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New Mexico (1-1) at Arizona
(1-1)
10:00 PM
Why to watch:
After flopping in its debut
against BYU two weeks ago,
Arizona’s new spread offense
sprouted wings on Saturday
night, producing 490 yards and a
career-high five touchdown
passes from Willie Tuitama. The
disclaimer, however, was that
the opponent was Northern
Arizona, so the Wildcats still
have plenty to prove before
being compared to some of the
Pac-10’s elite offenses.
They’ve got one more game to
fine-tune Sonny Dykes’ new
system before opening the league
schedule with a nasty trip to
Cal, so this week’s visit is a
must-win for a program hoping to
play in December. Like Arizona,
New Mexico enjoyed an offensive
wake-up call in Week 2 after
misfiring in a 10-6 loss to UTEP
in the opener. The catalysts of
a 44-34 win over rival New
Mexico State were the Lobos big
three of QB Donovan Porterie, RB
Rodney Ferguson, and WR Marcus
Smith. Old border rivals that
used to play for Kit Carson’s
rifle, these two schools haven’t
met in a decade.
Why New Mexico might win:
It took a week of ineptitude,
but the Lobos are beginning to
look settled in their fourth
offensive system in four years.
The passing of Porterie combined
with the tough running of
Ferguson gives New Mexico a
balanced attack that’ll cause
problems for Arizona Saturday
night. Despite returning ten
starters from last year, the
Wildcats have been beatable
through the air and had only one
sack in their other date with a
Mountain West team.
Why Arizona might win:
The Wildcats, too, began to turn
the corner on offense last
weekend. Tuitama was poised in
the pocket, accurate with his
throws, and not afraid to air it
out downfield. Against a Lobo
secondary that’s missing CB
Glover Quin, and did little to
slow down New Mexico State on
Saturday, Dykes will continue to
open up the aerial portions of
the playbook. The Arizona
defense, which has given up just
160 rushing yards on 60 carries,
will hem in Ferguson, making New
Mexico a one-dimensional
offense.
Who to watch: Already one
of the country’s premier lock
corners, Arizona’s Antoine Cason
is adding punt returner to his
resume. After convincing the
coaching staff to give him a
shot on special teams, the
senior rewarded their approval
with a 70-yard burst for a score
in the win over Northern
Arizona.
What will happen: While
both programs are making strides
on offense, don’t expect to see
a shootout in the desert. The
Lobos are a veteran team that’ll
keep this game competitive until
Arizona pulls away for good in
the fourth quarter.
CFN Prediction: Arizona
28 …
New Mexico 19
... Line: Arizona -10
Must See Rating: (5
Britney at the VMAs - 1 Big
Shots) ... 2.5
Wyoming (2-0) at Boise State
(1-1)
8:00 PM GamePlan
Why to Watch:
Boise State quickly came back
down to earth in last week’s
ugly loss to Washington, which
snapped its 14-game winning
streak and left them winless
against BCS schools on the road.
While the Huskies might be
really good, that doesn’t cut it
for a Bronco team that wants to
be considered among the nation’s
elite. That’s why the slide has
to stop right now before WAC
play kicks in. Wyoming,
meanwhile, is 2-0 for the first
time under Joe Glenn after its
32-18 win over Utah State, and
the Cowboys appear to be putting
together a pretty stout defense.
Granted, USU and Virginia,
Wyoming’s first week victim,
aren’t juggernauts, but the
program is heading in the right
direction.
Why Wyoming Might Win:
The Cowboys still have several
holes, but are quickly becoming
a team that could challenge for
the Mountain West title. The UW
ground game, which entered the
season a question because of a
rebuilt offensive line, is
cooking with Devin Moore (210
yards) and Wynel Seldon (159)
leading the way. Senior QB
Karsten Sween has been strong,
although interceptions have been
a problem. As long as he keeps
the mistakes to a minimum, and
if the defensive line can slow
down RB Ian Johnson and make the
Broncos try to win through the
air, an upset is more than
possible. Wyoming has allowed
rivals to gain just 2.2 yards
per carry.
