Russell Anderson has worked at Conference USA since the league’s inception, serving as the football media contact that entire time. In conjunction with the league’s 25th anniversary this season, Anderson shares a list of the 25 most memorable football games in C-USA history.
25 MOST MEMORABLE C-USA FOOTBALL GAMES
25_Most_Memorable_C-USA_Football_Games
August 30-31, 1996 – Opening weekend of Conference USA Football
Tulane 34, Cincinnati 14/Southern Miss 11, Georgia 7/Louisville 38, Kentucky 14
When Conference USA Football began in 1996, the league had only six schools. Four of them are listed in this entry, as they made the very first weekend of action quite memorable. C-USA’s first game was held on Friday, August 30 with preseason favorite Cincinnati hosting Tulane. Led by strong rushing performances from running backs Jerald Sowell and Jamaican Dartez, the Green Wave upset the Bearcats in convincing fashion, and the league was off and running. The first Saturday of C-USA Football saw a pair of victories at SEC schools, as Southern Miss went to Athens and held Georgia to one touchdown in an 11-7 victory and Louisville trounced Kentucky by 24 points, 38-14.
November 9, 1996 – Memphis 21, (6) Tennessee 17
Peyton Manning and the Tennessee Volunteers came to the Bluff City as prohibitive favorites to beat their cross-state rivals, having won 15 straight in the series and ranking sixth in the nation. But, thanks in large part to an ESPY-winning 95-yard kickoff return from Kevin Cobb, Memphis sprang the upset, 21-17, in front of the largest crowd in Tiger football history at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. Memphis generated just 152 yards of total offense but Cobb’s return, along with a 76-yard interception return to set up a one-yard TD run, helped make up for the lack of moving the ball. Trailing 17-14, QB Qadry Anderson led a game-winning drive, tossing a short TD to TE Chris Powers for the game-winning score.
November 9, 1996 – Houston 56, Southern Miss 49 (ot)
This wild shootout would determine Conference USA’s recipient of the Liberty Bowl bid, as both teams would finish with identical 4-1 conference records and share the league’s inaugural championship. The teams combined for 1,049 yards of total offense, as Southern Miss and Houston traded points throughout the game, finishing the fourth quarter tied at 49 and setting the stage for C-USA’s first sudden-death overtime game. The Cougars had the ball first in overtime and scored on a 12-yard run by RB Antowain Smith, his sixth touchdown of the day (just one player in league history has tied that mark 23 years later). The Golden Eagles needed a touchdown to tie the game and force a second overtime, but Brandon Francis caught a swing pass in the left flat, was tripped up, and fell inches short of the end zone, leaving Houston with the 56-49 win.
December 31, 1998 – AXA/Equitable Liberty Bowl - Tulane 41, BYU 27
Under head coach Tommy Bowden, offensive coordinator Rich Rodriguez and quarterback Shaun King, the 1998 Tulane Green Wave became an offensive juggernaut, topping the 40-point mark eight times and averaging 45.4 points per game en route to a C-USA title and a perfect regular season. Making their first bowl appearance in 11 years under brand new head coach Chris Scelfo after Bowden took the Clemson job, Tulane sought its first postseason win since 1970. QB Shaun King rushed for a game-high 109 yards, mostly on draw plays. King also passed for 276 yards and two touchdowns, as Tulane built a commanding 34-6 lead against BYU’s fifth-ranked defense and went on to post a 41-27 victory. The 12-0 Tulane team would finish No. 7 in the final polls and joined National Champion Tennessee as the only undefeated teams in Division I-A in 1998.
September 18, 1999 – Cincinnati 17, (8) Wisconsin 12
With a 231-yard effort on 28 carries, Wisconsin’s Ron Dayne became the Big Ten Conference's all-time leading rusher on his road to the Heisman Trophy and a Rose Bowl appearance later that season. But, his efforts were not enough to avoid the upset by Cincinnati at Nippert Stadium on this day. Bearcats RB Robert Cooper keyed the upset, rushing for 143 yards, including a 51-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. The UC defense would prove huge in the final frame, forcing a red-zone turnover to halt a potential scoring drive and then holding the Badgers out of the end zone on their final possession to secure the 17-12 victory.
September 16, 2000 – Southern Miss 21, (13) Alabama 0
The Southern Miss defense turned in a dominant performance in handing Alabama a rare shutout loss, holding the Crimson Tide to 217 total yards. Raymond Walls had a 54-yard interception return for a touchdown, and Joe Henley returned a fumble 18 yards for another score for two of the four turnovers forced by the Golden Eagles. Jeff Kelly’s TD pass to Leroy Handy rounded out the Southern Miss scoring in the Golden Eagles largest margin of victory in the 40-game series. This was the last time a non-conference opponent shut out Alabama, and 2000 was the last season the Crimson Tide failed to score in a game.
