|
Nevada at Utah State
3:05 p.m.
Why to Watch: After what
happened last week when the Wolf
Pack played Boise State, why
wouldn’t anybody tune in to
catch the Nevada act whenever
possible? The Pack and Broncos
piled up 136 points and nearly
1,300 yards of total offense in
a 69-67 four-OT BSU classic.
While there might not be similar
fireworks Saturday when the
Aggies hook up with Nevada, that
was the highest scoring game of
the modern era, but are you
willing to take the chance,
especially with the way the
Nevada offense is crackling?
Why Nevada Might Win:
Yes, Nevada lost to Boise State,
but it had 639 total yards and
was basically unstoppable.
Perhaps most impressive was that
the Wolf Pack didn’t turn it
over once. QB Colin Kaepernick
was outstanding in his first
start after regular Nick
Graziano went down for the
season a week earlier with a
freak foot injury. Kaepernick
rushed for 177 yards and two
scores and threw for 243 yards
and three touchdowns looking
like a WAC version of Vince
Young. He’ll try to continue his
dual threat mastery while still
keeping halfback Luke
Lippincott, who rushed for 187
yards and four scores against
BSU, well fed. Since USU is 98th
in total defense, expect plenty
of fireworks from the Wolf Pack,
which shouldn’t have to worry
about anything like what it saw
last week, since the Aggies are
117th nationally in
total offense.
Why Utah State Might Win: If
the Aggies are to get their
first win of the season, they
will have to rely heavily on
their special teams, which are
clearly their top area of
production. The main man in that
department is Kevin Robinson,
who ranks fourth in the country
in punt returns and 11th
in kick returns. It’s important
for Robinson to help set up Utah
State with short fields, the
better to help their offense and
also set up Peter Caldwell, who
has made 10-of-12 field goal
attempts, with some
opportunities.
Who to Watch: Okay, so it
didn’t seem like too many
tackles were made by anybody in
that track meet against Boise
State last week, but Nevada
junior linebacker Joshua Mauga
was busy, despite the
free-for-all offensive climate.
Mauga registered 12 stops,
bringing his total to 70 on the
year and keeping himself among
the nation’s top 10 in tackles.
Mauga moved back to the inside
last year after spending his
freshman season as an OLB and is
an interior stalwart. It makes
sense that he can wrap people up
and bring them down, since he
was a top wrestler in high
school. Now on a pace to make
140 stops this year, Mauga is
looking good in terms of his
takedowns.
What Will Happen: Utah
State will hang for a while, and
there’s a chance that Kaepernick
might struggle in his second
start, but Nevada has way too
much firepower.
CFN Prediction:
Nevada
38 … Utah State 13
...
Line: Nevada -7.5
Must See Rating: (5
Keeping Up with the
Kardashians
- 1 Ellen's dog plea) ...
1.5
Boise State at Louisiana Tech
7:00 p.m
Why to Watch: The Broncos
may have had their winning
streak snapped earlier in the
year by Washington, but since
then they have it cranking
highlighted by last week’s 69-67
four-overtime win over Nevada.
That production figures to
continue Saturday, but the
Broncos have to do it in the
first game of a two-week road
trip that should determine
whether they’ll head into their
late-November showdown with
Hawaii undefeated. Nothing is a
given, but following the visits
to LTU and Fresno State, BSU
plays three teams with a
combined 4-16 record.
Why Boise State Might Win:
Last week’s win produced 627
total yards and just two
turnovers. Although the Broncos
threw for more yards than they
ran for, they had 12 more plays
on the ground showing off
tremendous balance. Louisiana
Tech has the nation’s 30th
ranked rushing defense and will
load up on Ian Johnson, who
won’t gain 205 yards as he did
last week, but the way things
are going, that should mean
Taylor Tharp should continue his
hot streak after throwing for
320 yards and four scores
against Nevada. And though Boise
State wasn’t exactly the ’85
Bears defensively versus the
Wolf Pack, it’s facing the
nation’s 106th-ranked
offense.
