A Look At The AAC
UH fought hard and came up short; seven AAC teams are bowl eligible now
Dec 4, 2019, 6:55 am
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We've come to the end of the road in the AAC regular season. It's been quite the ride. We've seen old powers return to form, and newcomers show promise, while some has fallen from grace. Here's my take on Week 14 in the AAC:
UH failed to stop Navy; future looks promising
The Coogs lost to the Midshipmen 56-41. This game reminded me of a boxing or MMA match in which one fighter was always a step ahead of the other. Just when the Coogs would land a nice combo, the Midshipmen would counter with something more fierce. Though they ended this season with a 4-8 record in Dana Holgorsen's first year bcack as head coach, you can see the promise this team has moving forward. There's some talent on this team that'll be returning, plus there's more talent coming in via transfer and new recruits. Either way, I see Holgorsen's vision for this program and love what's coming. When you remodel an existing home, there's a period of ugliness it goes through. You have to tear stuff out, rebuild, and redo before it can be beautiful again. Holgorsen is doing just that. This season wasn't a homecoming queen. It was more like the awkward freshman who is present at all events and functions, but chills on the perimeter. However, that same awkward kid blossoms into something so beautiful after some fine tuning and seasoning, nobody thought it was possible in that freshman year. Give it some time Coog fans. I think this is the start of something beautiful.
Other Key Results
#18 Memphis 34, #19 Cincinnati 24: These two teams will play next week in a rematch for the AAC title game and a shot at the top Group of Five school for a possible New Years Six bowl birth.
SMU 37, Tulane 20: The Mustangs continued to roll as the Green Wave continued to slide. Although Tulane is bowl eligible with a 6-6 record, I doubt they make a bowl game unless there's a shortage of teams eligible. Meanwhile, SMU has made its case for a decent bowl with their 10-2 record.
UCF 34, USF 7: This game is only a talking point because it led to the firing of USF coach Charlie Strong. The Golden Knights have been on a roll even after Scott Frost left and McKenzie Hilton suffered a career-threatening injury. Strong is best served as a defensive coordinator. Here's to hoping he gets another job because he's a good dude by all acounts.
Stars Of The Week
Damonte Croxie, WR, Memphis: With six catches for 145 yards and a touchdown, Croxie accounted for 40% of the receptions, 62% of the receiving yards, and half of the receiving touchdowns for the Tigers.
Clayton Tune, QB, UH: The presumed backup next season for D'Eriq King went 23/35 for 393 yards and four touchdowns against Navy in a loss. If King decides to leave for greener pastures (something I don't see happening), the program is in good hands with Tune.
Jamale Carothers, RB, Navy: With 188 yards on just 18 carries, Carothers had a helluva game. His five touchdowns were more of a wow factor than his 10+ yards per carry average.
Games To Watch This Week
#20 Cincinnati vs #17 Memphis: The AAC Championship game will determine if one of these schools will possibly get a New Years Six bowl game. I expwct another good game, but the same result as the game they just played this past week.
Army @ Navy: This is one of the best and most interesting rivalry games in college football. The pagentry and tradition that surrounds it are unmatched. It's the most Merica thing outside of wearing a bald eagle with stars and stripes shirt.
Players To Watch This Week
Malcolm Perry, Navy: I can see a big game coming from Perry since Carothers was the one to get the shine vs UH. Rivalry games seem to bring out the best in top players.
Kenneth Gainwell, Memphis: While he had a decent game against Cincy last week, it wasn't his best. You can bet he's chomping at the bit to show what he can do this week in their rematch.
Brady White, Memphis: If Gainwell and the run game don't get the Tigers going, look for White and the pass game to take over to propel the Tigers to an AAC title.
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We are officially one week away from the MLB trade deadline, and the Astros certainly could use a boost to the starting rotation. And while a top of the rotation starter would be nice, it might not be necessary for this club.
The Astros need some fresh arms to come in and eat some innings, so a back of the rotation starter might do the trick.
With that in mind, we discussed some options the Astros might consider, posed by The Athletic's Chandler Rome.
White Sox RHP Chris Flexen (ERA over 5!), Colorado’s LHP Austin Gomber (4.70 ERA) and A's RHP Paul Blackburn (currently pitching rehab starts in the minors).
Clearly, these guys aren't going to impress anyone with their numbers this season, but that's one of the reasons they could be available.
What about the offense?
If the Astros are interested in adding a big time bat, Rome believes Rays infielder Isaac Paredes (age 25) could be a good fit with his ability to play multiple positions on the infield, including first and third base. Which could come in handy if the Astros move on from Alex Bregman after the season.
However, a move like this wouldn't come cheap as Paredes was an All-Star this year, and hit 31 bombs in 2023.
Pallilo Points
Our own Charlie Pallilo also threw out some names the 'Stros could consider. Which include: Angels LHP Tyler Anderson (2.91 ERA), White Sox RHP Eric Fedde, or Blue Jays starters Chris Bassitt (3.71 ERA, big salary next year) and Yusei Kikuchi (rental, 4.54 ERA).
Finally, if the squad can't find the right deal for a starter, would they consider adding two relievers to bolster the bullpen? And if so, could we see the return of Yimi Garcia?
Don't miss the video above for our full trade deadline preview!
*Catch our weekly Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast. Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo discuss varied Astros topics. The first post for the week generally goes up Monday afternoon (second part released Tuesday) via The SportsMap HOU YouTube channel or listen to episodes in their entirety at Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.