WAC
Boise State
| Fresno
State | Hawaii
| Idaho
| Louisiana Tech
Nevada
| New
Mexico St |
San Jose
State | Utah State
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How are the picks so far? SU 39-6 ATS
24-14
WAC Game of
the Week
Hawaii
(4-2) at
New Mexico
State
(2-4) 8:00 PM EST Saturday October 21
Why to Watch: Oh, what college
football fan hasn’t waited with bated
breath for this game? The record for
passes attempted by two teams in one
game is 135 (TCU against Houston in
1990), but that's in serious jeopardy in
what should be the most entertaining,
fun game you'll see all year long.
Hawaii QB Colt Brennan is averaging 40
attempts per game, while New Mexico
State QB Chase Holbrook threw the ball
65 times against Boise State. Suffice
to say, the ball will be thrown ...a
lot. Hawaii dominated Fresno State with
its aerial circus piling up 68 points on
the Bulldogs’ home field. New Mexico
State fought back late against Boise
State, despite giving up too much early
in a 40-28 defeat. Did the second half
comeback give the Aggies confidence that
they can beat a quality WAC opponent in
a shootout against a team like Hawaii?
Enjoy the show.
Why Hawaii Might Win: Hawaii
rarely has lacked a potent offense, but
the eleven that take the field each this
year are as explosive as any unit in
Warrior history. Brennan throws the
ball less than Holbrook, but makes the
most of his attempts. Not only is he
effective with his throws, he hasn’t
thrown a pick in two games and has a 23
to five TD to interception ratio on the
year. Facing a New Mexico State
secondary that's one of the worst in the
nation, expect Brennan to control the
game through the air, again. New Mexico
State is 113th in the nation in pass
defense giving up 261 yards per game,
and is 115th in the country in pass
efficiency defense. Uh oh. However ...
Why New Mexico State Might Win:
... Hawaii can't stop the pass, either.
The warriors allow 247 yards per game
and also stink against efficient
passers. Holbrook gives NMSU a puncher's
chance of pulling this off. The Warrior
defense spends a lot of time on the
field, given the rapid nature with which
the Warriors put the ball in the end
zone. The Aggie signal caller can take
advantage of a unit that yields 402
yards per game total offense, 247 yards
through the air. With WR Chris Williams
having career games every time he steps
on the field, the Warrior defense will
have their hands full stopping that QB-WR
duo. This is one of the few teams in the
nation that can hang punch for punch
with the Warriors.
Who to Watch: The Hawaii
defensive line is the key to stopping
Holbrook and the Aggie passing game.
When Boise State got pressure from its
defensive front four, Holbrook was
unable to get the ball off, or made poor
decisions. But how much pressure can
the Warrior defensive front, which
hasn't consistently gotten into the
backfield all season long, generate? UH
defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville
will sell out to force mistakes.
What Will Happen: The Aggies
will get their yards against the Hawaii
defense, but they won't be able to keep
up a tremendous pace. Brennan, for the
third consecutive week, won't throw an
interception, and WR Davone Bess will
torch the Aggie secondary for a big play
or three. Expect, nay, demand, over
1,000 yards of passing and at least 100
points. Oh, this will be fun.
CFN Prediction:
Hawaii 65 …
New Mexico State 38 ... Line:
Hawaii -15
Must See Rating: (5 skip the
birth of your first born - 1 Knights
of Prosperity) ... 4
Boise State
(7-0) at
Idaho
(4-3) 5:05 PM EST Saturday October 21
Why to Watch: The battle for
state supremacy is actually the
secondary story this week, as first
place in the WAC is on the line when
Idaho’s best take the field at the
Kibbie Dome. Boise State has had little
trouble running the table to this point
and is coming off of a nationally
televised 40-28 victory over New Mexico
State. But the Broncos aren’t the only
team in the state with a winning
streak. Idaho has won three straight,
including last weekend’s 24-14 victory
over Louisiana Tech, and has climbed the
WAC ladder right up next to Chris
Petersen’s squad. Although three
straight wins have put Idaho in position
to vie for a postseason berth, the wins
have come over the three of the worst
teams in the WAC – Louisiana Tech, New
Mexico State and Utah State. Suffice to
say, the Broncos are a wee bit better
than the three vanquished Vandal foes.
With a bye week to follow before a visit
from Fresno State, don’t expect the
Broncos to hold anything back, but don’t
think that Dennis Erickson is going to
keep the tricks under his sleeve,
either.
Why Boise State Might Win:
Although Idaho shares the first place
seat with Boise State, Petersen’s crew
is playing at another level. This is the
most complete, and most talented, team
that Boise State has had in a long time,
if not ever. The defense, led by Korey
Hall, is the best in the conference,
while the offense has the best balance
of any team in the league. RB Ian
Johnson continues to torch the WAC
running for 192 yards and four
touchdowns against New Mexico State.