Why Boise State Might Win:
Okay, so the Cowboys have
stifled Virginia and Utah State,
but let’s not anoint this bunch
the Rockies’ version of LSU.
Boise State struggled against
Washington, because the Huskies
had some good size and speed in
the front seven and the
secondary to make QB Taylor
Tharp struggle. Wyoming doesn’t
have that kind of personnel. If
Wyoming chooses to pack the box,
expect Tharp to be more
effective against the Cowboy
secondary, which is allowing
opponents to complete 57.4% of
their passes. Tharp, a
fifth-year senior making just
his third-ever start, was shaky
against Washington late. He must
be more reliable, and the
Broncos must avoid the mistakes
that plagued them.
Who to Watch:
Sween was up and down during his
freshman season and has had a
similarly inconsistent start to
this season. He’s completing
66.7% of his passes, and that’s
great. But he has thrown three
interceptions already and just
two touchdowns. That’s not so
great, but he has loads of
talent and the potential to be
the type of player who can carry
the Cowboys to a MWC title. He
can’t be erratic against the
Broncos, or they will make him
pay, particularly on the road.
What Will Happen: Wyoming
gave Boise State all it could
handle last year, and now it’s
improved. However, this will be
a jacked up Bronco team after
the UW loss, and it’ll play like
Boise State again at home.
CFN Prediction: Boise
State 31 …
Wyoming
20
... Line: Boise State
-12.5
Must See Rating: (5
Britney at the VMAs - 1 Big
Shots) ... 3
San Diego State (0-1) at Arizona
State (2-0)
10:00 PM
Why to watch:
Have we seen enough in just two
games to start labeling Arizona
State one of this year’s
potential sleepers to blow past
pre-season forecasts? The
Sun Devils have teased us in the
past before plummeting back to
reality once the calendar page
says October. This season
might be different with Dennis
Erickson pacing the sidelines,
and the program playing with a
more physical bent. After
handling San Jose State and
Colorado easier than expected,
Arizona State has one more
chance before league play starts
to eliminate the stupid
penalties that infuriated the
coach last weekend. San
Diego State kicked Chuck Long’s
second season at the school by
getting pummeled at Washington
State, 45-17. The Aztecs
better hope it’s true that teams
make their biggest strides from
week one to week two, or else
they’re going to get pounded
again by a Pac-10 team.
Why San Diego State might win:
The Aztecs have the capacity to
move the ball with veteran
chucker Kevin O’Connell under
center, and a solid corps of
receivers catching his passes.
While Brett Swain and Chaz
Schilens were last year’s
leading receivers, converted
quarterback Darren Mougey is a
huge target that looked good in
the opener, catching four passes
for 52 yards and a touchdown.
At some point in the second
half, Arizona State is going to
start looking ahead to next
week’s Pac-10 opener with Oregon
State, which will create an
opportunity for an Aztec rally.
Why Arizona State might win:
If he can play within himself
and avoid forcing passes, Rudy
Carpenter will be able to name
his numbers against a rebuilt
San Diego State secondary that
was obliterated by Alex Brink a
week ago. Brink was
38-of-47 for 469 yards and five
touchdowns, numbers Carpenter
might approach if RB Ryan Torain
wasn’t so valuable to the
offense. Despite those 47
passes, the Aztecs had no sacks,
another really bad omen heading
into this week’s game at Arizona
State.
Who to watch: Carpenter
is going to pad his numbers on
Saturday, as will his preferred
target, junior WR Michael Jones.
A superb all-around athlete at
6-4, Jones already has ten
receptions for 159 yards and
three touchdowns, and will run
circles around a very raw San
Diego State secondary.
What will happen:
Although the Aztecs figure to be
improved from last week, it
won’t be nearly enough against
an Arizona State squad that’s
beginning to percolate in the
desert. The Sun Devils
will jump out to a big lead, and
empty the bench by the fourth
quarter.
CFN Prediction: Arizona
State 43 …
San
Diego State 17
... Line: Arizona State
-28
Must See Rating: (5
Britney at the VMAs - 1 Big
Shots) ... 2
Mountain West Fearless Predictions, Week
Three, Part 1 |
