TJ Chapman
Editor
Week 10 in the Group of 5 will see another brick in the wall that is the American Conference fall. Seven American teams have one or no conference losses. In the remaining four conferences, two teams are looking to become bowl-eligible this week. The others are attempting to add to their win total to creep closer to bowl eligibility. Below are this week’s featured games.
Navy (7-0, 5-0) @ North Texas (7-1, 3-1) noon ET, Nov. 1, Denton, TX on ESPN2
Navy is undefeated, and while the Midshipmen are ranked No. 23 in the Coaches Poll, the AP Poll has yet to come around. QB Blake Horvath is quietly having a tremendous season. Horvath has 1,063 passing yards with 7 TDs and 3 INTs. He also leads the Midshipmen in rushing yards with 814 and 12 TDs. His rushing stats are No. 8 in yards and tied for No. 2 in touchdowns in the FBS.
RB Alex Tecza is second on the team with 464 rushing yards and 6 TDs. WR Eli Heidenreich 792 total yards and 7 total TDs. The Midshipmen’s pass defense will be a problem as North Texas likes to throw the ball, a lot. Navy is ranked No. 115 in the FBS giving up 256.6 passing yards per game. DL Landon Robinson leads the team with 5.5 sacks, a stat he will need to increase if Navy has any hopes of slowing down that passing attack.
North Texas QB Drew Mestemaker set a North Texas record last week by throwing for 608 yards against Charlotte. It was also his second straight game throwing 4 TDs. For the year, Mestemaker has completed 68.2 percent of his passes for 2,468 yards with 21 TDs and 4 INTs. The Mean Green are No. 6 in the FBS with 317.6 passing yards per game.
Five different receivers have at least 20 catches this season. Sophomore Wyatt Young leads the way with 35 catches for 586 yards and 7 TDs. True freshman RB Caleb Hawkins has 811 total yards and 10 total TDs.
On defense, the Mean Green are similar to Navy in one aspect: North Texas is bad on defense at what Navy is good at on offense. UNT gives up 190.8 rushing yards per game, ranked No. 118 in the FBS. LBs Shayne Whitter and Trey Fields are going to have their hands full.
FIU (3-4, 1-2) @ Missouri State (4-3, 2-1) 8:00 p.m. ET, Oct. 29, Springfield, MO on CBS Sports Network
FIU has had a roller coaster season. The Panthers looked good in their wins, especially against Western Kentucky. However, they have looked bad in their losses. QB Keyone Jenkins is banged up and questionable against the Bears. RB Kejon Owens is No. 7 in the FBS with 824 rushing yards.
The Panther pass defense has been shredded this season to the tune of 268.7 yards per game. That is the 123rd-ranked pass defense in the FBS. That will need to be fixed if FIU is going to win this game.
Missouri State’s passing game has been tremendous at moving the ball. Unfortunately, QB Jacob Clark is tied for third-most INTs thrown in the FBS with 8. The Bears spread the ball out in the passing game, as 17 different receivers have caught at least one pass. Clark was named Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week after throwing for 4 TDs against New Mexico State this past weekend.
On defense, Missouri State has given up 27.9 points and 379.7 yards per game. The Bears have created 12 turnovers and will need to rely on getting the ball back if this game turns into a turnover battle. CB Thomas Anderson was named Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week after recording 11 tackles against New Mexico State.
If Missouri State wins, it will be one win away from bowl eligibility. However, due to an unnecessary NCAA rule, the Bears cannot play in a bowl game this season due to their transition from FCS to FBS. This is the final week of #WeekdayCUSA.
Central Michigan (5-3, 3-1) @ Western Michigan (4-4, 3-1) noon ET, Nov. 1, Kalamazoo, MI on ESPNU
Central Michigan utilizes a multi-QB offense. QB Joe Labas is the passer, completing 71.4 percent of his passes for 914 yards with 7 TDs and 1 INT. QB Angel Flores is the team’s leading rusher with 519 yards and 8 TDs. The Chippewas rank No. 25 in the FBS with 201.6 rushing yards per game.
On the defensive side of the ball, Central Michigan gives up 151.2 rushing yards per game. Their rivals from Kalamazoo are a run-heavy team, so they will need a strong game from LB Jordan Kwiatkowski, who leads the team with 60 tackles.
Western Michigan stumbled against Miami last weekend. The Broncos were unable to get their offense going in a 26-17 loss. QB Broc Lowery threw for 172 yards and 1 TD and also rushed for 82 yards.
The Broncos’ defense is No. 29 in the FBS against the run, giving up only 117.0 rushing yards per game. That number will be tested against the stout run game of the Chippewas.
New Mexico (5-3, 2-2) @ UNLV (6-1, 2-1) 3:00 p.m. ET, Nov. 1, Las Vegas, NV on Mountain West Network
New Mexico has five wins on the strength of a balance of offense and defense. Lobos QB Jack Layne has 1,598 passing yards with 9 TDs and 8 INTs. TE Dorian Thomas is the leading receiver with 39 catches for 423 yards and 4 TDs.
New Mexico’s defense gives up 363.5 yards per game. DL Jaxton Eck leads the team and is No. 5 in the FBS with 82 tackles. Eck’s 82 tackles are twice the amount of the next highest tackler for the Lobos. To say he is vital to the defense is a vast understatement.
UNLV’s offense has been lighting it up, averaging 37.1 points and 447.1 yards per game. QB Anthony Colandrea has 1,618 passing yards with 12 TDs and 4 INTs. He is second on the team in rushing with 410 yards and 4 TDs. However, Colandrea has been sacked 16 times this season.
On defense, the Rebels are tied for 13th in the FBS with 10 INTs. DB Aamaris Brown is tied for third with 4 INTs. If New Mexico is going to be successful, it will need to run on the nation’s No. 127-ranked rush defense, giving up an eye-popping 204.7 rushing yards per game.
Arkansas State (4-4, 3-1) @ Troy (6-2, 4-0) 8:00 p.m. ET, Nov. 1, Troy, AL on ESPNU
Arkansas State’s offense revolves around QB Jaylen Raynor. Raynor has 1,876 passing yards with 9 TDs and 6 INTs. Raynor is third on the team in rushing with 326 yards. Raynor would lead the team in rushing if it weren’t for the 147 yards lost on 22 sacks. WR Chauncy Cobb leads the team with 52 catches for 555 yards.
The Red Wolves’ defense has struggled this season. A-State is giving up 28.5 points and 432.5 yards per game. Safety Brandon Greil does it all for the defense. Greil leads in tackles with 52 and he also has 1 sack, 1 pass broken up, 1 INT that was a pick six and 1 forced fumble.
Troy’s offense is led by QB Tucker Kilcrease who has 1,234 yards passing with 9 TDs and 3 INTs. RB Tae Meadows leads with 498 rushing yards and 4 TDs.
The Trojans are a solid unit on the defensive side of the ball. Troy gives up 364.1 yards and 24.25 points per game. Troy is tied for No. 14 in the FBS with 23 sacks. DE Donnie Smith leads the team with 6 sacks.
TJ Chapman
Editor
Over the next few weeks, the Group of 5 conferences are going to start sorting out their championship game participants. This week, there are major games in the American Conference and Mountain West Conference. These games will start to shape the postseason for both. Below are this week’s featured games. American Conference USF (6-1, 3-0) […]
TJ Chapman
Editor
The Navy Midshipmen (6-0, 4-0) have won all six games so far this season. In five of the six games, they have scored at least 32 points. At the midway point of the season, the only question is, why aren’t the Midshipmen ranked in either Top 25 poll? Navy has played four conference games so […]
TJ Chapman
Editor
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