September 23, 2000 – UAB 13, LSU 10
UAB was in its second season as a football member of C-USA when it traveled to Baton Rouge to face LSU and first-year head coach Nick Saban. UAB jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the game and then the defense kept them in position to pull the upset. The Blazers defense held LSU to 263 total yards, shutting down the Tigers for nearly three quarters. LSU QB Josh Booty was intercepted four times - once in the end zone - and UAB's defense also caused five fumbles. After LSU tied the game at 10-10 with 2:33 to play, the Blazers moved the ball downfield to set up a 32-yard game-winning field goal by Rhett Gallego as time expired for the program’s first win over an SEC opponent.
December 19, 2001 GMAC Bowl - Marshall 64, East Carolina 61 (2 ot)
At the time, this was the highest scoring bowl game in FBS history with 125 combined points and the teams combined for more than 1,100 yards of total offense. In a battle of future NFL quarterbacks, Marshall’s Byron Leftwich outdueled East Carolina’s David Garrard in a postseason classic. Leftwich's fourth touchdown pass, an eight-yarder to Josh Davis, finished off one of the greatest rallies ever as the Thundering Herd 30-point halftime deficit (38-8). Leftwich threw for a then bowl game-record 576 yards, while Garrard was held to 161 yards passing, but ran for two scores. ECU rushed for 331 yards on the night, led by Leonard Henry, who gained 195 and ran for three TDs.
September 26, 2002 Louisville 26, (4) Florida State 20 (ot)
Played in the extreme weather elements of Tropical Storm Isodore, Louisville produced the greatest win in school history. The Cardinals trailed 13-6 at halftime, but a pair of Dave Ragone touchdown passes tied the game at 20-20 as the game went to overtime. Florida State had first possession in OT, but Anthony Floyd intercepted a pass by Chris Rix near the goal line to put Louisville in position to win with a field goal. But, on first down, RB Henry Miller took the hand off and raced 25 yards to the end zone for a touchdown that gave Louisville its biggest victory in program history. The Cardinals win over No. 4 Florida State represented the highest-ranked opponent that a C-USA team has ever defeated.
November 20, 2003 – Southern Miss 40, (9) TCU 28
In their third season as a member of C-USA, Gary Patterson’s TCU Horned Frogs had reeled off 10 straight victories to open the season and had risen to No. 9 in the country leading into a contest with Jeff Bower’s Southern Miss Golden Eagles, who were unbeaten in league play. An ESPN audience, a press box filled with national media and representatives from the Fiesta and Orange Bowls were among those in attendance in Hattiesburg for this showdown. Southern Miss QB Dustin Almond threw for 227 yards and three touchdowns and the Golden Eagles capitalized on four turnovers to hand TCU its first loss of the season and end their hopes of a BCS Bowl. Southern Miss clinched at least a share of the C-USA title, which it would win outright the following week.
September 16, 2005 – UTEP 44, Houston 41 (2ot)
The first-ever meeting between these Texas schools also served as UTEP’s first league game as a member of Conference USA. Played on a Friday night in front of the Miners first national television audience at the Sun Bowl, the drama did not disappoint, building as the game developed. UTEP held a 5-0 lead after one quarterm and Houston rallied to take a 16-5 advantage to halftime, before the second half and overtime scoring significantly increased. UTEP outscored Houston 29-18 in the second stanza, sending the game to overtime. After both teams scored in the first OT, Reagan Schneider kicked his school-record fifth field goal to give UTEP a 44-41 lead and then Miners DB Quentin Demps sealed the game with an interception at the goal line. Future NFL quarterbacks Kevin Kolb of Houston (30-of-48 for 313 yards and five touchdowns) and Jordan Palmer of UTEP (26-of-51 for 381 yards and three TDs) put on a passing show.
September 6, 2008 – East Carolina 24, (8) West Virginia 3
East Carolina had opened the season with a 27-22 win over No. 15 Virginia Tech in Charlotte and now returned home to face a second straight nationally-ranked opponent. That proved to be no problem for the Pirates, who dominated No. 8 West Virginia, 24-3, to become the first C-USA school to win back-to-back games over ranked opponents in a season. It was also ECU’s third straight victory over a ranked foe after beating No. 22 Boise State in the Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl to end the 2007 season. Jonathan Williams had two touchdown runs, and Patrick Pinkney was 22-of-28 for 236 yards with a TD pass. But it was the Pirates defense that impressed the most, holding Pat White to 72 yards passing and WVU to just 251 yards of total offense.
