Friday night conference action begins the nine game slate in Conference USA this week.  FIU will make the visit to Louisiana Tech (7 pm CT on CBS Sports Network) looking for its first win in four tries against the Bulldogs.

2019_Week_Four_Preview.(pdf)
 
A West Division showdown is slated for Saturday night in the other C-USA game this weekend.  UTSA will make the trip to North Texas (6:30 pm CT on CBSSN on Facebook).  Close games are the norm in this series, with five of six all-time meetings being decided by one possession or less.
 
A rather formidable challenge awaits two C-USA schools on Saturday, as the league takes on the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams in the country.  Charlotte will take its explosive offense down the road to battle No. 1 Clemson (6:30 pm CT on ACC Network), while earlier in the day, Southern Miss will play its third straight road game, taking on No. 2 Alabama (11 am CT on ESPN2).
 
Two other games against Power 5 opponents are on the docket, as Old Dominion meets Commonwealth rival and 21st-ranked Virginia for the first time (6 pm CT on ESPN2) and Baylor travels to Rice (6 pm CT on CBS Sports Network).
 
The three other games will take place in C-USA stadiums.  UAB will meet in-state for South Alabama for the first time (2:30 pm CT on NFL Network), Florida Atlantic looks for a second straight win hosting Wagner (5 pm CT on ESPN+) and UTEP comes off its bye week to host Nevada (7 pm CT on ESPN3).
 
 
WEEK FOUR C-USA FOOTBALL PREVIEWS
 
FIU (1-2, 0-1 in C-USA) at LOUISIANA TECH (2-1, 0-0 in C-USA)
Friday, September 20
7 p.m. CT
Ruston, Louisiana (Joe Aillet Stadium)
Television: CBS Sports Network
Announcers: Jason Horowitz (PxP), Malik Zaire (AN)
All-Time Series:  Louisiana Tech leads 3-0
Last Meeting: Louisiana Tech 44, at FIU 24 (Oct. 22, 2018)
 
FAST FACTS
**Louisiana Tech has won the previous three meetings in the series by 16 points or more, including a 27-7 decision in 2015 in Ruston.
**FIU will be trying to avoid an 0-2 start in C-USA play for the first time since joining the league in 2013.  The Panthers have won four straight road games in conference play.
**With starter James Morgan sidelined by injury, redshirt freshman Kaylan Wiggins led the Panthers past New Hampshire last Saturday in his first career start at quarterback.  He threw for 127 yards on 12-of-18 passing, while earning 187 yards rushing on the ground with two scores.  The 187 yards rushing is the most at FIU by a quarterback and is tied for fifth all-time in a single game in school history.  Wiggins rushing total is the fourth-most by a QB in C-USA history.
**Senior RB Napoleon Maxwell ran for two touchdowns against UNH, his fourth career multiple-TD game.  Maxwell is fifth in school history with 15 career rushing scores.
**Redshirt freshman LB Sage Lewis, the C-USA Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, earned his first career interception last Saturday, while also earning eight tackles on the day to lead FIU past New Hampshire.  Lewis also had two pass breakups and a tackle for loss on the day.
**Louisiana Tech junior DB Amik Robertson turned in an outstanding showing in the Bulldogs 35-7 victory at Bowling Green last Saturday.  While helping hold the Falcons scoreless over the final 57:14. He registered a career-high 10 tackles and two TFL’s.  Robertson also recorded his 10th career interception, which returned 36 for a touchdown, the second pick-six of his career. That TD was the first of 35 unanswered points for LA Tech.
**Louisiana Tech’s red-zone defense is among the best in the nation, ranking 4th (6-of-12, .500) among all FBS programs.  The Bulldogs have already forced four opponent turnover on downs in the red zone this season after combining for four total turnovers on downs in the red zone over the past five seasons combined.
**Louisiana Tech senior QB J’Mar Smith completed 19 of his 26 passes for 267 yards and a pair of touchdowns at Bowling Green, leading to a season-high 35 points for the Bulldogs.  Smith added a pair of 40+-yard completions on the day, bringing his total to four through LA Tech’s first three games.  The four-year starter has posted a 68.6% completion percentage through his first three contests of 2019.  Of 30 FBS quarterbacks with at least 100 pass attempts in 2019, Smith has posted the 7th highest completion percentage.
**Junior RB Justin Henderson broke off a career-long 75-yard run late in the second quarter to set up a Bulldog touchdown last week at Bowling Green.  It was the longest run by a Bulldog since Boston Scott registered a 77-yard rush against Arkansas State in the 2015 New Orleans Bowl.  Henderson finished the game with a career-high 95 yards on nine attempts.
 
