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Wake Forest
(2-2) at Duke
(1-4)
1:00 PM
Why to Watch:
Wake Forest has won two in a
row, including a thrilling
come-from-behind triumph against
Maryland two weeks ago and is
looking to insinuate itself back
into the ACC race after an early
stumble. And though the Blue
Devils are 1-4, they were within
three points of Miami last week
midway through the fourth
quarter and have played some
good football in the past three
weeks. Neither team looks to be
an ACC juggernaut, but this
could be an interesting matchup
of two schools which don’t
appear to be bad as their
combined 3-6 record indicates.
Why Wake Forest Might Win:
The Demon Deacons looked like a
brand new team in the second
half against Maryland, and
appear to be ready to make a
move now that QB Riley Skinner
is back from his separated
shoulder. With Skinner at the
helm, Wake’s multiple offense
will operate far more
effectively, and the fits and
starts that characterized the
first few weeks of the season
should be replaced by a smoother
attack that outflanks opponents
and can score many different
ways. Expect Wake to put good
pressure on Duke QB Thaddeus
Lewis, a good thing, since the
Blue Devils pass often, and the
Deacons boast senior end Jeremy
Thompson, who has five sacks.
Why Duke Might Win: Moral
victories don’t count for too
much in college football, but
the Blue Devils have earned a
couple in the past two weeks,
losing a heartbreaker to Navy
and playing Miami tough in the
Orange Bowl. The Blue Devils
continue to be one of the
conference’s most dangerous
offenses, thanks to Lewis, who
has thrown for 1,200 yards and
11 scores. He was sharp against
the Hurricanes, completing
18-of-27 passes for 241 yards
and two scores. If the Duke
front line can keep him clean,
Lewis could do some damage. On
the other side, the Blue Devils
need linebacker Vincent Rey to
create some havoc for the Deacon
attack. Rey had 10 solo tackles
against Miami and is a ferocious
ball tracker.
Who to Watch: Skinner
separated his shoulder in the
opener against BC, and though
Brett Hodges, his backup, was
solid, Skinner is the right man
to trigger the Deacon attack. It
took him a little while to get
going against Maryland, but he
finished with 219 yards passing
and a touchdown and threw a
six-yard scoring strike to John
Tereshinski with 0:03 left in
regulation to force OT.
What Will Happen: The
Deacons aren’t overwhelming, and
Duke is better than it was last
year, but Wake has too much,
especially with Skinner at full
strength.
CFN Prediction:
Wake
Forest 31 … Duke 20
...
Line: Wake Forest -7
Must See Rating: (5 Paris
on Letterman - 1 Singing Bee)
... 2
NC State
(1-4) at Florida State
(3-1)
3:30 PM ABC
Why to Watch:
After dispatching Alabama last
weekend, the Seminoles appear to
be on a good roll. In fact,
since the first half of the
opener against Clemson, FSU has
been a defensive nightmare for
opponents, and now that Xavier
Lee has appeared to rejuvenate
the offense, this could be
seeing a legitimate ACC title
contender emerging. Florida
State takes the next step this
week against a shaky North
Carolina State team that has
made some strides and thrown
some punches but has lacked
staying power.
Why North Carolina State
Might Win: The Wolfpack
looked pretty good on pass
defense last week and was able
to keep Louisville quarterback
Brian Brohm under wraps, for
him, allowing 251 yards. On the
other side of the ball, NC State
will continue its quest for
balance, with Andre Brown, who
had 92 yards rushing last week
handling the ground chores. If
Harrison Beck’s ailing left
shoulder prohibits him from
playing, look for Daniel Evans,
last year’s starter, to take
over. Evans was sound last week,
leading the Pack to its only
touchdown.
