Conference USA Week in Review: MTSU Wins First Conference Game and More
Conference USA Football saw an exciting week come and go. Â The biggest stand out was Middle Tennessee who won its first conference game as a member of the C-USA to establish themselves as the leader of the division.
MTSU won in overtime in a wild game against Florida Atlantic, 42-35
MTSU was south of home but still managed to pick up the big victory. Â Reggie Whatley posted a career-high 154 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
The games spilled into OT after it looked as though the Blue Raiders had the win after a 64-yard scoring run from Whatley in the fourth with about a minuet-and-a-half remaining on the clock. Â However, a 21-yard touchdown with three seconds left would send the game into OT.
MTSU would go on to win their C-USA debut over the Owls. Â This puts the Blue Raider at 3-1 overall and 1-0 in the division. Â They are currently in first place ahead of favorites East Carolina in both their sub-division and division. Â They are currently on a 2-game win streak.
The Blue Raiders next game will be against BYU. Â Their big challenge, though, will come when they take on East Carolina on October 5 in their homecoming game.
UTSA also won its first C-USA game, 32-13, against cross-state rival UTEP
UTSA came out of the gate to get an early 25-10 lead and held onto it by keeping UTEP to a pair of field goals going on to win the game.
The Roadrunners had 385 yards of total offense including a 181 yards on the ground, a season-high for the new C-USA team. Â This was the first time UTSA managed to hold a team to just one touchdown in a year.
In the fourth quarter UTSA had the game well in hand and continued to chip away at the UTEP defense. Â They managed to chew up 5:45 seconds of the clock on a 77-yard drive that was capped off by a 17-yard rushing touchdown by David Glasco II. Â This extended their lead 32-13.
The Miners had a shot at a comeback but blew it by failing to convert on a 4th and 7. Â UTSA would run down the clock from there for a win.
The Roadrunners are now 2-2 overall and 1-0 in the conference, which puts them in the pack currently leading the C-USA West along with Tulane (2-2) and North Texas (2-2).
