Week 3 of the AAC saw rivalry action commence and featured the conference’s first win against a power opponent this season as Memphis defeated FSU, cementing themselves as a premier G5 team.
The rivalry matchups were mostly underwhelming, as most were decided by multiple scores, but App State vs East Carolina was a thriller with App State coming out on top 21-19 after rallying from a 16 point deficit.
Outside of the in-game action, realignment talks are heating up once again as Memphis, Tulane, USF and UTSA headline potential teams that could leave the AAC and join the refurbished PAC.
With all of the moving parts that go with conference realignment, the AAC will be garnering a lot of attention on the gridiron over the upcoming weeks, as the teams potentially debut themselves for new landing spots. With that being said let’s take a look at what stood out in the AAC in week 3 and what to watch for in a very pivotal week 4.
What stood out
How bout them Tigers
Memphis slayed the power dragon on behalf of the AAC in week 4, taking down an FSU team who coming into the season not many gave the Tigers a chance to beat.
FSU continued to struggle offensively, as DJ Uiagalelei finished 16/30 for 201 yards and an INT, but that was also in part due to the success that Memphis had in coverage and in pass rush.
Memphis had 5 players finish with a 70+ pass rushing grade and the team finished with 26 total pressures, and in terms of pass defense Kobee Minor recorded an 86.0 coverage grade, keeping FSU star WR Malik Benson in check for a majority of the game.
On the offensive side of the ball, Seth Henigan looked like the veteran leader, completing 25/38 passes for 272 yards and 2 scores, completing 50% of his passes 10+ yards down the field for 63 total yards.
Memphis wasn’t able to establish a consistent run game, but it didn’t matter as their defense forced FSU into multiple 3 and outs, and Memphis was able to generate 84 yards on the ground which was all they needed in the end.
The thing people always like to talk about in a G5 vs P5 battle is the mis-match in the trenches, however this game was heavily dominated by Memphis offensive and defensive lines. Henigan was sacked 3 times, while DJ was taken down 4 times and FSU also only rushed for 84 yards on the ground and while the numbers are pretty even, on paper this should have been a game Memphis dominated with their big guys upfront.
It was an impressive display of will-power all game for Memphis, as one point that stood out was when veteran leader Chandler Martin recorded a sack on DJ on their second to last drive which set up a 2nd and forever, and set a tone that Memphis wasn’t going to give up that game.
They didn’t, eventually winning 20-12, establishing themself as a clear contender for the G5 playoff spot and getting a signature win for Ryan Silverfield over his former boss.
Charlotte struggles with Purdie, come back from down 17 to defeat FCS Gardner Webb at home
It was supposed to be a dominating victory and a good chance for Charlotte to see what their freshman quarterback Deshawn Purdie could do at home under the lights.
Sometimes however, things don’t work out like they should and that was the case in Charlotte as Gardner Webb capitalized on the rookie quarterback, jumping out to a 20-3 lead sending many fans to the exits at halftime.
But in the words of Biff Poggi, those fans did not get their money’s worth, as following an injury to Purdie midway through the 4th quarter, 3rd string quarterback Trexler Ivey took over and led a ferocious comeback.
Trailing 20-6, Ivey led 3 touchdown drives in the 4th quarter, converting on a 2 point conversion to tie it at 20 with 5:20 to go and leading the game winning drive on the next possession, saving what could have been a really bad loss for the 49ers.
Trexler Ivey led a comeback down 3 scores against Tulsa last season and commanded the offense better than any 9ers quarterback has this season, however Poggi doesn’t believe in a quarterback losing their job due to injury, so Purdie will start against Indiana if he’s healthy.
Purdie is talented and showed an ability to lead an explosive 9ers offense, keeping it competitive against UNC, but his first start saw some growing pains and following Ivey’s second come from behind victory in relief, the question becomes who is the better option.
A rookie quarterback heading on the road vs a red-hot Indiana team could be a disaster waiting to happen, especially with the injuries Charlotte is dealing with as a team, so this matchup will be one to watch to see if Purdie can elevate his game, or if the 9ers make a move to Ivey by halftime.
Rivalry Week
Week 3 in the AAC saw a couple of rivalry matches commence, as Houston took on Rice, Tulsa battled with Oklahoma State, FAU played FIU, App State matched up with East Carolina, and North Texas took on Texas Tech.
The only one of those matchups that was competitive was ECU vs App State, and early on in that matchup it looked like the pirates were going to cruise to a win, leading 16-0 after the first quarter but the Mountaineers bounced back and never looked back.
App State got a huge day out of Joey Aguilar who completed 32/47 passes for 424 yards and 2 TDs, connecting with 10 different targets on the day, but what helped them comeback was their defense and limiting Rahjai Harris.
ECU jumped out to a 16-0 lead, however they lacked the run game to hold that, as Harris finished with only 87 yards on the day and the pass first offense for the pirates was unable to lead the comeback.
The Pirates defeated Old Dominion despite 4 picks from Garcia, however an in-consistent offensive game as a whole in this one wasn’t going to do the job vs an App State team which was coming off a 66-20 drubbing at the hands of Clemson and was looking to bounce back.
