The college football season is only a few weeks old but American Conference contenders are starting to emerge as defending champion Army takes its bye week before the Black Knights’ league opener against North Texas.
Byrum Brown and South Florida have knocked off two ranked teams in Boise State and Florida and are now No. 18 in the country.
Brown was named the American offensive player of the week, after finishing with 329 yards of total offense in the Bulls’ 18-16 win at No. 13 Florida. He completed 23 of 36 passes for 263 yards and a touchdown and engineered an eight-play, 87-yard game-winning field-goal drive as time expired.
Nico Gramatica, a sophomore kicker for South Florida and American special teams player of the week, scored 10 points on three field goals and a PAT, including the walk-off 20-yard field goal.
Army senior safety Collin Matteson took home defensive player of the week honors after game-sealing interception in 24-21 win at Kansas State.
While Army doesn’t play South Florida in the regular season, four of Army’s American opponents – Navy, Tulane, North Texas and Temple – are off to 2-0 starts.
Here is a look at how Army’s 2025 opponents fared last week.
Tarleton State (3-0) – The Texans moved their record to 3-0 with a resounding 59-3 non-league victory over Mississippi Valley State. Tarleton State is now ranked third in the FCS poll. Up Next: At Central Arkansas.
North Texas (2-0) – The Mean Green defeated Western Michigan. 33-30, in a non-league game. It is North Texas’ first 2-0 start since the 1989 and 1990 seasons. Makenzie McGill had 102 rushing yards on 16 carries and scored the game-winning touchdown in overtime. Up Next: Washington State.
East Carolina (1-1) – The Pirates notched their first win of the season, beating up on FCS-level Campbell, 59-3. Quarterback Kalin Houser was 25 for 35 and 314 yards for East Carolina. He threw two touchdown passes. Up Next: At Coastal Carolina.
UAB (1-1) – The Dragons stayed close with host Navy for three quarters before giving up 14 late points to the Midshipmen in a 38-24 defeat. Corri Milliner had six catches for 100 yards and a touchdown. Up Next: Akron.
Charlotte (0-2) – The 49ers fell to host North Carolina, 20-3, on Saturday, giving Bill Belichick his first win as a college football coach. Charlotte managed just 21 rushing yards against the Tar Heels. Up Next: Monmouth.
Tulane (2-0) – The Green Wave held off South Alabama, 33-31, stopping a two-point conversion with a minute to go in the contest. Jake Retzlaff, a transfer from BYU, threw one touchdown pass and ran for another score for Tulane, which trailed the Jaguars, 14-0, early in the game. Zuberi Mobley had two touchdowns for the Green Wave. Up Next: Duke.
Air Force (1-0) – The Falcons did not play this week. Next: At Utah State.
Temple (2-0) – The Owls knocked off FCS-level Howard, 55-7, to go 2-0 for the first time since 2019. Temple’s two quarterbacks, Evan Simon and Gevani McCoy, combined to go 14-of-16 for 231 yards and four touchdowns without an interception. Up Next: Oklahoma.
Tulsa (1-1) – A late touchdown pass helped host New Mexico State knock off the Golden Hurricane. 21-14, on Saturday night. Kirk Francis and Baylor Hayes each completed 13 passes for a total of 229 yards and Dominic Richardson ran for 93 yards for Tulsa. Up Next: Navy.
UTSA (0-2) – Despite 159 rushing yards and 21 receiving yards by Robert Henry, the Roadrunners fell to Texas State, 43-36. Up Next: Incarnate Word.
Navy (2-0) – The Midshipmen scored 14 unanswered points late in the game to knock off visiting UAB, 38-24. Senior quarterback Blake Horvath was six for eight with 168 passing yards and one touchdown while Alex Tecza ran for 111 yards on 15 carries and one touchdown for Navy. Up Next: At Tulsa.
