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Rutgers was tested by Temple, but came through in the end. Photo credit: USA Today Sports.
There were only three games in Week 10 featuring teams in the American Athletic Conference. It was all chalk as the favored teams won all three contests…although Temple made it tougher than expected for Rutgers. What did we learn in Week 10 in the American? Temple's made for heartache this season with eight losses by a combined 88 points and is 0-3 in games decided by three points or less. Houston keeps winning without drawing flies in the polls.
Houston 35, South Florida 23: The Cougars continue to lead the American and disposed of another conference foe with a win over South Florida on Halloween. The Bulls played one of their best games of the year, nearly keeping pace in production with the high powered Houston offense. Mike White had a 300-yard passing day for South Florida in his first start, but it was Houston quarterback John O'Korn who set up the score that put the game away late in the fourth quarter. Houston has scored in all 29 quarters it has played this season and continued their streak of forcing multiple turnovers (now at 16 straight games).
Cincinnati 34, Memphis 21: The Bearcats survived a scare from Memphis on the road to move to 3-1 in the American. The Tigers didn't have much punch on offense in the first half but rallied in the second to make a game out of it until the very end. Brendon Kay had 321 yards passing for Cincinnati which has now won three straight games after opening conference play with a disappointing loss to USF. Memphis is still winless in the American and will host FCS opponent UT-Martin next week.
Rutgers 23, Temple 20: The Temple Owls just can't find a way to pull out a close game this season. This time around, the Owls found themselves leading Rutgers in New Jersey with just 41 seconds to play and the Scarlet Knights facing fourth-and-10. Then, Gary Nova found Leonte Carroo with a 33-yard touchdown pass to stun Temple. With no chance for a bowl game and an upset to seal, the Owls had tried to convert a 4th-and-1 at the Rutgers 27-yard line. When Temple was denied, it gave the Scarlet Knights a chance to score but without any timeouts to use. Nova's three second half touchdown passes helped Rutgers inch closer to a bowl berth at 5-3.
Player of the Week: John O'Korn, quarterback, Houston. O'Korn was 22-of-27 passing for 263 yards and three touchdowns in Houston's 35-23 win and has now thrown for at least three scores in six games this season.
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