTSA.
**Senior LB Stephen Forester came on strong late last season to earn a starting spot and hasn’t looked back since. The Dallas native leads the UTEP defense with 35 total tackles (15 solo, 20 assists), 2.5 tackles for a loss of 9 yards and 1.0 sack (6 yards) through the first five games of the 2020 season.
**UTEP QB Gavin Hardison is only the third sophomore in program history to throw for over 1,000 yards through the first five games of the season and just the 11th player all-time to achieve the feat. Hardison enters this week ranked 23rd nationally among FBS quarterbacks in total passing yards. Through five games, Hardison is 75-of-143 passing for 1,056 yards and two touchdowns.
**Miners senior KR Duron Lowe was named C-USA Special Teams Player of the Week on Oct. 12. Lowe responded to a LA Tech touchdown drive by taking the ensuing kickoff to the house with a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in fourth quarter to make it a 21-17 game. The 100-yard kickoff return for a TD was the second of his UTEP career. On the night, Lowe had three kick returns for a total of 159 yards and a touchdown.
**Senior RB Aaron McAllister was named C-USA Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 12 after he powered a record-setting offensive performance with a pair of breakaway touchdowns and a career-best 214 yards of total offense at North Texas. Charlotte set school C-USA records for points scored (49) and total offense (599) thanks to McAllister, who rushed for 140 yards and added 74 yards through the air. He broke behind the secondary for a 71-yard touchdown reception to give Charlotte a 14-0 lead in the second quarter and he sped to a 66-yard TD run early in the 4th quarter. McAllister’s two TDs — the 49ers longest pass and longest run of the season — are the 49ers two longest plays from scrimmage – from a player who set a school-record with a 97-yard kickoff return earlier in the season.
**Transfer RB Tre Harbison III scored on an 11-yard run at North Texas – his third straight game with a rushing touchdown. The last time a 49er rushed for a TD in three straight games was 2016 (QB Hasaan Klugh with five 5 straight). Harbison finished with 51 rushing yards.
**Junior QB Chris Reynolds completed 15-of-22 passes (68%) for 290 yards and two TDs at UNT, including a 71-yard TD pass to Aaron McAllister that matched the longest pass of Reynolds’ career. Reynolds, who also caught a 15-yard TD pass for his first receiving score at UNT, ranks second in C-USA in passing, averaging 248.0 yards per game.
**Graduate transfer LB Tyler Murray led the 49ers with a game-high 11 tackles at North Texas, including 7 solo takedowns. It was his second of three games with double-digit tackles (14 in debut at Appalachian State). Murray leads the team with 31 tackles on the season (10.3 per game).
SOUTHERN MISS (1-3, 1-1 in C-USA) at LIBERTY (5-0)
Saturday, October 24
1 p.m. ET
Lynchburg, Virginia (Williams Stadium)
Television: ESPN3
Announcers: Matt Warner (PxP), Joe Jauch (AN), Emily Austen (SL)
All-Time Series: First Meeting
FAST FACTS
**Southern Miss has not played the last two weeks due to games against Florida Atlantic and UTEP being postponed due to COVID-19-related issues.
**Southern Miss junior WR Jason Brownlee is making an impact in his first season as a Golden Eagle. He has scored in three straight games and has topped the 100-yard mark in back-to-back weeks after catching four passes for 110 yards and a touchdown in the Golden Eagles’ 41-31 win at North Texas on Oct. 3. Brownlee has also displayed big play prowess, following up an 88-yard touchdown against Tulane on Sept. 25 with a 68-yard scoring reception at North Texas. He is one of four players in the FBS with multiple receptions of 60+ yards.
**Freshman RB Frank Gore Jr., registered his career-high of 130 rushing yards on 23 carries in the win at North Texas. It was his first career 100-yard game rushing and his rushing yards marked the most by a Golden Eagle since Trivenskey Mosley posted 142 against UTSA on Oct. 20, 2018. His 130 yards helped Southern Miss record a total of 202 rush yards and 437 total yards, which were both the team’s most since having Nov. 16, 2019 at UTSA. Gore, Jr. averaged 5.7 yards per carry in the contest and recorded the first career rushing touchdown of his career from 11 yards.
