By Al Myatt, Special to CNNSI.com
On Oct. 16, Louisville and Southern Miss played before a national television
audience in what was believed to be the first regular-season Division I-A game ever played on a Tuesday.
The Cardinals advanced their bid to defend their league championship
with a 24-14 win over the Golden Eagles on a chilly night in Louisville,
and afterward, coach John L. Smith endorsed the unique time slot.
"I told the ESPN people if they could guarantee another Tuesday night
about the same time next year, we'll take another one," Smith said.
"It's better than a regular bye week when you miss an entire week. I
kind of favor it."
Smith said the Tuesday night game allowed some extra time for healing
from bumps and bruises without losing continuity as is the case with an
open date when the layoff is two weeks between games.
Five turnovers and seven sacks blew the Golden Eagles up. Southern Miss,
which has won or shared the league title three times in five previous
seasons, dropped to 1-2 in C-USA.
"We just made a lot of mistakes and turnovers in the fourth quarter,"
said Southern Miss coach Jeff Bower. "We protected the quarterback real
well for three quarters, but in the fourth quarter, we allowed six
sacks. We turned the football over. You can't do that and win football games."
The Golden Eagles had four turnovers in a 22-17 loss at Memphis prior to
the trip to Louisville.
"For two straight games, we just really did not take care of the
football, and we did not create any turnovers," Bower said. "We have
gone two straight games without a forced turnover. We had a few loose
balls that we just didn't make plays on.
"It was disappointing that we played like that in the fourth quarter."
The absence of running back Derrick Nix due to a kidney ailment has
apparently affected the Golden Eagles ground attack which produced a net
of just seven yards on 31 carries at Louisville.
"I don't think you make wholesale changes at this time of year," Bower
said. "We had some good holes the other day, but our backs have to make
better decisions and make the proper cuts."
A strong case could be made for parity in C-USA based on league-leading
Cincinnati's 29-28 win at cellar-dwelling Houston. The Bearcats (4-0
C-USA) trailed 28-17 early in the fourth quarter before the Cougars fell
to 0-4 in the league with their 10th straight loss. A 5-yard touchdown
run by DeMarco McCleskey with 7:59 to play accounted for the winning
points. Cincinnati true freshman quarterback Gino Guidugli completed 19
of 27 passes for 317 yards with one touchdown and one interception. The
pick was returned 35 yards for a score by Jason Parker and put Houston
ahead 14-10 at the half.
Cincinnati hosts Louisville (2-0 C-USA) in a showdown of league
unbeatens on Saturday. East Carolina (3-0 C-USA) will visit TCU (2-1
C-USA) in another Tuesday nighter on Oct. 30. Weeknight football games
were part of an eight-year, $80 million deal that C-USA signed last year
with ESPN.
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With starting quarterback Casey Printers sidelined with a rotator cuff
injury, junior Sean Stilley stepped in and made his first start for TCU
in a 38-20 win over Army. Stilley completed 21 of 29 passes for 273
yards. He threw for three touchdowns and ran for another.
All three of his passing touchdown targets reached the end zone for the
first times in their careers -- Adrian Madise, Terran Williams and Reggie Holts.
"Casey could have played on Saturday," said TCU coach Gary Patterson. "I
think we'll see Sean Stilley more. You don't lose your job to an injury.
It's a longstanding rule. But we know this: If Casey can't get the job
done, we know that we have another quarterback who can."
Printers is expected to be ready for the Tuesday, Oct. 30 game with ECU,
a rematch of the 1999 Mobile Alabama Bowl, when TCU was in the Western Athletic Conference,. which the Horned Frogs won
28-14
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HOT:
ECU RB Leonard Henry
ran for 100-plus yards (132 yards vs. Memphis)
for the sixth straight game to tie a school record.
NOT:
Army kicker Derek Jacobs
Has made just one of three field goal
attempts this season. PATs should be almost automatic but the Cadets
freshman is 12 of 14, the lowest percentage in the league, 85.7.
