The Most Americ6n Recap, Week 8: Cincinnati gets their signature win


By Lucas Owens
For how much hype was given to the matchup between Cincinnati and SMU, it played out no where near to what people expected. Cincy absolutely pummeled the Mustangs and proved their mettle in the conference. Outside of that game, the American had some fun matchups, but nothing too intense. Still, a good weekend for American Athletic Conference Football.
Tulsa 42 – 13 USF
Tulsa is looking more and more like a great team in the American after dominating USF last Friday. Quarterback Zach Smith had an alright 233 yards and one touchdown, but as always, the key for the Golden Hurricane was their defense. Tulsa forced three turnovers, held the Bulls to 305 yards of offense, and added a pick six by Zaven Collins. Looking ahead, Tulsa has a few more easy matchups before the bulk of their hard schedule kicks in, but I think the Golden Hurricane can contend with anyone right now. For USF, considering the age of their offense, this game was never going to go their way, but being at one point in the fourth quarter down just 21-13 should be seen as real progress for a Bulls team that has struggled mightily this year.
No. 9 Cincinnati 42 – 13 No. 16 SMU
All doubt I had for this Cincinnati team has been completely washed away. Quarterback Desmond Ridder, while only having 126 yards passing, proved himself on the ground exploiting the Mustangs for 179 yards and three touchdowns, and the Bearcats defense held SMU to just 13 points. Truly, this game was always in Cincinnati’s control, but SMU for a second in the second quarter looked like they were going to put up a fight. The issue with that was quarterback Shane Buchele against Cincinnati’s defense. The senior passed for just 216 yards and one touchdown, which when compared to his usual production is far less than usual. Cincinnati, for what it is worth, looks to be somehow a top 5-10 team in the country right now.
Temple 29 – 41 Memphis
Memphis got right back into the groove this week after a comeback win against UCF, and handed a victory to a Temple team that has shocked in how bad they have been this year. The Owls, for once, competed and had a good game on offense. Defensively was an entirely different story though, and the Tigers took advantage to the tune of 489 yards and a 12 point victory. Temple quarterback Anthony Russo showed fantastic improvement over the last few weeks and had a great day, with 387 yards and four touchdowns passing, but his three interceptions certainly did not help his teams’ cause. Memphis has found their rhythm again, and Temple is running out of time to find theirs. 
Tulane 34 – 51 UCF
Finally, a UCF game where the defense does not blow it for their high-powered offense. Following a tough late loss to Memphis last week, it would have been easy for the Knights to just lay down and die, but they came back this week and found their way into the win column yet again. For a team that seems like they have gone through the ringer to start the year, they find themselves at 3-2 with a manageable schedule coming up, so I think much of the Knights’ story this year has yet to be written. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel had yet another impressive performance, adding 422 yards and five touchdowns to his impressive passing totals to start the year. Tulane, on the other hand, has continued to ride the okay arm in Michael Pratt, as in his second full performance behind center he tallied 215 yards and three touchdowns passing. The Green Wave have a lot of improvement to do to be competitive with most teams this year, but this was certainly a step in the right direction.
Houston 37 – 21 Navy
The best surprise, in a good way, in the American has definitely been the Houston Cougars. Following a rough season under first year head coach Dana Holgorsen last year, Houston is off to a 2-1 start, including two straight wins in conference play. Much of that can be attributed to finally finding a quarterback in Clayton Tune, who had 316 yards and three touchdowns this week, but I think it relies more on the overall team culture the Cougars have this year. Houston was dealt a tough deck with not starting their season until just three weeks ago, but they have persevered and have found themselves in a good position now to compete in the AAC. Navy, however, has disappointed many, but with this year being the way it is, I think the Midshipmen should be forgiven for a lot of their mistakes on field.
Pow6r Rankings:

  1. No. 7 Cincinnati Bearcats
  2. No. 22 SMU Mustangs
  3. Tulsa Golden Hurricane
  4. Memphis Tigers
  5. UCF Knights
  6. Houston Cougars
  7. Navy Midshipmen
  8. Temple Owls
  9. Tulane Green Wave
  10. ECU Pirates
  11. USF Bulls

Edited by Emma Moloney

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