**Redshirt junior RB Darius Maberry entered the Oct. 3 game at North Texas with 29 carries for 64 yards over the previous two years as he battled through injuries. He finished the night in Denton with career-highs of 17 carries for 55 yards and two touchdowns.
**Redshirt sophomore LB Hayes Maples has 25 tackles in the last two games following his 10-stop effort at North Texas. The Hattiesburg native has a team-high 38 tackles on the season, including 3.5 tackles for loss.
**Redshirt junior Briggs Bourgeois has handled most of the kicking duties over the first four games, after missing last year with a leg injury. This season, Bourgeois has hit six of eight field goals, 12 extra-point attempts and he followed up a career-long 49-yard field goal against Tulane two weeks ago with a 46-yarder at North Texas.
**Liberty is 5-0 for the first time since 2008 after the Flames ran for 338 yards in a 38-21 win at Syracuse last Saturday, the program’s first-ever win over an ACC opponent.
FLORIDA ATLANTIC (1-0, 1-0 in C-USA) at (22) MARSHALL (4-0, 2-0 in C-USA)
Saturday, October 24
2:30 p.m. ET
Huntington, West Virginia (Joan C. Edwards Stadium)
Television: Stadium
Announcers: Chris Hassel (PxP), A.J. Hawk (AN)
All-Time Series: Marshall leads 6-1
Last Meeting: Marshall 36, at Florida Atlantic 31 (Oct. 18, 2019)
FAST FACTS
**Marshall handed Florida Atlantic its only conference loss last season, winning 36-31 in Boca Raton. Brenden Knox ran for a career-high 220 yards and two touchdowns, including a game-winning 17-yard TD run with 36 seconds left. FAU scored all four of its touchdowns on the ground.
**Willie Taggart became the second Florida Atlantic head coach to win his debut game with the Owls with last week’s 21-17 victory over Charlotte. It was FAU’s eighth straight win going back to last October, an active streak that is second only to Air Force (9) among all FBS teams.
**Senior OLB Leighton McCarthy was named C-USA Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts in the Owls season-opening 21-17 win over Charlotte. McCarthy posted 10 tackles, including four tackles for a loss, and three sacks – all career highs. He also forced a key fourth quarter fumble to help preserve the Owls’ win. McCarthy’s second tackle of the game was a sack for a loss of nine yards which was key in limiting the 49ers to a field goal. In the third quarter, McCarthy had a sack for a loss of three yards and forced a fumble to set up an Owls score one play later. He had two more tackles in the fourth quarter, including another for TFL for a loss of one, setting up an Owls sack, followed by a punt on the next two plays.
**Florida Atlantic has forced at least one turnover in 13 consecutive games. The Owls have forced a total of 32 total turnovers in that period, while committing just six turnovers (+26).
**As a unit, the Owls’ defense had six sacks and 12 tackles for loss, while holding the Charlotte ground game to 82 yards on 41 rushes, exactly two yards per carry
**Junior QB Nick Tronti became just the fourth quarterback in Florida Atlantic history to record a victory in his starting debut. Down 10-0 with 8:16 remaining in the third quarter, he led the Owls to 21 points in the final 23 minutes. Tronti led the running attack with 94 yards, including a 49-yard TD run. Under center, he was 11-of-22 for 98 yards and recorded two TDs without suffering a sack. He hit 11 different receivers and accounted for 50% of the Owls’ offensive production.
**Marshall (4-0) returned to the top 25 in both polls following the win at Louisiana Tech. The Thundering Herd are No. 22 in the Associated Press poll and No. 25 in the Amway Coaches rankings.
**Marshall is off to its first 4-0 start since 2014 and has not trailed at any point this season. The Thundering Herd has an average margin of victory of 27.5 points per game, which includes back-to-back road wins in conference by an average of 20.5 points.
