Conference USA Week 6 Recap

SCORES

Mississippi State 21, UAB 3

Rice 28, Memphis 6

Southern Mississippi 63, Navy 35

Houston 56, East Carolina 3

Central Florida 16, Marshall 6

Syracuse 37, Tulane 34

The big story of week six in Conference USA, in most years, would have been the max-out performance of a historically inconsistent Southern Mississippi team that blew out Navy on the road by 28 points. In other years, the big story in this conference would have been the ability of its defending champion, Central Florida, to fend off a spirited challenge from a darkhorse (Marshall) that had been coming on strong over the previous few weekends. Those two stories - Southern Miss might and Central Florida fortitude - deserved top billing after the second go-round of October. However, this was not a normal Saturday in C-USA.

Houston 56, East Carolina 3. Let that score sink in, and you'll quickly understand why it's the headliner in the league.

East Carolina played tough games against legitimately solid foes in its first five weeks. Coach Ruffin McNeill's Pirates led South Carolina by 17 points before faltering in the season opener. ECU held Virginia Tech to just 17 points, losing to the defending ACC champion Hokies by only one score (17-10). East Carolina didn't fare too well against North Carolina, either (35-20), but the Pirates had certainly tested themselves in the non-conference portion of their schedule. Houston, on the other hand, barely beat a mediocre UCLA squad at home and then fell behind Louisiana Tech, 34-7, before pulling out a miraculous 35-34 Houdini against the Bulldogs. Houston's defense remained overwhelmed and ill-prepared in a league game against a genuinely poor UTEP squad; the Cougars scored 49 points yet had to hang on by their claws for a nip-and-tuck win that wasn't sealed until the Miners from El Paso stalled in the red zone in the final seconds. If you looked beyond the records (Houston at 5-0, ECU with a sub-.500 mark), East Carolina had shown more resolve against a tougher schedule. In a matchup of teams from Conference USA's two divisions, the Pirates deserved to be thought of as an even match for the Cougars... perhaps not because of their own strengths, but certainly because of Houston's weak defense.

After Saturday, though, the way these teams are viewed has changed dramatically.

Houston didn't just clobber the living daylights out of East Carolina in the Lone Star State. The Cougars' defense dismantled the Pirates' offense. UH's defense couldn't stop an ant or a ladybug against UTEP, but when ECU came to town, a different bunch of red-jersey-wearing defenders emerged. Houston's front seven played with maniacal intensity, limiting the visitors from C-USA East to just 21 yards on 30 carries. UH also registered three interceptions against ECU quarterback Dominique Davis, swarming to the ball as effectively as it flocked to ballcarriers. Houston's defense made such a strong statement that the Cougars' 56-point showing got lost in the shuffle. UH quarterback Case Keenum was brilliant on Saturday night in H-Town, going 30 of 37 for over 300 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. The former Heisman Trophy candidate shredded East Carolina's defense in the first quarter, building Houston's lead and allowing his defense to play with such freedom and confidence. The 53-point blowout establishes Houston as the equal of Southern Methodist atop the West Division in C-USA. It also makes it hard to see how East Carolina can legitimately challenge Southern Miss and Central Florida atop C-USA East.

Speaking of Southern Miss and Central Florida...

...the two schools appear poised to fight for the East, just as Houston and SMU are likely to decide the West. Southern Miss scored at least 14 points in all four quarters, throttling Navy and scoring what is easily the most impressive victory of the first half of the 2011 season. USM blocked a Navy field goal on the game's opening possession and returned it for a touchdown. On Navy's second possession, the Golden Eagles stacked up the Midshipmen three times from the 1. On Southern Miss's first offensive possession just moments later, a 77-yard pass from the right arm of quarterback Austin Davis set up a touchdown and a 14-0 lead. Navy's spirit was crushed, and the Golden Eagles swooped in for the quick kill, building a 28-0 lead before the Midshipmen knew what hit them. This performance raises hopes in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, that a division title can be won.

If USM is to win the East, however, it will have to go through Central Florida. The Golden Knights weren't spectacular, but in a driving game-long rainstorm, they didn't have to be. UCF just needed to knuckle down against a surprising Marshall club that was making a push for East Division supremacy. The simple ability to grind out an ugly win in tough conditions bodes well for the Golden Knights' defense of their East title.