Miami (4-3) at Florida State (4-2)
3:30 EST, ABC, Saturday, October 20 Why to watch: Miami and Florida
State still matters big time to the
players, coaches, and fans of both
schools. Outside the Sunshine State?
Folks aren’t so interested when the two
rivals have five combined losses and
come into the game unranked for the
first time since 1977. Still, as
always, the intensity will be high, the
hitting vicious, and if his history is a
good barometer, the outcome will be in
doubt until the waning moments. At
least the game is being played in
October rather than on Labor Day, so the
quality of play, especially on offense,
should be much higher than it was over
the last three years. The ‘Canes and
‘Noles have been mirror images of one
another in 2007, strong on defense,
inept on offense, and coming off
three-point losses that knocked their
conference marks down to 1-2. The
winner on Saturday afternoon gets
bragging rights and a reprieve from
being eliminated from the ACC race. The
loser will have work to do just to
finish above .500 this season. Why Miami might win: Florida
State’s season-long problems on offense
won’t be solved on Saturday against a
Hurricane defense that’s allowing just
318 yards and 20 points a game. If
you’re going to dent the Miami D these
days, it’s likely to be on the ground,
but the Seminoles have been feeble
running the ball, and won’t be able to
take advantage. Take out the UAB game,
and the ‘Noles are averaging just 92
rushing yards a game, meaning it’ll be
up to erratic QB Xavier Lee to deliver
the best game of his career. DE Calais
Campbell and the sack-happy ‘Cane front
four will overpower a sub par Florida
State line, forcing Lee into
game-changing mistakes. Why Florida State might win:
While both offenses are struggling, the
Seminoles have the better defense, a
speedy, physical group that’s capable of
really making Miami look bad Saturday
afternoon. Last weekend, Georgia Tech
provided a preview of what’ll happen at
Doak Campbell, frustrating Kyle Wright
with pressure and holding the ‘Canes to
only 223 total yards. The ‘Noles, which
yield just 17 points a game, will offer
a rerun, hunting down the young Miami
backs with LBs Geno Hayes and Derek
Nicholson, while getting a push up front
from tackle Everette Brown and end Neefy
Moffett. Wright will be without one of
his top receivers, Lance Leggett, and
just isn’t good enough to one-up a
secondary that’s picked off seven passes
in the last four games. Who to watch: If Florida State
ever needed a breakout game from RB
Antone Smith, it was this week against a
Miami run defense that’s been gutted by
North Carolina and Georgia Tech the last
two games. Smith has been saddled by an
injured toe and poor blocking, but a
visit from the ‘Canes could be just what
the junior needs to reach 100 yards for
the first time in 2007. He has all the
tools, but for whatever reason, he
hasn’t shown “it” yet. This needs to be
the game he looks up to the part. What will happen: Don’t expect
this game to deviate far from the
script, with neither team getting out of
the blocks offensively or building a
substantial lead. The Florida State
defense will lead the way, picking off
Wright twice and giving the offense a
short field to navigate. CFN Prediction:Florida
State
23 … Miami 16 ... Line: Florida
State -6 Must See Rating: (5
Keeping Up with the Kardashians
- 1 Ellen's dog plea) ... 3.5
ACC Saturday, Oct. 20
Central Michigan (4-2) at
Clemson (4-3)
12:00 EST, ESPNU, Saturday,
October 20 Why to watch: Okay,
Clemson, where do you go from
here? After raising
expectations and rising to No.
13 in the polls, the Tigers
dropped back-to-back games to
Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech
to fall out of the Top 25, and
likely out of the ACC Atlantic
race. They’ve got issues on the
offensive line and special teams
that had to be addressed and
corrected during last week’s bye
if the second half is to be more
promising. When Clemson
scheduled Central Michigan as
its homecoming opponent, the
game may have looked like more
of a lay-up than it does today.
Sparked by the heroics of
multi-dimensional QB Dan
LeFevour, the Chippewas have won
three straight, looking like the
class of the MAC for the second
straight year. Central Michigan
is a different team than the one
that got spanked by Kansas and
Purdue earlier in the year,
making it a legitimate threat to
extend Clemson’s losing streak
to three games. Why Central Michigan might
win: LeFevour has been
LeFabulous over the last two
games, accounting for 12
touchdowns and 857 yards in a
couple of Chippewas wins. He’s
a rare game-changer from a non-BCS
school that the Clemson coaching
staff will be scheming to stop
this week. Central Michigan is
balanced on offense,
opportunistic on defense, and
quickly recapturing the swagger
that’ll be needed to beat the
Tigers in Death Valley. Why Clemson might win: At
least for one week, you won’t
know the Tiger offensive line is
having problems this season.
