|
Army (3-4) at Georgia Tech (4-3)
12:00 GamePlan
Why to Watch: Both of
these teams are scuffling and
bring a sense of desperation
thanks to inconsistent play and
a few big losses. The Yellow
Jackets earned a much-needed
conference win over Miami last
week, and although it was hardly
pretty, it put them one step
closer toward bowl eligibility
in the crazy ACC. Even crazier,
this year, is that it kept them
in the hunt for the division
title if several things break
the right way. Army, meanwhile,
had its mini winning streak
thwarted by Central Michigan and
looks to regain some momentum to
keep its turnaround going. There
aren’t any conference
implications in this one, but
neither team can afford a loss
at this point.
Why Army Might Win: Even
though CMU cracked the Knights’
previously-stout defense last
Saturday, Army continues to win
with its D and special teams.
That’s not a bad formula to use
against the Yellow Jackets, who
are 73rd nationally
in offense and have struggled
throwing the ball recently. Army
hasn’t produced that many points
this year, but it has been
cheered of late by the play of
quarterback Carson Williams, who
has completed 75% of his passes
the past two weeks and has
tossed three touchdowns. If he
can hook up with multi-purpose
weapon Jeremy Trimble, the
Cadets might have enough to
steal a win against a similarly
low-scoring Tech team.
Why Georgia Tech Might Win:
After struggling through an
injury, Tashard Choice has
exploded the past three weeks,
gaining 484 yards, including a
career-high 204 last week
against Miami. Expect to see him
with the ball early and often
against an Army defense that
ranks 80th nationally
against the run. QB Taylor
Bennett might even get in on the
fun after rushing for a pair of
touchdowns last week. The
Jackets will be just fine if
they decide to dominate the game
with their ground attack, The
aggressive defense, which
specializes in getting into
enemy backfields, could prey on
the Army offense that’s
struggling in its passing
consistency.
Who to Watch: Junior Army
linebacker Frank Scappaticci may
look like a safety, but when he
gets to the ball, he is every
bit a ‘backer. The 6-1,
222-pounder has 58 tackles this
year, including a pair of
10-stop games (Tulane, Temple)
and has found his way into
opposing backfields five times
this season. Scappaticci is fast
and smart and will no doubt have
plenty of opportunities to keep
Choice from getting loose.
What Will Happen: The
Yellow Jackets stifle Army’s
attack and use their running
game to grind out a victory.
CFN Prediction: Georgia Tech
34 …
Army 10...
Line: Georgia Tech -25.5
Must See Rating: (5
Keeping Up with the
Kardashians
- 1 Ellen's dog plea) ...
1.5
NC State (1-5) at
East Carolina
(4-3)
4:30 EST, CSTV
Why to watch:
Worse than just being 1-5, NC
State hasn’t been competitive
this season, and didn’t appear
to be making strides heading
into last week’s bye. The
Wolfpack has lacked basic
fundamentals throughout 2007 or
an offense capable of sustaining
drives or succeeding in enemy
territory. As if things
couldn’t get much worse,
starting RB Andre Brown has
joined Toney Baker on injured
reserve, and starting QB
Harrison Beck is trying to
recover from a separated
shoulder. First-year head coach
Tom O’Brien will spend the
second half of the year learning
more about his young kids, while
getting a head start on 2008.
East Carolina could care less
that NC State is down. Having
already beaten North Carolina
this fall, it knows what it’ll
mean around the state,
particularly to recruits and
fans, to handle the Wolfpack as
well in the same season. The
Pirates have parlayed three
consecutive wins over Houston,
UCF, and UTEP into first place
in Conference USA East, getting
enough on offense to overcome a
leaky defensive unit.
Why NC State might win:
The East Carolina defense played
real well in the opener at
Virginia Tech…and then the
bottom fell out. The Pirates
have been routinely shredded by
good and bad offenses alike,
slipping to 107th
nationally in total defense,
while yielding 35 or more points
in each of the last four games.
