Around the AAC

[PonyPride]

From the American Athletic Conference office:

• An overtime thriller on Friday set the stage for an eventful Saturday in The American as three tightly contested conference games were capped by a record-setting offensive showdown in Memphis.

• The four intraconference games in The American in Week 7 were decided by a combined 10 points. Two of the four winning teams in conference play overcame double-digit deficits in the second half.

• The week began with SMU’s 37-34 overtime win against Tulane in New Orleans as the Mustangs became the first team in the nation to improve to 5-0 (they have since been joined by Clemson, BYU and Liberty). The game produced seven lead changes before Mustang K Chris Naggar hit a 34-yard field goal in overtime to win it in walk-off fashion. QB Shane Buechele threw for 384 yards and two touchdowns, while three SMU players had 100 receiving yards.

• Navy, meanwhile, remained atop the conference standings as the Midshipmen improved to 3-0 in conference play with a 27-23 win at East Carolina. The tandem of FB Nelson Smith and FB Jamale Carothers combined for 253 of Navy’s 318 total yards against the Pirates as Smith rushed for a team-high 157 yards and two touchdowns. Navy has won its three American Athletic Conference games by a combined nine points.

• Memphis and UCF played what was unquestionably the most exciting game of Saturday’s ledger as the Tigers ended a 13-game series slide against the Knights with a 50-49 win at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. The teams combined for an American-record 1,501 total yards and 1,087 passing yards as both quarterbacks turned in record-shattering performances.

• Memphis QB Brady White came out on top after he threw for 486 yards and six touchdowns, adding a rushing TD to tie the conference record with seven total touchdowns. UCF QB Dillon Gabriel became the first 600-yard passer in conference history as he threw for a school-and league-record 601 yards with five TD passes and one rushing touchdown. Gabriel also set the conference mark with 650 yards of total offense.

• The 21-point comeback marked the largest come-from-behind win in Memphis’ program history.

• Conference Records Set or Broken in Memphis’ 50-49 Win Against UCF (Oct. 17)

INDIVIDUAL
• Passing Yards
601 - Dillon Gabriel, UCF
old record 557, Hayden More (Cincinnati) at Memphis, 9/24/15

• Total Offense
650 - Dillon Gabriel, UCF
old record 635, Garrett Gilbert (SMU) vs. Temple, 10/26/13

• Touchdown Responsibility
7 - Brady White, Memphis
ties record set six other times

TEAM
• Total Offense
798 – UCF
old record 789, East Carolina vs. North Carolina, 9/20/14

• Passing Yards, Two Teams
1,087 - UCF (601) at Memphis (486)
old record 1,067, Houston (462) at Texas Tech (605), 9/15/18

• Yards Gained, Two Teams
1,501 - UCF (798) at Memphis (703)
old record 1,479, Memphis (753) at UCF (726), 12/2/17

• Temple fashioned a second-half comeback of its own as the Owls erased a 31-20 third-quarter deficit to rally for a 39-37 win against USF at Lincoln Financial Field. QB Anthony Russo threw four touchdown passes, but the decisive score came from DE Arnold Ebiketie, who found the end zone on an 11-yard fumble return in the fourth quarter to put the Owls on top for good.

• The lone nonconference game of the weekend saw Houston let a 26-21 lead after three quarters get away as No. 13 BYU rallied for a 43-26 decision at TDECU Stadium. QB Clayton Tune was 21-of-31 for 310 yards and two touchdowns for Houston.

• The Week 8 ledger is highlighted by a matchup of unbeaten top-25 teams as Cincinnati (3-0) visits SMU (5-0) Saturday in prime time on ESPN2. Navy will host Houston in a matchup of teams that are unbeaten in conference play. The week begins with Friday’s ESPN prime time matchup between Tulsa and USF in Tampa.