**The Thundering Herd ranks in the top five nationally in scoring defense (third-9.5 points per game), rushing defense (third-68.5 yards per game), and total defense (fifth-272.8 yards per game). The Thundering Herd has also forced seven turnovers in four games.
**Marshall has now converted 33-of-55 third down attempts on the season (60.0%), a figure that ranks No. 2 in the nation (Alabama, 61.9%). Last Saturday, Marshall converted an amazing 13-of-16 third downs on offense, while holding La Tech to only 1-of-10. Conversely, Marshall opponents have converted just 10-of-47 third down tries (21.3%), which is No. 3 in the nation behind Oklahoma State and Notre Dame.
**Sophomore LB Eli Neal was named C-USA Defensive Player of the Week following the 35-17 win at Louisiana Tech Saturday, as he helped pace a defensive effort that limited the Bulldogs to just seven yards rushing on 24 carries to go with a 1-for-10 clip on third down attempts. He recorded seven tackles (three solo) with his first interception and a tackle for loss. The interception came on Tech’s first play from scrimmage and his 11-yard return set up the Herd’s first touchdown. He also combined with Jamare Edwards to stuff LA Tech RB Justin Henderson on the goal line as time expired to end the first half.
**Marshall junior RB Brenden Knox, the 2019 C-USA Most Valuable Player, continues his strong start in 2020. In Saturday’s 35-17 win at LA Tech, he ran 32 times for 125 yards and two touchdowns. Knox has now topped 100 yards in 13 of his 22 career games. In helping the Thundering Herd improve to 4-0, he is averaging 113.9 yards per game with seven TDs. With 2,420 yards in less than two full seasons he has moved into eighth place on MU’s all-time list.
**In the win at LA Tech, Thundering Herd freshman QB Grant Wells finished 19-for-24 passing for 227 yards, three total touchdowns and one interception. Wells scored on the ground for the second time this season, while throwing his first two touchdown passes against FBS competition. He also commanded the offense on a near-historical night on third down, as the Herd was 13-for-16 on third downs (81.6 percent), the second-best rate in a single game in school history (Morehead State, 93.3 percent, 1977).
MIDDLE TENNESSEE (1-5, 1-3 in C-USA) at RICE (0-0, 0-0 in C-USA)
Saturday, October 24
2:30 p.m. CT
Houston, Texas (Rice Stadium)
Television: ESPN3
Announcers: David Saltzman (PxP), Taylor McHargue (AN)
All-Time Series: Rice leads 1-0
Last Meeting: Rice 31, at Middle Tennessee 28 (Nov. 16, 2019)
FAST FACTS
**Rice won the first-ever meeting between the schools last year in Murfreesboro, 31-28. Tom Bradley threw three first half touchdown passes to Bradley Rozner (8 catches for 130 yards) to lead the Owls to the win. Asher O’Hara threw one touchdown and ran for two scores for MT.
**Middle Tennessee is one of just six teams nationally to have played 6 games his year. UTSA, Army, Duke Pittsburgh and Texas State are the others.
**Blue Raiders redshirt junior QB Asher O’Hara, who became the second QB in program history to rush for 1,000 yards last season, currently ranks first nationally in rushing yards among QBs with 407. He is second in C-USA in total offense, averaging 263.8 yards per game, with nine passing touchdowns and four rushing scores. In last year’s game vs. Rice, O’Hara threw a 90-yard touchdown pass to Ty Lee.
**Senior WR Jarrin Pierce already has a team-high 40 receptions, which is just two shy of his total of 42 from a year ago. His 40 grabs this year ranks fifth in the country entering the Rice game. Pierce ranks 21st nationally in receiving yards (389) and 16th in receptions per game (6.7).
**Redshirt junior RB Chaton Mobley finished the North Texas game with 156 yards rushing on just 14 carries, an average of 11.1 yards per carry. He had a career-long 63-yard touchdown run and also had a highlight reel TD catch.
**Junior safety Gregory Grate ranks eighth nationally in interceptions and ninth in forced fumbles. He had his first fumble recovery against North Texas last week and returned it 20 yards for a touchdown. Grate leads the team lead in tackles this season with 47, a new career high.