September 12, 2009 – Houston 45, (5) Oklahoma State 35
It had been 25 years since Houston defeated a top 5 team and seven years since a C-USA team accomplished the feat. Both of those changed on this day in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Houston dominated the first half, taking a 24-7 advantage to halftime. But, Oklahoma State put up 21 unanswered points in the third quarter to move ahead. In the final stanza, Bryce Beall would score on a one-yard TD run and catch a six-yard TD pass from Case Keenum to take back the lead, and Jamal Robinson would seal the game with a 26-yard interception return in the final minutes. Keenum was 32-of-46 for 366 yards and three touchdowns through the air, while adding a rushing score.
October 30, 2010 – Tulsa 28, Notre Dame 27
Playing at fabled Notre Dame Stadium for the first time, Tulsa posted one of the greatest victories in school history, scoring two non-offensive touchdowns in edging the Fighting Irish, 28-27. G.J. Kinne hit a 31-yard pass to Ricky Johnson on a third-and-26 and also connected on a 32-yarder to Genesis Cole to set up Kevin Fitzpatrick's 27-yard field goal with 3:23 left, putting the Golden Hurricane up 28-27. On the ensuing possession, Notre Dame drove down the field behind backup quarterback Tommy Rees to the Tulsa 32 yard-line. But John Flanders intercepted a pass in the end zone with 36 seconds left to seal the victory.
December 3, 2011 – C-USA Championship – (23) Southern Miss 49, (6) Houston 28
For the first time, the C-USA Championship Game featured a pair of nationally-ranked teams with undefeated Houston at No. 6 and Southern Miss at No. 23 (if not for a Southern Miss upset loss at UAB two weeks earlier, this game would have been winner-take-all for a Sugar Bowl berth in the old BCS system). The Southern Miss defense was able to slow down QB Case Keenum and the high-powered Cougar offense, while Golden Eagles QB Austin Davis and RB Tracey Lampley put on an offensive show of their own. Davis threw for 279 yards and four touchdowns, while Lampley earned MVP honors after posting 240 all-purpose yards, leading the team in rushing (14-71) and receiving (6-125) and scoring twice in the 49-28 win.
December 2, 2012 – C-USA Championship – Tulsa 33, UCF 27 (ot)
For the third time in eight seasons, Tulsa and UCF would match up against each other in the C-USA Championship Game. Each team had won once, with both previous meetings taking place in Orlando. This one would be held in Tulsa, where the Golden Hurricane had gained the right to host two weeks earlier with a 23-21 regular season win. The game saw several lead changes, with three future NFL players (QB Blake Bortles, WR Breshad Perriman and RB Latavius Murray) accounting for most of the Knights scoring. Tulsa RB Trey Watts was named MVP after rushing for 134 yards and gaining 221 all-purpose yards, none bigger than the 54-yard punt return for a touchdown with 5:06 remaining in regulation that tied the game. The teams then went to the first overtime game in C-USA Championship history. After Tulsa blocked a UCF field goal attempt, the Golden Hurricane took over and eventually won on a one-yard TD by Alex Singleton for the program’s second league title.
October 24, 2013 – Middle Tennessee 51, Marshall 49
With a national television audience watching on a Thursday night, the first conference meeting between Marshall and Middle Tennessee developed into an offensive classic, as the two teams combined for 100 points and over 1,000 total yards. Middle Tennessee put together 585 yards of offense on a school-record 100 snaps, while Marshall compiled 448 yards on 87 plays. It also featured four ties and five lead changes. Quarterback Rakeem Cato finished the day 19-for-35 with 235 yards and three touchdowns for the Herd, while Essray Taliaffero ran for 134 yards and two scores. Logan Kilgore connected on 22 passes on 40 attempts for the Blue Raiders with 277 yards and four touchdowns. After Taliaffero put Marshall up 49-45 with 2:29 to play, Kilgore drove the Middle Tennessee offense 79 yards, culminating with a nine-yard TD strike to Tavarres Johnson in the final three seconds for the game-winner.
December 7, 2013 – C-USA Championship - Rice 41, Marshall 24
Fifty-six years is a long time to wait. But that’s how long it had been since Rice Football had won a conference championship, taking the 1957 Southwest Conference crown. Hosting the title game on the coldest December 7
th in recorded Houston weather history, Rice rushed for 250 of its 489 yards and RB Luke Turner threw a pair of TD passes. The Owls led 14-0 after the first and were in control the entire game as head coach David Bailiff delivered the Rice faithful a C-USA crown and the school’s third 10-win season of all-time.
