The Most Americ6n Recap, Week 6: The mood swings of Navy football


By Lucas Owens
There were only three games in the American Athletic Conference this week, yet they all somehow defied expectations. Houston looked really good, even though they have not played a game since last December, Navy somehow beat Temple despite losing to Air Force by over 40 a week ago, and East Carolina won a game! I need to stop predicting the future in this conference, because clearly nothing is based in fact on any given week.
Tulane 31 – 49 Houston
Coach Dana Holgerson had a questionable start to his Houston career last year, but that doubt might be trickling away considering how Houston played last Thursday against the Tulane Green Wave. If it were not for some key turnovers, specifically five of them, Houston would have dominated this game much more than the score shows. Quarterback Clayton Tune continues to progress for the Cougars, as although he did throw two interceptions, he passed for 319 yards and two touchdowns, with another added through the ground. Marquez Stevenson also was key, as the receiver had a 97 yard kickoff return for a touchdown, a 41 yard touchdown reception, and 118 yards receiving. How’s that for the first game of a new year? The Cougars have a few kinks to work out in terms of keeping the ball, but Tulane has a lot more to work on after being manhandled this week.
Temple 29 – 31 Navy
Navy has lost by a combined score of 95-10 in their two out of conference matchups. Despite that, they are somehow perfect in their two AAC matchups. It did take a failed two-point conversion this time around, but the Midshipmen got the job done. Temple did look rusty on the field, which makes sense considering this is their first matchup this year, but quarterback Anthony Russo looked off all game, as the Junior only threw for 206 yards and a touchdown. Temple did have a fine day rushing the ball, but Navy was just able to execute better in the trenches and that is what won the Midshipmen the game.
ECU 44 – 24 USF
In what probably qualifies for Battle of the Bottom this year, ECU came out on top thanks to a few good drives and the continued inability of USF to do anything productive on offense and not turn the ball over. The interesting aspect of this matchup is that both teams were actually very similar to each other on offense, but they key was turnovers and lack of long drives by the USF Bulls. ECU’s defense did a good job of stalling USF’s offense in some spots, but the Pirates were the exact opposite, going for scores on few drives but not moving the ball much otherwise. USF quarterback Jordan McCloud had a fine enough game, as the Sophomore had 298 yards passing, but USF has much deeper issues to work out before they are able to really compete with most teams.
Pow6r Rankings:

  1. No. 8 Cincinnati Bearcats
  2. No. 17 SMU Mustangs
  3. Tulsa Golden Hurricane
  4. UCF Knights
  5. Memphis Tigers
  6. Houston Cougars
  7. Navy Midshipmen
  8. Temple Owls
  9. ECU Pirates
  10. Tulane Green Wave
  11. USF Bulls

Edited by Emma Moloney

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