BYU (2-2) at New Mexico
(3-1)
8:30 PM CSTV Why to Watch: With TCU struggling, and Utah is playing Jekyll-and-Hyde
ball, all of a sudden, BYU vs. New
Mexico could determine the Mountain West
title. BYU, winners of nine straight in
league play, got past the shootout loss
to Tulsa to thump Air Force, while the
Lobos are on a three-game winning
streak, highlighted by a win over
Arizona two weeks ago. Expect footballs
to be flying everywhere, since both
teams are bombing away effectively, and
neither is doing much in the way of
defending the pass. As good as New
Mexico has been in recent years, this
could be one of the program’s biggest
wins under head coach Rocky Long. Why BYU Might Win: Look no
further than under center, where
sophomore Max Hall has been excellent in
place of John Beck, completing 62.4% of
his throws for 1,509 yards. In last
week’s win, he had 293 yards on 23-of-33
passing and two scores, and has proven
to be a good leader who comes up with
key throws when needed. Defensively, the
Cougars should be able to stop New
Mexico star back Rodney Ferguson,
allowing just 95 rushing yards per game
so far. Why New Mexico Might Win: The
Lobos have a balanced attack that blends
Ferguson’s runs with Donovan Porterie’s
passing accuracy, and they should be
able to mix things up against the
Cougars as long as the air attack is
working. Like BYU, the Lobos have pop on
offense, a killer run defense, and have
been explosive at stretches. New Mexico
has also fashioned a plus-six turnover
ratio, a good indication of its ability
to take care of the ball. Who to Watch: Ferguson finished
last year with three straight 100-yard
games, giving him four for the year, and
has picked right up this season, hitting
the century mark in three of the Lobos’
games. His fourth effort was a near-miss
(94). A 6-0, 229-pounder with a good
blend of speed and power, he can handle
a heavy workload and still stay fresh
late in the game. To keep Hall and the
BYU offense off the field, he’ll have to
be stellar. What Will Happen: The Lobos will
get their licks in, but BYU showed what
it could defensively last week and will
come up with just enough late stops to
get out with the tough win. CFN Prediction: BYU 28 …
New Mexico
23 ...
Line: BYU -5.5 Must See Rating: (5 Ken Burns'
The War - 1 The Big Bang Theory)
... 3.5
Mountain West Saturday, Sept. 29
Air Force
(3-1) at Navy
(2-2)
1:00 PM CSTV Why to Watch: While it doesn't have the fierceness of Army-Navy, Air
Force-Navy is still a great yearly
battle between brothers in arms, and
it's often been far, far more
entertaining a game than the more
celebrated service academy battle at the
end of the year. Navy has won the last
four games between the two by seven,
three, three and three points, but this
is Air Force's best chance to win in the
last few years, thanks to an improved
offense and surprisingly rock-solid
defense. A player in the Mountain West
with a 2-1 conference start, the Falcons
could use a little momentum after
getting blasted 31-6 by BYU. Navy's
schedule eases up in a big way in about
three weeks, but after struggling to
beat Duke, and losing to Ball State in
overtime, it needs this win over Air
Force to keep bowl hopes alive. Why Air Force Might Win:
The normal Navy formula of running the
ball, controlling the clock, and getting
its defense off the field isn't working,
mainly because the defense isn't doing
much to shut down drives. Everyone's
throwing on the porous Midshipman
defense, including Duke's Thaddeus
Lewis, who chucked it for 428 yards and
four touchdowns last week. As far as a
pass rush, forget it. Air Force will
have all the time in the world to let a
few deeper pass plays develop. Why Navy Might Win: Can
Air Force stop the run? Statistically,
yes, allowing fewer than 100 yards per
game, but in reality, the jury is still
out. TCU didn't have top back Aaron
Brown against the Falcons, Utah was in
its first game after losing mobile QB
Brian Johnson and top back Matt Asiata,
and BYU spent its time throwing the
ball, but got a 111-yard rushing day
from Harvey Unga. This is the first time
all year the Falcons will have to deal
with a talented rushing team, and its
linebackers are going to struggle from
the start. Who to Watch: What is
Navy doing with its quarterback
situation?
Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada has been the main man all season long, and he's been decent
running the ball, but his biggest mark
was made as a passer against Duke,
completing 11 of 16 passes for 217 yards
and a touchdown with an interception.
Even so, it was Jarod Bryant who sparked
the offense in the comeback win, running
for 69 yards in a limited role. While
head coach Paul Johnson isn't going to
rotate the two, but if there are any
struggles at all, Bryant will get off
the bench in a hurry. What Will Happen: Navy's offense will do its usual thing, cranking out 350
yards on the ground, but the defense
won't be able to handle the attempted
balance of Air Force. The Falcons will
get 200 passing yards on the way to its
first win in the series since a 48-7
victory in 2002. CFN Prediction:
Air Force
31 ... Navy 23
... Line: Navy -3 Must See Rating: (5 Ken
Burns' The War - 1 The
Big Bang Theory) ...
2.5
Utah State (0-4)
at Utah (1-3)
3:00 PM Why to Watch: Throw out the record books when these two rivals meet.
Fine, so it’s not Auburn –
Alabama, but it’s hard fought,
and considering the lousy starts
to the season for both teams,
each is desperately looking for
the win. The Utes consider
themselves more refined than
their Aggie brethren, and their
Mountain West pedigree is
superior to that of USU’s WAC
affiliation. Add in that the
teams are a combined 1-7 and
starving for a victory, and the
two teams will come in very,
very hungry. Why Utah State Might Win:
The Utah run defense has been
non-existent for long stretches,
and now the Aggies have a
rushing threat in redshirt
freshman Derrvin Speight, who
emerged last week in the loss to
San Jose State after playing a
minor role the first three
weeks. He should provide a spark
to possibly open thing up for QB
Leon Jackson, who’s been
accurate, but not all that
effective early on. On the other
side of the ball, the State
defense should get a break if
the Ute offense stays on its
inconsistent downswing. Why Utah Might Win: The
Utes are expecting a big boost
from the full-time return of QB
Brian Johnson, who separated his
shoulder in the opener against
Oregon State and didn’t return
until the second half of last
week’s loss to UNLV. The Utes
have the ability to be explosive
on offense, as their 44-6 win
over UCLA proved, and now it
should be more consistent. Utah
State isn’t scoring much, so if
Johnson can lead the way to two
early touchdowns, it’s probably
over. Who to Watch: The Utah
medical staff wanted Johnson to
get another full week off, but
once the Utes fell behind UNLV,
coach Kyle Whittingham decided
to return his main man to the
lineup. Whittingham said Johnson
was “80 percent” last week and
expects him to be at 90 this
week. The hope is to get up
early, get Johnson out, and get
Tommy Grady back in. There might
not be a sense of desperation to
get points early, but no one on
the Utes would complain if this
got ugly right off the bat. What Will Happen: As long as the Aggie return game is limited, the Utes
should win without breathing
hard. CFN Prediction:
Utah
37 … Utah State 14
... Line: Utah -20 Must See Rating: (5 Ken
Burns' The War - 1 The
Big Bang Theory) ...
1.5