MORE
FIU Football: http://www.fiusports.com/index.aspx?path=football
Louisiana Tech Football: http://www.latechsports.com/sports/m-footbl/latc-m-footbl-body.html
 
 
SOUTHERN MISS (2-1, 0-0 in C-USA) at (2) ALABAMA (3-0, 1-0 in SEC)
Saturday, September 21
11 a.m. CT
Tuscaloosa, Alabama (Bryant-Denny Stadium)
Television: ESPN2
Announcers: Roy Philpott (PxP), Kelly Stouffer (AN) Lauren Sisler (SL)
All-Time Series: Alabama leads 34-6-2
Last Meeting: at Alabama 52, Southern Miss 12 (Sept. 13, 2014)
 
FAST FACTS
**Southern Miss concludes a challenging three game road trip with a trip to No. 2 Alabama.  The three teams the Golden Eagles faced the past three Saturdays (Mississippi State, Troy and Alabama) are 6-2 this year and were 32-9 last season.
**Junior QB Jack Abraham collected the second 400-yard passing game of his career with 463 on 28-of-36 attempts with a pair of touchdowns. The passing total was the second most in school history.  He also set a school record by completing 17 consecutive passes at one point.
**Two Southern Miss receivers had more than 100 yards in the win at Troy.  In his first game of the season for the Golden Eagles, junior WR Quez Watkins caught seven passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns. He scored on plays of 64 and 19 yards and had two catches of 40 yards each in the contest. Sophomore WR/KR Jaylond Adams collected 11 catches for 180 yards, establishing career highs for both categories.  Adams also had a 100-yard kickoff return for a TD, his second of the season. He finished with 322 all-purpose yards, the second-most in a single-game in school history.  The receiving yardage totals for Watkins and Adams ranked first and second among all FBS players this week.
**For the second-straight week, senior WR Jordan Mitchell had a touchdown reception of at least 50 yards as he reeled in a 51-yard TD grab from senior RB Neil McLaurin.  He has two of the Golden Eagles league-leading five scrimmage plays of 50 yards or longer.
* The Southern Miss defense held Troy to 24 rushing yards, including four sacks, as they have limited opponents to under 100 yards rushing for the second time this season and 17th time under Jay Hopson. The Golden Eagles improved to 13-4 in games when they achieve that feat.
* Southern Miss has posted 11 sacks over the first three games, registering at least three in each of those contests.
**Alabama has won 27 consecutive games at Bryant-Denny Stadium, the longest active streak in the FBS.  The Crimson Tide is 78-7 at home under Nick Saban.
 
MORE
Southern Miss Football: http://www.southernmiss.com/sports/m-footbl/smis-m-footbl-body.html
Alabama Football: https://rolltide.com/index.aspx?path=football
 
 
SOUTH ALABAMA (1-2, 0-0 in Sun Belt) at UAB (2-0, 0-0 in C-USA)
Saturday, September 21
2:30 p.m. CT
Birmingham, Alabama (Legion Field)
Television: NFL Network
Announcers: Rhett Lewis (PxP), Max Starks (AN), Molly Sullivan (SL)
All-Time Series: First Meeting
 