Why Florida State Might Win:
When Nick Saban says your
defense is one of the best he’s
seen in a while, you have
something going on. That’s what
the ‘Noles are doing now:
stopping people. They’re one of
the best in the nation at
stopping the run, and they have
improved against the pass. FSU
is fast and nasty on defense and
should have a few turnovers
Saturday against a team that has
coughed it up 18 times so far
this year. When the Seminoles
have the ball, look for a more
dangerous downfield passing
attack that should make
receivers Greg Carr and De’Cody
Fagg more productive. And as for
the struggling FSU ground game,
a Saturday against one of the
nation’s worst rushing defenses
should help that out.
Who to Watch: After
leading the Seminoles to victory
last week by throwing two
touchdown passes, Lee spoke of
patience. Now, he’ll likely
speak of starting. Lee will
probably be under center to
begin the game against the
Wolfpack after throwing for 224
yards and rushing for 59 more
against Alabama. What he needs
to keep the job is efficiency
and consistency, two qualities
that have eluded him. No one has
doubted his talent; now it’s
time for him to be more
productive on a regular basis.
Do that, and FSU becomes a
dangerous team.
What Will Happen:
It might be a new coaching staff
and a new team, but NC State’s
recent history in the series
will get FSU jacked up. The Pack
doesn’t have enough to stay
close to the Seminoles, who
could run up a big number if Lee
keeps the mistakes to a minimum.
CFN Prediction:
Florida
State 27 … NC State 10
...
Line: Florida State -18
Must See Rating: (5 Paris
on Letterman - 1 Singing Bee)
... 2.5
Virginia (4-1) at Middle
Tennessee (1-4)
7:00 PM
Why to Watch:
This is a big deal, even if MTSU
is 1-4. The Blue Raiders are
trying to build some momentum
after last week’s 47-6 rout of
Florida International, and are
hoping to continue the Sun Belt
momentum at home against BCS
teams, with Florida Atlantic
beating Minnesota and Troy
beating Oklahoma State.
Virginia, meanwhile, takes an
interlude from ACC play, where
it has established itself as
something of a surprise. The
biggest shocker comes on
offense, where the Cavs have
rebounded nicely from week one’s
inept performance at Wyoming.
We’re not talking juggernaut
here, but last week’s 44-14 win
over Pittsburgh showed how
effective the O can be without
any wide receiver stars.
Why Virginia Might Win:
After last week, it looks like
the Cavs are finally ready to go
on O. Jameel Sewell played most
of the game at QB and threw for
169 yards and three scores and
also ran for 64 yards. It was an
all-around excellent effort, and
teamed with the production of
Cedric Peerman in the ground
game, it gave UVA a balanced,
potent attack. If those two are
on top of things the offense,
which has scored at least 22
points in each of the last four
games, will be fine. You already
know about the sturdy Virginia
D, which is solid against the
run and improving against the
pass.
Why Middle Tennessee Might
Win: The Blue Raiders will
rely heavily on new starting QB
Dwight Dasher, who was a
touchdown machine against
Florida International, throwing
for three and rushing for two.
If he’s given some time to
operate, Dasher can beat teams
in all phases. The freshman has
taken a little time to get going
after taking over in the third
game, against LSU, but he seems
to be more comfortable. He’ll
try to make use of all-purpose
weapon Desmond Gee, a sophomore
back, who could touch the ball
30 times through runs, passes
and returns. If Virginia’s
defense lets down, it could be
stunned.
Who to Watch: Even though
Peerman was “held” to 87 yards
rushing against Pittsburgh, he
scored twice and remains the
ACC’s most productive back with
566 yards, establishing himself
as the main offensive weapon,
and not always Sewell, the
offense revolves around. He has
topped 100 yards in three of the
last four games, with a 186-yard
effort against North Carolina
his high-water mark.
What Will Happen: The
Cavaliers will use their
offensive balance and solid
defense to keep Middle Tennessee
from getting too much traction.
However, it’ll take at least
three quarters to put it away.
CFN Prediction:
Virginia 30 … Middle
Tennessee 13
...
Line: Virginia -10
Must See Rating: (5 Paris
on Letterman - 1 Singing Bee)
... 1.5
ACC Week
6 Predictions, Part 1
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