Kansas and Purdue each ran for
246 yards on Central Michigan,
which is also getting minimal
pressure on opposing
quarterbacks. After being
treated like caged animals the
last two games, ace backs James
Davis and C.J. Spiller are about
to explode on the Chips, while
QB Cullen Harper will get the
time needed to isolate top
target Aaron Kelly. After
failing twice this fall to stop
big-boy offenses, the Chippewas
will get exposed for a third
time in 2007. Who to watch: It’s one
thing to riddle the defenses of
Ball State and Army, but another
task entirely for LeFevour to
rip through Clemson, the
top-ranked defense in the ACC.
Although LeFevour is very
dangerous outside the pocket,
he’s going to earn every yard
against yard against a unit that
features DT Phillip Merling and
LB Nick Watkins, a couple of
all-star candidates that’ll be
monitoring No. 13’s every move.
What will happen:
LeFevour is talented enough to
keep this game competitive
beyond halftime, but won’t be
able to overcome the weak links
in the Central Michigan
defense. Davis and Spiller will
run wild, playing up to their
potential for the first time in
three weeks. CFN Prediction:
Clemson 38 … Central
Michigan
23 ... Line: Clemson -17 Must See Rating: (5
Keeping Up with the
Kardashians
- 1 Ellen's dog plea) ...
2.5
Wake Forest (4-2) at Navy (4-2)
1:00 EST, CSTV Why to watch: It looks as
if Cinderella might have a
sequel in 2007. Written off
after two close losses to Boston
College and Nebraska, Wake
Forest has stormed back with
four straight wins, including a
miraculous comeback to beat
Maryland and last Thursday’s
upset of Florida State. At 4-2
and 3-1 in league play, the
Demon Deacons remain very much
alive in the ACC Atlantic with a
second half schedule that’s free
of any immovable objects. While
this week’s trip to Annapolis
will have no impact on that
chase, it could get Wake within
a win of back-to-back bowl games
for the first time in school
history. Navy, too, is inching
toward another postseason game,
and would love adding another
ACC skin to the trophy case
after beating Pittsburgh out of
the Big East last Wednesday.
Since losing to Ball State, the
Middies have won three games
in-a-row, leaning on the
finely-tuned triple-option to
crank out more than 300 yards on
the ground in each game. Why Wake Forest might win:
Yeah, there’s no way to stop
the Navy running game, but
the Deacons can slow it down
with a disciplined run defense
that’s allowing just 100 yards a
game, including only 47 yards to
the Seminoles last week. Plus,
head coach Jim Grobe is no
stranger to the option, having
run it in his days at Ohio. On
offense, Wake Forest will attack
one of the nation’s worst
defenses with a deep backfield
of its own and an intermediate
passing game that’s spearheaded
by QB Riley Skinner. Why Navy might win: The
Midshipmen come in with a head
of steam, courtesy of last
week’s thrilling,
double-overtime defeat of
Pittsburgh. Navy has been held
below 30 points just once this
season, and the running game is
humming with QB Kaipo-Noa
Kaheaku-Enhada playing the point
and FBs Eric Kettani and Adam
Ballard battering opposing
defenses with their linebacker
size. The Middies best defense
on Saturday will be a
ball-control offense that’s only
turned the ball over eight times
all season. Who to watch: While
redshirt freshman Josh Adams has
become the workhorse of the
running game, Wake Forest turns
to versatile WR Kenneth Moore
when it needs to stretch a
defense. One of the program’s
fastest players, Moore has been
used on reverses and direct
snaps, and is the Deacons’ most
dangerous receiver and return
man. He’ll rip off at least two
big plays against a Navy defense
that doesn’t have the lateral
quickness to keep him under
wraps. What will happen: While
Wake Forest at Navy might sound
like an uneventful game, it’ll
actually wind up being pretty
entertaining with both offenses
cruising up and down the field.
The Deacons, however, will have
the edge on defense, making key
stops late that’ll escape the
porous Middie D. CFN Prediction:
Wake
Forest 38 … Navy 31
... Line: Wake Forest -3 Must See Rating: (5
Keeping Up with the
Kardashians
- 1 Ellen's dog plea) ...
2.5
