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Elon
at
South Florida
Why to watch:
With I-AA Elon on the opening
day menu, the agenda for South
Florida is simple: pick up a W,
work off the rust from a long
off-season, and keep everyone
healthy before next weekend’s
trip to Auburn. No longer a
novelty act, the 2007 Bulls are
built for more than just a
winning season and a consolation
prize bowl game in December.
With a ton of key players back
from last year’s 9-4 team, and
West Virginia and Louisville
visiting, the program believes
it’s ready to compete for a Big
East crown and an automatic BCS
bowl bid. Setting the tone for
a second straight year will be
do-everything QB Matt Grothe,
who led the Bulls in passing,
rushing, and scoring in 2006.
The defense, which returns seven
starters and boasts one the
country’s best corner duos, will
again be underrated and
underpublicized. With all of
Elon’s receivers back for
another season, the Phoenix will
once again feature one of the
Southern Conference’s most
dynamic passing attacks.
Leading the way will be
super-sized All-American Terrell
Hudgins, who caught 69 passes
for 1,027 yards and eight
touchdowns as a freshman phenom
in 2006.
Why Elon might win: If
this becomes a battle of special
teams, advantage Phoenix. Elon
boasts a trio of
all-league-caliber specialists
in punter Brandon Lane, kicker
Andrew Wilcox, and returner
Michael Mayers. To have a
prayer of pulling off the
monumental upset, the Phoenix
needs Lane to consistently bury
the sporadic USF offense deep in
its own territory, and Mayers to
shorten the field for the
offense. Both are capable of
doing their parts in Tampa on
Saturday.
Why South Florida might win:
With Trae Williams and Mike
Jenkins locking down Hudgins,
Elon’s best player will be
neutralized at Raymond James
Stadium. Without the benefit of
a decent running game, DE George
Selvie and the Bulls will feast
on QB Donny Kirby, a redshirt
freshman playing in his first
college game. The USF offense
may not erupt, but it won’t have
to with the defense keeping the
Phoenix in single digits for
most of the game.
Who to watch: True
freshman RB Mike Ford gets his
first opportunity to show why
he’s being called the
highest-rated recruit to ever
sign with South Florida. A 6-2,
220-pound SEC talent playing in
the Big East, he’ll be making
his highly-anticipated debut
with the Bulls, likely as the
backup to Benjamin Williams.
What will happen: While
the defense dominates an
overmatched opponent, the
offense, especially the line,
will use this game as a tune-up
for next week’s sudden ramp up
in competition. Ford will
delight the home crowd, notching
his first 100-yard game on just
a dozen or so carries.
CFN Prediction:
South Florida 43 ... Elon 10...
Line: No Line
Must See Rating:
(5 Hef wants you to take his
place on The Girls Next Door,
but you can’t because you have
to watch this game - 1
Cavemen) ... 1
Final Score:
Connecticut
at
Duke
2:00
PM
Why to Watch: This
matchup, 2004, in San Antonio in
the Final Four … riveting.
Football, 2007, in Durham, NC,
well, not as intriguing, but
worth paying attention to
nonetheless. Duke hasn’t won a
game since 2005 and has an
honest chance of finally ending
a long, painful streak with a
veteran team good enough to pull
off the W. Connecticut is
trying to get back to ‘bowl
team’ status after a 4-8 season
in 2006 marred by breakdowns on
both sides of the ball.
Although a loss in the opener
won’t crush either team’s
overall hopes, a win could set
the tone for a much improved
season. Basically, this is seen
as a must-win for each side.
Why Connecticut Might Win:
As the Huskies break in a new
quarterback Tyler Lorenzen, the
running game should dominate
with running back Donald Brown
shouldering much of the load
early on. Duke linebacker
Michael Tauiliili, the Blue
Devils leading tackler the last
two years, is suspended for this
game, so Brown should have
plenty of success rushing
against a softer D.
Why Duke Might Win: It’s
hard to find a team in the ACC
with as much experience on
offense as the Blue Devils. For
the first year in some time, the
Devils have a consistent,
balanced attack with quarterback
Thaddeus Lewis leading the way
and just enough talent at
receiver to start putting the
ball in the air. With a year
under his belt, Lewis should be
more consistent, reduce the
turnovers and generate big plays
against a shaky Husky secondary
that might not be ready for
prime time.
Who to Watch: Duke
defensive tackle Vince Oghobaase
was a five-star recruit out of
Texas three years ago, but he
has yet to blossom into a
game-changing defender.
However, few linemen in the ACC
have his blend of quickness and
size, and if he puts it all
together, he could be special.
He’s got to take his game to a
new level this fall, starting
with this matchup, and without
Tauiliili in the lineup, he has
to gum up the works and keep
Brown from running inside.
What Will Happen:
Duke will win. Yes, that’s not
a misprint, Duke will win.
Lewis will have a strong passing
day and will avoid the mistakes
that plagued him at times last
year. It’s not going to be a
walk in the park, but the pieces
are there to end the school’s
football nightmare right off the
bat.
CFN Prediction:
Duke
23 … Connecticut 20 …
Line:
Connecticut -5.5
Must See Rating: (5 Hef
wants you to take his place on
The Girls Next Door, but
you can’t because you have to
watch this game - 1 Cavemen)
... 2
Final Score:
Western Michigan
at
West Virginia
3:30 PM
Why to watch:
For the second straight year,
expectations are soaring for No.