FAST FACTS
**The Blazers also look to extend the nation’s seventh longest active home winning streak. UAB is 13-0 at home since the start of the 2017 season.
**UAB head coach Bill Clark served as South Alabama’s defensive coordinator from the program’s inception in 2008 through 2012.
**The Blazers defense is once again forming into one of the most disruptive defenses in the nation. A season ago, UAB finished ninth nationally in total defense and ranked top 10 in five additional categories, including sacks, TFL and third down defense. This season, the Blazers are off to a fast start and have compiled eight sacks and 20 TFL. Their 4.0 sacks per game rank them ninth nationally, while their 10.0 TFL per game is sixth best in the country. Additionally, UAB is holding opponents to just 7-of-31 on third down, the seventh best percentage in the nation (.226).
**Redshirt sophomore QB Tyler Johnston III was named the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 9 after throwing for 319 yards and a career-high four touchdowns in a 31-20 win at Akron.  Johnston III is now 6-1 as the Blazers starter and has thrown for over 300 yards in three of his seven career starts.
**UAB’s top three receivers in junior Austin Watkins Jr., senior Kendall Parham and junior Myron Mitchell have combined for 355 of UAB’s 433 passing yards and have caught all five passing touchdowns.  The Blazers have been airing it out as each of those three receivers are averaging over 20 yards per catch (Watkins Jr. 5-146, 2TD, 29.2 YPC; Parham 5-117, 2 TD, 23.4 YPC; Mitchell 3-92, 1TD, 30.7 YPC).
**Junior WR Kawaan Baker has been South Alabama’s leading receiver in all three contests this season and is averaging 23.0 yards per reception (8-184), ranking him 14^th among FBS players.
 
MORE
South Alabama Football: https://usajaguars.com/index.aspx?path=football
UAB Football: http://uabsports.com/index.aspx?path=football
 
 
WAGNER (0-3, 0-0 in NEC) at FLORIDA ATLANTIC (1-2, 0-0 in C-USA)
Saturday, September 21
6 p.m. ET
Boca Raton, Florida (FAU Stadium)
Television: ESPN+
Announcers: Frank Forte (PxP), Jason Pugh (AN)
All-Time Series: Florida Atlantic leads 1-0
Last Meeting: at Florida Atlantic 7, Wagner 2 (Aug. 31, 2012)
 
FAST FACTS
**Senior LB Rashad Smith was named C-USA Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 16.  Smith tallied six tackles, including a sack for a loss of eight yards, a tackle for a loss of two yards, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries, including one in the end zone to prevent a Ball State score, in the Owls’ 41-31 victory.  **Sophomore QB Chris Robison turned in perhaps the best game of his young career Saturday at Ball State, leading Florida Atlantic to a 41-31 road win by completing 33-of-41 passes for 366 yards and a career-high four touchdowns.
*Entering the Ball State game with just 12 career receptions, junior WR John Mitchell exploded for eight catches for a career-high 124 receiving yards and scored three times.  It was the first time an FAU receiver had three TDs since Cortez Gent did so in 2008 versus FIU. 
**Florida Atlantic freshman RB Larry McCammon set a new career best with 99 rushing yards on 25 carries at Ball State and scored for the third straight game (one each in all three games).  He added four receptions for 23 yards out of the backfield as well.
 
MORE
Wagner Football: https://wagnerathletics.com/index.aspx?path=football
Florida Atlantic Football: http://www.fausports.com/sports/m-footbl/fau-m-footbl-body.html
 
 
OLD DOMINION (1-1, 0-0 in C-USA) at (21) VIRGINIA (2-0, 1-0 in ACC)
Saturday, September 21
7 p.m. ET
Charlottesville, Virginia (Scott Stadium)
Broadcast: ESPN2
Announcers: Kevin Brown (PxP), Andre Ware (AN), Ed Aschoff (SL)
All-Time Series: First Meeting
 
FAST FACTS
**This will be the first football meeting between the Commonwealth colleges and will be Old Dominion’s second straight game against an in-state ACC rival (the Monarchs fell at Virginia Tech on Sept. 7, 31-17).
**Junior QB Stone Smartt now has two starts under his belt for the Monarchs and is 33-for-53 through the air for 280 yards and has rushed for 98 yards and three touchdowns.
**Sophomore Keion White had 11 catches for 124 yards at tight end last season and would have been ODU’s second leading returning receiver this season.  But White was moved to defensive end this spring and has thrived.  He had eight tackles, two tackles for loss and half a sack last game at Virginia Tech.  White is fifth on the team with 10 tackles and second on the squad with 2.5 tackles for loss.
**Senior P Bailey Cate broke a pair of records at Virginia Tech, setting a new ODU mark for career punts with 186, and punts downed inside the 20 with 65.  Both records were held by Jonathan Plisco (2009-12).
**No. 21 Virginia, which is aiming for its first 4-0 start since 2004, is ranked No. 16 in the nation (No. 2 in the ACC) in total defense, allowing an average of 261.7 yards per game.
 