Considering the fact that Idaho’s
defense is 78th in the nation
against the run, Johnson stands to have
another prodigious ball game.
Why Idaho Might Win: Idaho is a
team rejuvenated under Erickson, which
is not unusual under a new coach and his
staff, but the Vandals have gained a
huge amount of confidence the past three
weeks. Erickson’s crew forced eight
turnovers against Louisiana Tech,
allowing the Vandals to escape Ruston
with their third WAC victory in a row.
The Vandals are using their 1-2 punch at
running back, Jayson Bird and Brian
Flowers, if his ankle allows him to
play-to keep opposing defenses off
balance. The two backs registered 116
yards and two touchdowns against
Louisiana Tech and are key in this
matchup against Hall and the Bronco
defense.
Who to Watch: If Hall isn’t an
All-American at year end, it’ll be a
terrible shame. The senior captain had
one of his best ever statistical games
last weekend against New Mexico State,
registering 15 tackles, one sack and an
interception, proving that he just might
be the nation's best unknown defender.
What Will Happen: Boise State
will establish Johnson early in the
game, and when Idaho brings safeties
into the box, QB Jared Zabransky will
drive the stake in the Vandals with big
throws over the top. The Vandals won’t
be able to match Boise State score for
score, allowing BSU to leave with win
number eight.
CFN Prediction:
Boise State 42
… Idaho 21 ... Line: Boise State
-20.5
Must See Rating: (5 skip the
birth of your first born - 1 Knights
of Prosperity) ... 2
San Jose
State
(4-1) at
Nevada
(3-3) 7:00 PM EST ABC Saturday October
21
Why to Watch: The biggest
surprise in the WAC has to be San Jose
State, sitting at 4-1 tied for first
place in the league after a 21-14
victory over Utah State in their WAC
opener. After an opening day loss to
Washington in Seattle, the Spartans have
won four in a row, but their biggest
test comes this week traveling to Reno
to face the Wolf Pack in what will be
the real indication of if they're for
real. Nevada’s bye week came at the
best possible time, after
the long trek to the Island for a last
second loss to Hawaii, so it should be
well rested. With a win, San Jose State
could realistically move to 7-1 before
Boise State travels south on November 11th,
but a Nevada win could signal a
five-game run before the unofficial WAC
championship game against the Broncos in
Boise. A loss for either team ends any
realistic hopes of winning the WAC this
season.
Why San Jose State Might Win: The
Spartan defense boasts one of the best
secondaries in the nation, led by the
nation’s interception leader Dwight
Lowery. They’re ranked 14th
in the nation, yielding 153 yards per
game and should give Nevada QB Jeff
Rowe, who’s probable for this week’s
game, problems when he attempts to throw
the football. But, it’s the Spartan
receivers, James Jones and Steve
Broussard, who could take over this game
early with their explosive speed. Their
ability to get downfield against the
experienced Nevada secondary is a huge
key in this game.
Why Nevada Might Win: Hubbard
and Fragger. No, not a New York City
law firm, RB Robert Hubbard and Brandon
Fragger. The two Wolf Pack runners have
taken turns slicing up opposing
defenses, and with a week off to get
healthy, they should be fresh and ready
for the Spartan defense. Luckily for
these two, the Spartan defense is ranked
104th in the nation against
the run, giving up a whopping 176 yards
per game. These two can actually be the
12th defender against the
potent San Jose State offense by moving
the chains on sustained drives, and
keeping them off the field.
Who to Watch: No player in this
game has more pressure on his shoulders
than San Jose State QB Adam Tafralis.
The Spartan signal caller can’t continue
to make mistakes, especially against an
opportunistic Nevada defense. He threw
two picks against Utah State, but
that’ll be two too many this weekend.
What Will Happen: The Wolf Pack
will use Hubbard and Fragger to control
the ball on the ground and then strike
with QB Rowe after the ground game is
established. Tafralis will throw a pick
in a key spot that’ll seal the home win
for the Wolf Pack.
CFN Prediction:
Nevada 31 …
San Jose State 28 ... Line:
Nevada -13.5
Must See Rating: (5 skip the
birth of your first born - 1 Knights
of Prosperity) ... 2
Utah State
(1-6) at
Louisiana
Tech
(1-5) 7:00 PM EST ESPN+ Saturday October
21
Why to Watch: Two teams trolling
at the bottom of the WAC meet in Ruston
to erase the memories of demoralizing
WAC losses last week. Utah State had a
14-7 lead going into halftime, behind QB
Riley Nelson’s two touchdown throws, but
couldn’t stave off a San Jose State
comeback in the 21-14 loss. Louisiana
Tech turned the ball over a whopping
eight times in a 24-14 loss to Idaho at
home. With few gimmes on the schedule
the rest of the season, this game
signals each team’s best chance to win a
game over the second half.
