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Bowling Green
(3-1) at Boston College (5-0)
12:00 PM ESPN
Why to Watch:
Talk about your quarterback
battles, it’s the established
veteran, BC’s Matt Ryan, against
one of college football’s rising
star gunslingers, Bowling
Green’s Tyler Sheehan, in what
should be a wild game with
plenty of passing. Though some
consider this merely a small
step for BC on its way to next
week’s Catholic Bowl at Notre
Dame and then the meat of the
ACC slate, BGSU is a dangerous
team that can put points on the
board in bunches. The Eagles
haven’t been particularly
impressive lately against Army
and UMass; can they just turn it
on all of a sudden?
Why Bowling Green Might Win:
When the Falcons spread the
field and get those one-on-one
matchups going, they make it
difficult for any opponent,
undefeated or not. Their passing
attack is just as difficult to
defend as any of the spreads,
because sophomore Tyler Sheehan
understands how to find
mismatches and works well with
his receivers on reading
defensive coverages. Corey
Partridge and Freddie Barnes are
reliable targets who can find
openings in secondaries and make
tacklers miss, and should press
the Eagle corners for the first
time all year. The Falcons also
do a great job forcing
turnovers, led by big-play
defensive back P.J. Mahone. BC
has to be careful.
Why Boston College Might Win:
The Falcons can pass, but the
Eagles can run and pass.
Ryan has thrived in BC’s more
open attack, and he’s getting
plenty of help. Last week
against Massachusetts, it was
Andre Callender who led the way
on the ground with 115 yards and
two scores. BGSU isn’t the most
effective defensive team, so it
can’t have too many dry
possessions, or it could get
overrun. The Eagles will make it
even tougher because they allow
so few sacks and can get to the
QB from many different
directions themselves.
Who to Watch: Sheehan
threw just 43 passes during all
of ’06, but he’s had three games
already this year with that many
attempts. His most impressive
outing came in the opening-week
upset of Minnesota, when he
completed 34-of-51 for 388 yards
and a pair of scores. The soph
was supposed to be behind
run-pass specialist Anthony
Turner this year, but Sheehan
engineered the win over the
Gophers and has been in charge
of the offense ever since,
throwing for 1,304 yards and ten
scores in four games.
What Will Happen: The
Falcons will put some points on
the board, but BC is too
balanced. It might take four
quarters to put it away, but the
Eagles will sweat it out with a
tougher-than-hope-for win.
CFN Prediction: Boston
College 31 …
Bowling
Green 20...
Line: Boston College -20
Must See Rating: (5 Paris
on Letterman - 1 Singing Bee)
... 2.5
Georgia Tech
(3-2) at Maryland
(3-2)
12:00 PM
GamePlan
Why to Watch:
Both teams breathed some new
life into their seasons last
week with upsets of
highly-regarded opponents. Now,
we’ll see which one can sustain
its newfound success. Neither
has done much to insert itself
into the ACC race, and the loser
of this one will find it
practically impossible to get
through the crowded collection
of conference hopefuls, but
these are tremendously talented
teams that can beat anyone in
America on any given day … or
come up with a clunker. Even if
the winner can’t get it rolling
in time to be in the ACC title
game, it will take a strong step
toward post-season qualification
with its fourth win of the year.
It will also be interesting to
check out the QB derby for the
Terps, now that Chris Turner has
entered the race after a strong
second half in relief of injured
starter Jordan Steffy
(concussion). Maryland coach
Ralph Friedgen has said he’ll
use both passers if Steffy is
able to go.
Why Georgia Tech Might Win:
Why might the Yellow Jackets win
every game they play? The
running game and defense, of
course. Last week in its upset
of Clemson, Tech received a
boost from the healthy return of
Tashard Choice, who looked
plenty healthy by carrying it 32
times for 145 yards and a
touchdown. The Jackets aren’t
going to pass it that well, but
with Choice and a defense that
sacks the QB 4.2 times a game
and allows just 14.4 points per
game, it doesn’t have to fling
it all over the place. Tech
backs up its grind-it-out
mentality with the nation’s best
kicking game, featuring ace
placement man Travis Bell and
excellent punter Durant Brooks.
