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Written by Sports Network | Monday, 23 November 2009 17:52 | Tulane News
Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network)
EAST DIVISION:
EAST CAROLINA - Patrick Pinkney threw for 250 yards and three touchdowns, as the Pirates remained atop the East Division standings with a 37-21 win over UAB this pat weekend. With a win over Southern Miss this weekend, ECU (7-4, 6-1) would make its second straight appearance in the C-USA title game. Dwayne Harris also had a big day, as he caught eight balls for 108 yards and two touchdowns, in addition to returning a kickoff 99 yards for a score. Darryl Freeney added seven receptions for 118 yards and a score, as ECU won its fourth league game in a row.
MARSHALL - Brian Anderson hit on 13-of-22 pass attempts for 213 yards and two scores, leading the Thundering Herd to a 34-31 win over SMU this past weekend. With the win, Marshall (6-5, 4-3) is now bowl eligible for the first time since the 2004 season. The Herd played without star tailback Darius Marshall and tight end Cody Slate, who were both out with injury, but several players stepped up their absence. Martin Ward headed the ground attack with 136 yards and a score on 25 carries, while Terrel Edwards-May added 113 yards and a touchdown on 22 totes. Aaron Dobson took over as the main threat through the air, pulling in four balls for 127 yards and a pair of scores. The Herd will wrap up its regular season campaign at Texas-El Paso this weekend.
MEMPHIS - The Tigers were simply overmatched by Houston's electric offense, allowing 689 total yards, including 578 through the air, in a 55-14 loss. It marked the fifth straight loss by Memphis (2-9, 1-6), which gave up eight offensive touchdowns to Houston. Curtis Steele was the lone bright spot for the Tigers, as he toted 28 times for 160 yards and two touchdowns. With that effort, Steele went over 1,000 yards rushing for the second time at Memphis, becoming just the second player in school history to accomplish that feat. The Tigers will try to send coach Tommy West off a winner this weekend, as they wrap up their campaign at Tulsa.
SOUTHERN MISS - Martevious Young tossed a career-best four touchdowns and the Golden Eagles remained in the hunt for the East Division title with a 44-34 win over Tulsa this past weekend. USM (7-4, 5-2) is now just one game back of East Carolina and it faces the Pirates this coming weekend with a spot in the C-USA Championship Game on the line. Young completed 12-of-21 tosses for 276 yards in the win and he added 59 yards on the ground. His main target was DeAndre Brown, who pulled in three balls for 135 yards and two touchdowns. USM's defense also chipped in with three turnovers and the same amount of sacks.
UAB - The Blazers outgained East Carolina, 520-325, but committed two turnovers and allowed several big plays in a 37-21 loss over the weekend. UAB (5-6, 4-3) not only had its three-game win streak snapped, but it was also eliminated from the East Division title race. Joe Webb guided the team in the loss by throwing for 247 yards and a pair of scores. The dual-threat gunslinger also paced the club with 132 yards on the ground. UAB, though, gave up two touchdown passes of 59 yards and a 99-yard kickoff return, as it was burnt for big plays. The Blazers have one last chance to become bowl-eligible against UCF this coming weekend.
UCF - The Knights outgained Tulane, 504-50, as they rolled to a 49-0 victory over the weekend. UCF (7-4, 5-2), which was coming off an upset of Houston, has now won five straight conference games. Brynn Harvey headed the charge with 129 yards and a score on the ground, helping UCF amass 264 rushing yards. Quarterback Brett Hodges threw for 234 yards and two touchdowns, while Kamar Aiken pulled in five balls for 84 yards and a pair of scores. The defense recorded five takeaways and three sacks, while holding Tulane to negative-30 rushing yards. The Knights will return to action this weekend, when they take on UAB.
WEST DIVISION:
HOUSTON - Case Keenum threw for 405 yards and five touchdowns and the Cougars regained control of the West Division with a 55-14 rout of Memphis over the weekend. Houston (9-2, 5-2), which bounced back nicely following a loss to UCF, can punch its ticket to the C-USA Championship Game with a win over Rice this weekend. With his effort against Memphis, Keenum established a new school record for career touchdown passes, with 94. Tim Monroe hauled in seven passes for 92 yards and a score, while Chaz Rodriguez had six receptions for 98 yards and a touchdown. Charles Sims rushed for 90 yards and two scores on 15 carries, Houston rolled up 689 yards of total offense.
RICE - Charles Ross ran for three touchdowns, including two in the final quarter, as the Owls nipped Texas-El Paso, 30-29, on Saturday. Ross gave the team the lead on a one-yard run with 7:45 left and the defense would make it stand. The defense forced six turnovers, including five fumbles, and preserved Rice's (2-9, 2-5) seconds win in a row. Tyler Smith led the Owls with 127 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries, and Cheta Ozougwu had two sacks and a fumble recovery for the defense. Rice will take on Houston this weekend to wrap up its campaign.
SMU - The Mustangs lost their grip on the West Division standings over the weekend, as they dropped a 34-31 decision to Marshall. The loss put SMU (6-5, 5-2) in a tie with Houston, which owns the tie-breaker by virtue of its win over the Ponies earlier this season. Houston wraps up its season with Rice, while SMU takes on Tulane. Kyle Padron threw for 225 yards and two scores in the loss and he was sacked five times. Emmanuel Sanders grabbed eight passes for 94 yards and a score, while Shawnbrey McNeal rushed for 82 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. SMU, however, simply couldn't slow down Marshall, allowing 475 total yards, including 262 on the ground.
TEXAS-EL PASO - The Miners continued too shoot themselves in the foot, committing six turnovers and 12 penalties in a 30-29 loss to Rice over the weekend. Donald Buckram ran for 147 yards and three touchdowns to establish a UTEP (3-8, 2-5) single-season record for rushing yards with 1,569. He, however, lost a pair of crucial fumbles that stopped potential scoring drives for the Miners. Trevor Vittatoe threw for 244 yards and a score, while the defense did its best by holding Rice to just 227 total yards. UTEP, which has dropped four straight games, will take on Marshall in its season finale this weekend.
TULANE - In a simply awful performance, the Green Wave managed just 50 total yards in a 49-0 beating at the hands of UCF this past weekend. Tulane (3-8, 1-6) even turned the ball over five times, while surrendering 504 yards of offense to UCF. The Wave's once potent ground attack was held to negative-30 yards and the team used three quarterbacks that combined for just 80 yards and two picks on 13-of-27 pass attempts. There just wasn't any bright spots for Tulane, which had only seven first downs. Losers of two straight, the Wave will end its season at SMU this weekend.
TULSA - The Golden Hurricane racked up 589 yards of total offense, but it wasn't enough to overcome three turnovers in a 44-34 loss to Southern Miss over the weekend. It marked the fifth straight loss by Tulsa (4-7, 2-5), which will miss out on a bowl game for the first time since 2004. Charles Clay caught eight balls for 142 yards and two scores, in addition to rushing for two more touchdowns. Damaris Johnson also had a huge game, as he reeled in 17 passes for 196 yards. Getting him the ball was G.J. Kinne, who threw for 396 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Kinne also led the team with 88 rushing yards and a score, although he accounted for all three turnovers. Tulsa will conclude its disappointing campaign against Memphis this weekend.
