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Utah State
(0-2) at Oklahoma
(2-0)
3:30 pm ESPN2
Why to Watch:
If you’re a fan of spinning
scoreboards and the old Sooner
teams of yesterday, which used
to hang half a hundred without
breathing hard, then this is the
game for you. Oklahoma is
averaging 65 points a game, and
a visit from the 0-2 Aggies, who
have blown two consecutive
fourth-quarter leads, isn’t
going to hurt that average. The
Sooners blasted Miami, 51-13,
last week and are now being
considered among the nation’s
elite, along with USC and LSU,
and in the national title hunt.
If you thought Appalachian State
beating Michigan was a shocker,
a Utah State win would be even
bigger.
Why Utah State Might Win:
To keep it close, QB Leon
Jackson has to use his leg as
well as his arm to keep the
chains moving, and he has to do
everything possible to avoid
turnovers. The Sooners have
picked off three passes and
returned one for a touchdown,
and Jackson is going to have to
press early on. Running back
Curtis Marsh has to solid enough
to establish some semblance of a
ground game on the opening
drive. This is a veteran Aggie
team that’s playing far better
than it did last year, and if OU
is snoozing after the big win
over Miami, this might not be
too bad until after halftime.
Why Oklahoma Might Win:
Oklahoma’s offense has been
outstanding, thanks to redshirt
freshman QB Sam Bradford, who is
a ridiculous 40-of-48 for 568
yards with eight scores and no
picks. He has a deep receiving
corps, led by big-play man
Malcolm Kelly, and running back
DeMarco Murray has 151 yards on
the ground and five touchdowns.
It’s all stemming from an
offensive line that isn’t
allowing Bradford to get
touched. The Sooner defense
hasn’t been overwhelming, but
the secondary showed against
Miami why it’s among the best in
America, while the run defense
is allowing just one yard per
carry.
Whom to Watch: Anybody
who wondered whether Bradford
was up to the job of running the
show doesn’t have too many
doubts now. He has been
accurate, confident and capable
of making the big play down the
field. A lot of young QBs are
kept in a cocoon and just throw
short passes. Not Bradford, who
has been able to throw it all
over the place without making
too many mistakes. Even against
Miami, which was supposed to be
formidable defensively, he
looked in control and produced
well.
What Will Happen: The
Sooners, won’t be as sharp as
they’ve been over he first two
games, but they’ll score early
and often.
CFN Prediction: Oklahoma
48 …
Utah State 6
... Line: Oklahoma -46
Must See Rating: (5
Britney at the VMAs - 1 Big
Shots) ... 1.5
Louisiana Tech
(1-1) at California (2-0)
6:30 PM
Why to watch: Just how
good is California? After
getting gobs of national love
following a 45-31 win over
Tennessee, the defense struggled
again as Colorado State made it
way too close in a 34-28 Bear
win. With the Pac 10 schedule
kicking off next week against
Arizona, the Bears have to dump
on Louisiana Tech and use this
game to make sure everything is
in place on both sides of the
ball. The Bulldogs aren't
planning on being a bunch of
tackling dummies, especially
after a strong overtime loss to
Hawaii. New head coach Derek
Dooley isn't afraid to take
chances, and he'll have his team
playing loose and with nothing
to lose.
Why Louisiana Tech might win:
The Cal defense hasn't decided
to start the season yet,
especially against the pass,
getting picked apart for 572
yards in the first two games.
Louisiana Tech doesn't have a
high-powered attack, but QB Zac
Champion and the passing game
were effective enough against
Hawaii to keep pace and come
though with the clutch drives
late when needed. As long as the
Bulldogs can maintain a balance,
they should be able to trade
punches.
Why California might win:
Louisiana Tech was able to stay
alive against Hawaii by forcing
three turnovers, and came up
with six takeaways against
Central Arkansas. The only way
the Bulldogs can have any shot
to keep it close is by creating
a ton of turnovers, but that's
not likely to happen. Besides
being explosive, balanced and
effective, the Cal offense has
been relatively error-free so
far. Yes, the Tech offense was
effective last week, but it
doesn't have the consistent
passing game to keep up the pace
if Cal starts to make this a
shootout early on.
Who to watch: While
everyone wants to see Cal's
DeSean Jackson with the ball in
his hands, especially as a punt
returner, Louisiana Tech has
just as much explosion on
returns, along with a strong
punting game. While he's only
had three chances so far, Tech
junior Philip Beck has made the
most of them, returning three
punts for 121 yards to lead the
nation with a 40.3-yard average.
The Bulldogs are currently
second in the nation in net
punting, with Chris Keagle
currently sixth with a 47.3-yard
average.
What will happen: Cal's
defense will once again be
shaky, but the offense will blow
the doors off the Bulldogs and
make this a laugher by halftime.
CFN Prediction:
California 51 ...
Louisiana
Tech 20
... Line: California
-33.5
Must See Rating: (5
Britney at the VMAs - 1 Big
Shots) ... 2
Fresno State
(1-1) at Oregon (2-0)
7:00 PM GamePlan
Why to watch:
For the Bulldogs and the Ducks,
last Saturday became a throwback
weekend, with the latter playing
like a bona fide top 15 team,
and the former scaring the
bejeesus out of a major BCS
team. Behind the suddenly deft
passing of Dennis Dixon, Oregon
thumped Michigan in Ann Arbor, a
sign it might be winning its
five-year battle with
mediocrity. The unexpectedly
easy win has also propelled the
Ducks into the Top 25, but it
has also put the spotlight back
on. Considering the way the team
faded last year, it can’t afford
a mental let down this week.