3 West Virginia, which begins
2007 with its highest pre-season
ranking in school history. Once
again, the catalysts will be
Heisman contenders Patrick White
and Steve Slaton, the ‘eers
dynamic offensive duo that no
defense over the last two years
has been able to stop. Whether
West Virginia can maintain its
spot among the nation’s elite
will depend on the play of a
defense that got routinely
shredded during the second half
of 2006. The unit gets an early
test from a balanced Western
Michigan offense that can get it
done on the ground with RB Mark
Bonds or through the air with
Tim Hiller and a productive set
of receivers. The experienced
Broncos are coming off their
first bowl game in nearly two
decades, a three-point loss to
the Big East’s Cincinnati, and
will again be in the thick of
things in the tightly-packed MAC
West.
Why Western Michigan might
win: While the Mountaineers
can score points in bunches,
they can also allow them in a
hurry as well, as evidenced late
last year. West Virginia lacks
a consistent pass rush and is
vulnerable through the air, a
recipe for success for the
Bronco passing game. Before
suffering a devastating knee
injury that cost him all of last
year, Hiller tore through the
MAC for 20 touchdown passes and
just three picks as a freshman.
In WR Jamarko Simmons, he also
has a playmaker that can
challenge the Mountaineers
downfield.
Why West Virginia might win:
White and Slaton. Yeah, yeah,
it’s way obvious, but while West
Virginia won’t have much success
through the air against a
terrific Bronco secondary, it’ll
be up to the two stars to be the
difference-makers in a potential
bear trap game. The physical
Mountaineer offensive line will
control the line of scrimmage,
giving the team’s two stars
enough room to snap off a
handful of back-breaking
scampers down the field.
Who to watch: Although
White and Slaton dominate the
headlines and post-season
honors, Western Michigan will
pay dearly if it forgets about
versatile Mountaineer FB Owen
Schmitt. An ideal
change-of-pace at 6-3 and 260
pounds, he’s a devastating lead
blocker, who moves with the
quickness and agility of a
tailback when the ball’s in his
hands. Think Mike Alstott from
a decade ago.
What will happen: Western
Michigan is a veteran,
battle-tested squad that won’t
cower at the sight of the
frenzied Morgantown crowd. The
Broncos will keep things
interesting for the first half
before the Mountaineers’ speed
and depth help them pull away in
the third quarter.
CFN Prediction:
West Virginia 37 ...
Western
Michigan 17... Line: WVU
-24
Must See Rating:
(5 Hef wants you to take his
place on The Girls Next Door,
but you can’t because you have
to watch this game - 1
Cavemen) ... 2.5
Final Score:
Eastern Michigan
at Pitt
6:00 PM
Why to watch:
Is this the season that
Pittsburgh finally turns a
succession of solid recruiting
classes into production on the
field and a bowl game? It
better be or else the heat could
become unbearable for head coach
Dave Wannstedt. There’s no
doubt the talent level has
improved since Wanny returned
home, but the Panthers begin
2007 without emotional leaders
Tyler Palko and H.B. Blades, or
leading receiver Derek Kinder,
who tore his ACL earlier this
month. While not overly sexy,
the program will be built around
solid line play and a physical
ground game. Playing Eastern
Michigan won’t tell Pittsburgh
much about itself, but it will
provide the right opponent for a
fast start. Even with a veteran
team, and coming off a 1-11
season that included a bunch of
close calls, the Eagles are the
heavy favorite to finish in the
MAC West cellar.
Why Eastern Michigan might
win: With tackles Josh Hunt
and Jason Jones shoring up the
interior and leading tackler LB
Daniel Holtzclaw providing run
support, the Eagles can slow
down the Pitt ground game,
forcing new QB Bill Stull to
play beyond his limits. Shifty
Eastern Michigan QBs Andy
Schmitt and Tyler Jones will be
able to move the ball on a
Panther D that’s replacing six
starters from a unit that
allowed more than 40 points in
last year’s final three games.
Why Pittsburgh might win:
Eastern Michigan might be able
to stall Pitt’s running game.
And it might have success in
pass defense. It won’t,
however, be able to do both
Saturday night. Behind
behemoths Mike McGlynn, assuming
his shoulder is healthy, and
Jeff Otah, this is Wannstedt’s
most formidable offensive line,
which will eventually wear down
an undersized Eagle defense.
The Panthers’ determination to
establish a ground game and
stable of backs that includes
LaRod Stephens-Howling, Kevin
Collier, and LeSean McCoy will
carry them to a comfortable win.
Who to watch: Obviously
it hurts to lose a proven
player, such as Kinder, but Pitt
is loaded at receiver and will
recover just fine this year.
Oderick Turner, T.J. Porter, and
Marcel Pestano are all capable
of being leading men at WR U.,
and TE Nate Byham is an
outstanding downfield threat
with substantial upside. All
four will help Stull make the
transition from clipboard-holder
to starting quarterback in 2007.
What will happen: Lots
and lots of young talent will be
on display for Pitt, as the
Panthers break in new starters
and try to erase the memory of
last year’s brutal 0-5 finish.
If not for the opponent, they’d
be vulnerable for getting picked
off in Week 1.
CFN Prediction:
Pittsburgh 38 ... Eastern
Michigan 13... Line: Pitt -20
Must See Rating:
(5 Hef wants you to take his
place on The Girls Next Door,
but you can’t because you have
to watch this game - 1
Cavemen) ... 1.5
Final Score:
Big East Week One Fearless Predictions, Part
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