Football is back in full motion and a week of AAC football has come and gone and a new week is almost upon us.
Week 1 brought some battles in the AAC, as FAU fought tooth and nail, narrowly falling to Michigan State 16-10, North Texas trailed at half to South Alabama but boat-raced them in the second half, winning 52-38.
The expected blowouts happened, as Memphis, Tulane, UAB, USF and ECU all debuted vanilla playbooks and still defeated their opponents a combined 223-6.
There were some struggles however, as Rice couldn’t get the offense rolling with Temple transfer EJ Warner at the helm and fell to Sam Houston 34-14, Charlotte dealt with serious injury issues, showing some promise but ultimately falling to JMU 30-7, and Temple had nothing going against Oklahoma getting trounced 51-3.
Standouts from week 1-
Chandler Morris & Damon Ward Jr.
This duo was on another planet for North Texas, as they led a second half comeback which saw the Mean Green put up 28 points in the 4th Quarter en-route to a 52-38 victory.
Chandler Morris finished the day 32/41 for 415 yards and 3 scores, also taking it in twice with his legs, showing an ability to run the RPO efficiently in short yardage situations. The transfer from TCU showed no signs of adjustment issues, and ran the offense as crisp as it’s been during the Eric Morris era.
His go-to guy was Damon Ward Jr., who snagged 12 of his 15 targets on the day for 230 yards and 2 scores, also recording 12 first downs on the day.
Morris was able to hit Ward in a variety of spots, showing a command of the entire field, but their bread and butter was over the middle, where Ward could make the grab in open space and make things happen after the catch. Chandler was 9/10 for 145 yards and 2 scores on throws 10+ yards over the middle of the field, and having Ward make plays in space was the Cherry on top.
This duo looked in late season form in week 1, and with defense being a struggle at times in the AAC, UNT could be in for a big season offensively if this duo continues to develop. UNT has Stephen F Austin this week and Texas Tech the following, both games that this duo could continue to put up gaudy numbers and garner National CFB attention.
Darian Mensah-
The future is now for Tulane, as the Green Wave’s freshman QB looked extremely poised in his first career CFB start completing 10/12 throws for 205 yards and 2 TDs, and both of his incompletions were drops, one of which a touchdown in the endzone.
The Green Wave opted to go with their talented freshman over Ty Thompson and Kai Horton, both upperclassmen who both could have easily started for Tulane if it wasn’t for the talented Mensah and it paid off as Tulane looks to have another star QB ready to take CFB by storm.
Mensah showed an ability to throw it all over the field, and with accuracy on deep passes which as a freshman is something is really hard to come by. Completing 2/4 throws from 20+ for 92 yards isn’t the most dazzling stat line, however in his first career game it shows confidence and the ability to stretch the field when needed.
Another impressive trait was Mensah’s command of the offense inside the Redzone, as the freshman didn’t look flustered and completed a beautiful lob pass to Yulkeith Brown for a TD in the 1st, and Alex Bauman on a play-action in the early 4th.
Keep in mind however, Tulane played Southeastern Louisiana and while a competitive FCS team, SELA isn’t the best example for what Mensah can do against powerful defenses, but a test comes his way this week in the form of Kansas State.
Tulane coaches have been impressed with Mensah’s poise throughout his time with the program so far, and he will need to remain poised as Tulane hosts #17 Kansas State at home. The wildcat defense will be a stark contrast from SELA, and in only his second career start Mensah will need to make sure he doesn’t let them fluster him early, and plays into his strengths.
FAU’s Defense-
The Owls defense saved the day against Michigan State, as the offense struggled early to the tune of 2 firsts half turnovers, the Owls defense stymied the Spartans forcing a pair of turnovers of their own and making things difficult for the Spartans each time they had the ball.
Sacks and general pressure of the QB was an issue at times for FAU last year, and they attacked the D-Line aggressively in the offseason bringing in a variety of new pieces, who combined with remaining pieces from last year to create a force that attacked Aidan Chiles consistently for most of the game.
Chris Jones and Chisom Ifeanyi started off the edge for the Owls, and both were causing Havoc in the backfield consistently, with Ifeanyi winning 42.9% of his true pass rush sets according to PFF.
In the secondary, Buggs Brown and Daedae Hill combined to force MSU to go 1/9 when targeting the Owls outside duo at CB, and Brown recorded the Owls first interception of the season with a toe tapping grab on the first play of the game.
Although the Owls gave up a big chunk play too Kayron Lynch-Adams in the run game, for the most part the linebacker corps continued their solid play from last year, limiting the MSU lead back Nate Carter all game, and limiting Adams to only a few big plays.
Army will provide an interesting test for this Unit in week 2, as a 12 pm kickoff in South Florida Vs a Run-Heavy team is something that could bode for attrition, but with a boatload of depth and riding with momentum, this game is also an opportunity for the Owls defense to shine.
What to watch for in week 2
Can the Bulls roll the Tide?
USF football has been the talk of the Town this week, riding with momentum following the end of last season, and a 48-3 victory over Bethune Cookman in week 1. Now in week 2, USF faces an Alabama team who they brought to the brink of defeat last season, ultimately falling short, and this year they will be looking to change the tide.
