Conference USA Week 1 Summary

WEEK ONE REVIEW

SCORES

Houston 38, UCLA 34

Tulane 47, Southeast Louisiana 33

Central Florida 62, Charleston Southern 0

South Carolina 56, East Carolina 37

Oklahoma 47, Tulsa 14

Texas 34, Rice 9

UTEP 31, Stony Brook 24 (OT)

Southern Mississippi 19, Louisiana Tech 17

Mississippi State 59, Memphis 14

West Virginia 34, Marshall 13

Texas A&M 46, SMU 14

The highlight of week one in Conference USA was a no-brainer: Case Keenum got his revenge against the UCLA Bruins, as Houston won the matchup of 1968 basketball powers in the heart of Texas. A year ago at this time, Houston ventured to the West Coast and got punished in a Saturday night fight. Keenum, when trying to make a tackle after throwing an interception, got injured for the remainder of the 2010 season. Houston then lost backup quarterback Cotton Turner as well and had to play the balance of the season with freshman quarterback David Piland, who gamely competed but was simply not ready to read defenses at a very high level. Houston struggled through the year and ultimately suffered a losing season. Houston was expecting to win Conference USA last year, but the Keenum injury turned life upside-down for the Cougars and head coach Kevin Sumlin. The season opener against UCLA this past Saturday reminded UH what it lost in 2010. The game was immensely important even though it wasn’t a conference clash. The Cougars, with Keenum back in the saddle, needed to establish a new tone and build back the self-belief they lost when the Bruins manhandled them in Pasadena, California. Sure enough, this return engagement in the Lone Star State brought the Cougars everything they wanted.

What is particularly encouraging for Houston is that it beat UCLA despite playing a very imperfect game. Multiple fumbles prevented UH from blowing out the Bruins. The Cougars led 31-14 late in the first half but allowed UCLA to creep within just three points, at 31-28, in the fourth quarter. Houston could have buckled, but it instead redoubled its efforts to gain a 38-28 lead. UCLA zoomed downfield to score a touchdown in the last two minutes, but Houston recovered an onside kick and held on for the win. Sumlin, like so many other coaches, will love the fact that he can teach his team to exhibit better habits – such as ball security – yet still bask in the glow of an important week one win.

The second-biggest story to emerge from C-USA in week one was a decidedly more downbeat one. While Houston celebrated the return of its starting quarterback and gained a spirit-lifting win, Southern Methodist had no reason to celebrate anything its own starting signal caller did against Texas A&M. Kyle Padron was supposed to be a more battle-tested leader in his third season under center with the Mustangs. Padron had a terrible Armed Forces Bowl against Army, and that rough outing followed a very difficult afternoon against Central Florida in the Conference USA Championship Game. Padron had every reason to be sharper and more attentive coming out of the gate against A&M, but instead, he was even worse than he was against Army. Padron threw interceptions on each of his first two possessions, and as a result, SMU coach June Jones benched him. The move was a correct one, too: J.J. McDermott relieved Padron and led the Ponies to a pair of touchdowns to keep them in the game. Padron created a 14-0 deficit with his miscues, but McDermott undid some of the damage.

However, A&M made appropriate halftime adjustments and smothered McDermott in the second half. Padron should have been the man leading his team to bigger and better things against the Aggies’ defense, but because he took himself out of the action, his backup had to handle the heat in the third and fourth quarters. McDermott couldn’t withstand the pressure of A&M’s defense, and that’s why SMU had to eat a 32-point defeat. The Mustangs are a diminished team without Padron. McDermott might be solid, but he wasn’t supposed to be the main field general for SMU this season. Houston and Keenum have to be loving their chances of winning C-USA’s West Division right now.

The other two stories of note from week one both emerged in losses: Marshall once again played West Virginia with a great deal of competitive vigor, containing the Mountaineers’ offense before a kick return buried the Thundering Herd by a 34-13 score. Marshall always plays well against its in-state rival; the key is for the Herd to maintain a steady level of energy and enthusiasm for the rest of the season. Marshall can’t allow the loss to West Virginia to carry any lingering psychological effects.

Finally, East Carolina put up a very good fight against SEC East Division favorite South Carolina. The Pirates took advantage of the fact that the Gamecocks began the game with Connor Shaw at quarterback in place of No. 1 starter Stephen Garcia. South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier wanted to send a message to Garcia, a gifted but often troubled young man with a reputation for drinking irresponsibly and behaving poorly in public settings. When East Carolina gained a 17-0 lead in a first quarter defined by Garcia’s absence, perhaps the message got through to South Carolina’s quarterback. ECU took a 24-14 lead to the locker room at halftime and harbored hopes of a huge upset, but Garcia’s presence on the field in the second half allowed the Gamecocks’ offense to roll. Still, East Carolina proved it could hang with one of the big boys in the SEC. The Pirates should feel optimistic about their ability to compete in the East Division of C-USA.

WEEK TWO PREVIEW

MATCHUPS

Virginia Tech at East Carolina

Purdue at Rice

Southern Mississippi at Marshall

Tulsa at Tulane

UAB at Florida

Houston at North Texas

Memphis at Arkansas State

UTEP at SMU

Boston College at Central Florida

East Carolina, having just played a formidable team from the SEC, will now play defending ACC champion Virginia Tech. Logan Thomas is the Virginia Tech quarterback who is replacing Tyrod Taylor under center. ECU’s defense has to find a way to rattle Thomas in this road game. If Thomas doesn’t make poised and thoughtful decisions under fire, ECU could build an early lead, make the Hokies sweat, and force Thomas to leave his comfort zone. An upset is genuinely possible, but still not likely. Nevertheless, the C-USA community will be eager to see what the Pirates can do against a legitimate national power.

In the league, UTEP will have a very difficult time handling an SMU crew that will be steaming mad after its clunker against Texas A&M. UTEP barely beat Stony Brook this past weekend, inspiring absolutely zero confidence for the rest of the season.

In conference game number two, Southern Miss faces Marshall. USM struggled mightily against Louisiana Tech; it’s quite reasonable to say that Marshall’s loss to West Virginia was a better performance than USM’s close-shave win against a mediocre foe. The Golden Eagles should get off the mat in this game, but if they don’t, coach Larry Fedora will be sweating. He was expected to win division titles, and he hasn’t done so yet in his three years on the job.

The final conference game of the coming week pits Tulsa against Tulane in New Orleans. Tulane has floundered, lagging at the bottom of the league for several seasons. Tulsa put together a big November to salvage its 2010 campaign and should be ready to survive an ambush in the Big Easy.