Conference USA Week One Recap

Week of 9/2/06

Tulsa 45, Stephen F. Austin 7 (8/31)

Tulsa appears to be picking up right where they left off in 2005. The defending Conference USA champions were expected to win handily over I-AA foe Stephen F. Austin and they did just that, routing the Lumberjacks, 45-7, on Thursday night in front of 23,308 at Skelly Stadium.

Steve Kragthorpe's team wasted no time in taking command as they received the opening kickoff and proceeded to piece together an 11-play, 75 yard touchdown drive to take an early 7-0 lead. They would score on all five of their first half possessions, taking a 31-0 halftime advantage.

It was more of the same as the second half began, as Tulsa scored on their sixth straight possession, making it 38-0. From that point on, the Golden Hurricane had it on cruise control as they were firmly in control of the game. SFA got on the board with just over six minutes left in the game when Vincent Pervis scored on a 28-yard run, closing the gap to 38-7.

The Golden Hurricane offense was one of the best in the nation a year ago, and they appear well on their way to another standout campaign. Led by quarterback Paul Smith, Tulsa racked up 521 total yards, including 346 yards through the air. The junior signal-caller completed 16 of his 20 attempts for 229 yards and three touchdowns. His backup, David Johnson, also had a successful night as he threw for 80 yards. This included a 59-yard touchdown strike to Jacob Collums. Smith and Johnson combined to complete 20 of 28 passes to an astounding 14 different receivers. No Golden Hurricane receiver had over three receptions. Jacob Collums and Idriss Moss, who caught two balls for 93 yards and three for 41 yards, respectively, led the team.

Tulsa played nearly penalty and turnover free football, which is very impressive for an opening ballgame. They committed three penalties for 30 yards and didn't have any turnovers.

UTEP 34, San Diego State 27 (8/31)

The Miners built a 24-point lead halfway through the third quarter, but were then forced to fight off a furious Aztec rally before winning, 34-27, and spoiling Chuck Long's debut as San Diego State head coach.

UTEP quarterback Jordan Palmer was plagued by inconsistency last season, and his performance in the opener was much of the same. On the bright side, he did complete 19 of 28 passes for 205 yards and three touchdowns; however, he was still unable to eliminate the big mistakes, throwing four interceptions.

An explosive Miner offense was held to only 243 total yards, as San Diego State out gained UTEP 384-243. The Aztec defense limited Mike Price's squad to only 38 rushing yards on 20 attempts.

Johnny Lee Higgins totaled 175 all-purpose yards, including 82 receiving yards on six receptions, to pace UTEP's receiving corps.

Despite all their trouble taking care of the football, UTEP did play disciplined football, not committing a penalty in the game.

San Diego State's passing game excelled, as Darren Mougey and Kevin O'Connell combined to complete 24 of 30 passes for 275 yards. They did throw two costly interceptions though; including one in the final minutes of the game that helped clinch it for UTEP.

UTEP was forced to recover an onside kick with 1:59 remaining to preserve the win.

#5 Oklahoma 24, UAB 17

UAB took a 17-14 lead over Oklahoma with 4:16 left in the third quarter, but the Sooners responded immediately with a 69-yard touchdown on a screen pass to 2004 Heisman Trophy runner-up Adrian Peterson and never looked back, winning the opener 24-17 in Norman.

Oklahoma struck first with a 2-play, 46-yard touchdown drive on their second possession, which ended on a 21-yard touchdown pass from Paul Thompson to Joe Finley.

They would hold that lead until midway through the second quarter when the Blazers tied the game on a 5-yard touchdown run by senior Corey White. UAB could not generate a first down on their first two possessions, but then they were jump started when they inserted junior Sam Hunt for starter Chris Williams.

The score remained 7-7 as the teams headed to the locker room.

OU only got the ball in Adrian Peterson's hands nine times in the first half, but that would change as he touched it on the first eleven plays of the second half. "A-Pete's" sixth straight carry resulted in a four-yard touchdown run and a 14-7 lead.

Watson Brown's Blazers bounced right back though, with ten unanswered points in the next six and a half minutes, taking a 17-14 lead. Corey White caught a 24-yard touchdown pass, his second touchdown of the game, and Swayze Waters connected on a 32-yard field goal.

