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East Carolina at Virginia Tech
12:00 PM ESPN
Why to Watch:
The Virginia Tech tragedy that
engulfed the nation last April
won’t dissipate in the memories
of those who were in Blacksburg,
or anywhere for that matter, and
this will certainly be more than
just a regular football game.
With everything surrounding the
importance of the event for the
community, there’s still an
actual game to be played, and
it’s a big for a Tech team that
needs to tune up before the
showdown with LSU. East
Carolina was a bowl team last
year and isn’t just going to
show up and let the Hokies have
a special day. There’s good
athleticism on both sides of the
ball, and a nice defensive front
that could make things
interesting for longer than Tech
fans might like.
Why East Carolina Might Win:
A team with skill players might
be fun to watch, but a team with
strength on both lines can
usually hang around against
anyone. The Pirates have
experience on both sides of the
ball, in particular, on the
defensive side of the ball, led
by defensive end Marcus Hands,
and should get ample pressure on
Hokie quarterback Sean Glennon.
While Glennon appears to be
better than last year, he still
has to prove he can make better
decisions than last year when he
struggled in the face of good
pass rushers. But even though
ECU should have its big moments
from the front …
Why Virginia Tech Might Win:
… the Hokie offense is primed to
be one of the program’s most
explosive units in recent
memory. Running back Branden
Ore ultimately drives this
offense, but the key against the
Pirates is the ability of the
receiving corps to stretch ECU’s
secondary deep downfield.
Glennon has had a tremendous
fall camp and should be able to
strike deep against the Pirate
secondary as long as he gets
time.
Who to Watch: The
linebackers. Both offenses will
look to establish the ground
game early, so the linebackers
will get plenty of attention.
Virginia Tech’s Vince Hall and
Xavier Adibi are among the best
duos in the nation, while East
Carolina’s Quentin Cotton is a
tackling machine. He’s missed
some time during fall camp, but
is expected to be back and ready
to potentially be the most
effective defender on the
field.
What Will Happen:
Although the emotion of the
opener should have the Hokies on
fire from the start, if the
Pirates don’t run and hide in
the first quarter, they’ll stay
competitive. However, 20 to 25
carries by Ore and a couple of
big deep balls from Glennon will
have Hokie nation taking a huge
sigh of relief after halftime,
when everything will start to
click. The Tech defense will
come out roaring.
CFN Prediction:
Virginia
Tech 38 … East Carolina
10
Line:
Virginia Tech -24.5
Must See Rating: (5 Hef
wants you to take his place on
The Girls Next Door, but
you can’t because you have to
watch this game - 1 Cavemen)
... 2.5
Final Score:
Marshall at Miami
12:00 PM ESPNU
Why to Watch:
The much anticipated head
coaching debut of Randy Shannon
has Coral Gables buzzing about
the possibility of returning to
old school Miami, and nothing
less than domination right off
the bat might do after the lousy
end to the Larry Coker era. Will
the Miami offense start to play
like the Miami offense? Can
Shannon keep the defense at a
championship caliber level and
will all the great athletes play
up to their talent? With the
trip to Oklahoma coming up next
week, the Canes need to tune up
against Marshall, and not just
try to get by. The Herd could
quickly reverse the recent
struggles of its own with a
shocking performance over a
big-name team. Head coach Mark
Snyder is still trying to give
his program an identity, and
this is a huge chance to make
one.
Why Marshall Might Win:
Although Herd quarterback Bernie
Morris hasn’t set the world on
fire the past two years, he has
starting experience and won’t
simply buckle under the pressure
of playing against a defense
like Miami’s. It’ll help that
he’ll have relatively good
protection from center Doug
Legursky and a stout offensive
line that should be able to hold
its own for extended stretches.
On the other side of the ball,
Miami’s offense has to show that
things have changed, and that
might take a game or three to
happen. You don’t go from
stagnant to explosive overnight.
Why Miami Might Win:
Shannon won’t let this team
lose. Not in the opener. Not
an alum of the U. He just won’t
let it happen and it won’t
happen, mainly due to the
running of Javarris James and
hotshot freshman Graig Cooper.
That combination should combine
for 35 to 40 carries in the
opener and should establish the
Canes as a physical team that
wins by running the ball and
playing tough defense. It’s not
like Chad Pennington and Randy
Moss are out there for the Herd;
this won’t be an explosive
attack. A few early Cane scores
should end it.
Who to Watch: Kirby
Freeman. Kyle Wright was
supposed to be the next great
Miami quarterback, but he hasn't
progressed and has allowed
Freeman to be in the hunt for
the starting job. While Wright
is still in the starting mix,
Freeman will get the call
despite not being accurate or
effective during his previous
playing time. Basically, the job
is still open. On the other side
of the ball, at 6’8” and
282 pounds and with decent
quickness off the ball, Miami’s
Calais Campbell already has the
eyes of the NFL types, and now
he could use a big first game to
generate the type of buzz that
makes freakish players like him
number one draft picks. His
explosion off the edge is not
that of a 245 pound type, but
his size and length make it
extremely difficult to block him
effectively on a consistent
basis. How Morris handles
himself under the pressure, and
how he’s able to limit mistakes,
will likely be the key to the
game.