**Redshirt freshman CB Quincy Riley had a career day against North Texas last Saturday with his first two career interceptions. He thwarted a potential Mean Green scoring drive when he picked off North Texas QB Austin Aune at the MT 38 and returned the interception 47 yards to the Mean Green 15 to set up the Blue Raiders’ first TD. Riley’s second INT took place in the MT end zone to turn back another North Texas scoring threat. It marked the first time a Blue Raider had multiple INTs in a game since Reed Blankenship had two against Appalachian State in the New Orleans Bowl in 2018.
**Rice closed out the 2019 season on a three-game winning streak, including two on the road.
**Rice senior LB Blaze Alldredge received four major preseason honors, being named a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, and appearing on the watch lists for the Bednarik, Butkus and Nagurski Awards while also earning consensus preseason all-conference honors. He was named the Owls MVP in 2019 and earned all-conference honors both on the field and in the classroom in 2019, piling up 102 tackles (21.5 for loss) while posting a 3.567 GPA in Political Science. Alldredge led C-USA and was tied for second nationally with an average of 1.79 TFL per game, while his 21.5 tackles for loss were tied for the C-USA lead and for second nationally. Alldredge’s 27 plays resulting in a loss (16 solo, 11 assists) led the nation and over a quarter of his 102 tackles resulted in losses (27 of 102, 26%).
**Senior S George Nyakwol was one of five Owls to start all 12 games last year, finishing fourth on the team with 57 tackles, while tying for the team lead with seven passes defended. He also picked up his third career interception at UAB.
**Senior WR Austin Trammell led the Owls with 60 receptions last year, becoming the second player in school history to have consecutive seasons with at least 60 catches, and placed second on the team with 726 receiving yards and four touchdown receptions. He also ranked fourth in Conference USA in both kick return yardage per game (19.9) and punt return yardage per game (9.3). Trammell enters the 2020 season ranked seventh on the Rice career list in receptions (126) and kickoff returns (46), eighth in kickoff return yards (1,014) and 10th in receiving yards (1,409).
CHATTANOOGA (0-0) at WKU (1-4, 1-2 in C-USA)
Saturday, October 24
3 p.m. CT
Bowling Green, Kentucky (Houchens Stadium)
Television: ESPN3
Announcers: Graham Doty (PxP), Brandon Doughty (AN)
All-Time Series: Chattanooga leads 8-5
Last Meeting: WKU 28, at Chattanooga 21 (Nov. 3, 2007)
FAST FACTS
**This will be the 14th all-time meeting between the Hilltoppers and Mocs, but the first since WKU has been an FBS program. Most recently, WKU swept Chattanooga in a home-and-home series in 2006 and 2007.
**WKU was 2-for-2 scoring touchdowns in the red zone last Saturday at UAB, improving to 9-for-10 on the season.
**Sophomore WR Dayton Wade has 19 receptions over the past three games against MTSU, Marshall and UAB. Before those contests, Wade had only one career catch for 10 yards in 15 games.
**At UAB last Saturday, sophomore TE Joshua Simon led WKU with season-highs of six receptions for 81 yards and one touchdown – all of which came in the first half. The score was the sixth of his Hilltopper career.
**Sophomore QB Kevaris Thomas made his first career start at UAB last week, completing 16-of-35 attempts for 162 pass yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. The two picks were the first thrown by a Hilltopper quarterback this season.
**Senior DB Trae Meadows was responsible for both of WKU’s turnovers on defense at UAB, with a forced fumble in the first quarter and an interception in the fourth quarter. The interception was his second as a Hilltopper, with the other one coming last season vs. UAB, and the forced fumble was the first of his career. Meadows also added a pair of solo tackles and his first pass breakup of the season.
**This will be the only game that Chattanooga will play this fall. A member of the Southern Conference, the Mocs are scheduled to play the balance of their schedule in the spring of 2021.
