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Louisville
(2-2) at NC State
(1-3)
3:30 PM ESPNU
Why to watch:
How bad has Louisville been so
far this season? It hasn’t
trumped Notre Dame and Michigan
as the most disappointing
program through the first four
weeks, but it’s beginning to
enter the discussion. There
were signs of trouble in a 58-42
defeat of Middle Tennessee, but
no one could have predicted last
weekend’s debacle to 0-3 and
37-point underdog Syracuse.
While the Brian Brohm-led
offense is always worth the
price of admission, the defense
has been utterly abominable ever
since the Murray State opener
ended. While it’s only four
games into his tenure, it’s
already a defining moment for
Steve Kragthorpe. If Louisville
dogs it this Saturday after
getting embarrassed a week ago,
it’ll speak volumes about the
coach’s inability to get through
to his veteran team. If the
Cards want to feel good about
themselves this weekend, they
can look across the sidelines at
NC State, which might compete
with Duke as the ACC’s worst
program this season. In Tom
O’Brien’s debut in Raleigh, the
Pack has already lost to UCF,
and wasn’t competitive in league
games with Boston College and
Clemson. With hopes of a
post-season game only
mathematically alive, the next
two months will be all about
building for the future and
finding a reliable quarterback
between Harrison Beck and Daniel
Evans.
Why Louisville might win:
Whatever happens with the
Cardinals this fall, they’re
going to score lots of points
with an offense that averages
619 yards a game and has yet to
be held below 34 points in a
game. Brohm has been
sensational, throwing 15
touchdown passes to just three
picks, and the Anthony Allen-led
running game gives the unit an
element of balance and
short-yardage toughness.
Louisville’s season averages
might actually go up this week
against a toothless NC State
defense that just got manhandled
for 608 yards by Clemson.
Why NC State might win:
The way Louisville is tackling
and covering these days, North
Carolina A&T might score 30 on
it. The Cardinals’ 90th-ranked
defense hasn’t been able to
recover since the Middle
Tennessee scare because it just
isn’t very good. It’s allowed
at least 460 total yards in each
of the last three games, and has
been completely destroyed
through the air. This is
exactly the type of game that
could ignite Beck’s career and
land WR Darrell Blackman ACC
Player of the Week honors.
Who to watch: Short of
dropping back into coverage or
defending the run, the
Louisville offense has done
about all it could to win games
this year. One of the poster
children for that determination
has been Allen, whose run for
493 yards and five touchdowns in
four games. As the Cards look
to extend drives to keep the
defense off the field, Allen
will run wild on a Pack D that’s
yet to hold an opponent under
200 yards rushing.
What will happen:
Although Louisville is far from
out of the woods, it’ll get a
chance to regroup this week
against an NC State program that
won’t keep up offensively or do
much to slow down the Cardinal
attack.
CFN Prediction:
Louisville 42 … NC State
24
... Line: Louisville -8.5
Must See Rating: (5 Ken
Burns' The War - 1 The
Big Bang Theory) ...
2.5
Pitt
(2-2) at Virginia
(3-1)
7:00 PM ESPNU
Why to watch:
All it took was one costly
meltdown in an inexplicable
34-14 loss to Connecticut for
Dave Wannstedt to decide that
the future is now at
Pittsburgh. The Panther head
coach is turning his bumbling
offense over to QB Pat Bostick
and RB LeSean McCoy, a pair of
true freshmen and two of the
most celebrated recruits to ever
sign with the program. Before
another season slips away, Pitt
needs some kind of a spark after
producing just three touchdowns
in back-to-back losses to
Michigan State and the Huskies.
Although it’s still way too
early to start dreaming about a
Coastal Division crown, Virginia
is carving out a nice little
story with its three-game
winning streak that was capped
by Saturday’s upset of Georgia
Tech. The Cavaliers have
rebounded from an opening day
loss at Wyoming, and with Pitt,
Middle Tennessee State and
Connecticut up next, the
potential for a 6-1 start and a
Top 25 appearance is there for
the taking.
