Tag: AAC

Nov 18, 2023; Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA; UNLV Rebels defensive back Kris Williams (17) reacts after a play in the fourth quarter against the Air Force Falcons at Falcon Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Reports: Air Force, UNLV staying in Mountain West

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UNLV and Air Force have opted to remain in the Mountain West Conference, according to multiple reports late Wednesday.

UNLV rejected overtures from the rebuilding Pac-12 Conference. Air Force turned down heavy interest from the American Athletic Conference.

The decisions by the Runnin’ Rebels and the Falcons to stay put follows the previously announced departures of five Mountain West members to the Pac-12: Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State.

Air Force and UNLV made the choice to stay put after receiving “significant financial incentives,” Yahoo Sports reported. A specific dollar figure was not provided.

The Mountain West has six full members and seven football-playing schools, including Hawaii. It still must meet the minimum requirement of eight member schools set by the NCAA and College Football Playoff.

All of the remaining Mountain West schools — including New Mexico, Nevada, San Jose State and Wyoming — are expected to sign a binding agreement with the league on Thursday, according to ESPN and Yahoo Sports.

With seven members, the Pac-12 is still one short of the minimum requirements. On Monday, Memphis, Tulane, South Florida and UTSA all passed on Pac-12 offers to remain in the AAC.

–Field Level Media

Oct 13, 2023; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Memphis Tigers linebacker Chandler Martin (11) against Tulane Green Wave offensive linemen Rashad Green (69) during the second half at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Memphis, South Florida, UTSA, Tulane pledge to stay in American

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The next spin on the conference realignment carousel won’t include Memphis, South Florida, UTSA or Tulane.

The American Athletic Conference released a statement Monday saying those four schools are committed to remaining in the league, following reports that they could be targets of the rebuilding Pac-12 Conference.

At the same time, all 15 member institutions published graphics on social media that plotted their locations on a map, with one word prominently featured: “Committed.”

“We are the American Athletic Conference. A conference that prioritizes student-athlete welfare, has proud academic institutions, produces fierce competition at the highest level, and has outstanding linear and direct-to-consumer national media partners,” the AAC’s statement read.

“Together, we are committed to continuing to build the American brand, exploring new opportunities for exposure and value, and developing innovative economic resources — all in service of our student-athletes.”

The statement acknowledged that some of its member institutions received interest from “other conferences.” Though the schools weren’t named, the corresponding social media post featured the logos of Memphis, South Florida, UTSA and Tulane across the top.

The AAC said it was “in our individual and collective best interests to uphold our commitment to each other.”

The Pac-12 began a regrowth of sorts two weeks ago when it was announced the league would add Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State from the Mountain West in 2026. Joining Oregon State and Washington State, that would bring the league to six members, with eight the minimum required for the league to be recognized as an FBS conference once again.

Memphis, Tulane and others were reported to be among the Pac-12’s next targets.

“The landscape of college athletics has shifted dramatically in the past few years,” the University of Memphis said in its own statement. “With that, our focus has remained on ensuring our student-athletes are given the best possible environment to perform their sports and academics at the highest level. After considering other potential options, we have decided our current partnership with the American Athletic Conference is in the best interest of our student-athletes and the future of our University.”

The AAC has 14 football-playing members after losing SMU to the ACC but adding Army ahead of the 2024 season. Army and Navy are football-only members, while Wichita State plays most of its sports in the AAC but does not field a football team.

–Field Level Media

American Athletic Conference Commissioner Michael Aresco

AAC commissioner Mike Aresco announces retirement

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Mike Aresco, the only commissioner in the 11-year history of the American Athletic Conference, announced Thursday he will retire at the end of the 2023-24 academic year.

Aresco was originally named the commissioner of the Big East Conference in 2012 and helped to oversee the creation of the AAC during a conference realignment.

“It has been the supreme privilege of my long career in sports to have had the opportunity to lead this great conference from its reinvention in 2013, and to represent its outstanding student-athletes, coaches and administrators,” Aresco said in a statement. “There have also been some disappointments and difficulties along the way, most notably, the P5-G5 (Power 5-Group of 5) divide, realignment, College Football Playoff access for our deserving teams and some competitive heartbreak in big games.

“But these have not affected in any way my enthusiasm in leading this terrific and resilient conference or my optimism for its long-term future.”

Under his watch, the league produced four NCAA championship teams, a College Football Playoff semifinalist, four New Year’s Six bowl champions, two NCAA Men’s Final Four teams and six Women’s Final Four teams.

Aresco’s tenure will officially end on May 31.

–Field Level Media

Sep 23, 2023; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; SMU Mustangs quarterback Preston Stone (2) in action during the game between the TCU Horned Frogs and the SMU Mustangs at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

SMU QB Preston Stone (broken leg) lost for season

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SMU standout quarterback Preston Stone broke the fibula in his left leg during Saturday’s victory over Navy, Mustangs coach Rhett Lashlee said Monday.

