Week seven in the AAC was pretty ho hum. No major upsets or unusual scoring totals. With only five games on the slate, there wasn't much room for a huge variance in the games played. Let's take a look at things from this past week:
Coogs drop to 2-4
A road loss to a ranked conference opponent isn't anything to be embarassed about. But when you're treating the quarterback position like Oprah does audience gifts, you almost deserve whatever you get. The Coogs were trailing 21-17 heading into the 4th quarter despite three turnovers up to that point. They went on to crap the bed and lost 38-23. Hey Coach Holgorsen: I still have some eligibility left. Can I play a few snaps at quarterback next week?
Other key results
Temple 30, Memphis 28: This was a mild upset. I'm talking off-brand store made salsa mild. Memphis was ranked #25 going on the road against a tough conference opponent. Credit Temple's defense who caused four turnovers.
Navy 45, Tulsa 17: The Midshipmen keep on rolling behind Malcolm Perry and the triple option attack. By rolling, I mean steam-rolling to the tune of 388 yards rushing as a team.
Tulane 49, UConn 7: The Green Wave are a fairly impressive team. They made sure to take care of business against the Huskies. If they keep winning, they're going bowling for sure.
Stars of the week
Malcolm Perry, QB, Navy: 20 carries for 218 yards and three touchdowns is an impressive line for a running back. Perry puts up those numbers as an option quarterback. I'm sure someone at the next level can find a place for him.
Jordan Cronkrite, RB, USF: Cronkrite had 26 carries for 158 yards and two touchdowns in a come from behind 27-23 win over BYU, including the game sealing score.
Rashad Medaris, WR, Cincinnati: When you torch a team for 121 yards and a touchdown on only three catches, you'll earn a spot here. Especially when you more than double your season total in yards and double your touchdown output as well.
Games to watch this week
Temple @ SMU
Tulane @ Memphis
ECU @ UCF
Players to watch this week
Shane Buechele, SMU: He's averaging 277 yards passing and two touchdowns a game. Temple will bring it, but the Mustangs are favored.
Tulane's Rushing Attack: If they're going to stay with a one in the loss column, the Green Wave will have to put up their average of about 290 yards or more.
Dillon Gabriel, UCF: If the Golden Knights are to get back to their winning ways, Gabriel will have to be the one to lead them there.
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ESPN Texans reporter DJ Bien-Aime joined The Mina Kimes Show this weekand shared his thoughts on the Texans outlook this season.
When looking at the Texans offense, Bien-Aime pointed to Houston's play calling as being a possible issue in 2024. Bobby Slowik did a terrific job in his first season as an offensive coordinator. But he will have his hands full keeping all his playmakers happy with Stefon Diggs joining the team, and Nico Collins expecting a ton of looks after signing a massive contract extension.
Which got us thinking, are there enough catches to go around?
We took a deep dive into the 2023 numbers and here's what we found. CJ Stroud averaged 21 completions per game. And here's a breakdown of how many catches his receivers averaged last year.
Nico Collins 5.3 catches per game
Stefon Diggs (with Buffalo) 6.29 catches per game
Dalton Schultz 3.93 catches per game
Tank Dell 4.27 catches per game
Texans running backs 3.05 catches per game
If we add those up, the total is 22.84. Which means the Texans top receivers should expect a similar amount of production compared to last season. Of course, players like Noah Brown, Robert Woods, and Brevin Jordan will take targets away from Stefon Diggs and company from time to time.
But it's good to know that the Texans top pass catchers should produce numbers close to their 2023 averages. Which is a big deal for a player in a contract year like Diggs.
Another thing to note. We're factoring in that the Texans are expected to run out of 11 personnel most of the time. Which means Diggs, Collins, Dell, Schultz, and Mixon will be the only pass catchers on the field the majority of the time.
Are there concerns about the defense?
Both Kimes and Bien-Aime designated Houston's secondary as the big x-factor this year. Bien-Aime named cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. as the only player in the secondary that he truly trusts. Is he right?
Be sure to watch the video above as we react to Kimes and Bien-Aime's outlook for the Texans this year, and share our thoughts on the possible pitfalls the team will have to navigate in the short and long-term.