Around the American Week 8: UTSA Takes Six, Army and Memphis Escape Late
UTSA and North Texas stayed unbeaten in conference play, Army won at the buzzer and Memphis survived overtime. Easton Messer's five touchdowns carried Florida Atlantic through a 100-point afternoon.
By Keegan Heivilin · Published
The American's unbeaten conference teams kept moving, although the routes through Week 8 were very different. UTSA turned six Tulane giveaways into a decisive road victory, while North Texas needed touchdowns from its defense and return game to withstand Navy. Behind them, Army and Memphis protected their places in the race with finishes that offered little margin for another mistake.
Florida Atlantic supplied the week's wildest individual duel. Easton Messer scored five touchdowns, Rice quarterback Gael Ochoa accounted for five more in his first collegiate start, and a missed field goal finally separated the two offenses.
Stokes Finishes the Comeback, Ellis Finishes the Game
Memphis 41, East Carolina 34 (OT)
Marcus Stokes had already brought Memphis back from a 16–3 halftime deficit when East Carolina forced him to finish the job again. His five-yard touchdown run on the first overtime possession gave the Tigers the lead. Ellis Ellis Jr. made it stand, intercepting Mitch Griffis in the end zone after the Pirates had reached the Memphis 4.
The turnaround began with a different pace after halftime. Memphis scored 31 points over the final two regulation quarters, then added seven in overtime. Stokes opened the third quarter with a 59-yard touchdown pass to Jermane Hayes and later found Jemyri Davis from 20 yards. East Carolina answered enough to remain ahead, with TJ Engleman Jr.'s touchdown and Noah Perez's fourth field goal helping preserve a 27–20 advantage early in the fourth.
The next swing came from the punt-return unit. Kyler Pearson's muff gave Memphis possession at the ECU 28, and Stokes found Davis for the tying touchdown four plays later. Stokes then finished a 13-play, 80-yard drive with a two-yard scoring run for Memphis' first lead. Griffis kept ECU alive by finding Landon Sides for a 20-yard touchdown on fourth-and-nine with 1:30 remaining.
Stokes completed 29 of 43 passes for 320 yards and three touchdowns, adding two scores on the ground. Davis caught seven passes for 91 yards and two touchdowns, while Manny Covey supplied 79 rushing yards on 11 carries. Their production gave Memphis several ways to sustain the recovery.
ECU's quarterback change produced gains and costly mistakes. Griffis replaced Emory Williams in the second quarter and threw for 199 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Sides finished with seven catches for 130 yards, and Perez made all four field-goal attempts, three before halftime. The Pirates had built their early lead without turning enough opportunities into touchdowns, then lost it through a combination of defensive concessions and the muffed punt. Memphis reached 6–2 and 3–1 in conference play; ECU fell to 3–4 and 1–2.
Kloska Opens the Door and Jones Kicks Army Through It
Army 38, Tulsa 35
Army needed a blocked punt, a tying touchdown, another defensive stop and a 50-yard field goal to rescue a game it had led by 14. Each arrived in the final four minutes. Dawson Jones supplied the last play, making his kick as time expired to complete the Black Knights' recovery from Tulsa's 21-point surge.
Tim Kloska created the short field that made the finish possible. With Tulsa ahead 35–28, a delay-of-game penalty pushed its punt back five yards. Kloska blocked the kick and recovered at the Tulsa 13 with 3:52 remaining. Cale Hellums scored from a yard out with 1:50 left, and Army's defense forced a three-and-out. Starting from its own 37 with 51 seconds remaining, Army moved into range behind Hellums' running before Jones delivered.
Jones had already made field goals from 51 and 34 yards. The second followed Julian Porter's interception late in the first half, an exchange that gave Army a 20–14 halftime lead. Godspower Nwawuihe's 66-yard touchdown run and a two-point conversion extended that advantage to 28–14 early in the third.
Tulsa then scored on three consecutive possessions. David Wells Jr. finished the first on fourth down, Trequan Jones broke a 59-yard touchdown run, and Baylor Hayes found Jimmy Calloway for the go-ahead score. Hayes finished 23 of 34 for 262 yards and two touchdowns. Calloway caught 10 passes for 88 yards; Javon Ross added 84 receiving yards, a touchdown catch and an eight-yard rushing score.
Army's 275 rushing yards included 135 from Nwawuihe and 121 from Hellums, who scored three times. That production established the early advantage, but the offense's stalls allowed Tulsa to take control before special teams restored the opportunity. Army improved to 5–2 and 4–1 in the American. Tulsa fell to 4–4 and 1–3 after its offense built a winning position that the final possessions could not preserve.
Messer's Fifth Touchdown Gives FAU Just Enough
Florida Atlantic 51, Rice 49
Easton Messer's fifth touchdown looked like separation in a game that had resisted it all afternoon. His 82-yard punt return with 3:37 remaining put Florida Atlantic ahead 51–42. Rice immediately answered through the air, and FAU still needed Tommy Bauchiero's 55-yard field-goal attempt to fall short with 45 seconds left before the result was secure.
Messer scored twice receiving, twice rushing and once on the return, tying the program's single-game touchdown record. He caught 12 passes for 162 yards and contributed 262 all-purpose yards. Caden Veltkamp completed 29 of 37 passes for 339 yards and three touchdowns, adding a rushing score, while Leonard Farrow supplied 86 yards on 17 carries. FAU repeatedly found the next answer after Rice's long gains.