Stone was injured in the second quarter of the 59-14 win. He passed for 322 yards and three touchdowns before exiting due to the injury.

“The team was disappointed for Preston,” Lashlee said of giving the squad the injury update. “Everybody is bummed. You work your tail off the way he did and just his development. You would love to be able to carry this through the end.”

Kevin Jennings will take over as the starting quarterback.

Stone’s injury represents a major blow for the Mustangs (10-2, 8-0), who meet Tulane (11-1, 8-0) in the American Athletic Conference title game on Saturday in New Orleans.

The winner of the contest could land a New Year’s Six berth. Liberty (12-0) of Conference USA also is in the mix.

Stone passed for 3,197 yards and 28 touchdowns against six interceptions this season. He also added four rushing scores.

Stone has passed for multiple touchdowns in each of the past eight games and in 10 of his 12 games this season.

Jennings, a redshirt freshman, was 2 of 4 for 26 yards against Navy. Overall, he has completed 18 of 24 passes for 224 yards and three touchdowns while backing up Stone this season.

The news on Stone comes on the same day in which Lashlee received a multiyear contract extension.

–Field Level Media

Oct 21, 2023; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; Army Black Knights line up for the alma mater after a game against the LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-USA TODAY Sports

Report: Army to join AAC as football-only member in 2024

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The American Athletic Conference voted to add Army as a football-only member starting in 2024, ESPN reported Wednesday.

The Black Knights would keep the AAC’s football membership at 14 by replacing SMU, which is joining the Atlantic Coast Conference next year.

Navy has a similar arrangement with the AAC, with both service academies competing in the Patriot League for all sports besides football.

As far as the annual Army-Navy game, ESPN reported that the Black Knights and Midshipmen will not face off in the AAC regular season and that the rivalry will continue as a non-conference contest.

Should Army and Navy finish the regular season in the top two spots in the conference standings, they would meet in back-to-back weeks — first for the AAC championship and then in the rivalry match, ESPN reported.

Army will also maintain its traditional early November matchup with Air Force, per the report.

Army has competed primarily as an independent since 1891, other than a seven-season stretch with Conference USA from 1998-2004.

Longtime head coach Jeff Monken’s Black Knights are 2-5 this season heading into Saturday’s game against UMass (1-7) in West Point, N.Y.

–Field Level Media

Dec 10, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Army Black Knights head coach Jeff Monken celebrates after a 20-17 win against the Navy Midshipmen in double overtime of the 123rd Army-Navy game at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-USA Today Sports

Report: Army, AAC have preliminary membership talk

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Officials with the American Athletic Conference have discussed the possibility of Army joining the conference, with the military academy the AAC’s top choice for expansion, ESPN reported Saturday.

The AAC is interested in adding a 14th member after SMU announced Friday it was departing for the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The ESPN report said that if Army joins the AAC, it would be as a football-only school. Navy already has that arrangement with the conference.

AAC commissioner Mike Aresco has had a preliminary discussion about the possibility of membership with Army athletic director Mike Buddie, per the report, but a decision is not expected in the coming days.

In the shifting college football landscape, the ACC added SMU, Cal and Stanford on Friday. The latter two are departing the decimated Pac-12, a historic conference that is likely to disband after eight schools recently announced they are switching leagues in 2024.

Southern California and UCLA announced their moves to the Big Ten, effective in 2024, last summer. Oregon State and Washington State are the only remaining conference members, and it is believed they are candidates to move to the Mountain West Conference.

–Field Level Media

Dec 3, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Tulane Green Wave wide receiver Lawrence Keys III (6) catches a pass and runs in for a touchdown against the UCF Knights during the first half at Yulman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

No. 18 Tulane topples No. 22 UCF to claim AAC title

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Michael Pratt threw for 394 yards and four touchdowns and ran for another to lead No. 18 Tulane to the American Athletic Conference title with a 45-28 victory over visiting No. 22 UCF on Saturday in New Orleans.

Pratt went 20-for-33 passing with an interception as Tulane (11-2) moved into position to claim a New Year’s Day bowl invitation as the highest-ranked Group of Five team.

Tulane, which is projected to play in the Cotton Bowl, hasn’t played in a New Year’s Day bowl since falling to Texas A&M in the Sugar Bowl in 1940.

UCF (9-4), which defeated Tulane 38-31 during the regular season, was likely denied its fourth BCS/New Year’s Day Bowl game in the past 10 seasons. The Knights will play in the Big 12 next season.

Shae Wyatt had five receptions for 110 yards and two touchdowns, while Duece Watts had three catches for 134 yards, including a 73-yard touchdown, for Tulane. Tyjae Spears powered the ground game with 199 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries.

