Bilo's College Football Week 4 PASS/FAIL Reports: Conference USA

It was another muddy week for CUSA Football, as 9 teams receive failing grades for shoddy play, including Marshall, Western Kentucky, and Louisiana Tech, all considerable favorites heading into the season. OUr monthly conference power rankings are coming out later this week, and CUSA should be near the bottom of FBS football. It's been that bad, and ended up costing the first FBS coach a job for 2016, as Ron Turner was fired at FIU today after a 53-14 loss to UCF. Here are the final week 4 grades for CUSA:

Conference USA

PASS: Old Dominion, North Texas, Middle Tennessee, Southern Miss

Old Dominion forced turnovers on downs on 3 straight possessions by UTSA, and the Monarchs held on for a 33-19 win over the Roadrunners at home. David Washington passed for 2 TDs, and rushed for another in the win. ODU is now 2-0 all-time against UTSA.

North Texas forced a goal line stand to end the 2^nd OT period and held off Rice 42-35 to pick up the CUSA win. Jeffrey Wilson rushed for 157 yards and 3 TDs in the win for UNT.

I’Tavius Mathers rushed for 163 yards and 3 TDs, and caught one more TD pass, and the Blue Raiders scored 21 points in the 4^th to escape with an all-important 38-34 win over Louisiana Tech to open CUSA play for Middle Tennessee. MT scored 31 points in the 2^nd half to steal the win.

Nick Mullins passed for 3 TDs, and Southern Miss used 31 unanswered points to roll past UTEP 34-7 in El Paso. The Eagles rushed for 202 team yards in the win.

FAIL: Marshall, Charlotte, UTSA, Western Kentucky, Rice, FAU, Louisiana Tech, FIU, UTEP

Marshall is absolutely incapable of playing defense in 2016, giving up 59 points to Louisville, and allowing 7 TDs to Lamar Jackson in the loss, after having given up 65 points to Akron previously.

Charlotte imploded in the 2^nd quarter, giving up 28 points to Temple, and lost 48-20 despite rushing the football for over 200 yards and splitting time of possession.

UTSA punted twice and turned the football over on downs 3 times in a road loss to Old Dominion 33-19. The Roadrunners trailed by just 4 entering the 4^th, and bad coaching decisions eventually cost them the game.

Western Kentucky blew their chance for a win over an SEC opponent, falling 31-30 in OT to Vanderbilt. The Hilltoppers allowed Vandy to score with less than a minute left to force OT, virtually handing the Commodores the win.

Rice blew a 17 point lead, and eventually fell in double OT to North Texas to fall to 0-4 on the season. If David Bailiff wasn’t in trouble before this game, he certainly should be now.

FAU held two leads over Ball State, and were tied at the end of 3, but the defense could not stop Riley Neal of Ball State, and eventually the game was blown late. Another painful FAU loss under Charlie Partridge.

Louisiana Tech blew a sizable lead, and allowed 21 points to Middle Tennessee in the 4^th quarter to throw victory into the jaws of defeat in a 38-34 conference loss.

FIU was never in the game against UCF, falling 53-14. The loss drops the Panthers to 0-4 on the season, and coach Ron Turner was fired after the game. Ron Cooper takes over as interim coach.

UTEP never scored after the 1^st quarter, and despite Southern Miss hardly playing their most explosive offensive game, the Miners were never able to get off the ground in a 34-7 loss in conference play.