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Boise State (8-1) at Utah State (0-9)
3:00 p.m GamePlan
Why to Watch: The Broncos
careen toward their showdown
with Hawaii for the WAC title
and are playing with the type of
offensive ruthlessness that
characterized their great teams
of the past. Boise State has two
tune-up games remaining before
its trip to the middle of the
Pacific, this week at Utah State
and next Saturday versus Idaho.
From there, it’s on to the Big
Island and the Warriors. For
now, it’s about avoid the
colossal letdown and making a
statement for a possible
at-large BCS berth. Moving up in
the polls is a must each week to
get in a position for a big
money game with a win over
Hawaii. As for the Aggies,
they’re trying to snap a 15-game
losing streak and would make
huge headlines if they upset BSU.
Why Boise State Might Win:
The Broncos now have three
productive runners with whom
they can torment enemy
defenders, Ian Johnson, Jeremy
Avery and D.J. Harper, so if
teams want to load up against
the pass, they have a variety of
ways to suffer on the ground.
Speaking of the pass, Taylor
Tharp has been sharp of late and
completed 28-of-35 for 259 yards
and three scores in last week’s
rout of San Jose State. The
Broncos play some pretty good
defense, too, as evidenced by
their status as the nation’s
14th-ranked squad in total D.
Why Utah State Might Win:
The Aggies hope that Derrvin
Speight’s 71 yards (on just 11
carries) against Fresno State
was an indication he is ready to
provide a steady complement to
do-everything QB Leon Jackson,
who threw for 216 yards and two
scores last week. Utah State’s
27 points in the loss
represented its third-highest
total of the year, so the
offense is peaking at the right
time, given Boise State’s
ability to score. The Aggies
hope Kevin Robinson, who is
second in the nation in
all-purpose yardage, can help
with field position on returns
and then get loose in the
passing game to put pressure on
the Broncos.
Who to Watch: The
burgeoning Boise State ground
game has gained headlines of
late, especially since Johnson
has returned from injury, but
junior wideout Jeremy Childs has
quietly become a productive
weapon on the outside. Childs
caught only 14 passes last year,
but he has already pulled in 60
and scored eight times. He’s not
the biggest player at his
position (6-0, 184), but he has
become a favorite target of
Tharp’s and has shown the
ability to get downfield.
What Will Happen: The
Broncos are on a serious roll,
and Utah State doesn’t have
anywhere near enough to slow
them down.
CFN Prediction:
Boise State
45 … Utah State 10.. Line:
Boise State -24.5
Must See Rating: (5
Seinfeld: Season 9 - 1 Bee
Movie) ... 1
New Mexico State (4-6) at San
Jose State (3-6)
4:00 p.m GamePlan
Why to Watch: Both teams
are trying to get themselves
headed back in the right
direction after mini slumps that
derailed promising seasons. The
Spartans have dropped three
straight, the last two by a
combined score of 72-7, while
NMSU has dropped a pair,
including last week’s tough,
40-38 loss to Nevada. Although
neither is still in the hunt for
a slice of the WAC title, the
winner will still hold out hope
to finish .500 with a bowl bid.
Both teams throw the ball, so
expect lots of passing, lots of
big plays, and lots of yards …
and no running.
Why New Mexico State Could
Win: The Aggie passing
attack is finally starting to
show the explosiveness everyone
expected, and it will go right
after a stunningly generous San
Jose State pass defense that’s
been bombed on over the last few
weeks by Hawaii and Boise State.
QB Chase Holbrook has been
spectacular the last three
games, throwing for 1,139 yards
and eight scores, despite not
having the services of top
wideout Chris Williams (broken
collarbone). The Aggies have
actually had some increased
production on the ground, as
well, mostly from Justine
Buries, who gained 68 yards last
week against Nevada. Yes,
there’s a little bit of balance.
A little bit.
Why San Jose State Might Win:
The Spartans will try to counter
the Aggies through the air,
because NMSU isn’t good at all
against the pass. That means
Adam Tafralis must play the way
he did two weeks ago against
Fresno State (254 yards), rather
than in his performance against
Boise State last Saturday (77
yards). The Spartans have a
plus-eight turnover margin,
which could factor into their
defense against the Aggie aerial
show. San Jose also hung tough
with Hawaii in October, forcing
the Warriors to overtime, a good
indication they have the
potential to control an offense
like New Mexico State’s.
