Air
Force
(3-0) at BYU
(1-2)3:00
PM
Why to Watch:
With wins already over Utah and TCU, Air
Force has established itself as one of
the early surprises of the 2007 season
on a national scale, and not just in the
Mountain West. New coach Troy Calhoun
has a chance to knock off three of the
pre-season favorites in the league race,
with a win this week all but cementing
Air Force as the number one team to
beat. BYU, meanwhile, will try to shake
off the residue of a turnover-filled
loss to Tulsa and try to find some
defensive success against a Falcon team
that’s been efficient, but not
overpowering.
Why Air Force Might Win:
The defense is playing better than it
has in years, ranking 10th in
scoring defense (10.7 ppg) and total D
(253.0 yards), while standing 17th
in rushing defense (77.3 yards). Air
Force snuck past TCU in overtime,
erasing a 14-point fourth-quarter lead,
a week after stopping the Utes, 20-12.
Offensively, QB Shaun Carney has had his
moments throwing the ball, but when push
has come to shove, he’s run the ball
well with the option working even more
effectively than expected. BYU is
allowing 279.7 yards per game through
the air, and the Falcons will be sure to
pick their spots to take advantage of
the safeties cheating up to sop Carney.
Why BYU Might Win:
The Cougars can put points and yards on
the board in bunches, and could simply
outdistance themselves from the Falcons
early on. Last week, the attack cranked
out 684 yards and 47 points against
Tulsa. It was a loss, but it still
showed off the explosiveness that Air
Force doesn’t have.. Sophomore QB Max
Hall threw for 537 yards and four
scores, but for the second straight
week, he had an interception returned
for a touchdown. Three different BYU
receivers topped the 100-yard mark
against the Golden Hurricane, and Harvey
Unga rushed for 100 yards. BYU had
better pile it up, because it has
problems with turnovers and penalties
(14 against Tulsa). Who to Watch: There were plenty
of stars of Air Force’s win over TCU,
but one of the biggest was senior
tailback Jim Ollis, who rushed for a
career-high 138 yards in his second-ever
start, with a 71-yard TD run that turned
the game around, along with a key
ten-yard run in overtime to help set up
the winning field goal. Ollis was a
backup quarterback and halfback before
this year, but could use this game to
finally cement himself at tailback.
What Will Happen:
When good defense meets high-powered
offense, the verdict usually goes to the
D, but BYU’s offense will get up too
big. The Air Force defensive stats are
nice, but that’s because it hasn’t faced
anyone with skill players. That’ll
change this week. CFN Prediction:
BYU 34 …
Air Force 21
... Line: BYU -9.5 Must See Rating: (5 Curb Your
Enthusiasm - 1 Kid Nation)
... 3
Mountain West Saturday, Sept. 22
Colorado State
(0-2) at Houston
(1-1)4:30
PM CSTV
Why to watch:
A couple of the nation’s better
mid-major backs, Colorado
State’s Kyle Bell and Houston’s
Anthony Alridge, will be on
display as these two schools
meet for the first time in 34
years. The Cougars rebounded
from an opening day loss to
Oregon by beating up Tulane to
get a jump start on the rest of
the Conference USA West. No one
quarterback can replace
Houston’s Kevin Kolb, so Art
Briles is trying two, using
sophomore Blake Joseph and
redshirt freshman Case Keenum
extensively in both games.
Colorado State is winless this
season, but could very easily be
2-0 after losing to Colorado and
Cal by a combined nine points.
Although the Rams are clearly a
better team than the 2006
edition, no one is going to pay
attention until they begin
executing better in the red zone
and end the current nine-game
losing streak that started last
October. Why Colorado State might win:
The Houston defense is plenty
fast, but it’s still prone to
giving up the big play and isn’t
very stingy against the better
running teams. Oregon gashed
the Cougars for 339 yards on the
ground two weeks ago, so look
for Bell to soften the unit with
about 30 carries and 125 yards.
Bell’s return has also helped QB
Caleb Hanie, who’s completing
70% of his passes and has thrown
four touchdown passes in the
first two games. The keys for
Hanie will be to protect the
ball in Houston territory and
find a new go-to guy now that TE
Kory Sperry is out for the year. Why Houston might win:
It’s one thing to allow a couple
of homers to Cal, but when the
feeble Colorado offense zings
you for 31 points, your defense
is going to be vulnerable to
quick-strike offenses, such as
Houston’s. Alridge makes
defensive coordinators change
gameplans, and the two-headed
quarterback is beginning to
develop a rhythm with a talented
receiving corps that includes
WRs Jeron Harvey and Donnie
Avery, and TE Mark Hafner.
Colorado State has gotten very
little penetration in the early
going, which presents a problem
against this fleet-footed Cougar
offense. Who to watch: Healthy
again after missing most of last
season, Houston’s high-motor,
hard-hitting S Rocky Schwartz is
back to making plays again for
the Cougar defense. After
tallying six tackles a week ago
in New Orleans, he’ll be counted
on this week to cheat up a
little in order to gang up on
Bell. What will happen: Until
Colorado State can start
learning how to win close games,
it’s going to find ways to lose,
especially away from Fort
Collins. Houston will get
another banner all-purpose day
from Alridge to ward off the
challenge from the Rams. CFN Prediction:
Houston
36 … Colorado State 27...