John Rhys Plumlee, slowed by a lingering hamstring injury, went 21-for-39 passing for 209 yards and a touchdown. Backup quarterback Thomas Castellanos went 2-for-8 passing for seven yards.

Isaiah Bowser ran for 85 yards and a score on 20 carries, and Kobe Hudson had four receptions for 98 yards and two touchdowns for the Knights.

Leading 17-7 at halftime, Tulane took control of the game when Spears burst up the middle and weaved his way for a 60-yard touchdown run and a 24-7 lead with 12:09 left in the third quarter.

UCF pulled to within 24-14 on Plumlee’s 17-yard touchdown pass to Hudson with 1:53 left in the third quarter.

Pratt responded by throwing a 73-yard touchdown pass to Watts for a 31-14 lead with 14:29 left in the game.

RJ Harvey threw a 49-yard touchdown pass to Hudson off a halfback-option pass to make it 31-21 with 12:26 remaining.

Bowser’s 10-yard touchdown run pulled UCF to within 31-28 with 9:48 left.

Pratt’s 60-yard touchdown pass to Wyatt extended the lead to 38-28 with 8:18 to go.

Pratt capped the win with an 18-yard touchdown run for a 45-28 lead with 4:04 left.

Tulane took a 7-0 lead on its first possession when Pratt threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Wyatt with 7:46 left in the quarter.

Valentino Ambrosio’s 27-yard field goal made it 10-0 with 1:01 left in the first quarter.

After the Knights stopped Pratt for no gain on fourth-and-2 from Tulane’s 32-yard line, Xavier Townsend’s 5-yard touchdown run eight plays later pulled UCF to within 10-7 with 6:48 left in the half.

Pratt responded four plays later with a 43-yard touchdown pass to Lawrence Keys III for a 17-7 lead with 5:00 left in the half.

–Field Level Media

Tulane Green Wave running back Tyjae Spears (22) beats Cincinnati Bearcats linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. (0) on a touchdown run in the second quarter during a college football game, Friday, Nov. 25, 2022, at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati. Ncaaf Tulane Green Wave At Cincinnati Bearcats Nov 25 0162

No. 18 Tulane rides wave into title game vs. No. 22 UCF

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Nearing the end of its most successful football season in 24 years, No. 18 Tulane will play in its first American Athletic Conference title game when it hosts No. 22 UCF on Saturday in New Orleans.

By beating two-time defending conference champion Cincinnati 27-24 last Saturday, Tulane not only punched its ticket to the championship game but secured home-field advantage. The Green Wave (10-2, 7-1 AAC) also reached double-digit wins for the first time since Tommy Bowden guided them to a 12-0 season in 1998.

The successful run garnered coach Willie Fritz some attention for a Power Five job. Georgia Tech reportedly interviewed Fritz, but on Tuesday afternoon Tulane announced that Fritz informed the school he wasn’t leaving.

“I’m the head football coach at Tulane,” Fritz told reporters Monday. “I’m extremely proud to be the head football coach at Tulane, and we’re looking forward to the ball game on Saturday. That’s what I told our guys when I visited with them (Monday) morning.”

UCF (9-3, 6-2) can take comfort in having won the teams’ regular-season meeting, 38-31 at Tulane on Nov. 12. That day, Knights quarterback John Rhys Plumlee threw for 132 yards and a touchdown but added 176 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries.

But Plumlee left last Saturday’s game due to a lingering hamstring injury, leaving the Knights to turn to backup Mikey Keene at quarterback to finish out a 46-39 shootout win over South Florida. UCF won on Keene’s late touchdown pass to Alec Holler, which Holler brought in with one outstretched hand in the front corner of the end zone.

Keene completed 15 of 19 throws for 129 yards and two touchdowns, after Plumlee had gone 9-for-9 passing with a touchdown and rushed for 133 yards and two scores on just eight attempts.

“Coach (Gus Malzahn) has got some good schemes where a lot of times there’s very similar quarterback run plays that you get, and he does something a little bit different with his quarterback,” Fritz said.

“And then the other young man we played against a year ago, Mikey Keene. He also is not as much a dual threat as Plumlee, but he runs the ball effectively and really throws it. So two very good quarterbacks.”

Malzahn said Plumlee has been feeling better.

“It’s not like something new, and he’s managed it and been able to recover and come back,” Malzahn said. “His mindset’s to play, and so we’ll see how he does each day.”

Tulane’s offense has been powered by running back Tyjae Spears, who leads the conference with 14 rushing touchdowns and ranks third with 1,177 rushing yards. Spears gained 130 on just eight carries against UCF three weeks ago, then added games of 121 and 181 yards with two touchdowns apiece since then.

“He’s real impressive to do what he’s done the last two weeks, and they’ve been committed, too, to getting it to him,” Malzahn said. “He carried it a whole bunch of times last week. He’ll carry it a whole bunch of times against us, we feel like. We’re gonna have to do a good job of fitting, gang-tackling, tackling better than we did last week.”