The visiting Owls' biggest threat was making his first collegiate start. With Jacurri Brown injured, Gael Ochoa rushed for 259 yards and four touchdowns on 12 carries. His scoring runs covered 55, 52, 74 and 69 yards. He also found Braylen Walker for the 71-yard touchdown that cut FAU's final lead to two with 2:51 remaining.
Rice finished with 608 yards, including 499 rushing. Ochoa's first two touchdowns established a 14–0 advantage, but a fumble, a blocked punt for a safety and a failed fourth-down attempt helped FAU score 23 consecutive points. Derrick Rogers Jr.'s punt block produced the two points that remained the final difference, while Messer's late return forced Rice to chase another touchdown before its last field-goal opportunity.
Max Mosey's 41-yard touchdown run and Tyvonn Byars' 93 rushing yards showed that Rice's ground production extended beyond its quarterback. The defensive and special-teams problems still left the Owls at 1–7 and 0–4 in conference play. FAU improved to 5–2 and 2–1, with an offense capable of answering extraordinary production and a run defense that continued to make those answers necessary.
North Texas Keeps Finding the Next Explosive Play
North Texas 49, Navy 39
Navy had spent much of the afternoon working back from an 18-point deficit when Michael Barrow's four-yard touchdown run made it 42–39 with 10:49 remaining. North Texas answered in 71 seconds. Jahiem White broke a 59-yard touchdown run, and the Mean Green eventually kept the ball for the final 6:32 to close out their third conference victory without a defeat.
The finish fit the difference between the offenses. Navy held the ball for 37:31 and gained 506 yards, including 363 rushing. North Texas produced 477 yards on 52 plays, repeatedly turning a single snap into a substantial gain. Tayven Jackson threw for 305 yards and three touchdowns, with Justin Stevenson catching eight passes for 209 yards and two scores. White rushed for 174 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries.
North Texas also scored twice without its offense. Dalton Carnes' 76-yard punt return helped build the first-half lead, and Zakye Barker returned a fumble 63 yards for a third-quarter touchdown. Those plays forced Navy to spend another afternoon recovering ground, even while its own offense was consistently moving the ball.
Jackson Gutierrez rushed 26 times for 228 yards and three touchdowns, completing seven of 10 passes for 133 yards and another score. Barrow added 92 rushing yards and scored once receiving and once rushing. Navy's five offensive touchdowns and sustained possessions kept the comeback available; the defense's inability to contain North Texas' largest gains prevented it from becoming a lead.
The Mean Green reached 5–2 overall and 3–0 in the American, ending Navy's eight-game home winning streak. Navy dropped to 2–5 and 1–4. For North Texas, the encouraging finish included more than White's last touchdown: the offense also held the ball when the Midshipmen needed another chance, bringing a game of rapid scoring to a controlled ending.
UTSA Turns Six Takeaways Into Another Road Win
UTSA 42, Tulane 19
Tulane scored on UTSA's first offensive snap and still spent most of the night trying to recover from its own giveaways. Anthony Rogers' 22-yard interception return supplied the opening touchdown. The Roadrunners answered with six takeaways and six rushing touchdowns, matching school records in both categories while ending the Green Wave's 10-game home winning streak.
The first-half fumbles repeatedly interrupted Tulane's progress. One set up A'Marion Peterson's second touchdown, another was recovered in the end zone to erase a scoring opportunity, and a third led to Owen McCown's touchdown run. Rogers' second interception helped Tulane collect one of two late field goals, leaving the Green Wave within 21–13 at halftime despite the damage.
UTSA made that opening much smaller in the third quarter. Will Henderson III finished a 72-yard touchdown drive, and Brandon High Jr. capped a subsequent 13-play possession with another rushing score. The Roadrunners led 35–13 before Tulane scored again. Their 12 conversions in 16 third-down attempts allowed sustained offense to accompany the turnovers and short fields.
Henderson rushed for 102 yards on 15 carries. Peterson added 51 yards and two touchdowns, with McCown, High and Mark Wiepert supplying the other rushing scores. UTSA finished with 223 yards on the ground, while Owen Pewee's three sacks helped restrict Tulane to 67 net rushing yards. Zach Morris contributed both an interception and a fumble recovery.
Trace Johnson threw for 265 yards but was intercepted twice. Johnnie Daniels rushed for 104 yards, including an 81-yard fourth-down run that set up his seven-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. That late burst could not overcome four lost fumbles and two interceptions. Tulane created three takeaways of its own, including Rogers' two picks, without converting those chances into enough offense.
UTSA reached 7–1 overall and 4–0 in conference play. Tulane fell to 3–4 and 1–2, having allowed its early defensive advantage to disappear through the same ball-security problems that kept returning throughout the game.
Where Week 8 Leaves the Race
UTSA's 4–0 conference record and North Texas' 3–0 mark kept both unbeaten in league play. Army stood at 4–1 and Memphis at 3–1 after escaping games that could have cost them ground. Florida Atlantic's 2–1 record kept it involved as well, although allowing 499 rushing yards made the defensive work ahead clear.
The next two meetings among those winners carry immediate weight: Florida Atlantic visits North Texas on October 29, and Army visits Memphis on October 31. FAU's passing game and North Texas' explosive offense arrive with substantial production behind them. Army and Memphis arrive having demonstrated that a difficult stretch does not have to decide the outcome, while also having plenty to correct before relying on another late rescue.