In terms of the blowouts, FAU beat FIU 38-20 behind 5 rushing touchdowns, Houston defeated Rice 33-7 backed by 3 TDs from Donovan Smith, Oklahoma State boat raced Tulsa 45-10 aided by 5 TDs from Alan Bowman and lastly Texas Tech demolished North Texas 66-21, getting 232 yards rushing and 4 TDs from QB Behren Morton.
What to Watch for in week 4
Can USF upset Miami?
Another week, another opportunity for USF football, as following a bounce back 49-24 win against Southern Mississippi, the Bulls have another opportunity to takedown a big opponent with #8 Miami coming to Tampa for a Florida showdown.
Just 2 weeks ago, USF played 3 quarters of very good football against Alabama, before collapsing in the 4th and although the Bulls kept it close that is not the standard Coach Alex Golesh wants to set. This matchup against Miami provides a multitude of opportunities for the Bulls in terms of recruiting, national attention, conference realignment, and a chance to prove they deserve to be discussed for the G5 playoff spot come the end of the season.
It will start with their leader, QB Byrum Brown leading the way against what has been a staunch Hurricanes defense to this point, allowing the 9th least PPG in the country and 3rd least yards per game.
Through 2 games, Brown has competed 56% of his passes for 449 yards and 2 scores and no interceptions, commanding this high powered offense at a very consistent rate. The explosive plays haven’t been there as frequently as the offense may have expected in year 2, with Browns average depth of target deacreasing through 3 games from 11.4, to 9.0, and 7.9 against Southern Miss.
The short game against Miami will not get the job done and this matchup will be crucial to form an early connection with Sean Atkins and Abdur-Rahmaan Yaseen and find a way to stretch the field.
USF had one of the fastest offenses in the country last season and their tempo has carried over into 2024, but if they can stretch the field against Miami it will allow them to control the flow of the game.
Cam Ward is going to be a tall task for the USF defense in this one which has been the case for any team he’s faced so far to start this season.
Ward has completed 73% of his passes for 1035 yards and 11 scores, 1 INT, while also rushing for 46 yards and a score on the ground. A highlight making machine, Ward has been able to add the explosive side to the Hurricane offense that was lacking in years past, and has been missing in the pass game so far for USF through 3 games.
Slowing him down will not be easy, but USF has been able generate pressure at a consistent rate so far this season and making him uncomfortable in the pocket is something that could potentially slow him down.
The defense in this one may not matter, as the offense is the strength for both of these squads and if USF can get chunk plays out of the pass game on top of their overwhelming tempo this game may be closer than some expect and if their defense can get a couple stops, an upset could be brewing at home.
Memphis vs Navy: The Runners vs the Run-Stuffers
Memphis comes into this game hotter than anybody following their victory over FSU and a big part of their success this season has been their defense.
Memphis has yet to record a run defense grade below 78 this season, and the most rushing yards they have allowed in a game was 104 to Troy, holding both North Alabama and Florida State under 100 yards rushing.
Memphis has 9 players recording a run stop grade above 72 so far this season, and the Tigers have been getting contributions from all 3 levels of the defense, with Elijah Herring and Chandler Martin leading the way at linebacker, Greg Rubin at safety and Devin Baldwin and William Whitlow off of the edge.
The tigers are going to need all of their contributions, and then some this week against a Navy team which has been one of the best rushing offenses so far this season.
Through 2 games Navy has rushed for 568 yards in the ground, with QB Blake Horvath leading the way with 162 yards on 21 carries and 3 scores, while Alex Tezca behind him has 132 yards also on 21 touches, punching it in twice.
Navy is able to effectively run it up the gut and to the outside through their option style of offense and they’ve been getting the blocking to execute flawlessly, as the Midshipmen have recorded run-blocking grades of 86.6 and 73.7 in their 2 matchups so far.
This is the definition of a trap game for Memphis, as Navy is coming into this game with nothing to lose, but everything to gain as the Midshipmen could steal a victory from the Tigers at a time they are in the national limelight due to realignment discussions.
Memphis’s run defense has passed all its tests so far, however this game will provide a unique threat as the Tigers have yet to face an option team this season and if they’re not ready, they could be caught by surprise.
Overall I still expect the Tigers to win this game as Memphis has been really good for a reason and has the talent to match, however it’s possible that Navy comes out and catches them by surprise and if they do Memphis will have to be ready to make adjustments mid-game.
Final Note:
Which way will the winds of realignment go?
The past few weeks have saw multiple current AAC teams show interest in potentially joining the PAC 12 and rebuilding the conference with the current 6 teams.
Memphis, Tulane, USF and UTSA have all been linked to the rumors one way or another and as the PAC looks to rebuild its media value, all 4 of those teams would bring big markets and potentially gear the conference towards gaining its autonomous status in 2026, however most likely they would still need 1-2 high caliber teams, potentially UConn or Gonzaga if the conference decides to focus on basketball after the next bite of the realignment apple.
Whatever occurs, those 4 teams leaving the AAC would lay a devastating blow to the conference and would force first year commissioner Tim Pernetti into action, as if he is unable to replace lost teams with programs on the same level of quality that was lost, he could potentially set the conference back in its pursuit to be a top non-power conference in his first year on the job.
That is all speculation however, and the next few weeks will be important to keep an eye on if anyone decides to bolt from the AAC and if someone does, how the conference goes about replacing them.