CUSA Championship Rematch Among Week Two Slate

Saturday will mark the eighth meeting in seven seasons for budding rivals Liberty and NM State, who also met in last season’s CUSA Championship Game. The two squads will face off at 9:15 p.m. CT on ESPN2 from Aggie Memorial Stadium in Las Cruces, N.M.

Source: Conference USA

This week’s slate also includes a trio of teams hitting the road looking to knock off power conference opponents in Jax State (at No. 22 Louisville), MTSU (at No. 6 Ole Miss) and Sam Houston (at UCF).

Four schools (FIU, WKU, Kennesaw State, UTEP) return home looking to get in the win column, including the first game at Pitbull Stadium since FIU announced the unprecedented partnership.

JAX STATE (0-1) AT NO. 22 LOUISVILLE (1-0)
Date: Saturday, Sept. 7
Time: 2:30 p.m. CT
Location: Louisville, Ky. (L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium)
Broadcast: ESPN+
Announcers: Justin Kutcher (PxP), Charles Arbuckle (Analyst)
All-Time Series: First meeting

The Gamecocks look to bounce back following a season-opening loss in which senior quarterback Tyler Huff saw his first action under center and connected with redshirt junior wide receiver Michael Pettway on a 92-yard touchdown pass – the longest scoring play from scrimmage thus far in the FBS.

MTSU (1-0) AT NO. 6 OLE MISS (1-0)
Date: Saturday, Sept. 7
Time: 3:15 p.m. CT
Location: Oxford, Miss. (Vaught-Hemingway Stadium)
Broadcast: SEC Network
Announcers: Dave Neal (PxP), Aaron Murray (Analyst), Ashley ShahAhmadi (Sideline)
All-Time Series: Ole Miss leads 1-0

Redshirt senior running back Frank Peasant capped off a week one victory with a 30-yard rumble into the endzone for the game-winning score. It was his second trip to the endzone of the night, finishing with a team-high 49 yards on the ground. Junior wide receiver Omari Kelly registered 40 of his 47 receiving yards during the final scoring drive, including a 26-yard grab on fourth down.

CENTRAL MICHIGAN (1-0) AT FIU (0-1)
Date: Saturday, Sept. 7
Time: 5 p.m. CT
Location: Miami, Fla. (Pitbull Stadium)
Broadcast: ESPN+
Announcers: Steve Goldstein (PxP), Kim Bokamper (Analyst)
All-Time Series: Central Michigan leads 1-0

The Panthers will christen Pitbull Stadium against the Chippewas and look to shake off a week one loss to Indiana. Quarterback Keyone Jenkins began his sophomore campaign by completing 20-29 passes, including a touchdown pass to redshirt junior tight end Rocky Beers. In his FIU debut, Dodge City CC transfer Dwight Nunoo made seven stops with two TFL and a sack.

SAM HOUSTON (1-0) AT UCF (1-0)
Date: Saturday, Sept. 7
Time: 5:30 p.m. CT
Location: Orlando, Fla. (FBC Mortgage Stadium)
Broadcast: ESPN+
Announcers: James Westling (PxP), Leger Douzable (Analyst)
All-Time Series: First meeting

Sam Houston put the league on notice with a commanding 34-14 victory over Rice in week one. The Bearkats scored twice in 50 seconds as CUSA Offensive Player of the Week Hunter Watson hit Qua’Vez Humphreys for a 67-yard touchdown, and David Fisher returned an interception 30 yards for a score just two plays later. Redshirt senior wideout Ife Adeyi caught his first touchdown pass in 994 days – a 32-yard grab to give Sam Houston a 24-7 lead at halftime.

EASTERN KENTUCKY (0-1) AT WKU (0-1)
Date: Saturday, Sept. 7
Time: 6 p.m. CT
Location: Bowling Green, Ky. (Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium)
Broadcast: ESPN+
Announcers: Steve Schlanger (PxP), Terry Obee (Analyst)
All-Time Series: WKU leads 48-35-3

WKU welcomes in-state rival Eastern Kentucky for its home opener after falling to No. 5 Alabama in the season opener. The Hilltopper faithful will get their first in-person look at redshirt junior quarterback TJ Finley. Defensively, week one marked just the third time in the last 14 games that WKU failed to force a turnover.

LOUISIANA (1-0) AT KENNESAW STATE (0-1)
Date: Saturday, Sept. 7
Time: 6 p.m. CT
Location: Kennesaw, Ga. (Fifth Third Stadium)
Broadcast: ESPN+
Announcers: Nolan Alexander (PxP), Barclay Miller (Analyst)
All-Time Series: First meeting

The Owls host their first FBS home game against the Ragin’ Cajuns following an impressive showing in their first FBS contest – a 28-16 loss to UTSA. KSU scored 13 unanswered points at one point, including a 25-yard touchdown pass from Davis Bryson to Carson Kent to make it a five-point game in the final quarter.

SOUTHERN UTAH (0-1) AT UTEP (0-1)
Date: Saturday, Sept. 7
Time: 8 p.m. CT
Location: El Paso, Texas (Sun Bowl)
Broadcast: ESPN+
Announcers: Andy Morgan (PxP), Ed Stansbury (Analyst)
All-Time Series: First meeting

Although the Scotty Walden era began with a loss, the Miners showcased a much more energized offense, including a three-play, 63-yard scoring drive in the opening quarter. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Skylar Locklear finished the day 11-17 for 115 yards and a 38-yard scoring strike to redshirt junior wide receiver Kam Thomas, who led the team with 71 yards on seven catches.

LIBERTY (1-0) AT NM STATE (1-0)
Date: Saturday, Sept. 7
Time: 9:15 p.m. CT
Location: Las Cruces, N.M. (Aggie Memorial Stadium)
Broadcast: ESPN2
Announcers: Brian Custer (PxP), Rod Gilmore (Analyst), Lauren Sisler (Sideline)
All-Time Series: Liberty leads 5-2

The Flames and Aggies open up league play with a rematch of last year’s CUSA Championship Game, a 49-35 Liberty victory, and this year’s matchup heads to Las Cruces for the first time since 2019.

Liberty topped Campbell 41-24 in the season opener and racked up 279 yards on the ground, led by Quinton Cooley (110 yards, TD), Billy Lucas (78 yards, TD) and Kaidon Salter (48 yards). Salter also completed 16-23 passes for 242 yards and a pair of scores. Wide receiver Treon Sibley produced nearly a quarter of his 2023 stats in one game with five grabs for 109 yards and a score.

The second of Seth McGowan’s two touchdowns provided the game-winning score for NM State in a 23-16 triumph over SEMO in week one. CUSA Defensive Player of the Week Tayden Barnes tallied a team-high nine tackles, including a crucial fourth-down stop to set up the scoring drive, and sealed the game with a late interception.

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Levi Gwaltney

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