Fresno State put up a valiant
fight at Texas A&M, coming back
from a 19-point deficit before
losing in triple overtime.
After bottoming out last year
and seeing Boise State, Hawaii,
and Nevada struggle on Saturday,
the rejuvenated Bulldogs have to
believe that the WAC title is
within reach. It might seem too
simplistic, but this one might
come down to who’s head is in
the game.
Why Fresno State might win:
As hot as Dixon has been to
start the season, he’s going to
find air travel a little more
congested this week than it was
against Houston and Michigan.
Led by senior CB Damon Jenkins,
the Bulldog pass defense has
been air-tight, allowing just a
single touchdown pass in two
games while holding opponents to
a nation’s-low 2.9 yards per
attempt. Do not underestimate
the importance of DT Jason
Shirley’s return from
suspension. He’s a 6-5,
335-pound space-eater, who’ll
literally be a huge addition to
the Fresno run defense.
Why Oregon might win:
Through two games, the Quack
Attack has been humming,
averaging 335 yards a game on
the ground to go along with a
vastly improved passing game.
Fresno State might be able to
stop one of the two, but not
both. After laboring to slow
down big Jorvorskie Lane last
week, the Bulldogs will want no
part of 230-pound Jonathan
Stewart. Be sure to follow the
bouncing ball at Autzen
Stadium. While Oregon is No. 3
nationally in turnover margin,
Fresno State is ranked 110th
out of 119 programs.
Who to watch: After
scratching the surface of his
potential in 2006, WR Brian
Paysinger appears poised for a
breakout final season in
Eugene. Blessed with terrific
size and speed, he’s caught four
balls in each game for 160 yards
and two touchdowns, which is
going to get Jenkins’ attention
this weekend.
What will happen: In
recent years, games between
these two schools are never
decided by too many points.
This year won’t be different.
Fresno State will put up a good
fight into the second half
before Oregon pulls away on the
backs of Stewart and his backup,
Jeremiah Johnson.
CFN Prediction:
Oregon
38 … Fresno State 27
... Line: Oregon -16.5
Must See Rating: (5
Britney at the VMAs - 1 Big
Shots) ... 2.5
UTEP (1-1) at New Mexico State (1-1)
8:00 PM
Why to watch: There’ll be
plenty of balls in the air
Saturday night as UTEP and New
Mexico State renew their I-10
rivalry in Las Cruces. With
Mike Price and Hal Mumme on the
sidelines, anything can and will
happen on the offensive side of
the ball. The Miners have had
somewhat of a strange start to
the season, upsetting New Mexico
in a defensive struggle before
losing a close game with Texas
Tech in a shootout. On a team
that’s loaded with new starters
everywhere, consistency and
sustained excellence is going to
be a problem in 2007. New
Mexico State nearly authored an
upset of its own at rival New
Mexico last Saturday, but faded
in the fourth quarter. While
the Aggies are piling up the
passing numbers as expected,
they’ll need QB Chase Holbrook
to cut down on his picks for the
team to be successful this
fall. New Mexico State travels
to Auburn next week, making a
win this week that much more
critical to the program’s big
picture.
Why UTEP might win: The
Miners entered this season
committed to more balance on
offense, especially with a new
starter under center. So far,
they’ve been up to the
challenge, which is going to
cause problems for a suspect
Aggie D. Marcus Thomas, Terrell
Jackson, and Donald Buckram form
a solid trio of backs for UTEP,
and when part-time QB Lorne Sam
leaves the pocket, New Mexico
State won’t have the athletes to
catch him. The Miners ran for
215 yards against Texas Tech
last week, a trend that’ll
continue, if for nothing else to
keep Holbrook & Co. on the
sidelines.
Why New Mexico State might
win: In its first test this
season against a pass-happy
offense, the young UTEP defense
failed, allowing 484 yards
passing to Graham Harrell and
Texas Tech. What’s worse is the
fact that the Miners’ rebuilt
front seven has produced just
one sack despite facing more
than 100 passes this season.
Holbrook will have all day to
survey the UTEP defense, and
throw strikes to his favorite
receivers, Chris Williams and
Derek Dubois. If the Miners get
roped into a track meet, their
passing game isn’t quite ready
to keep up.
Who to watch: While it doesn’t
happen that often, when New
Mexico State decides to run the
ball, it’s having a lot of
success this month. Credit for
that goes to sophomore Tonny
Glynn, who’s averaging more than
ten yards on his 16 carries. As
a change-of-pace, UTEP must now
pay attention to the occasional
inside hand-off that Glynn can
take for big chunks of real
estate.
What will happen: In one
of the more entertaining games
this weekend that no one outside
the region will watch, the
Aggies and Miners will trade
punches for four quarters.
Unlike last weekend, Holbrook
will protect the ball in the
final frame, leading New Mexico
State to an emotional victory.
CFN Prediction: New
Mexico State 34 …
UTEP
31 ...
Line: New Mexico State
-6.5
Must See Rating: (5 Britney at
the VMAs - 1 Big Shots)
... 2
WAC Week Three Fearless Predictions, Part
2
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