Byrum Brown leads one of the most explosive offenses in the country into this matchup, with one of the fastest per play times, and the Unit looked extremely efficient in week 1, albeit with a vanilla playbook to prevent scouting from Alabama.
Abdur-Rahmaan Yaseen was one of the most coveted WRs in the transfer portal this offseason and USF was able to bring him in to pair with Sean Atkins to create an extremely dynamic duo at WR for the Bulls, and both will be called upon to make plays against Alabama.
Where USF will need to capitalize in order to be able to match Alabama offensively is in the run game, as Nay’Quan Wright and Kelly Joiner will need to combine to eat up yards on the ground to allow the pass game to not become over saturated. The Bulls had their most success running to the outside against BCU, and getting their playmakers in space on the outside is something that will have to be a focal point again.
On the defensive side of the ball, USF has a healthy Ben Knox in the secondary who will help slow down Ryan Williams but really to get to Milroe and the Alabama offense the pressure will need to get home, something that is also a strength of this USF defense.
Alabama is coming in red-hot off of a trouncing of Western Kentucky, and they will be looking to make short work of USF. If the Bulls are able to make Milroe uncomfortable and force a few punts, possibly a turnover, the tide could shift where the Bulls are the one with momentum, which is what happened last year, this time it will be up to USF to capitalize late this time.
Does Rice bounce back?
Rice struggled in step 1 of the Texas 2 step to start their season, as they didn’t have much consistency offensively and it led to struggles that permeated throughout the game. Temple transfer EJ Warner had a rocky debut, as he completed 27/44 passes for 227 yards and a score, but also tossed 2 interceptions and only averaged 5.2 yards per completion
Dean Connors was forced into a smaller role behind him as the Owls found themselves facing a big deficit early and were unable to force a comeback by airing it out. Kobie Campbell and Matt Sykes stepped up replacing Luke McCaffery, showing a strong connection with Warner, but airing it out wasn’t going to ever be the game plan for rice to be successful,
The defensive side of the ball really struggled, the unit recorded 10 missed tackles, starting outside corner Sean Fresch allowed 3 receptions in 6 targets, and as a whole the team allowed 15 catches while in coverage. The defensive line recorded 7 sacks which was the highlight of the day, but the squad struggled in coverage and it led to a big day for Sam Houston.
Now in week 2, facing off against a Texas Southern team which will be less of a threat than Sam Houston, Rice has to find a way to get their run game clicking early, to prevent a barrage of passes which will lead to attrition defensively.
With a healthy dose, Dean Connors can be one of the most dangerous running backs in the AAC, but 12 touches which is what he received in game 1 is something that will hurt the offense, rather than help it.
Against TSU, Rice needs to establish the run game early to allow Warner to settle in and allow his deep pass game to be used as needed, rather than forcing it in situations that could potentially lead to turnovers.
With a strong defensive front, if Rice’s DBs can step up in coverage, this game is a chance for the Owls to right the ship early in the season and get a solid performance out of both sides of the ball. However if Rice gets tot pass happy once again, this game could turn into another slugfest, and force Rice to have to stop TSU defensively, rather than TSU having to beat them.
I expect this game to be close to start, but ultimately they find their groove and handle TSU in front of their home fanbase easily.
Can Tulane slay the ranked Dragon?
Tulane has a ranked matchup on their hands in Kansas State, and coming in as 8.5 point underdogs on their home field, many aren’t giving the Green Wave much of a chance to pull out the victory and get a statement win early in the Jon Sumrall era.
Tulane however, comes in as a serious upset threat to KSU, as the aforementioned Darian Mensah dazzled in week 1 and this will be a chance for him to show what he can do against a really talented defense in KSU.
Mensah has an array of weapons at his disposal, especially Mario Williams and Yulkeith Brown, 2 game changers at WR for the Green Wave who have the ability to make plays in space, or contested catches if the opportunity is there. Behind Mensah, Makhi Hughes is one of the more dynamic backs in the AAC as he has power back skills, but is also elite moving in space and can be a valuable target when pressure comes for the rookie QBs.
Having talented receivers will help Mensah with nerves in this one, as Tulane has the playmakers to remain competitive with KSU offensively and if Mensah can look as collected as he did against SELA, offense won’t be an issue for Tulane in this one.
On the other side of the ball, Tulane wasn’t tested much week 1 as SELA was unable to score a point, which makes this game a tough task for Green Wave as they face a high octane KSU offense looking to continue their hot start.
A dynamic QB in Avery Johnson, Tulane will need to be aware in the run game as Johnson has an arm to stretch the field, but his scramble ability is top-tier and helps KSU make something out of nothing. Aside from him, Dj Giddens rushed for 124 yards in week 1, and the 2 make for a dynamic duo on the ground that can force teams to play in on the run, which opens up the pass game.
Tulane will need to find a way to limit Johnson’s running ability and force KSU to air it out, something they are capable of doing, but if they become 1-dimensional can become the downfall of their offense.
If Tulane is able to make KSU 1-dimensional and slow down Johnson and Co., their offense can get time to cook and if they’re the ones running the show offensively, that is what can lead to upset city and a rough day for KSU.