“TheAmerican” tag's highlights of related matches, posts & more...
Men's Basketball Highlights - #9 Wichita State 81, Houston 63
WICHITA, Kan. -- Landry Shamet scored 18 points in just 22 minutes to lead No. 9 Wichita State past Houston 81-63 on Thursday night. Wichita State (12-2, 2-0 American Athletic Conference) made nine of its first 11 3-point shots and led by as many as 25 in the first half. Starting guards Shamet and Conner Frankamp (15 points) were a combined 12 of 15 from the field. Shaquille Morris scored 14 points for the Shockers while Markis McDuffie added 11. Rob Gray led Houston (12-3, 2-1 American) with 13 points, six below his season average. He was 6 of 14 from the field. Corey Davis scored 12 points for the Cougars, and Wes Van Beck had 11. The Shockers finished 12 of 27 from the 3-point line while Houston was 4 of 15. Wichita State led 53-32 at halftime, going 10 of 16 from the 3-point line to build that lead. The Shockers had 14 assists and five turnovers in the first half. Visit TheAmerican.org for more information.
2017 Football Championship Highlights - UCF 62, Memphis 55
ORLANDO, Fla. -- UCF for the second straight week prevailed in a shootout on its home field. The 12th-ranked Knights captured the American Athletic Conference championship on Saturday as they defeated No. 16 Memphis 62-55 in double overtime. It is the Knights' third American crown in the past five years. They won the East Division last Friday with a 49-42 win over USF. It was a wild game. The top two scoring teams in the country combined for 117 points and 1,479 yards. It was tied at 48 at the end of regulation. UCF had the ball first in the second overtime and scored on a 1-yard run by Otis Anderson. Memphis got as far as the UCF 9 on their possession but Riley Ferguson's pass on second-and-goal was intercepted by Tre Neal as the Knights (12-0, CFP No. 15) secured a likely spot in a New Year's Six bowl. The teams exchanged touchdowns in the first overtime. Memphis got the ball first and scored when Ferguson connected with Anthony Miller from 15 yards. UCF answered on a 2-yard run by Adrian Killins. The Knights led 48-34 early in the fourth quarter but the Tigers (10-2, CFP No. 20) rallied to tie with 4:13 remaining on Ferguson's 10-yard touchdown pass to Miller. Memphis had a chance to win it in regulation but Riley Patterson's 51-yard field-goal attempt with 28 seconds remaining was wide left. McKenzie Milton threw for 494 yards (28 of 40) and five touchdowns as he was named the game's most outstanding player. Dredrick Snelson and Tre'Quan Smith caught two touchdown passes apiece. Milton also rushed for 64 yards and a touchdown. Otis Anderson rushed for 117 yards on 16 carries. Memphis' Riley Ferguson was 30 of 42 for 471 yards and four touchdowns. Miller had 14 receptions for 195 yards and three touchdowns. Darrell Hanederson (15 carries, 109 yards) and Patrick Taylor (17 carries, 108 yards) each ran for over 100 yards and had a touchdown. Visit TheAmerican.org for more information.
Football Highlights - UCF 45, Temple 19
PHILADELPHIA -- McKenzie Milton threw four touchdown passes and ran for a score as No. 14/12 UCF took care of business against Temple, winning 45-19 Saturday to stay unbeaten heading into a showdown with rival USF. The Knights (10-0, 7-0 American Athletic conference, CFP No. 15) turned three Temple turnovers inside the Owls' 25 into 17 first-half points, taking a 31-10 lead when Gabriel Davis stretched across the goal line for a 5-yard touchdown reception with 2:36 left in the second quarter. The American's East Division will be decided on Black Friday in Orlando, Florida, when No. 23/20 USF (9-1, 6-1) visits UCF. Temple (5-6, 3-4) could have been easy to overlook for the Knights. The game had no bearing on whether they play for a conference title and a loss probably wouldn't have damaged their chances to play in a New Year's Six bowl. Shaquem Griffin, the 2016 American defensive player of the year whose left hand was amputated when he was 4, was all over the field for the UCF defense. He forced a fumble in the first half that set up a score and made his second career interception in the second half, running step-for-step down field with a receiver and cradling the ball into his chest. Frank Nutile, who helped revive Temple's offense when he took over at quarterback four games ago, was picked off four times. Visit TheAmerican.org for more information.
Football Highlights - Temple 35, Cincinnati 24
CINCINNATI -- Frank Nutile threw for one touchdown and ran for other, Isaiah Wright had a 98-yard kickoff return and Temple kept its bowl hopes alive with a 35-24 win over Cincinnati on Friday night. The Owls (5-5, 3-3 American) held off an inspired second-half effort by Cincinnati (3-7, 1-5) to get the win. Hayden Moore threw a 29-yard pass to Thomas Geddis and Mike Boone had 28- and 21-yard runs on consecutive plays to make it a one score game with 7:40 left in the third quarter but Wright took the kickoff back 98 yards to separate the Owls from the Bearcats. Wright then threw a two-point conversion pass to Nutile on a trick play. Nutile completed 19 of 30 passes for 224 yards. David Hood's 1-yard run midway through the second quarter gave Temple a 13-0 halftime lead. Hood was Temple's leading rusher with 89 yards on 19 carries. Cincinnati had a 76-yard punt return called back for an illegal block in the back and fumbled to set up one of Aaron Bourmerhi's two first half field goals. Hayden Moore completed 20 of 36 passes for Cincinnati and was the leading rusher with 75 yards on 11 carries. Visit TheAmerican.org for more information.