The Sooners regained the lead on the long touchdown pass to Peterson and they would never relinquish it. They would control the game the rest of the way, riding their workhorse, Peterson, for 83 yards on the ground. He totaled 139 yards on 24 carries for the game.

Sam Hunt came off the bench, and was very effective with his arm and legs. He completed 9 of 15 attempts for 149 yards while also running for 65 yards on 15 carries.

Oklahoma's new starting quarterback Paul Thompson played well at times, but was inconsistent following a hot start. He finished the game 14 of 24 for 227 yards with two touchdowns passes, but he was also picked off twice.

#25 Texas Tech 35, SMU 3

Graham Harrell was made his first start at quarterback for Texas Tech, becoming the fifth starter in as many years. If his debut is any indication, don't expect the Red Raider passing machine to miss a beat. All Harrell did was complete 34 of 49 passes for 342 yards and five touchdowns. He did throw one interception, but it was in the fourth quarter after the game was well in hand.

The Mustangs did strike first, scoring on a 38-yard Morstead field goal, but after that it was all Red Raiders as they outgained SMU, 501-189. They did have another scoring opportunity early in the third quarter following a Blake Warren punt return, but missed a 49-yard field goal attempt after a costly fumbled snap on third down.

Harrell completed passes to nine different receivers, including an astounding 15 to Robert Johnson for 139 yards.

In addition to the potent Texas Tech passing attack, the SMU defense was also faced with the challenge of stopping the ground attack of the Red Raiders, which totaled 138 yards on 23 carries, led by the 104-yard effort of Shannon Woods.

#7 Florida 34, Southern Miss 7

Southern Miss got exactly the start it needed as they took a 7-0 lead with 12:37 left in the first quarter. The Golden Eagles intercepted Florida quarterback Chris Leak at the Gators 28 yard-line and then quickly converted that opportunity to points behind the passing of new quarterback Jeremy Young.

USM would hold this lead until the next to last play of the first quarter when Leak hooked up with receiver Dallas Baker for a 21-yard touchdown. The game was knotted at seven until the Gators went ahead to stay with a touchdown with just over six minutes left in the half.

The Golden Eagles hung tough as they kept it 14-7 until just under the five-minute mark in the third quarter, but they were unable to muster enough offense to stay close the rest of the way. Jeremy Young was picked off three times, one of which ended a Golden Eagle scoring threat. USM had also missed a field goal earlier in the third quarter.

Florida, behind the passing of Leak and running of Harvin, Moore and Winn, took control of the ballgame. Leak connected on 21 of 30 attempts for 248 yards and three touchdowns.

Navy 28, East Carolina 23

Navy only attempted six passes, but that was because it didn't need to attempt anymore. East Carolina knew that it was going to be a difficult task to slow down the Midshipmen's high-powered triple option attack. The Pirates did a good job of preventing the big play, but Navy gained an average of 5.8 yards per carry as they totaled 403 rushing yards on 70 carries.

Midshipmen quarterback Brian Hampton ran around, through and over Pirates as he racked up 149 yards on the ground on 34 carries. When Hampton wasn't running it successfully, either fullback Adam Ballard, slot back Reggie Campbell, or a host of other backs was. Ballard gave the ECU defense as much trouble as Hampton, rushing for 97 yards on only 13 carries, which included a 26-yard touchdown run.

The East Carolina defense was on its heels most of the night with the Pirates only forcing the Midshipmen to punt a single time. They were able to force two fumbles, but were unable to do anything with them.

James Pinkney and the Pirates' offense used an effective aerial attack to keep things close. Pinkney completed 24 of 35 passes for 285 yards and two touchdowns.

The game was tied at 14 at halftime, but the Middies moved ahead 28-17 with just under five minutes remaining. The East Carolina offense behind the leadership of senior quarterback James Pinkney answered. They cut the Navy lead to 28-23, but then failed on the two-point conversion. The ensuing onside kick attempt was unsuccessful. The Pirates, who were unable to stop Navy for the majority of the evening, failed to get the ball back as Navy successfully ran out the clock.

#6 West Virginia 42, Marshall 10

Sophomore sensation Steve Slaton rushed for 203 yards and two touchdowns and helped lead the Mountaineers to a relatively easy win in the opener.