MORE
Old Dominion Football:  http://www.odusports.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=31100&SPID=127313&SPSID=750425&DB_OEM_ID=31100
Virginia Football: https://virginiasports.com/index.aspx?path=football
 
 
BAYLOR (2-0, 0-0 in Big 12) at RICE (0-3, 0-0 in C-USA)
Saturday, September 21
6 p.m. CT
Houston, Texas (Rice Stadium)
Broadcast: CBS Sports Network
Announcers: Dave Ryan (PxP), Corey Chavous (AN), Katie Emmer (SL)
All-Time Series: Baylor leads 49-30-2
Last Meeting: Baylor 38, at Rice 10 (Sept. 16, 2016)
 
FAST FACTS
**Rice closes out one of the most challenging non-conference slates in the FBS.  The Owls four foes (Army, Wake Forest, Texas and Baylor) are a combined 10-2, with both of those losses by less than a touchdown to top 10 teams).
**Rice has been playing disciplined ball this season, committing just six total penalties through the first three games.  The Owls lead the FBS with just 37 penalty yards (12.3 per game) on the year.  Rice also has yet to throw an interception this season, the only C-USA team without an INT thrown.
**Junior WR Austin Trammell caught six passes for 97 yards against Texas, including the longest reception of his career, a 45-yarder in the third quarter.  He is fifth in C-USA in receiving with 16 catches for 240 yards and one TD.
**Senior RB Austin Walter ran 16 times for 69 yards vs. Texas and he also caught two touchdown passes, a three-yarder and four-yarder in the fourth quarter.  It was his first two career touchdown receptions.
**Junior LB Blaze Alldredge tied a season-high with eight tackles vs. Texas and registered his first sack of the season.  Alldredge recorded a career-high 4.5 tackles for loss, the most TFL’s by an Owl in a game since Zach Patt had five at FIU on Nov. 1, 2014.
**Baylor leads the nation in scoring at 59.5 points per game and yards per carry at 8.37.  The Bears have outscored their first two opponents by a combined 70-7 in the first half.  Eleven different Baylor players have accounted for a touchdown.
 
MORE
Baylor Football: https://baylorbears.com/index.aspx?path=football
Rice Football: https://riceowls.com/index.aspx?path=football
 
 
CHARLOTTE (2-1, 0-0 in C-USA) at (1) CLEMSON (3-0, 2-0 in ACC)
Saturday, September 21
7:30 p.m. ET
Clemson, South Carolina (Memorial Stadium)
Television: ACC Network
Announcers: Dave O’Brien (PxP), Tim Hasselbeck (AN), Katie George (SL)
All-Time Series: First Meeting
 
FAST FACTS
**Charlotte’s first meeting with Clemson will mark the first time a C-USA school has played the No.1 team since WKU visited top-ranked Alabama in September 2016.
**Charlotte set school records for points and margin of victory (35) against an FBS opponent in last Saturday’s 52-17 win over Massachusetts. The 49ers have scored over 40 points in three straight games for the first time in school history.  Charlotte leads C-USA and ranks 14th in the FBS with 47.3 points per game.
**The Niners (season-high 533 yards) have put up over 500 yards of total offense in all three games, lead C-USA and rank 17th in the FBS in total offense (522.3 yards per game).
**Charlotte leads the FBS with five runs of 50 yards or longer this season.  The 69-yard TD run by junior RB Aaron McAllister against UMass gave Charlotte a scoring run of at least 58 yards in each of the first three games.
**The 49ers defense recorded 5.0 sacks against Massachusetts, matching the school-record for the second time this season.  The 49ers lead C-USA and rank fifth in the nation and first in C-USA with 4.33 sacks per game.
**Clemson set a school record with its 18^th consecutive victory last Saturday at Syracuse.  Sophomore QB Trevor Lawrence set a new career high in passing yards in the game, completing 22-of-39 passes for 395 yards and three touchdowns.
 
