Conference USA Week 2 Summary

WEEK TWO REVIEW

SCORES

Houston 48, North Texas 23

Arkansas State 47, Memphis 3

Central Florida 30, Boston College 3

Virginia Tech 17, East Carolina 10

Tulsa 31, Tulane 3

Rice 24, Purdue 22

SMU 28, UTEP 17

Marshall 26, Southern Mississippi 20

Florida 39, UAB 0

The highlight of week two in Conference USA was a special moment in the history of Rice University football. The Owls had not beaten a BCS conference team since knocking off Duke (one of the weaklings of the upper-tier conferences in the sport) in 2001. Rice hadn’t beaten a Big Ten team since handling Northwestern in 1997. Imagine, then, the euphoria in Houston after the Owls knocked off Purdue, 24-22, when Justin Allen blocked a 31-yard field-goal attempt by Purdue’s Carson Wiggs as time expired. Allen busted through the middle of the line to swat away a chip-shot kick and leave the Boilermakers reeling. Rice’s moments of football glory have been so fleeting and rare over the past four decades that almost anything remotely notable is magnified in terms of its significance. The ability of a downmarket C-USA team to beat a downmarket Big Ten team is something that might give ballast to this Southern league in the weeks ahead.

Had Rice not been able to beat Purdue, the biggest story in the conference for week two would have been East Carolina’s second straight big-boy battle, another valiant showing against a team favored to win a division in a BCS conference. In week one, ECU tested SEC East favorite South Carolina, and in week two, the Pirates pushed ACC Coastal Division favorite Virginia Tech to the wall before losing by only a touchdown. East Carolina’s defense was a sieve last year, so imagine the profound sense of encouragement felt by head coach Ruffin McNeill and his staff when the Pirates limited Virginia Tech to just 17 points and made multiple stands in the red zone. If this flinty defensive performance is representative of what East Carolina is going to display for the rest of the season, the East Division of Conference USA could very well be in doubt. Central Florida might receive a stiff challenge from the Bucs.

Speaking of Central Florida, the Golden Knights pushed aside Boston College with relative ease. UCF is a supremely confident ballclub that has retained all the positive energy created by last year’s C-USA title run. People will naturally focus on agile dual-threat quarterback Jeff Godfrey, but the real key to the Golden Knights is their defense, especially a lock-down secondary that will straitjacket any opponent which can’t throw the ball. Boston College can’t throw the ball. The Eagles scored just three points. Next.

The final big story in the league is an in-house development. A C-USA East clash between Southern Mississippi and Marshall took a shocking turn. USM took a 17-3 lead in the first half but watched that advantage evaporate as Marshall scored three straight touchdowns en route to a 26-20 upset. The Thundering Herd didn’t allow a loss to in-state rival West Virginia to get them down, a key sign of maturity for Marshall. Southern Miss expects to compete for the C-USA East title, so this unexpected loss will weigh on the Golden Eagles’ shoulders throughout the season. USM head coach Larry Fedora needs to turn around the ship, or his seat could be warm come 2012.

WEEK THREE PREVIEW

MATCHUPS

Tulane at UAB

Central Florida at Florida International

Marshall at Ohio

Austin Peay at Memphis

Houston at Louisiana Tech

SE Louisiana at Southern Mississippi

UTEP at New Mexico State

Northwestern State at SMU

Oklahoma State at Tulsa

The tastiest offering in week three of the C-USA slate is the matchup between Central Florida and Florida International. Both teams won their respective conferences in 2010, so this in-state battle is a clash of champions. Florida International is coming off a road win at Louisville, so the Golden Panthers will be overflowing with confidence. Central Florida will need to punch FIU in the mouth and establish territorial control of this contest. It’s not something to be taken lightly by the Golden Knights.

The other game to keep an eye on is Oklahoma State at Tulsa. The Golden Hurricane can score, and Oklahoma State’s defense is anything but a proven commodity. OSU should definitely win, but Tulsa has a chance to keep things close for two and a half or three quarters.