Why Louisiana Tech Might Win:
If the Bulldogs are to have a
shot, it comes down on QB Zac
Champion, who had his best game
of the season last week against
New Mexico State. Champion
rushed for 54 yards and threw
for 215 and two scores (on
22-of-35 passing) to lead the
way. If he has another top-shelf
contest, LTU could be in the
game. While the defense stops
the run well, its secondary has
also been relatively strong. The
main factor is the predatory
tandem of Tony Moss and Weldon
Brown, with four interceptions
each, leading to a plus-7
turnover margin. Another D-back,
Antonio Backer, has 65 tackles
on the season along with five
tackle for loss.
Who to Watch: Some Bronco
fans worried after Jared
Zabransky left the fold last
year, following a brilliant
career. But Tharp has stepped up
quite well and seems to be
getting more comfortable each
game. Last week’s performance
was his best in terms of yards,
and Tharp kept things rolling
well, even as Nevada kept the
pressure on through the overtime
periods. The senior has thrown
eight TD passes in his last two
games and has made the most of
his opportunity to play, after
three years of waiting.
What Will Happen: There
just isn’t any way Louisiana
Tech can keep up. Boise State is
on a roll and should continue.
CFN Prediction:
Boise
State 38 … Louisiana Tech
14...
Line: Boise State -16.5
Must See Rating: (5
Keeping Up with the
Kardashians
- 1 Ellen's dog plea) ...
2.5
Idaho at New Mexico State,
8 p.m.
Why to Watch: In a league
that’s suffered an inordinate
amount of quarterback injuries,
here’s a matchup of two such
victims. Though there is a
chance New Mexico State’s Chase
Holbrook (ribs) could play, the
Aggies and Vandals are likely to
rely on their backups, NMSU’s
J.J. McDermott and Idaho’s Brian
Nooy. Both teams are also
looking for their first WAC wins
of the year while trying to snap
losing streaks, although the
Aggies’ two-game slide is more
modest than Idaho’s five-gamer.
Why Idaho Might Win: The
Vandals piled up 279 yards on
the ground last week and will
look to do the same thing
against an Aggie defense that’s
better than past year, but can
still be run on. Deonte Jackson
is averaging 112.4 yards per
game, coming off a 108-yard, one
touchdown day on just 11 carries
last week. With Nathan Enderle
(hand surgery) out for at least
a couple more games, Brian Nooy
must take a step up. He threw
two touchdown passes last week
against Fresno State and needs
only to become a little more
efficient to give the Vandals a
balanced attack.
Why New Mexico State Might
Win: The 3-4 Aggies have won
all of their games this season
in Las Cruses. Second, NMSU is
fourth in the league against the
run and should be able to tee
off on Jackson. Nooy isn’t
enough of a passing threat to
worry about. If Holbrook is
back, expect the Aggie attack to
soar against a Vandal defense
that struggles with the bombers,
the dinkers and dunkers, and
everything in between. But
McDermott looked good last week
in his first start, throwing for
319 yards and two scores without
an interception.
Who to Watch: No matter
who carries or catches the ball
for the Aggies, expect to see
David Vobora in on the play. The
senior linebacker was seventh in
the nation in tackles last year
(134) and is ninth this season,
with 80. He has been especially
effective the past two games,
piling up 15 stops against
Fresno State and 18 the week
before, versus San Jose State.
The 6-1, 214-pounder is quick
enough to hang with slot
receivers in coverage and tough
enough to blow up the run.
What Will Happen: It
doesn’t matter who plays QB for
the Aggies, because NMSU will
pile up the yards and points
against the generous Idaho D,
while Nooy will struggle some
with consistency.
CFN Prediction:
New
Mexico State 30 … Idaho
17 ...
Line: New Mexico State
-10
Must See Rating: (5
Keeping Up with the
Kardashians
- 1 Ellen's dog plea) ...
1.5
|