A Look At The AAC
The UH/AAC Report: UH nearly knocks off SMU and a ton of high scoring games
Oct 30, 2019, 6:55 am
UH Football Official Twitter Account
The Coogs nearly upset #16 SMU, but ultimately fell short. This was the only game in the AAC this week that didn't have a 40+ point scorer. Let's take a look at what Week Nine in the AAC looked like:
UH loses by three to ranked SMU
In a game in which they outgained #16 SMU by 125 total yards and won time of possession by a shade over three minutes they still lost 34-31. The main culprits were turnovers (they had a -2 margin) and penalty yards (11 accepted penalties for 129 yards). Twice this game a turnover led directly to touchdowns for SMU, both on very short fields. Games like this make me think if there were more senior leadership, these mistakes wouldn't happen. That said, they still could've won this game. Next year and the coming years look promising. Clayton Tune outperformed Shane Buechele at the quarterback spot this game. Dare I say, there may be a bit of controversy going into next year when D'Eriq King returns?
Other key results
Navy 41, Tulane 38: Tulane is on a two game losing streak, while Navy extended their win streak to four games. They're two ships passing in the night. One is ascending, the other descending. Both will most likely make a bowl game, but they'll make different levels of bowl games.
UCF 63, Temple 21: In a matchup of two 5-2 teams coming into this game, I fully expected a much different result. The Golden Knights ended up rolling the Owls and looked much like the team from the past few years who dominated this conference, while Temple looked like their historical average to below average selves.
Memphis 42, Tulsa 41: Tulsa took this game down to the final seconds and almost pulled off the upset, but missed a 29-yard field goal. Coming into this game, Memphis was 6-1 and Tulsa was 2-5. This would've knocked Memphis down a few pegs in bowl jockeying position. Tulsa is playing out the strings of their season and trying to play spoiler, and almost did.
Stars of the week
UCF Running Backs: Otis Anderson had a career high 205 rushing yards on 17 carries and a touchdown; Bentavious Thompson had 10 carries for 87 yards and two touchdowns; Adrian Killins Jr totaled 52 yards and a touchdowns on four carries. 344 yards on 31 carries and four touchdowns was a helluva job by these three guys.
Kevin Mensah, RB, UConn: 19 carries for 164 yards for a 8.6 yards per carry average is one thing...but five touchdowns?!? This was against UMass in a 56-35 win, but still, five touchdowns is still five touchdowns.
Marquez Stevenson, WR, UH: Five catches for 211 yards and two touchdowns, including a 96 yard touchdown to draw the score within three points. His yardage total was almost a third of his season total, as well as a third of his touchdown total for the season.
Games to watch this week
SMU @ Memphis
UH @ UCF
Cincinnati @ ECU
Tulsa @ Tulane
Players to watch this week
Clayton Tune, UH: After throwing for 407 yards and almost upsetting the #16 team in the country. UCF has been the top dog in the conference the last few years. Let's see what Tune can do against the Golden Knights.
Xavier Jones, SMU: In a matchup of ranked teams with good running backs, I'm looking to see if Jones can continue his nearly two touchdown per game pace against Memphis.
Kenneth Gainwell, Memphis: Ditto here. Gainwell has 115 more rushing yards than Jones, but three less touchdowns on the season. Whoever wins this battle most likely wins this high profile game.
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The Houston Astros are hoping their ace can help them build momentum.
After taking the series opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the AL West–leading Astros (58–42) send left-hander Framber Valdez to the mound Tuesday night looking to stretch their edge and get back on track following a rocky 10-game stretch.
Valdez (10–4, 2.75 ERA) has been steady all season, and Houston needs another big outing. The Astros have dropped seven of their last ten despite strong efforts from their starting rotation. But Valdez, with a 1.12 WHIP and 125 strikeouts, remains the club’s most consistent option, and his ability to navigate Arizona’s home run, heavy lineup could be the key to another series win.
The Diamondbacks (50–51), meanwhile, sit just under .500 but have shown flashes, especially at home. Arizona averages nearly 1.5 homers per game, led by Geraldo Perdomo and Corbin Carroll. But left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez (3–6, 5.94 ERA) has struggled in his first season with the club and draws a tough assignment against one of the AL’s top on-base units.
Just in the nick of time?
Christian Walker, who hit a clutch double against is former team in the opener, is finally giving the Astros the middle-of-the-order power they hoped for when they brought him in. Walker has 13 doubles, a triple, 13 home runs and 51 RBIs for the Astros. With the Astros' rash of injuries, they need Walker's production now more than ever. He has 4 RBIs and 1 dinger in his last 3 games.
Houston enters Tuesday with a narrow edge in the series and on the betting line (-126), but they know there’s little room for error. While Arizona has split its last ten games and actually outscored opponents during that span, the Astros are still trying to shake off a slump that’s seen them hit just .234 with a 4.83 ERA in their last 10.
With the trade deadline looming and the division race tightening, every game — and every inning Valdez can give them — matters a little more.
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Astros -126, Diamondbacks +105; over/under is 8 1/2 runs.
Game 2 lineup
Back at it.
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What are the big takeaways from Tuesday night's lineup? Cam Smith is leading off again, even though many have been pleading with Joe Espada (me included) to leave him in the cleanup spot. Altuve is in the two-spot and serving as the DH.
Hey, at least Christian Walker isn't hitting fourth! (We'll take the small victories when we get them)! Walker is hitting third, followed by Yainer Diaz (C), and Chas McCormick (CF). Game 1 hero Brice Matthews is hitting six and playing second base, followed by Mauricio Dubon (3B), Cooper Hummel (LF), and Zack Short (SS).
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