Army held a high-powered North Texas offense to just a single field goal on Saturday and Kalib Fortner, the Black Knights’ junior linebacker, was rewarded for the team’s outstanding defensive performance by being chosen as the American Athletic Conference defensive player of the week.
Fortner finished the game with eight tackles, including two tackles for losses, and anchored a defensive unit that limited the Mean Green to just 69 rushing yards and 283 total yards in undefeated Army’s 14-3 victory. North Texas had entered the game averaging 40.8 points and 527.6 yards per game, while Army now leads the nation in scoring defense, surrendering just 10.3 points per game.
The AAC named East Carolina sophomore quarterback Katin Houser its offensive player of the week. Houser led a resurgent East Carolina offense to a 49-14 win against Florida Atlantic as he figured in six touchdowns and accounted for 395 yards of total offense. Houser completed 17 of 22 passes for 343 yards and five touchdowns while he rushed for 52 yards and a touchdown on five carries. Houser has passed for 612 yards and 10 touchdowns in East Carolina’s last two games.
Army senior quarterback Bryson Daily was an honorable mention offensive player of the week, rushing for 153 yards and both Army touchdowns on 36 carries in the Black Knights’ 13th straight win, dating back to last season. Army is now 9-0 overall and 7-0 in the AAC entering a bye week.
Navy senior Riley Riethman was named the league’s special teams player of the week. Riethman helped Navy tilt the field position battle as the Midshipmen defeated South Florida, 28-7. Riethman averaged 49.7 yards on seven punts, with a long of 60 yards, and dropped three punts inside the 20-yard line and two inside the 10. Riethman leads The American and is ranked fifth nationally in punting average (46.4).
In other games featuring Army’s AAC opponents in week 11:
FAU (2-7 overall; 0-5 in AAC) – The good news for the Owls was that backup quarterback Kasen Weisman, a transfer from Colorado, connected on 20 of 35 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a team-high 41 yards on six carries. The bad news was that visiting FAU was dominated by East Carolina 49-14 on Thursday night. Up Next – Temple.
Rice (3-7 overall; 2-4 in the AAC) – The Owls gave host Memphis a good game, falling 27-20, despite a 246-yard passing day from quarterback E.J. Warner on Friday night. Matt Sykes caught one touchdown in the first half for Rice and Elijah Mojarro caught a second touchdown late in the game. Up Next – Bye week.
Temple (2-7 overall, 1-4 in the AAC) – Temple was thwarted from beginning to end by Tulane, falling to the Green Wave, 52-6, in New Orleans. Owls quarterback Evan Simon was held to just 56 yards passing on 11 of 22 passing. The Owls gave up 589 total yards to Tulane, which is 6-0 in league play and 8-2 overall. Up Next – At FAU.
Tulsa (3-6 overall; 1-4 in the AAC) – The Golden Hurricane did not play last weekend. Up Next – East Carolina (Thursday night).
UAB (2-7 overall; 1-4 in the AAC) – The Blazers held a 17 point lead against visiting UConn but failed to maintain it in a 31-23 non-league game. UAB quarterback Jalen Kitna threw for 233 yards and one touchdown, but was intercepted twice as UConn improved its record to 7-3. Up Next – at Memphis.
East Carolina (5-4 overall; 3-2 in the AAC) – The Pirates won for the second straight time, after losing to Army in mid-October, thanks to Houser’s performance. Receivers Anthony Smith (3 receptions for 120 yards and a touchdown), Winston Wright (3 receptions for 80 yards and two touchdowns) and Chase Sewell (one catch, 50-yard touchdown) played big roles in the lopsided victory. Up Next – at Tulsa (Thursday night).
UTSA (4-5 overall; 2-3 in the AAC) – The Roadrunners did not play last weekend. Up next – North Texas (Friday night).
Navy (7-2 overall; 6-0 in the AAC) – The Midshipmen grinded out its victory over host South Florida with Eli Heidenreich rushing for 84 yards and a touchdown. Alex Tecza had one reception, a 38-yard pass from Blake Horvath to help keep Navy’s chances for a spot in the league’s championship game alive. Up next – Tulane.