Why Utah State Might Win: The
Aggies couldn’t get any better play from
a freshman QB with Nelson playing as
well as could be hoped for in two starts
completing 21 of 24 throws and two
touchdowns against San Jose State. He
only threw for 145 yards, but he used
the passing game to control the clock,
helping the Aggies posses the ball for
over 36 minutes. With Louisiana Tech’s
penchant for turning the ball over,
Nelson and the offense could thoroughly
dominate time of possession again,
leading to a key Utah State win.
Why Louisiana Tech Might Win: No
team has followed up an eight turnover
performance with another eight turnover
performance, so it can’t get any lower
for the Bulldogs, can it? Utah State
had trouble stopping San Jose State’s
explosive receivers giving up 198 yards
to John Broussard and James Jones, and
Louisiana Tech has an equally dynamic
pair of receivers, plus one, Johnathan
Holland, Eric Newman and Josh Wheeler.
If those three have seen the film of
last week’s Utah State game, they’ll be
clamoring for QB Zac Champion to find
them deep downfield.
Who to Watch: Champion struggled
mightily last week, throwing four
interceptions against Idaho in a ten
point loss. The coaching staff knows
that Champion hasn’t gotten much help
from his running game, but another
subpar performance might put the signal
caller on the bench. But against Utah
State’s 90th ranked pass
defense, he should gain his confidence
in a hurry.
What Will Happen: Tech will get
back on track with a strong game from
Champion and the defense will harass
Nelson into a couple of key turnovers.
The Bulldogs will get a much needed
victory in front of the home folks.
CFN Prediction:
Louisiana Tech
24 … Utah State 17 ... Line:
Louisiana Tech -5.5
Must See Rating: (5 skip the
birth of your first born - 1 Knights
of Prosperity) ... 1.5
Fresno State
(1-5) at
LSU
(5-2) 9 PM EST ESPN2 Saturday
October 21st
Why to Watch: Remember back in
August when LSU and Fresno State fans
looked at this game as one of the
dangerous beartraps of the 2006 season?
After the way the Bulldogs pushed USC to
the wall last year, many figured this
was going to be a much-watch battle ...
nyuh-uh. Fresno State has completely
gone into the tank bottoming out with a
loss to Utah State and getting
annihilated 69-37 by Hawaii as part of a
five-game losing streak. Meanwhile, LSU
has destroyed everything in its path at
home this year going 5-0
outscoring its
opponents 236 to 30 and allowing only 13 points in the first half. Can
this be more than just a scrimmage for
the Tigers before the showdown at
Tennessee next week? Can Fresno State
make a statement and turn its season
back around? Probably not, and no, but
this still might be worth watching to
see the LSU machine roll again.
Why Fresno State Might Win: Not
much is going right for Fresno State at
the moment, but it can bomb away a
little bit. Tom Brandstater connected
with Bear Pascoe for a 75-yard touchdown
to open things up against Hawaii last
week, and No. 2 QB Sean Norton, who
should see a little bit of time, can
also chuck ithrowing for three scores on
the Warriors. FSU, who was good enough
to come close to beating Oregon just a
few short weeks ago, should be able to
put up more points than most have been
able to in Death Valley. Fresno State
gets the rap of just getting up for the
showcase games against the big boys, and
this is one of them.
Why LSU Might Win: The secondary
has been picked apart to death. Facing
Hawaii's Colt Brennan and Oregon's
Dennis Dixon didn't help the stats, but
it had problems with Utah State's Riley
Nelson, Washington's Isaiah Stanback,
and Colorado State's Caleb Hanie. Worse
yet, the defense, which has only forced
four turnovers so far, isn't likely to
generate the mistakes needed to keep
this close.
Who to Watch: LSU QB JaMarcus
Russell has to be licking his chops. Not
only has the FSU pass defense been
abysmal, but Russell has been out of
this world at home so far. In five
games, the junior has completed 76 of 98
passes (78%) for 1,203 yards and 12
touchdowns with only one interception.
It'll be a shock if he doesn't pad the
stats in this apparent layup.
What Will Happen: Fresno State
still has the talent make this a battle,
but it's not playing nearly well enough
to slow down the LSU machine at home.
CFN Prediction:
LSU 45 ... Fresno State 17 ...
Line: LSU -32
Must See Rating: (5 skip the
birth of your first born - 1 Knights
of Prosperity)
... 2