Conference USA Roundup – Week 9

Oct. 25 at WKU 66, Old Dominion 51 
And You Care Because … The two teams combined for close to 1,250 yards as Brandon Doughty spread around five touchdown passes for WKU and Leon Allen tore off two touchdown runs. However, ODU stayed in it on four Ray Lawry scoring runs, and the O threatened going into the fourth on a 39-yard Antonio Vaughan touchdown catch on Taylor Heineke’s third touchdown of the game to pull within five. In the middle of the fourth, Heineke got ODU deep into WKU territory, but he was picked off by Juwan Gardner, who took the pass 96 yards for a score. The Hilltoppers put it away with a field goal in the final minutes. 
What Else? WKU QB Brandon Doughty completed 23-of-26 passes for 371 yards and five touchdowns 
– ODU RB Ray Lawry ran 25 times for 148 yards and four scores, and caught two passes for 39 yards
– ODU QB Taylor Heinicke completed 27-of-40 passes for 471 yards and three touchdowns with two picks, and Antonio Vaughan caught six passes for 229 yards and two touchdowns 
– WKU RB Leon Allen ran 32 times for 182 yards with two touchdowns, and caught two passes for 31 yards 
Game Rating: B+

Oct. 25 Louisiana Tech 31, Southern Miss 20 
And You Care Because … It was a nip-and-tuck game until midway through the fourth when Carlos Henderson caught a 29-yard touchdown pass to help Louisiana Tech pull up 24-13, and Kenneth Dixon put it away on a one-yard score. Dixon scored on pass plays from 84 and five yards out in the third, but USM hung around on two Corey Acosta field goals and an 18-yard George Payne touchdown dash. But the Bulldogs took over in the fourth. 
What Else? Rushing: Louisiana Tech 26 carries for 30 yards – USM 26 carries for -31 yards 
– Louisiana Tech RB Kenneth Dixon ran 19 times for 41 yards and a touchdown, and caught six passes for 124 yards and two scores
– Southern Miss QB Cole Weeks completed 28-of-45 passes for 338 yards and a touchdown with two picks 
– Louisiana Tech QB Cody Sokol completed 27-of-46 passes for 423 yards and three touchdowns 
Game Rating: B-

Oct. 25 at Marshall 35, Florida Atlantic 16 
And You Care Because … Marshall struggled early, down 13-7 late in the first half as FAU got two Greg Joseph field goals and a 16-yard Alex Deleon touchdown catch to balance out a 56-yard Devon Johnson run. Johnson was at it again for the Herd, taking off for a 16-yard touchdown, but FAU had the lead going into the locker room on a 24-yard Joseph field goal. It was all Marshall in the second half scoring 21 unanswered points on a 21-yard Tommy Shuler touchdown catch and two more Johnson scoring runs from 66 and seven yards out. 
What Else? Marshall RB Devon Johnson ran 24 times for 272 yards and four touchdowns 
– Florida Atlantic WR Lucky Whitehead caught 11 passes for 102 yards 
– Marshall QB Rakeem Cato completed 13-of-24 passes for 218 yards and a touchdowns 
– Florida Atlantic QB Jaquez Johnson completed 19-of-37 passes for 179 yards and a score, and ran 16 times for 61 yards 
Game Rating: 

Oct. 25 at Rice 41, North Texas 21 
And You Care Because … Down 21-14 after North Texas got a second touchdown from Carlos Harris, Rice scored 27 unanswered points highlighted by a 60-yard pick six from Ryan Pollard and short touchdown runs from Darik Dillard and Jowan Davis. Rice started out the scoring with an 88-yard touchdown catch from Jordan Taylor on its first play from scrimmage, and Davis added a ten-yard scoring run in the first quarter, but UNT answered with a 100-yard kickoff return for a score from Darvin Kidsey. The Mean Green offense, though, stalled in the second half. 
What Else? Total yards: Rice 421 – North Texas 216 
– Rice QB Driphus Jackson completed 13-of-26 passes for 233 yards and a score, and ran nine times for 26 yards 
– North Texas ran 33 times for 26 yards and a score 
– Rice came up with four sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss 
Game Rating: C

Oct. 25 at Arkansas 45, UAB 17 
And You Care Because … Arkansas rolled to a 35-0 halftime lead as Jonathan Williams ran for a score and caught a 17-yard touchdown pass, but the highlight was a touchdown pass from 6-5, 350-pound offensive lineman Sebastian Tretola to Alan D’Appollonio on a fake field goal. UAB finally got on the board with a field goal in the third, but was down 45-3 before getting in the end zone on a 100-yard kickoff return from Jamarcus Nelson following a 15-yard Jeremy Sprinkle catch for Arkansas’ final score. 
What Else? Total yards: Arkansas 484 – UAB 195 
– Arkansas RB Jonathan Williams ran 18 times for 153 yards and a score, and caught two passes for 13 yards and a touchdown 
– UAB QB Jeremiah Briscoe completed 6-of-18 passes for 62 yards and a touchdown with a pick, and ran four times for 11 yards 
– Arkansas QB Brandon Allen completed 15-of-24 passes for 205 yards and two touchdowns 
Game Rating: D+ 

Oct. 25 UTEP 34, at UTSA 0 
And You Care Because … UTEP destroyed the UTSA offense allowing just 70 yards, while the Miner attack didn’t have any problems as Jameill Showers found Jaquan White for a 75-yard touchdown early and connected with Aaron Jones for a 40-yard touchdown. Jones added a 24-yard scoring dash in the third, and the D got into the act on a 19-yard pick six from Jimmy Musgrave. 
What Else? UTEP QB Jameill Showers completed 12-of-18 passes for 191 yards and two touchdowns, and ran 11 times for 37 yards 
– UTSA QB Austin Robinson completed 6-of-20 passes for 32 yards and a score
– Time off possession: UTEP 39:12 – UTSA 20:48 
– UTEP RB Aaron Jones ran 21 times for 86 yards and a touchdown, and caught two passes for 36 yards and a score 
Game Rating: F