WVU took a 7-0 lead just a little over four minutes into the game when quarterback Pat White hooked up with Brandon Myles. They would then build their margin to 21 half way through the second quarter following a touchdown run by Slaton and another touchdown reception by Myles.

Marshall responded with a seven play, 65-yard touchdown drive that concluded with an excellent catch by tight end Matt Morris while amidst two Mountaineer defenders.

WVU led 28-7 at the break following a 16-yard touchdown run by Slaton.

The Mountaineer offense would build that lead to 35-7 in the opening minutes of the second half on a drive that featured big runs by the dynamic duo of Steven Slaton and fullback Owen Schmitt.

The Herd got their other points on a 43-yard field goal by Anthony Binswanger with 1:45 remaining in the third quarter.

The combination of Pat White and Steve Slaton just proved to be too much. White was very sharp for the opener as he completed 10 of 14 passes for 168 yards, 2 touchdowns and no interceptions.

West Virginia finished with 312 rushing yards on 52 carries while Marshall totaled 154 yards on 34 rushes. Ahmad Bradshaw, who carried it 18 times and had 70 yards, led them.

Thundering Herd quarterback Bernie Morris finished the day 12 of 22 for 168 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

Central Florida 35, Villanova 16

The Golden Knights built a 28-7 halftime advantage, and then hung on to defeat the Wildcats, 35-16.

UCF quarterback Steven Moffett completed 15 of his 20 attempts for 199 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Moffett's go-to-man, Mike Walker, hauled in six receptions for 77 yards, which included two touchdowns.

Sophomore running back Kevin Smith ran for 86 yards on 20 attempts, including a 1-yard touchdown run, which essentially sealed it for UCF as it made the score 35-16 with 8:36 remaining.

Villanova stayed in the game largely due to the passing of Marvin Burrough, who completed 22 of 32 attempts for 241 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Houston 31, Rice 30

Todd Graham lost a heartbreaker in his debut as Rice head coach. The Owls gave cross-town rival Houston all it wanted and then some, but the Cougars escaped Rice Stadium with a 31-30 win in the opener.

This wild game, which consisted of three major runs, started as many people expected it to. Houston jumped out to a 14-0 lead after a quarter following a touchdown run by Jackie Battle and touchdown pass from Kevin Kolb to Jeron Harvey.

Rice would respond in a big way though, scoring 27 unanswered points in the second quarter to lead 27-14 as the teams headed into the locker room. Quinton Smith scored three of these touchdowns, which included two on the ground as well as an 80-yard reception.

The Owls would tack on a field goal a little over half way through the third quarter, making the lead 30-14.

Senior quarterback Kevin Kolb led his team back from a 16-point deficit by engineering a drive that ended in a field goal and throwing two eight-yard touchdown passes. Kolb ended his day completing 22 of 35 for 233 yards and three touchdowns.

After falling behind, Rice got back into the game as they put the heat on Houston's Kevin Kolb, sacking him four times.

Ole Miss 28, Memphis 25 (9/3)

The Rebels used a dominant rushing performance to nip Memphis, 28-25, on Sunday before 55,549 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis led Ole Miss' rushing attack as he ended the day with 127 yards and two touchdowns. However, the most impressive performance of the day was by freshman Dexter McCluster. McCluster racked up 268 all-purpose yards in his Ole Miss debut, which ranks him with the fourth best single-game performance in school history. He caught six passes for 86 yards, rushed four times for 60 yards, and also returned five kickoffs for 122 yards.

The Tigers were led by a very solid first game performance by new starting quarterback Matt Hankins. He completed 21 of 27 attempts for 211 yards without throwing an interception.

Hankins hooked up with Ryan Scott for a 49-yard touchdown strike, tying the game at 14 with just fewer than four and a half minutes left in the first half.

The Rebels built their lead to 11 with a little over seven minutes remaining in the game. Memphis would respond with a two-yard touchdown pass from Hankins to McCoy, which was followed with a successful two-point conversion attempt, pulling the Tigers within three at 28-25.

Ole Miss iced the game with a key first down conversion on a keeper by quarterback Brent Schaeffer with 1:48 left.