Line: Houston -7 Must See Rating: (5
Curb Your Enthusiasm - 1
Kid Nation) ... 2
Portland State
(1-2) at San Diego State
(0-2) 6:35
PM
Why to Watch:
With the fifth-best I-AA passing
attack squaring off against the
FBS’s worst defense, there are
bound to be some fireworks. San
Diego State goes for its first
win of the year after a pair of
losses to Pac-10 teams, while
Jerry Glanville’s Vikings aim to
build on last week’s triumph
over Sacramento State, their
first of the year. It will be
the run-n-shoot against a D that
has been awful this season,
surrendering 566.5 yards per
game. Expect lots of points,
lots of yards, and a fun game
that should be one of the most
entertaining of the Mountain
West week. Why Portland State Might Win:
The Vikings list six starting
wideouts on their depth chart
and average a measly 24.7
rushing yards per game, so PSU
aims to pass and pass all the
time. Last week, QB Brian White
completed 26-of-37 for 363 yards
and pair of scores. Averaging
306 passing yards per game, the
production has been there from
the start. Since San Diego State
is allowing 340 passing yards a
game, the yards should come in
chunks. Whether it’s enough to
make up for a generous defense
remains to be seen.
Why San Diego State Might Win:
Yes, the Vikes pile up the
yards, but they can’t protect
the quarterback, giving up 25
sacks so far. Not that the
Aztecs are overwhelming
defensively, but they should be
able to pressure White on a
regular basis without having to
do anything funky. The SDSU
offense relies on Kevin
O’Connell, who has completed 61%
of his passes this year, but he
needs to get the ball downfield
more, since the Aztecs average
just 8.9 yards per catch.
Running back Brandon Bornes is
solid (145 yards), providing
some good balance. Who to Watch: The Aztecs
will be paying close attention
to Portland State middle
linebacker Andy Schantz. The
former San Diego State player
transferred three years ago to
PSU and will have a little extra
motivation this week. Last year,
he was a reserve, making 36
tackles, but he has become the
starter and has made 24 tackles
this year as one of the key
pieces to the struggling D.
It’ll be up to him to make sure
O’Connell doesn’t take off and
crank out any back-breaking
runs.
What Will Happen:
The Vikings will throw it around
some, but the Aztecs are too
quick and athletic to be
overrun. They’ll surrender some
yards, but they’ll force
turnovers and wear the Vikings
down. CFN Prediction: San Diego
State 34 … Portland State 23
...
Line: No Line Must See Rating: (5
Curb Your Enthusiasm - 1
Kid Nation) ... 1.5
Sacramento State
(0-2)
at New Mexico
(2-1)
8:00 PM
Why to Watch:
It's deep breath time for a New
Mexico team that's one key play
against UTEP away from being
3-0, and riding high after a
29-27 win over Arizona. The
Lobos have to play what appears
to be the Mountain West's best
team, BYU, right away in the
league opener next week, so the
idea this week is to tune up,
stay healthy, and get ready for
the big showdown. Sacramento
State hasn't been all that awful
so far, battling well in a 24-3
loss to Fresno State before
dealing with the runnin' 'n'
gunnin' of Portland State. The
defense is just good enough to
keep this from being a blowout. Why Sacramento State Might
Win: This is still New
Mexico we're talking about. It's
one of the Mountain West's most
inconsistent teams, and showed
last year it wasn't above losing
a shocker with a 17-6 gaffe
against Portland State. The
Hornets have been decent at
hanging on to the ball so far
and should give the Lobos too
many breaks, while defensively,
they've been phenomenal at
getting into the backfield with
12 sacks in two games. UNM QB
Donovan Porterie could be under
more pressure than he's probably
planning for.
Why New Mexico Might Win:
The passing game is starting to
shine. Mostly be necessity,
after getting into shootouts
with New Mexico State and
Arizona, the Lobos have bombed
their way into a strong start.
The receiving corps is the best
the Hornets have faced, and the
offensive line has done a great
job of protecting Porterie.
Sacramento State will get into
the backfield, but not as often
as it'll need to. Who to Watch: The Lobos
receiving tandem of Marcus Smith
and Travis Brown have been
unstoppable so far, with Smith
flourishing with the improvement
of Porterie's passing. The
senior caught 11 passes against
UTEP, six for 128 against New
Mexico State, and then went nuts
against Arizona with 164 yards
and a touchdown on 11 grabs. On
the other side, Brown caught ten
passes for 121 yards and two
scores, going over the 100-yard
mark for the second straight
game.
What Will Happen:
It'll take a half for New Mexico
to wake up, and then it'll go on
two scoring drives to end the
drama. CFN Prediction: New
Mexico 31 ... Sacramento State
10 ...
Line: No Line Must See Rating: (5
Curb Your Enthusiasm - 1
Kid Nation) ... 1
