Following an offseason like we’ve never seen before, Conference USA begins its 25th football season on Thursday night, opening the 2020 campaign for the entire FBS with a pair of home games.
Two-time defending West Division Champion UAB will host Central Arkansas to open the final season at historic Legion Field (7 pm CT).
The first game between two FBS schools will take place in Hattiesburg, as Southern Miss hosts South Alabama (8 pm CT). CBS Sports Network will televise the first-ever meeting between the schools that are located just 90 miles apart.
Marshall will look to make it nine straight wins in home openers when it welcomes Eastern Kentucky to Huntington for a Noon CT game that will air on ESPN to begin a four-game Saturday slate.
Middle Tennessee opens its 2020 campaign 30 minutes later when it visits Army for the first time (12:30 pm CT on CBS Sports Network).
A pair of night games are on the docket in the Lone Star state as North Texas hosts Houston Baptist (6:30 pm CT) and UTEP welcomes Stephen F. Austin to the Sun Bowl (8 pm CT). Both games will be available on ESPN3.
WEEK ONE C-USA FOOTBALL PREVIEW
CENTRAL ARKANSAS (1-0) at UAB (0-0)
Thursday, September 3
7 p.m. CT
Birmingham, Alabama (Legion Field)
Broadcast: ESPN3
Announcers: Curt Bloom (PxP), Chad Pilcher (AN)
All-Time Series: First Meeting
Last Meeting: at Gardner-Webb 27, Charlotte 24 (Oct. 4, 2014)
FAST FACTS
**UAB looks to extend the nation’s fourth longest active home winning streak to 19 straight games when they host the Bears on Thursday. The Blazers are a perfect 18-0 at Legion Field since returning to action in 2017.
**The Blazers return nine starters on defense and have finished Top 10 nationally each of the last two years in total defense. Linebacker Kristopher Moll and edge rusher Jordan Smith lead the charge as the two combined for 33.5 TFL and 19.0 sacks last season.
**Offensively, UAB’s career leading rusher Spencer Brown and standout wide receiver Austin Watkins Jr. lead the Blazers into the season opener. Brown is one of just two players in the nation to enter the season with 3,000+ career rushing yards, while Watkins Jr. became the third player in program history to have over 1,000 single season receiving yards last year, finishing with 57 catches for 1,092 yards and six touchdowns.
**Central Arkansas enters the game at 1-0 after a 24-17 victory over Austin Peay last Saturday in the FCS Kickoff Classic in Montgomery, Alabama. UCA scored the game-winning touchdown against Austin Peay with: 34 remaining in the fourth quarter on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Breylin Smith to Lujuan Winningham. Smith finished the game 283 passing yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Kierre Crossley led the ground attack with 12 carries for 110 yards and a touchdown (9.2 YPC).
MORE
Central Arkansas Football: https://ucasports.com/index.aspx?path=football
UAB Football: http://uabsports.com/index.aspx?path=football
SOUTH ALABAMA (0-0) at SOUTHERN MISS (0-0)
Thursday, September 3
8 p.m. CT
Hattiesburg, Mississippi (M.M. Roberts Stadium)
Television: CBS Sports Network
Announcers: Carter Blackburn (PxP), Aaron Taylor (AN), Jenny Dell (AN)
All-Time Series: First Meeting
FAST FACTS
**The first matchup between Southern Miss and South Alabama will mark the first game between FBS opponents in 2020.
The Golden Eagles are slated to play seven home games this fall, marking only the second time that they have done that in their history. The only other time came in 1920. Southern Miss posted 4-1 record at home last season.
**Preseason All-Conference USA QB Jack Abraham completed 67.9 percent of his attempts for 3,496 passing yards and 19 touchdowns last season and leads eight returning starters on the Southern Miss offense.
**Golden Eagles senior DB Ky’el Hamby is a preseason All-Conference selection who totaled team-highs of 58 solo and 93 total tackles while recording two interceptions and three break-ups. His six picks as a sophomore in 2018 were the third-most in the nation.
MORE
South Alabama Football: https://usajaguars.com/sports/football?path=football
Southern Miss Football: http://www.southernmiss.com/sports/m-footbl/smis-m-footbl-body.html
EASTERN KENTUCKY (0-0) at MARSHALL (0-0)
Saturday, September 5
1 p.m. ET
Huntington, West Virginia (Joan C. Edwards Stadium)
Television: ESPN
Announcers: Jason Benetti (PxP), Andre Ware (AN), Katie George (SL)
All-Time Series: Marshall leads 11-8-1
Last Meeting: at Marshall 32, Eastern Kentucky 16 (Sept. 8, 2018)
FAST FACTS
**Marshall carries a seven year opening game winning streak into this contest.
**Junior RB Brenden Knox was chosen as the preseason Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year. The reigning C-USA MVP was also selected to the watch lists for the Maxwell Award, Wuerffel Trophy and the Doak Walker Award. Knox rushed for 1,387 yards and scored 11 touchdowns a year ago. He averaged 5.1 yards per carry and 106.7 yards per game.
