ConferenceUSA.com

A wide variety of challenges await Conference USA teams in the second week of the 2016 season. Two games against SEC opponents and single contests vs. ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, Mountain West and Sun Belt teams highlight the 13 game schedule that begins Friday night when Maryland becomes the second straight Big Ten team to visit FIU.

Week 2 Preview

Maryland at FIU

FIU lost to Indiana in the season-opener in a game that was much closer than the final score would indicate. The Panthers took a lead into the fourth quarter but a pair of interception returns for touchdowns proved ultimately to be the downfall.

Senior Jonnu Smith holds nearly every tight end receiving record at FIU, and he added to those totals with eight catches for 89 yards vs. Indiana, moving him to nearly 1,600 yards in his career. Maryland’s William Likely started at both wide receiver and defensive back in the opener after being the only FBS player to start on both sides of the offense last season.

WKU at Alabama
 
WKU will visit top-ranked Alabama and Middle Tennessee makes the short trip to Vanderbilt (as the league faces a pair of SEC opponents for the second straight Saturday.
 
The Hilltoppers offense didn’t miss a beat in the opener against Rice, as junior QB Mike White took over for record-setting Brandon Doughty. White passed for 517 yards, the most by any player in the FBS opening weekend, the third-highest total in WKU history and the 10th-most in C-USA annals. White was 25-of-31 vs. the Owls, becoming just the seventh quarterback since 2000 to throw for 500 yards or more with an 80-percent completion percentage. His QBR of 98.3 was the best by an FBS QB in a week one game over the past 10 years. Senior WR Taywan Taylor, who had five catches for 165 yards in the opener, averaged 113 yards and had 22 receptions in three games vs. power five schools last season.  Defending National Champion Alabama is coming off a 52-6 thrashing of USC in which it rolled up 465 yards of total offense, while limiting the Trojans to 194.

Middle Tennessee at Vanderbilt

The Blue Raiders will make their first visit to Vanderbilt since 2005 as they seek their first 2-0 start since 2001. Middle Tennessee will also be seeking to avenge a 17-13 loss at home to the Commodores last season when Vandy scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Sophomore sensations Brent Stockstill and Richie James picked right up where they left off in their Freshman All-American campaigns during last week’s 55-0 victory over Alabama A&M.  Stockstill, who has thrown for 300 or more yards in six of his last seven outings, set a new school record when he connected on his first 22 passes in the win over AAMU. He finished with 356 yards and three touchdowns while playing only the first half.  James now has 61 receptions over his last seven games combined after grabbing eight passes for 73 yards and a touchdown in the opener. 

FAU vs University of Miami

The first matchup with the ACC comes Saturday night when Florida Atlantic makes the short drive south to face Miami at the newly-renovated Hard Rock Stadium. Senior DE Trey Hendrickson, the C-USA Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, picked up where he left off in 2015 with five tackles, a sack, 2.5 tackles for a loss, two quarterback hurries and a blocked field goal attempt in last week’s win over Southern Illinois, the Owls first season-opening win since 2012. Miami had three 100-yard rushers (Mark Walton, Joseph Yearby and Gus Edwards) for the first time since Oct. 24, 1987 in last week’s 70-3 win over Florida A&M, as the Hurricanes generated 523 yards of total offense. 

UTSA vs Colorado State

UTSA will visit Mountain West foe Colorado State. The Roadrunners registered a program-record six sacks in last week’s 26-13 victory against Alabama State. That broke the previous mark of five that had occurred six times and leading the way was the duo of junior DE Marcus Davenport and redshirt freshman LB Josiah Tauaefa, who both recorded two each. The UTSA defense allowed just two third-down conversions in 14 attempts against Alabama State and seven of the Hornets’ 13 drives resulted in three-and-outs.  Colorado State will be making a switch at quarterback to face that Roadrunners D, where Georgia transfer Faton Bauta, who played for Rams coach Mike Bobo when they were both with the Bulldogs, will take over the reins.
 
Old Dominion vs Appalachian State

Old Domininion, which saw its season-opener pushed back a day by Tropical Storm Hermine, will face Sun Belt Conference preseason favorite Appalachian State, a team that took No. 9 Tennessee to overtime on opening night. The Mountaineers will have eight days to prepare for the game, while the Monarchs will have just five. In ODU’s season-opening 54-21 win over Hampton, junior RB Ray Lawry recorded the 12th 100-yard rushing game of his career, rushing for 110 yards on 14 carries, a 7.9 yard average. He scored on a 59-yard touchdown reception on the first play of the game and added a 31-yard touchdown run. He finished the day with 172 all-purpose yards on 16 touches.

UTEP vs Texas
 
UTEP will take on Texas from the Big 12, while Rice renews a rivalry with independent Army.
 
Saturday’s contest will mark just the fifth time the Miners and Longhorns will meet and the first time since the 2009 season in Austin.  UTEP is coming off a season-opening victory after racing past New Mexico State 38-22.  Junior RB Aaron Jones leads the nation in rushing after his 249-yard performance with two touchdowns, while Terry Juniel is the national leader in punt return yards (104) after the week one victory.  Texas upset No. 10 Notre Dame, 50-47, in a double-overtime thriller on Sept. 4.  The Longhorns effectively used two quarterbacks, with true freshman Shane Buechele completing 16-of-26 passes for 280 yards and two touchdowns, while Tyrone Swoopes ran for three scores using the “18 wheeler” package.

Rice vs Army

This will be the fifth time Rice has met Army in the last decade, with the Owls winning each of the previous four contests and scoring 38 or more points in each outing. Rice senior QB Tyler Stehling made his first career start in the opener at WKU, throwing for 183 yards on 22-of-37 passing. He also rushed for a career-high 85 yards and his first career touchdown. Army is coming off a surprising 28-13 win at Temple in which the Black Knights rushing attack was stellar with 329 yards on the ground, while racking up four touchdowns.
 
Five other C-USA schools are in action against FCS opponents. Marshall has its season opener against Morgan State, Charlotte hosts Elon, Louisiana Tech has its home opener vs. South Carolina State, North texas welcomes Bethune-Cookman to town and Southern Miss, fresh off a dramatic come-from-behind win at Kentucky, returns to “The Rock” in Hattiesburg to face Savannah State.