Who to Watch: Ever since
Williams went down, the Aggies
have been relying on their
lesser-known receivers, most
notably senior Derek Dubois, who
caught nine passes last week and
has hauled in 51 for the season,
while scoring three times. Even
if Williams were around, Dubois
would still factor into the NMSU
picture, thanks to his excellent
return skills and Holbrook’s
increasing reliance on him.
Dubois leads the team in kickoff
returns and is ninth on the
school’s all-time return list.
What Will Happen: San Jose
State isn’t as bad as it has
shown in the past couple weeks,
against two of the WAC’s best.
The Spartans get it together and
take advantage of the weak NMSU
defense.
CFN Prediction:
San Jose
State 34 … New Mexico
State 23...
Line: San Jose State -3.5
Must See Rating: (5
Seinfeld: Season 9 - 1 Bee
Movie) ... 1.5
Louisiana Tech (4-5) at LSU
(8-1)
8:00 p.m. GamePlan
Why to Watch: The Tigers
are now ranked second in the BCS
standings, and that means two
things. First, win out, and it’s
on to the national title, so
every game is vital, even a
seemingly unimportant contest
against an in-state
non-conference opponent.
However, a little slip, and that
means a close win against Tech,
and Oregon will start to get
more consideration. Second,
since so many teams that have
been ranked second this year
have lost (Boston College fell
just last week), there is the
chance some sort of jinx exists
at the position, and Louisiana
Tech could be waiting to take
advantage of it. Don’t laugh.
The Bulldogs took Texas A&M to
overtime earlier this year and
have won two straight. Granted,
they aren’t in LSU’s class and
wouldn’t fare so well with a
steady diet of SEC opposition,
but any time one of the state’s
smaller schools gets a shot at
the big cheese, it approaches
the contest with a crusade-like
intensity.
Why Louisiana Tech Might Win:
During its modest winning
streak, the Bulldogs have
benefited from a solid running
game, led by Patrick Jackson and
Daniel Porter. Jackson rushed
for 101 yards and two scores in
the win over Utah State and
added 155 and a TD vs. Idaho,
while Porter has gained 314
yards and scored four times in
the last three LTU games. They
are strong complements to QB Zac
Champion, who has displayed
efficiency this week and was
strong against the Vandals,
throwing for 227 yards. The
Bulldogs excel on defense at
stopping the run and are ranked
21st nationally in that
category. They also have a
plus-six turnover figure and no
doubt took notice of LSU
quarterback Matt Flynn’s three
interceptions last week against
Alabama. Flynn must also worry
about linebacker Chris Pugh, who
has 6.5 sacks this year and
spends a lot of time in enemy
backfields.
Why LSU Might Win: The
Bulldogs can run it, all right,
but the Tigers are fourth in the
nation against the run and boast
a front wall that might be the
nation’s best, beginning with
All-Americas Glenn Dorsey and
Kirston Pittman, who piles up
the tackles behind the line. And
though Champion has been solid,
he hasn’t faced a secondary like
LSU’s, which features standout
safety Craig Steltz and shutdown
corner Chevis Jackson. If LTU
expects to stymie the LSU ground
game, it had better be ready for
a fight, because the combination
of tailback Jacob Hester between
the tackles and quarterback Ryan
Perriloux (back from a one-game
suspension) on draws and choice
option plays is tough to beat.
Flynn did throw three picks
against Alabama, but he also had
353 yards and three touchdowns.
The final problem posed by the
Tigers is coach Les Miles’
continued desire to go for it on
fourth down, which puts great
pressure on opponents who are
hoping that a three-and-out is
good enough to get back the
ball.
Who to Watch: This should
be a game for the LSU running
game. In what should be a
blowout, the Tigers will want to
get its running game rolling
early, and that should mean more
from Keiland Williams, who’s
been an afterthought for most of
the year and has only five
carries in the last three games.
Sophomore Charles Scott should
also get some more work, having
yet to find the end zone since
scoring twice against Kentucky
three weeks ago. The more these
two get involved down the
stretch, the more dangerous LSU
will be.
What Will Happen: Forget
about the jinx. LSU rolls past
the overmatched Bulldogs and
takes another step toward the
BCS title game.
CFN Prediction:
LSU
44 … Louisiana Tech 6
...
Line: Louisiana Tech -36
Must See Rating: (5
Seinfeld: Season 9 - 1 Bee
Movie) ... 1.5 |