Why Maryland Might Win:
The Terps showed Rutgers why
they can be so dangerous under
Friedgen, throwing the ball well
enough to keep the Scarlet
Knights away from a formidable
ground game featuring Keon
Lattimore and Lance Ball. Sure,
Tech is tough to run on, but if
the Terps can throw it some, and
backup QB Chris Turner was
effective in the second half,
they can keep even the toughest
defense off balance. Steffy is
capable, too, and understands
the offense well. Maryland can
play some D, too, especially if
linebacker Erin Henderson (knee)
can play. He’s making 11 tackles
a game.
Who to Watch: Until
Turner got it rolling against
Rutgers, the sophomore’s biggest
claim to fame was being the son
of the original drummer for the
metal band Ratt. By the time he
completed 14-of-20 passes for
145 yards and led the Terps to
20 second-half points, he was
making beautiful music of his
own. With Steffy questionable
due to the lingering effects of
a shoulder injury and the
concussion, Turner has a chance
to keep things rolling. On the
other side, QB Taylor Bennett
hasn’t proven he can win a game
when the ground game isn’t
working. Eventually, he’ll have
to start hitting on a few deep
passes to open things up more
for Tashard Choice.
What Will Happen: Both
teams specialize in winning
games ugly, but the Georgia Tech
lines will control the game.
Expect plenty of Choice, plenty
of Tech rushing yards, and
plenty of long drives to
overcome a nice day from the
Terp passing game.
CFN Prediction:
Georgia
Tech 24 … Maryland 17...
Line: Georgia Tech -3
Must See Rating: (5 Paris
on Letterman - 1 Singing Bee)
... 3
Miami
(4-1)at North Carolina
(1-4)
12:00 PM ESPN2
Why to Watch:
Even though last week’s
performance against Duke was
hardly inspiring, one gets the
impression the ‘Canes are making
their way back into the fray and
will use this week as one more
rehearsal session before the
real ACC work begins next week
against Georgia Tech. But the
Hurricanes had better beware,
because on the other sideline is
the former Miami head coach,
Butch Davis, who certainly knows
a few things about how Randy
Shannon and his team. This one
has plenty of good subplots
beneath the surface, and don’t
be surprised if the action on
the field matches the drama off
it. The Tar Heels are playing
relatively well, even in a
four-game losing streak.
Why Miami Might Win: The
Hurricanes have been sharper the
past two weeks, although they
had a shaky period against the
Blue Devils. Most impressive is
QB Kyle Wright, who had his
second straight strong outing.
Sure, he threw two
interceptions, but he also had a
pair of scoring strikes and
amassed 230 yards through the
air. Miami is going to make it
tough on a weak UNC offense with
a defense that excels against
the run and is pretty darn good
against the pass, too. When the
Tar Heels try to pass, they had
better look out for the ‘Cane
front seven, which is averaging
four sacks a game and should
overwhelm a line that’s allowing
three sacks a game. Should
things get tight late, and Miami
needs to put it away, there is
always the two-pronged rushing
attack of Graig Cooper and
Javarris James to chew clock.
Why North Carolina May Win:
If you don’t think Davis will be
ready for this one, then you
don’t know how much of a
competitor he is. Sure, the Tar
Heels are outmanned, but Davis
knows what to expect from the
Hurricanes and how to attack.
He’s going to see if end Hilee
Taylor (five sacks) can get
after Wright and create some
havoc that leads to mistakes.
Hey, it’s worked in the past. He
also needs QB T.J. Yates to
bring the same efficient play he
did last week, when he completed
16-of-25 passes for 182 yards.
Who to Watch: Three games
into last year, it looked like
Darnell Jenkins was read for big
things. He had 13 catches and
appeared to be a budding deep
threat. But a torn ACL robbed
him of that promise and hurt the
Miami passing attack. Jenkins is
back this year and has started
to roll. The junior has 15
catches in his past four games
and is beginning to get
downfield again. He has yet to
show the same gamebreaking speed
that made him a dangerous return
man – in fact, he hasn’t
returned a kick or punt – but
that looks like it’s coming.
What Will Happen: Don’t
expect a blowout, even though
Miami has won four, and UNC has
just one triumph. The ‘Canes
will win a slugfest to keep
moving forward.
CFN Prediction:
Miami
28 … North Carolina 17...
Line: Miami -7
Must See Rating: (5 Paris
on Letterman - 1 Singing Bee)
... 2.5
ACC Week
6 Predictions, Part 2
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