**Redshirt freshman Grant Wells has been named the starting quarterback for the Thundering Herd. The Charleston native will become the first in-state quarterback to start for the Herd since Mark Zban did so Sept. 16, 1995
**Game marks the debut of Walt Wells as EKU’s head coach. The former EKU assistant spent the past two years on the staff at Kentucky.
MORE
Eastern Kentucky Football: https://ekusports.com/sports/football
Marshall Football: http://www.herdzone.com/sports/m-footbl/mars-m-footbl-body.html
MIDDLE TENNESSEE (0-0) at ARMY WEST POINT (0-0)
Saturday, September 5
1:30 p.m. ET
West Point, New York (Michie Stadium)
Television: CBS Sports Network
Announcers: Ben Holden (PxP), Ross Tucker (AN) Tina Cervasio (SL)
All-Time Series: First Meeting
FAST FACTS
**Middle Tennessee sophomore QB Asher O’Hara ran for 1,058 yards last season become just the second QB in school history to reach 1,000 yards (Dwight Dasher 2009) and the third in C-USA annals. His yardage total of 1,058 yards was the second-most in league annals by a quarterback. O’Hara led the Blue Raiders in rushing in 11 of 12 games last season and averaged 88.2 yards per game on the ground.
**Senior LB DQ Thomas currently ranks in the top 10 all-time at Middle Tennessee in both sacks and tackles for loss. Thomas owns 12.0 sacks to rank 8th all-time and needs one more to move into 7th and two more to tie for 6th. He is 9th in tackles for loss with 29.0 and needs two more to surpass Jamari Lattimore for 8th.
**Middle Tennessee head coach Rick Stockstill begins his 15th season at the helm of the Blue Raiders. His 15 seasons make him the longest tenured coach in Conference USA while ranking 6th nationally.
**This is the second straight year that Army has opened the season hosting a C-USA school. The Black Knights, who were members of C-USA from 1998-2004, defeated Rice, 14-7 to begin the 2019 season. Army will also visit C-USA member UTSA on Oct. 17.
MORE
Middle Tennessee Football: http://www.goblueraiders.com/index.aspx?path=football
Army Football: https://goarmywestpoint.com/index.aspx?path=football
HOUSTON BAPTIST (0-0) at NORTH TEXAS (0-0)
Saturday, September 5
6:30 p.m. CT
Denton, Texas (Apogee Stadium)
Television: ESPN3
Announcers: Doug Anderson (PxP), LaDarrin McLane (AN)
All-Time Series: First Meeting
FAST FACTS
**North Texas has won its last three home openers and six of the last eight.
**Senior WR Jaelon Darden, a 2019 first team all-conference selection, led the Mean Green in every major receiving category and was among the nation’s most productive receivers. He finished with 76 receptions for 736 yards and 12 touchdowns. Darden’s 12 receiving scores ranked 12th in FBS (his 12 touchdowns were three more than anyone else in the conference), and he ranked 21st in the country in receptions per game (6.3).
**Senior Dion Novil finished with 61 total tackles, 13.0 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks at nose tackle in 2019 for the Mean Green. Throughout his career in Denton, Novil has appeared in 29 games, posting 98 tackles, 20.0 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks.
**Houston Baptist, which is beginning its seventh season of football, is playing a three-game non-conference schedule this fall after the Southland Conference moved its league schedule to the spring. The Huskies will visit Texas Tech next week, along with a trip to C-USA member Louisiana Tech on Sept. 26.
MORE
Houston Baptist Football: https://hbuhuskies.com/index.aspx?path=football
North Texas Football: http://www.meangreensports.com/sports/m-footbl/ntex-m-footbl-body.html
STEPHEN F. AUSTIN (0-0) at UTEP (0-0)
Saturday, September 5
7 p.m. MT
El Paso, Texas (Sun Bowl)
Television: ESPN3
Announcers: Erik Elken (PxP), Trevor Vittatoe (AN)
All-Time Series: UTEP leads 1-0
Last Meeting: at UTEP (Nov. 5, 2016)
FAST FACTS
**The season-opening contest was just added to the schedule on Aug. 21 after UTEP’s previously schedule home-opener versus Texas Tech was canceled.
**UTEP will have a total of 13 newcomers on the depth chart when the 2020 season begins on Saturday. The Miners have eight new faces on the defensive two-deep, three on offense and two newcomers on special teams.
**Redshirt sophomore Gavin Hardison was named the Miners starting quarterback ahead of the 2020 season. Hardison played in two games for the UTEP last season and was able to redshirt after seeing action against UAB and Rice. In those two games, Hardison was 27-of-61 passing for 335 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions.
**This is the first of two straight non-conference games for SFA against C-USA schools, as the Lumberjacks will play at UTSA Sept. 19. Although the Southland Conference postponed football to the spring, the Lumberjacks are playing a five-game fall non-conference schedule.
MORE
Stephen F. Austin Football: https://sfajacks.com/sports/football
UTEP Football: http://www.utepathletics.com/index.aspx?path=football
https://conferenceusa.com/news/2020/9/1/football-week-one-preview.aspx
