Army (1-2) at Boston College
(3-0)
1:00 PM ESPN Classic
Why to Watch:
The Eagles are on the verge of
something special, and if you
haven’t caught their act yet,
it’s time. 3-0, with all three
wins coming against ACC teams,
this is quickly becoming the
team to be. The offense has been
effective and opportunistic,
while the defense is among the
best and most active in America.
The Army game begins a series
of very winnable games against
the Eagles, and that includes a
day in South Bend in a few
weeks. 7-0 before facing
Virginia Tech is a must at this
point. Army’s defense hasn’t
been bad so far, but the offense
has struggled mightily to put up
points. It’s going to take an
all-timer of an effort to win
this, but BC could be napping
after the statement-game 24-10
win at Georgia Tech last week. Why Army Might Win: One
word: Defense. The Knights are
17th in the nation in
total defense, allowing just 268
yards per game, is seventh in
pass defense, and is only
allowing 16.67 points per game.
Since 20 of those points have
come from opposing defenses or
special teams, the Knights are
actually allowing ten a game on
defense. As good as BC is, it’s
not the type of team that’ll put
up 50 on the board unless it
gets involved in a shootout.
Army should be able to keep
within striking distance for a
while. Why Boston College Might Win:
All the parts are there on both
sides of the ball, and all the
pieces are clicking. From QB
Matt Ryan, to the emergence of
Andre Callender as a perfect fit
for the offense, to the defense
that keeps forcing big play
after big play. BC is third in
the nation with 11 takeaways and
sixth overall with a plus-two
turnover margin. If the Knights
are excited about that running
output last weekend, they might
get glum quickly against BC,
which allows just 40.3 yards per
game on the ground, fourth best
in the nation. Considering the
Eagles have beaten Wake Forest,
NC State and Georgia Tech, who
can all run, the D has been
better than it gets credit for. Who to Watch: After being
the first-ever rookie to start
at quarterback for Army against
Navy last year, Carson Williams
was expected to launch a
campaign for the starting job
early on. Instead, he lost out
to David Pevoto during summer
practice and was expected to
wait his turn. But when Pevoto
went down with an injury two
weeks ago in the win over Rhode
Island, Williams took over and
completed 12-of-20 passes for
148 yards and the winning
touchdown. Last week, he was
14-of-34 for 165 yards against
Wake and seems ready to
re-assert himself as the Army’s
top QB. He’ll make a slew of big
mistakes, but these are the
growing pains he’ll need to
fight through. What Will Happen: If BC
expects an easy game against
Army, it might find itself in
some early trouble. The tough
Knight D will hold up for a
half, and then the BC talent and
experience will take over. CFN Prediction:
Boston
College
38
... Army 6 .. Line:
Boston College -29 Must See Rating: (5
Curb Your Enthusiasm - 1
Kid Nation) ... 1.5
Duke (1-2) at Navy (1-2)
1:00 PM
Why to watch:
For the first time in almost two
years, the only streak Duke is
looking to further is a winning
one. The Blue Devils shocked
Northwestern in Evanston last
Saturday, ending the nation’s
longest losing streak at 22
games and winning away from
Durham for the first time since
2003. With the confidence the
program gained by finally
breaking through and closing out
a tight game, it has enough
talent, particularly on defense,
to pull another surprise at some
point this season. Navy is
trying to regroup from an
emotional overtime loss to Ball
State that easily could have
ended up in the win column. It
was a game the Middies were
supposed to win, so there’s no
margin for error against
programs, such as Duke, if they
plan to be bowling for a fifth
December in-a-row. Depth is
becoming a major concern in
Annapolis with Navy losing key
players on defense in each of
the last two weeks. Why Duke might win: Don’t
underestimate the impact that
last week’s victory will have on
a young program that was pining
for something positive to
happen. Or the impact of the
recent injuries to a Navy
defense that’s already 93rd
nationally in total defense and
dead last in sacks. This is the
ideal venue for Blue Devil QB
Thaddeus Lewis to have a monster
game with the help of his
primary receivers, Eron Riley,
Jomar Wright, and Raphael
Chestnut. Why Navy might win: No
one’s stopping this running
attack, especially a team with
mediocre linebackers like Duke
has. The Middies lead the
country in rushing at 378 yards
a game, including a whopping 521
yards last week on 65 carries.
Duke’s ACC-worst defense is
going to get worn out by
Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada, Adam
Ballard, Eric Kettani, and the
rest of Navy methodical
triple-option attack. Who to watch: While
Ballard is the mainstay at
fullback for Navy, Kettani is
making it hard for Paul Johnson
to keep him out of the lineup.
Not your typical north-south
bruiser, he packs 4.5 speed into
a thick, 6-1 and 233-pound
frame, and is coming off a
career day of nine carries for
126 yards and two touchdowns
against Ball State. He could be
the next Ballard as early as
this fall. What will happen:
Provided the Naval Academy
doesn’t have to rely on one of
its kickers to win the game,
it’ll avoid another upset by
pounding out almost 400 yards
between the tackles and keeping
its hobbled defense on the
sidelines for extended periods
of time. CFN Prediction:
Navy
29 ...