Football Highlights - Army 31, Temple 28
WEST POINT, N.Y. -- Blake Wilson kicked a 29-yard field goal in the first overtime and Army held off Temple 31-28 on Saturday in a dramatic finish. Temple had a chance to force another extra period, but Aaron Boumerhi missed left on a 27-yard field goal attempt, his second miss of the game, sending the Black Knights (6-2) into a gleeful frenzy as they remained unbeaten in five games at Michie Stadium and became bowl-eligible. Army, which disdains the pass nearly all of the time and ranks last nationally, tied the game through the air with a 14-play, 79-yard drive in the final 91 seconds of regulation. Backup quarterback Kelvin Hopkins Jr., Army's top passer, completed five passes for 67 yards, hitting Jermaine Adams in the left corner of the end zone with a perfectly thrown 16-yard strike with one second left. It was the last nonconference game of the year for Temple (3-5), which has lost four of five. Ryquell Armstead rushed for 151 yards on 18 carries and scored twice in the fourth quarter for Temple. His 21 yard-run around the left side with 1:38 left seemed to doom the Black Knights. Temple quarterback Logan Marchi, who had two straight 300-yard games, did not start. Owls officials said he was hurt in last week's game against UConn but was available to play. Redshirt junior Frank Nutile, the only other player on the roster with game experience, got the nod. His resume included six games and six completions, but he rose the occasion. Nutile finished 20 of 29 for 290 yards passing and one touchdown with zero turnovers. The Temple defense held Army to 135 yards on 27 carries in the first half as the nation's second-leading rushing team found few openings and the Black Knights managed just 29 yards on 10 carries in two three-and-outs in the third. Army entered the game averaging 378.4 yards a game and finished with 248. Darnell Woolfolk led the Black Knights with a career-high 132 yards on 18 carries and scored three touchdowns. Quarterback Ahmad Bradshaw, the key to the ground game, gained just 49 yards on 13 carries. The Owls broke a 14-all tie early in the fourth after a critical third-and-11 play. Tailback David Hood snared a screen pass with one hand in the right flat and raced 36 yards to set up Armstead's 43-yard run. The Black Knights answered by finally breaking through on the ground. Woolfolk burst up the middle for a 44-yard touchdown with 5:03 left in the fourth. Army linebacker Cole Christiansen blocked Alex Starzyk's second-quarter punt and recovered it at the Temple 28. Bradshaw then hit Jeff Ejekam for 24 yards and Woolfolk scored on the next play from the 4 to give Army a 14-0 lead early in the second. Nutile found some comfort in the pocket and completed a 17-yard pass to Keith Kirkwood on a third-and-8 play and Isaiah Wright scored on a 50-yard run out of a wildcat formation on the next play. After forcing an Army punt, Nutile gained 13 and five yards on consecutive keepers and then hit Adonis Jennings for 37 yards over the middle for a touchdown to tie it at 14-all with 3:38 left in the half. Army gained a 7-0 lead in the final minute of the opening quarter on Woolfolk's punishing 11-yard run. The big fullback broke three tackles on his way into the end zone. Visit TheAmerican.org for more information.
Football Highlights - UCF 51, Cincinnati 23
CINCINNATI -- McKenzie Milton threw a career-high five touchdown passes -- four in the first half -- and Tre'Quan Smith scored four times Saturday night as No. 25 UCF rolled to a storm-shortened 51-23 victory over Cincinnati in the Knights' first game as a ranked team since 2013. UCF (4-0, 2-0 American Athletic) has opened the season with four wins for the first time since 1988, when the Knights were in Division II. They failed to win a game two years ago, and then went 6-7 in coach Scott Frost's first year. Storms moved in with 4 seconds left in the third quarter and the game was called after a one-hour delay with more rain on the way. The Knights have dominated each game, outscoring opponents 190-63. Cincinnati (2-4, 0-2) has dropped three straight in Luke Fickell's first season as head coach. The Knights moved into the top 25 with a 40-13 win over Memphis. They carried the momentum to the road by scoring touchdowns on their first three possessions and getting points all eight times they had the ball. Milton hit open receivers for touchdowns of 54 and 79 yards on the Knights' first two possessions. The sophomore quarterback finished 16 of 19 for 374 yards with touchdowns of 54, 79, 21, 41 and 22 yards. Smith caught two TD passes, giving him six this season, and added his first career rushing touchdown. Visit TheAmerican.org for more information.