November 28, 2014 – WKU 67, (19) Marshall 66 (ot)
Marshall carried an 11-0 record into this Friday after Thanksgiving matchup against a WKU team that had won three straight. Both teams’ offenses were red hot from the start. A 28-21 first quarter led to a game that saw the most combined points in a half (91) and a game (133) in C-USA history. And regulation was not enough time to decide this one, as the teams were deadlocked at 59-59 after four quarters. Rakeem Cato’s seventh TD pass of the afternoon put Marshall up 66-59 after the Herd’s first possession in OT. WKU would answer quickly, as Brandon Doughty threw his eighth touchdown pass. The Hilltoppers then went for the win and Doughty hit Willie McNeal for the winning 2-point conversion to end it. The 15 combined TD passes by the two QB’s were the most in a game involving an FBS team, breaking a 24-year old record.
December 23, 2014 – Boca Raton Bowl - (24) Marshall 52, Northern Illinois 23
After winning its first Conference USA title, Marshall would face off against Mid-American Conference Champion Northern Illinois in the inaugural Boca Raton Bowl. Played less than an hour north of their hometown of Miami, the contest marked the final game in the record-setting careers of Thundering Herd QB Rakeem Cato and WR Tommy Shuler. The duo proved to be way too much for NIU to handle. Cato finished the game 25-of-37 with 281 yards, three passing touchdowns, two rushing TDs, and no interceptions. Shuler turned in 18 catches (one shy of his own C-USA single-game record) for 185 yards with one score, while setting a new C-USA career record for receptions (318). The victory allowed Marshall to finish 13-1 on the season, its best win total since going 13-0 in 1999.
November 26, 2016 – Middle Tennessee 77, Florida Atlantic 56
Middle Tennessee tied the C-USA record for points scored with 77 and the schools tied the two-team mark for points with a combined 133. There were a staggering 1,346 yards of combined total offense, including a C-USA-record 495 rushing yards by the Blue Raiders. The majority of those 495 yards on the ground came after losing their backup QB in the first quarter as Middle Tennessee switched to a wildcat offense. Blue Raiders WR Richie James, who caught four passes for 120 yards and a touchdown, played the majority of the game at QB, running for 207 yards on 22 carries with three scores on the ground. He became just the second player in league history to post 200 rushing and 100 receiving yards in a single game. MT RB I’Tavius Mathers had 213 rushing yards and three scores, allowing the Blue Raiders to become just the sixth team in FBS history to have multiple 200-yard rushers in the same game. Despite the loss, Florida Atlantic had its own outstanding rushing performance, as Devin Singletary ran for 235 yards and three scores. The Owls ran for six scores on the evening. Singletary established a new FAU record for all-purpose yards with 396 (he had 60 yards receiving and 101 on kick returns as well).
December 3, 2016 – C-USA Championship - WKU 58, Louisiana Tech 44
After playing an offensive shootout in the regular season meeting in Ruston (won by Louisiana Tech, 55-52), the Hilltoppers and Bulldogs were ready for more in the C-USA Championship Game. In this meeting the teams combined for 1,163 yards of total offense in the highest scoring championship game, not only in C-USA history, but (at the time) of any FBS Conference championship game. WKU RB Anthony Wales was named MVP after finishing with 262 yards of total offense and setting a new C-USA Championship record with five touchdowns. The Hilltoppers became just the second C-USA school to win back-to-back C-USA Championship Games.
September 15, 2018 – North Texas 44, Arkansas 17
One of the most memorable plays in C-USA history sparked one of the most memorable victories in North Texas history. Mean Green kick returner Keegan Brewer, who at first glance appeared to fair catch a punt at the UNT 10-yard line but never put his arm above his head to actually signal the fair catch, stood still while the Arkansas coverage team ran past him and gave up on the play, then took off for a 90-yard punt return and a touchdown. The play was one of the most visible in all of college football during the 2018 season and it helped lead North Texas to a 44-17 win in Fayetteville. It marked the program’s first road victory over a Power 5 foe since winning at Texas Tech in 1999. The Mean Green’s victory was the biggest by a C-USA team over an SEC team since 2004 and the second-largest margin against the SEC in league history.
September 22, 2018 – Old Dominion 49, (10) Virginia Tech 35
Tenth-ranked Virginia Tech’s first visit to Norfolk would result in the biggest win in Old Dominion’s 10-year football history. Quarterback Blake LaRussa would earn numerous national honors for his performance that saw him come in the game on ODU’s second series and complete 30-of-49 passes for 495-yards and four touchdowns, while rushing for 19-yards and a score to lead the Monarchs to a 45-31 victory. After Virginia Tech tied the score at 35, the Monarchs retook the lead on a 29-yard touchdown pass from LaRussa to Jonathan Duhart to give ODU a 42-35 lead with five minutes remaining. The Monarchs iced the game with a 40-yard touchdown run from Jeremy Cox for a 49-35 final and the program’s first win over a ranked FBS program.