HOT:
Cincinnati defensive end Antwan Peek
Had career highs in tackles
(11), tackles for losses (5), and sacks (2.5) at Houston and was named
C-USA defensive player of the week.
NOT:
Tulane RB Mewelde Moore
Was limited to 35 yards rushing on 15
carries by UAB, dropping his season average to 131.9 yards per game.
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Memphis punter James Gaither got off to a bad start against East
Carolina. His knee hit the ground as he fielded a low snap on his first
boot of the game, and referee Randy Simms ruled the play dead at the
Tigers' 21-yard line to set up the Pirates' first touchdown in their
32-11 Homecoming win.
"The early mistake definitely put us behind but the outcome was
inevitable," said Memphis coach Tommy West. "... From what I saw we
didn't block anybody. Their defense did a good job getting off our
blocks. We were not able to run the ball at all."
Gaither is averaging 40.0 yards per punt for the season.
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 TCU's Corey Connally
Ran 31 times for 151 yards in a 38-20 win over Army.
Louisville's Zek Parker
Had eight catches for 78 yards in a 24-14 win
over Southern Miss.
ECU linebacker Pernell Griffin
His 12 tackles against Memphis made him C-USA's career leader with 420 stops.
ECU receiver Richard Alston
Had eight catches for 78 yards in a 24-14 win
over Southern Miss.
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Cincinnati hosts Louisville for the Keg of Nails in a battle of league
unbeatens on Saturday.
The Bearcats have won seven straight
league games dating back to last season and are 4-0 in C-USA this
season. The Cards have won six straight league games and are 2-0 in
C-USA this year.
The Keg of Nails is a traveling trophy in the series,
which Cincinnati leads 25-14-1, that signifies the winner was "tough as
nails." Louisville has been a tough Homecoming opponent for the
Bearcats, winning five of six when the Bearcats alumni gather. Cincinnati has an all-time Homecoming ledger of 42-20-3.
Cincinnati has
overcome double-digit deficits to win its last three games. Louisville's
running game managed just 42 yards against stingy Southern Miss while
Cincinnati's DeMarco McCleskey ran 15 times for 100 yards at Houston.
Louisville junior Dave Ragone and Bearcats freshman Gino Guidugli are
both capable of big days but the Cardinals, with nine interceptions,
have the more perilous secondary.
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Tulane has recovered 13 fumbles this season, second in the nation. ...
The Green Wave's Mewelde Moore is second nationally in all-purpose
running with 197.1 yards per game. ... Southern Miss is second
nationally in total defense, allowing 224.6 yards per game. ... Army
senior punter Dan McElroy punted eight times for a career-best 47.0-yard
average at TCU and pinned the Horned Frogs inside their 20 four times.
... Cincinnati's LaDaris Vann has caught at least one pass in 26 games.
... ECU senior quarterback David Garrard completed 20 of 25 passes for
268 yards with one score and no picks against Memphis. He ran for two
touchdowns. ... Houston junior Joffrey Reynolds ran 27 times for 116
yards against Cincinnati, his third straight 100-plus-yard rushing
effort. ... Memphis safety Glenn Sumter had 14 tackles at ECU. ... 40 of
the 46 points allowed by Southern Miss in its last two games have come
following turnovers. Golden Eagles quarterback Jeff Kelly caught a
touchdown pass on a reverse play to receiver Bobby Garner at Louisville.
USM had five sacks and 10 tackles for loss against the Cardinals. ...
TCU's Homecoming crowd of 38,168 was the highest for that occasion since
1970. The Army game was TCU's first home game in C-USA. ... A 34-27 loss
at UAB was the 1,000th football game in Tulane history. Green Wave
kicker Seth Marler, who booted two field goals against the Blazers, has
made 17 in a row. ... UAB's Thomas Cox (177) and Jegil Dugger (109) each
ran for over 100 yards against Tulane while the Blazers defense held the
Green Wave to a net of eight yards on the ground. ... Army hosts Tulane
for the second straight year, the Black Knights winning 21-17 in 2000 on
a scoring pass from Joe Gerena to Clint Dodson with 40 seconds left. ...
Four of Louisville's last five games are on the road.
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