Duke
24 .. Line: Navy -10.5 Must See Rating: (5
Curb Your Enthusiasm - 1
Kid Nation) ...
2
William & Mary (2-1) at Virginia Tech
(2-1)
1:30 PM
Why to Watch:
The Hokies took a step ahead on
the comeback trail last week
with a 28-7 win over a stubborn
Ohio team that had it tied at
seven at halftime. This week’s
game represents another chance
to get the offense rolling,
which sputtered in the first two
games of the year. Every game
now is vital in the improvement
of freshman QB Tyrod Taylor, but
this is a good enough William &
Mary team to put up more than
just a good fight. The Hokies
can’t start looking ahead to
North Carolina and ACC play
quite yet. Why William & Mary Might Win:
The Tribe boasts the second most
potent FCS offense, with a
well-rounded attack that puts
tremendous pressure on opposing
defenses thanks to a passing
attack that averages 354 yards
per outing. Don’t look for a
tremendous defensive effort from
this bunch, which has allowed 35
points per game so far, but
that’s fine; Virginia Tech isn’t
exactly built for shootouts. W&M
could stay alive in this far,
far longer than Hokie fans might
like. Why Virginia Tech Might Win:
The Hokie attack awoke in the
second half last week against
Ohio, producing 21 points. By
the time the day was over,
Taylor had completed 18-of-31
passes for 287 yards in his
starting debut, and took a major
step in his development as the
leader of the program. Believed
to be the only late-summer
freshman enrollee to be starting
in big-time college ball, Taylor
was poised and productive, and
made most of the right
decisions. Meanwhile, the Tech
defense limited Ohio to five
first downs, and should be able
to use its superior speed to put
pressure on Tribe QB Jake
Phillips and prevent attack from
getting going. Who to Watch: By the time
he’s done at William & Mary,
Phillips may well be the top
passer in school history, quite
a distinction, considering Dave
Corley threw for 9,805 yards.
Phillips is on fire this year,
having thrown for 1,010 yards to
lead the nation and posting a
passing efficiency of 202.7,
also best among FCS teams. If
Taylor is struggling, and
Phillips outplays him, the Tribe
might be in a position to pull
off the shocker.
What Will Happen:
Bill ‘n’ Mar, welcome to the
Hokie defense. Taylor will make
a few mistakes, but for the most
part, he’ll be the star of the
show. CFN Prediction:
Virginia Tech 31 ... William &
Mary 7 .. Line: No Line Must See Rating: (5
Curb Your Enthusiasm - 1
Kid Nation) ... 1.5
Maryland (2-1) at Wake Forest
(1-2)
3:30 PM ESPNU
Why to Watch:
These two haven’t exactly bolted
from the gate, checking in at a
combined 3-3 despite coming in
with high expectations, but each
remains a player in the ACC race
and has significant bowl hopes.
Maryland opens league play with
this one, hoping to bounce back
from last week’s loss to West
Virginia, while the Deacons hope
to build on their win over Army,
the season’s first, and a nice
respite from their tough opening
run against Boston College and
Nebraska. Can Maryland finally
break through and show it
belongs in the ACC race, or can
Wake Forest finally kickstart
its season? Why Maryland Might Win:
Even though the Terps were run
through by the Mountaineers,
they remain ranked 16th
nationally in total defense
(266.0 yards/game) and
particularly effective against
the pass, allowing just 117
yards per game. Running back
Keon Lattimore has cranked out
100-yard games in each of the
last two weeks, while QB Jordan
Steffy has been accurate, if not
spectacular. Beating Wake Forest
requires balance and
mistake-free football, and this
Maryland team should be able to
do both. Masters at controlling
the tempo, the Terps are hanging
on to the ball for almost 35
minutes a game, second in the
nation. Why Wake Forest Might Win:
The Deacons will try to load up
against Lattimore and the run
and force Steffy to try to win
the game. Allowing just 87 yards
per game on the ground, Wake
will likely force several long
third down attempts. If Steffy
isn’t on, or starts to force
things, the opportunities will
be there to come up with a few
big plays. Turnovers have hurt
the Deacon offense so far, but
when it’s mistake-free, the
misdirection plays and
efficiency should be enough to
keep things moving on a Terp
defense that’s effective for
stretches, but is hardly
disciplined. Who to Watch: When Kenny
Moore returned a punt 55 yards
for a touchdown last week
against Army, it marked the
first time Wake had that happen
in four years. It also continued
his all-purpose binge this
season, catching 15 passes
against Boston College and
rushing for 116 yards against
Nebraska. With the quarterback
situation still up in the air,
even though starter Riley
Skinner is expected to come back
this week after suffering a
shoulder injury, Moore should
once again be invaluable. What Will Happen: With
Skinner likely back, the Deacon
offense will be a bit more
effective than Maryland’s.
Expect a relatively low-scoring
game with Wake coming through
thanks to several field goals
making up for stalled drives.
CFN Prediction:
Wake
Forest 26 … Maryland 20
... Line: Wake Forest -3 Must See Rating: (5
Curb Your Enthusiasm - 1
Kid Nation) ... 3