Saturday’s high-stakes matchup will be UCF’s final conference football game in the AAC before its move to the Big 12 next season.

–Field Level Media

Oct 29, 2022; Annapolis, Maryland, USA; Temple Owls quarterback E.J. Warner (13) throws an interception in overtime against the Navy Midshipmen at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brent Skeen-USA TODAY Sports

Temple hosts USF as both teams search for first AAC win

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Temple and South Florida are the only teams yet to win a game in American Athletic Conference play this season.

Off to 0-4 starts in league play, Temple and USF are hoping to emerge with the elusive AAC victory when the teams convene Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia.

Temple (2-6, 0-4 AAC) has dropped conference games to Memphis, Central Florida, Tulsa and Navy. The Owls absorbed a 70-13 loss to UCF on Oct. 13, took an early 10-point lead in a 27-16 loss at Tulsa and succumbed in overtime during last week’s 27-20 loss to Navy.

Amad Anderson Jr. caught a 20-yard touchdown for the Owls and finished with eight receptions for 114 yards. E.J. Warner, the son of Kurt Warner, completed 24 of 48 passes for 268 yards and was intercepted twice.

Perhaps the most encouraging sign came from the defense’s showing against Navy’s triple-option. The Owls conceded 224 yards from scrimmage — well below Navy’s 370 yards per game entering last week.

“We prepared very well for the triple-option,” Temple linebacker Jordan Magee said. “We just didn’t get the outcome.”

USF (1-7, 0-4) enters Saturday allowing a league-worst 38.1 points per game and a league-worst 488.4 yards per contest. The Bulls are also on a six-game losing streak since getting their only win over Howard on Sept. 10.

Since entering league play, USF has losses to East Carolina, Cincinnati, Tulane and Houston. After allowing three touchdowns in a span of 6:30 in the second half in its 45-31 loss to Tulane, the Bulls allowed 490 yards in last week’s 42-27 loss at Houston.

Katravis Marsh started at quarterback for the first time for the Bulls and completed 24 of 34 passes for a touchdown and 275 yards. He is expected to start again at Temple after starter Gerry Bohannon suffered a season-ending shoulder injury Oct. 15.

“Most improvement in the quarterback position is typically from the first game as a starter to that second game so I expect to see him build off of this performance and continue to improve next week and as we move forward,” USF coach Jeff Scott said.

Temple has won five of eight all-time meetings, though USF recorded a 34-14 home win last season.

–Field Level Media

Sep 10, 2022; Greenville, North Carolina, USA; East Carolina Pirates quarterback Holton Ahlers (12) throws the ball against the Old Dominion Monarchs before the game at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

Against struggling Navy, East Carolina aims to open AAC slate with a win

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Quarterback Holton Ahlers and East Carolina will aim to start their conference schedule on a positive note when Navy visits Greenville, N.C., on Saturday afternoon.

East Carolina (2-1) has been humming after a heartbreaking one-point home loss to then-ranked No. 13 NC State in Week 1. The Pirates beat Old Dominion 39-21 before last week’s 49-10 romp over Campbell, an in-state opponent from the FCS.

Ahlers threw for three touchdowns last week and is already up to 800 yards and seven TDs on the season while completing 67 percent of his passes. Earlier this season, Ahlers became the American Athletic Conference’s all-time career leader in completions with 879.

The fifth-year quarterback has been a part of several East Carolina-Navy games before. The Midshipmen lead the all-time series 7-2, but ECU broke a five-game skid last year with a 38-35 win in Annapolis, Md. Ahlers racked up 405 yards and three touchdowns on 27-of-32 passing, outscoring a Navy attack that gained 345 rushing yards.

“He looks like an NFL quarterback,” Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo said. “You don’t realize how big he is (6-foot-4, 230 pounds) until you see him on the field. He’s bigger than our outside linebackers. He’s a big dude, smart, composed. … I wouldn’t be surprised if he got a shot on Sundays. He’s got all the tools.”

Navy (0-2, 0-1 AAC) is coming off a bye week after a 14-7 loss to FCS Delaware and a 37-13 setback to Memphis, both at home. Only one team, New Mexico State, has had a worse scoring offense in all of FBS than the Mids’ 10 points per game this season.

But like every coach in the conference, ECU’s Mike Houston has spent extra time scheming against Navy’s triple-option offense — increasingly a rarity in FBS football.

Houston said longtime assistant Roy Tesh, currently the Pirates’ defensive tackles coach, has experience coaching against the triple when they ran it at previous stops together, including The Citadel of FCS.

“I think that’s what we hang our hat on, is being a physical football team,” Houston said. “But that’s what Navy hangs their hat on too. … Ken very much believes in a lot of the same things I believe in as far as how you win consistently.”

–Field Level Media