MORE
Charlotte Football: http://www.charlotte49ers.com/index.aspx?path=football
Clemson Football: https://clemsontigers.com/sports/football/
 
 
UTSA (1-2, 0-0 in C-USA) at NORTH TEXAS (1-2, 0-0 in C-USA)
Saturday, September 21
6:30 p.m. CT
Denton, Texas (Apogee Stadium)
Television: Stadium on Facebook
Announcers: Chris Hassel (PxP), A.J. Hawk (AN), Kristen Balboni (SL)
All-Time Series: Series Tied 3-3
Last Meeting: North Texas 24, at UTSA 21 (Nov. 24, 2018)
 
FAST FACTS
**Close games have been the standard in this rivalry, with the game being decided by three points the last two years and five of the six games in the series being one possession margins.
**The UTSA offense has used a balanced approach in the first three games this season, as the Roadrunners boast a near-equal split between rushing and passing yardage.  UTSA has rushed for 499 yards on 110 carries and accumulated 517 yards on 69-of-100 passing.
**UTSA tailback Sincere McCormick has enjoyed a successful start to his collegiate career.  The true freshman has rushed 29 times for 188 yards and three touchdowns through the first three games and is averaging 6.5 yards per carry and 62.7 yards per contest.  McCormick ranks third in C-USA with three rushing TD’s.
**Sophomore QB Frank Harris leads C-USA and ranks 13^th nationally in completion percentage (.725).
**UTSA senior Andrew Martel spent his first three seasons as a safety and special teams standout for the Roadrunners. Prior to spring practice this year, he made the move to linebacker and has flourished in his new role this season, as he leads the team in total tackles with 18 and solo stops with 12.  After registering four tackles in each of the first two contests, the Roadrunners’ starting “Will” linebacker posted 10 stops (eight solos) against Army.
**Senior QB Mason Fine moved into the all-time program lead for career touchdown passes with a 68-yard scoring strike to junior WR Jaelon Darden last week at Cal.  He now has 71 TD passes and has also gone over the 10,000-yard mark in career passing yardage (first among all active FBS passers).
**Redshirt sophomore RB Tre Siggers carried 18 times for 88 yards last Saturday in just his second career game at running back.  He now has 252 yards and a touchdown through two outings, while averaging 7.0 yards per carry.
**Redshirt freshman WR Jyaire Shorter had career highs in both catches (five) and yards (68), as well as his first career touchdown reception last week.
**Sophomore linebacker KD Davis had a career-high 13 tackles at Cal.  His previous high was 10, set the previous week at SMU.  He now has the team lead on the season with 32 stops.
 
MORE
UTSA Football: http://www.goutsa.com/index.aspx?path=football
North Texas Football: http://www.meangreensports.com/sports/m-footbl/ntex-m-footbl-body.html
 
 
NEVADA (2-1, 0-0 in MWC) at UTEP (1-1, 0-0 in C-USA)
Saturday, September 21
6 p.m. MT
El Paso, Texas (Sun Bowl)
Television: ESPN3
Announcers: Andy Morgan (PxP), Trevor Vittatoe (AN)
All-Time Series: Nevada leads 2-1
Last Meeting: at Nevada 23, UTEP 17 (Nov. 9, 2002)
 
FAST FACTS
**UTEP is currently one of only 20 FBS teams in the nation to put up perfect numbers in the red zone through the first three weeks of the 2019 season.  The Miners enter Saturday’s game vs. Nevada a perfect 7-for-7 inside the 20-yard line.  In two games, UTEP has three touchdowns (all rushing) and four field goals for a total of 32 points put on the board in the red zone thus far.
**Senior QB Brandon Jones is averaging an FBS-best 20.64 yards per completion (14 for 293).
**Senior RB Treyvon Hughes, who has started on both sides of the ball during his UTEP career, leads the Miners in rushing with 171 yards and two touchdowns through the first two games.
**Junior DB Josh Caldwell is averaging 2.0 passes defended per game, tying him for the FBS lead in that category.
**Carson Strong is the first freshman to start at QB for Nevada since 1998.  The redshirt frosh has completed 73 passes for 683 yards and three touchdowns with a 110.23 quarterback rating.
 
MORE
Nevada Football: https://nevadawolfpack.com/index.aspx?path=football
UTEP Football: http://www.utepathletics.com/index.aspx?path=football