Why Pitt might win: The
Panthers remain afloat because
of the play of the defense,
which is ranked 11th
nationally, and has allowed just
a single touchdown pass in four
games. They’ll have no problems
shutting down Jameel Sewell and
the feeble Virginia passing
game, or containing a Cav
offense that’s averaging just 19
points a game. Bostick may be
green, but he also has the best
physical tools of any Pitt
quarterback, and seemed to spark
the offense in the second half
of last week’s loss.
Why Virginia might win:
Pitt’s defense is very good, but
Virginia’s is on the verge of
being better. With Chris Long
and Jeffrey Fitzgerald creating
pressure off the edge, the
bend-don’t-break Cavalier
defense could make Bostick’s
first career start a forgettable
one Saturday evening. While the
freshman did show promise last
weekend, he also showed his
inexperience, throwing three
interceptions in just two
quarters of work. As if Bostick
needs more to worry about, he
may be without RT Jason
Pinkston, forcing the Panthers
to shuffle an already
questionable line.
Who to watch: By the
third week, Peerman had already
established a career-high for
rushing yards in a season. A
tough, physical workhorse that
fits the personality of the
Virginia offense, he’s bulled
his way to an ACC-high 479 yards
on the ground, giving the Cavs a
back that can move the chains
and wear out opposing defenses.
What will happen: In a
throwback game that’ll be
dominated by the defenses,
running games, and kickers,
Virginia will force Bostick into
a couple of momentum-changing
mistakes that tip the scales in
its favor.
CFN Prediction:
Virginia 27 … Pitt 16
... Line: Virginia -7
Must See Rating: (5 Ken
Burns' The War - 1 The
Big Bang Theory) ...
2.5
Cincinnati (4-0) at San Diego State
(1-2)
10:00 PM
Why to watch:
After a fourth straight blowout
to start the season and a
once-every-generation appearance
in the Top 25, it’s safe to
declare Cincinnati one of the
really big surprises of the
first month of the season. The
No. 24 Bearcats are being
sparked by an opportunistic
defense and a balanced offense,
but can ill-afford to look past
this week’s game at San Diego
State, and ahead to the Big East
opener at Rutgers. After
opening with a couple of
one-sided losses to Pac-10
teams, the Aztecs got a
feel-good win over Portland
State last Saturday night.
Consistent with its history, San
Diego State likes to get
vertical with QB Kevin O’Connell
and a seasoned corps of
receivers. A win over a surging
ranked team is exactly the kind
of boost Chuck Long needs in his
second season with the program.
Why Cincinnati might win:
Takeaways win football games,
and no one in America is
creating turnovers faster than
the Bearcats. After just four
games, Cincy is +15 in turnover
margin, recovering seven fumbles
and picking off a whopping 12
passes. When pitted against
quality defenses in the first
two weeks, O’Connell and the
passing attack sputtered, while
the running game was
non-existent. Expect more of
the same this weekend. The 117th-ranked
Aztec defense is also a good
place for Brian Kelly to fine
tune a Cincinnati spread offense
that’s showing signs its ready
to bust out.
Why San Diego State might win:
A Cincinnati team that’s yet to
leave the state of Ohio in 2007
must now travel across country
to play what’ll feel like a
10:00 night game. The Bearcats
may be creating lots of
takeaways, but the Aztecs are
one of just four teams in the
country that have yet to lose a
fumble and have been picked off
just twice in three games.
O’Connell comes into the game
with momentum after throwing for
443 yards and five touchdown
passes in last week’s 52-17
rout.
Who to watch:
Cincinnati’s Mike Mickens is one
of the country’s best
cornerbacks that not enough
people talk about. A genuine
lock down cover corner that’s
not afraid to fill lanes on
running downs, he leads the Big
East with four interceptions.
The match up between Mickens and
Aztec WR Brett Swain, who caught
six passes for 224 yards and
three touchdowns last week,
could be more entertaining than
the game itself.
What will happen: Be
warned, Cincinnati. This is a
trap game that has the potential
to ruin a really impressive
start to the season. The
Bearcats will survive behind the
play of their nasty defense and
the continued success of an
improving passing game.
CFN Prediction:
Cincinnati 34 … San Diego
State 17
... Line: Cincinnati -14
Must See Rating: (5 Ken
Burns' The War - 1 The
Big Bang Theory) ... 2
Big East Fearless Predictions, Week
Five, Part 1 |