What Will Happen:
The Hurricanes won’t be pretty
early on, especially with a new
offensive coordinator (Patrick
Nix) and a former defensive
coordinator as head coach. So,
don’t be surprised when James
and Cooper combine for over 200
yards and keep the ball away
from Morris and his offense
throughout the day.
CFN Prediction: Miami 34
… Marshall 10
Line:
Miami -21
Must See Rating: (5 Hef
wants you to take his place on
The Girls Next Door, but
you can’t because you have to
watch this game - 1 Cavemen)
... 2
Final Score:
Connecticut at Duke
2:00 PM
Why to Watch: This
matchup, 2004, in San Antonio in
the Final Four … riveting.
Football, 2007, in Durham, NC,
well, not as intriguing, but
worth paying attention to
nonetheless. Duke hasn’t won a
game since 2005 and has an
honest chance of finally ending
a long, painful streak with a
veteran team good enough to pull
off the W. Connecticut is
trying to get back to ‘bowl
team’ status after a 4-8 season
in 2006 marred by breakdowns on
both sides of the ball.
Although a loss in the opener
won’t crush either team’s
overall hopes, a win could set
the tone for a much improved
season. Basically, this is seen
as a must-win for each side.
Why Connecticut Might Win:
As the Huskies break in a new
quarterback Tyler Lorenzen, the
running game should dominate
with running back Donald Brown
shouldering much of the load
early on. Duke linebacker
Michael Tauiliili, the Blue
Devils leading tackler the last
two years, is suspended for this
game, so Brown should have
plenty of success rushing
against a softer D.
Why Duke Might Win: It’s
hard to find a team in the ACC
with as much experience on
offense as the Blue Devils. For
the first year in some time, the
Devils have a consistent,
balanced attack with quarterback
Thaddeus Lewis leading the way
and just enough talent at
receiver to start putting the
ball in the air. With a year
under his belt, Lewis should be
more consistent, reduce the
turnovers and generate big plays
against a shaky Husky secondary
that might not be ready for
prime time.
Who to Watch: Duke
defensive tackle Vince Oghobaase
was a five-star recruit out of
Texas three years ago, but he
has yet to blossom into a
game-changing defender.
However, few linemen in the ACC
have his blend of quickness and
size, and if he puts it all
together, he could be special.
He’s got to take his game to a
new level this fall, starting
with this matchup, and without
Tauiliili in the lineup, he has
to gum up the works and keep
Brown from running inside.
What Will Happen:
Duke will win. Yes, that’s not
a misprint, Duke will win.
Lewis will have a strong passing
day and will avoid the mistakes
that plagued him at times last
year. It’s not going to be a
walk in the park, but the pieces
are there to end the school’s
football nightmare right off the
bat.
CFN Prediction:
Duke
23 … Connecticut 20 …
Line:
Connecticut -5.5
Must See Rating: (5 Hef
wants you to take his place on
The Girls Next Door, but
you can’t because you have to
watch this game - 1 Cavemen)
... 2
Final Score:
Virginia at Wyoming
2:00 PM
Why to Watch:
Rarely do ACC teams, or any
other eastern bound teams for
that matter, travel west for a
non-conference game, but the
Wahoos get on the plane for
Laramie for a rare appearance at
a MWC stadium. This is a
critical season for both
programs and a win in the opener
could lead to a much needed bowl
berth. Simply put, Virginia
can’t lose this game if it has
any reasonable hopes for a
winning season. Wyoming has been
sensational, at times, at home
under Joe Glenn and will treat
this like a BCS game.
Why Virginia Might Win:
A multi-dimensional
quarterback. Virginia struggled
to find a replacement for former
quarterback Marques Hagans, but
once Jameel Sewell took over,
the Wahoos improved
offensively. Sewell’s ability
to get out of the pocket and out
on the perimeter will put the
Cowboys’ defense in major
trouble. The Cavalier defensive
line should be able to dominate
the mediocre UW offensive front.
The more pressure on Karsten
Sween, the better. He’ll make
mistakes trying to make things
happen.
Why Wyoming Might Win:
Playing at home, in the high
altitude, gives the Cowboys a
distinct advantage, especially
against a team unfamiliar with
playing in the thin air. The
Cowboys have deep ball threats,
Hoot Marsh and Michael Ford,
that can stretch the field and
put pressure on a good, but
retooling, Virginia secondary.
The Cavaliers won’t throw much,
so the good UW linebacking corps
should be able to tee off
against the run.
Who to Watch: Virginia’s
star defensive end Chris Long is
flat out fun to watch, and he
needs to be in Sween’s face all
game long. Relentless,
passionate and disruptive, he’s
being hailed as a potential top
ten draft pick and could set the
tone for a huge season, and
generate a national buzz, if he
plays like he’s supposed to.
What Will Happen:
Sewell might get hot early,
maintaining ball control with
short and intermediate passing,
but Wyoming will play at another
level. After a tight first half,
the Cowboys will clamp down on
the Cavalier passing game and
come up with two key turnovers
to pull off the home upset.
CFN Prediction: Wyoming
23 … Virginia 20 Line:
Virginia -3
Must See Rating: (5 Hef
wants you to take his place on
The Girls Next Door, but
you can’t because you have to
watch this game - 1 Cavemen)
... 2.5
Final Score:
ACC Week One Fearless Predictions, Part
2 |