LOUISIANA TECH (3-2, 2-1 in C-USA) at UTSA (3-3, 1-1 in C-USA)
Saturday, October 24
7 p.m. CT
San Antonio, Texas (Alamodome)
Television: ESPNU
Announcers: Mike Couzens (PxP), Jay Walker (AN)
All-Time Series: Louisiana Tech leads 7-1
Last Meeting: at Louisiana Tech 41, UTSA 27 (Nov. 30, 2019)
FAST FACTS
**Last season, Louisiana Tech closed out the regular season with a 41-27 win in a game that was delayed nearly three hours due to lightning. J’Mar Smith passed for 331 yards and three touchdowns, including two to Griffin Hebert, for LA Tech, while Sincere McCormick ran for 119 yards and caught a TD for UTSA.
**Louisiana Tech graduate student QB Luke Anthony has passed for 11 touchdowns this season to rank 10th in the nation. Anthony is responsible for 72 points this season which ranks 14th nationally.
**Five LA Tech skill players have recorded multiple touchdowns in a single game this season in junior WR Griffin Hebert (2 at USM, Sept. 19), sophomore WR Wayne Toussant (2 vs. HBU, Sept. 26), senior WR Isaiah Graham (2 vs. HBU, Sept. 26), sophomore WR Smoke Harris (2 at No. 22 BYU, Oct. 2) and senior RB Israel Tucker (2 vs. UTEP, Oct. 10).
**Bulldogs sophomore wide receivers Smoke Harris and Isaiah Graham have each caught three touchdown receptions this season to tie for 32nd in the nation.
**Freshman LB Tyler Grubbs leads the Bulldogs in tackles with 51 this season. Grubbs led LA Tech in tackles in back-to-back games to open the 2020 season, totaling 28 tackles through the first two contests. Grubbs currently ranks 16th in the nation in total tackles with 10.2 per game.
**The Bulldogs have forced a turnover in 35 of their last 37 games. Since joining the league in 2013, Louisiana Tech leads Conference USA with 191 forced turnovers.
**There have been 16 Bulldogs who have made their first start for LA Tech this season, with four making their first start as a Bulldog and 12 making their first collegiate start. Graduate
**UTSA sophomore RB Sincere McCormick rushed for 133 yards on 8 carries against Army last week. He leads the FBS in rushing yards with 702 and stands ninth nationally with 117.0 rushing yards per game, 25th with 130.3 all-purpose yards per contest, 25th with a 5.95 yards-per-carry average and 27th with four rushing TDs. McCormick owns three of the top 10 rushing performances in C-USA and is tied with Spencer Brown (UAB) and Brenden Knox (Marshall) with the most 100-yard games this fall. In just 18 career games, McCormick already has piled up 1,685 yards on the ground, good for fourth in program history.
**Sophomore WR Zakhari Franklin broke UTSA’s single-game record with 12 receptions for a career-high 138 yards and two touchdowns against Army in his last outing and he now has a team-best 346 yards and four touchdowns (2nd in C-USA, 11th/FBS) on 27 catches this year.
**Sophomore S Kelechi Nwachuku registered a career-best 16 tackles to pace the UTSA defense last week vs. Army. He recorded 10 of his tackles in the first half in his second straight start in the secondary for the Roadrunners. Nwachuku’s 16-tackle performance ties him for second place on UTSA’s single-game chart and it also is tied for the second-most tackles in a game in Conference USA this season behind freshman teammate Jamal Ligon‘s school-record 19 vs. Middle Tennessee.
**True freshman LB Jamal Ligon is making a big impact in his first season with the Roadrunners. He leads UTSA with 42 total tackles, and he also has 3.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, two quarterback hurries and one forced fumble. Ligon also has a pair of fumble recoveries, tied for the second-most by an FBS player this fall.
**Making his first career start against Army, redshirt freshman CB Ken Robinson posted 10 tackles and forced a fumble in the 4th quarter that was recovered by Charles Wiley. That marked UTSA’s 11th takeaway of the year, which leads C-USA and ranks fourth nationally.
