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C-USA roundup
C-USA Game of the Week
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No. 18 Southern Miss 30, Louisville 27 |
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Brant Hanna kicked a 27-yard field goal with 67 seconds remaining as the
Golden Eagles secured the Conference USA championship and a berth in the Liberty Bowl. Hanna's third field goal of the contest capped a 10-point comeback in the
second half and sent the Golden Eagles (8-3, 7-0 C-USA) to the Liberty Bowl
on New Year's Eve against the champion of the Mountain West Conference.
It is the third conference crown for the Golden Eagles, who have posted a 21-2 record since Conference USA began football in 1996. Chris Redman tossed a pair of touchdown passes for Louisville (7-4, 4-2),which was attempting to win a conference championship for the first time since garnering a share of the Missouri Valley Conference title in 1972. The Cardinals will probably play in the Humanitarian Bowl in Boise, Idaho on Dec. 30 against the Big West Conference champion. |
Other C-USA action
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No. 23 East Carolina 23, North Carolina State 6 |
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David Garrard ran for three touchdowns, and Steve Logan became the winningest coach in East Carolina history as the Pirates closed their season with a win, and in so doing, made sure NC State would not be going bowling. NC State finished the year 6-6 and is not eligible for the postseason.
Garrard, who lost a fumble in the end zone on East Carolina's first possession, more than made up for it, sealing the triumph with a 46-yard dash off the option with 4:51 left. Logan earned his 51st victory in his eighth year at East Carolina (9-2), breaking the mark held by Clarence Stasavich, before a Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium record crowd of 50,092. East Carolina will either play in the inaugural Mobile Alabama Bowl or the Humanitarian Bowl in Boise, Idaho.
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Houston 20, Army 14 |
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Houston's Mike Green rushed for 162 yards and two touchdowns to pace the Cougars past the Cadets. After falling behind 20-0, Army (3-7, 1-5 Conference USA) scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter on 5-yard runs by Michael Wallace and Joe Gerena to make it 20-14. But after Houston recovered an onside kick by Army, the Cougars (7-4, 3-3) scored on a 46-yard TD run by Green with 3:07 left.
Green's 26-yard TD run with 52 seconds left in the first quarter gave Houston a 14-0 lead. Green gained 89 of Houston's 227 rushing yards in the first half. Until the fourth quarter, Houston held Army's rushing attack to 126 yards on 35 carries. However, the Cadets ran for more than 100 yards in the fourth quarter.
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Memphis 21, Cincinnati 13 |
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Travis Anglin and Neil Suber each threw touchdown passes and Memphis blocked a field goal to set up a third score in the Tigers' victory over Cincinnati. The Bearcats (3-7, 0-6 Conference USA) got 204 yards rushing from Robert Cooper, outgained Memphis 385-330 and had three more first downs than the Tigers.
But Memphis (5-6, 4-2) blocked two of Joe Judge's field goal attempts and the Cincinnati placekicker missed a third. Michael Stone blocked Judge's 43-yard attempt early in the fourth quarter, and Idress Bashir returned it 37 yards to the Cincinnati 32. Suber hit Damien Dodson on a 25-yard TD pass six plays later to give Memphis a 21-7 lead with 11:09 remaining. Cincinnati's Ashley Hunt scored on a 2-yard run with 14 seconds to play, but Memphis recovered the onside kick.
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Alabama-Birmingham 23, Tulane 20, OT |
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Jake Arians kicked a 37-yard field goal on Alabama-Birmingham's first possession of overtime to give the Blazers a
victory in the season finale for both schools. The Blazers finished 5-6 overall and 4-2 in Conference USA. The Green Wave lost its last five games to finish 3-8 and 1-5.
The Green Wave got the ball first in overtime but stalled at the UAB 15 and
Seth Marler's 32-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Chris Brown. Marler
also missed a 34-yard attempt as time expired in regulation. UAB ran the ball three times for 4 yards before Arians kicked the game-winner. Tulane led 20-10 when quarterback Patrick Ramsey fell down in his own end
zone while dropping back to pass, giving UAB a safety with 7:35 left in the
game.
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