American Week Three Preview
No. 7 Louisville (2-0) takes its first road trip of the season to battle in-state rival Kentucky (1-1). The Cardinals have breezed past its first two opponents, winning by scores of 49-7 and 44-7. Now, they take on a Kentucky squad that gained 675 yards versus Miami (Ohio).
Connecticut (0-1) welcomes back former head coach Randy Edsall and the Maryland Terrapins (2-0) for a Saturday night matchup. UConn is coming off a bye week following a loss at home to FCS-foe Towson, while Maryland has cruised to wins behind the duo of QB C.J. Brown and WR Stefon Diggs. The Huskies defeated the Terps last season in College Park.
UCF (2-0) travels to Happy Valley to take on undefeated Penn State (2-0). Knights RB Storm Johnson leads the nation with five rushing touchdowns, while QB Blake Bortles’ passer rating of 203.6 ranks seventh nationally. UCF and Penn State have met twice before with the Nittany Lions claiming both victories.
Rutgers (1-1) stays at home following a shutout victory against Norfolk State to face MAC-foe Eastern Michigan (1-1). Rutgers RB Paul James has compiled back-to-back 100-yard rushing games, totaling 301 yards and three touchdowns.
South Florida (0-2) hosts Florida Atlantic (0-2) in a matchup of two squads searching for their first victory of 2013. The Bulls traveled to Michigan State and gave the Spartans a scare before falling 21-6 this past weekend, while FAU fell 31-13 at East Carolina.
Memphis (0-1) visits Middle Tennessee State (1-1) for the teams’ sixth meeting since 2007. Middle Tennessee has claimed four of the five matchups, including the past two games. Memphis opened its season last weekend with a home loss to Duke.
Two American teams host FCS squads this week as Temple (2-0, 0-1 American) takes on Fordham (2-0), while Cincinnati (1-1) returns home to face Northwestern State (2-0).