Although the Pack has done
little right on offense this
fall, that could change on this
week’s trip east to Greenville.
Promising sophomore Jamelle
Eugene takes over at running
back two weeks after rushing for
more than 100 yards against
Florida State.
Why East Carolina might win:
A Pirates offense that got real
hot in October isn’t going to be
cooled by an NC State defense
that’s next-to-last in the ACC
in both points and yards
allowed. The Wolfpack has been
particularly bad against the
run, which will open things up
for speedster Chris Johnson to
make plays in the open field.
QB Rob Kass has ignited the ECU
passing attack since returning
to the huddle, giving the
offense the balance it’s needed
to score 134 points over the
last three games. Things
probably wouldn’t be so bad for
the Pack D if the team wasn’t
last in the country in turnover
margin, an impossible hurdle for
any school to overcome.
Who to watch: In his
final year of eligibility,
Johnson is making quite a salary
run in front of NFL scouts that
love his 4.2 speed and
multi-dimensional skill set.
The team leader in rushing,
scoring, touchdown catches, and
kickoff returns is a one-man
gang that’ll attract the
attention of the entire Wolfpack
defense every time the ball is
in his hands.
What will happen: East
Carolina and its fans really
want this game, giving them
an emotional edge to go along
with the physical advantage.
The Pirates will capitalize on
NC State mistakes in a game that
they’ll never trail.
CFN Prediction:
East
Carolina 33 … NC State 21
... Line: East Carolina
-5.5
Must See Rating: (5
Keeping Up with the
Kardashians
- 1 Ellen's dog plea) ...
2
Virginia
(6-1)
at Maryland
(4-2)
8:00 p.m. ESPN2
Why to Watch: Two of the
more interesting storylines in
the ACC are on display in
College Park Saturday night in a
game that may be below the
national radar but has
significant conference
implications. The first is
Virginia’s continued success
after a season-opening debacle
in Wyoming. The Cavaliers have
won six in a row, four of which
have come by five points or
fewer, and are in first place in
the Coastal Division. Nothing
the Cavs have done has been
pretty, relying on a pair of
game-winning field goals in the
past two weeks, but they’ve
become one of the ACC’s surprise
teams. Maryland, meanwhile, is
trying to build similar momentum
after a pair of victories,
engineered by one-time
third-string QB Chris Turner.
The Terps aren’t overwhelming
anybody, but Turner has helped
avert disaster in relief of
Jordan Steffy (concussion).
Why Virginia Might Win:
After their awful offensive
performance in Laramie, many
believed coach Al Groh’s
departure from Charlottesville
was almost a foregone
conclusion. Although the Cavs’ O
is still scuffling, its
rock-solid defense and excellent
special teams are carrying the
day. No matter what happens,
whether it’s an injury like
starting running back Cedric
Peerman’s foot problem or shaky
QB play, the Cavs get it done.
Their defensive front has been
particularly effective at
pressuring opposing QBs, while
their kicking game is reliable
and consistently productive.
Though quarterback Jameel Sewell
has had his problems, he, like
the rest of the team, is making
things happen when he has to.
Why Maryland Might Win:
Since Steffy’s concussion might
keep him out another couple
weeks at least, Turner must
continue to perform. That’s not
a bad thing, getting hot against
Rutgers and becoming a
playmaker, not just a caretaker.
Two weeks ago, in the win over
Georgia Tech, he completed
14-of-24 passes for 255 yards
and a touchdown, and now he’s
actually a strong factor the
Cavliers are going to have to
worry about. When his production
is coupled with the steady
running of Keon Lattimore, the
Terps have a potent attack.
Their defense is even better –
particularly against the pass --
especially if leading tackler
Erin Henderson (knee) will be
able to return to action after
missing Georgia Tech game.
Who to Watch: If Peerman
must miss another week with his
bad foot, it’ll be up to
powerful 6-3, 243-pound redshirt
freshman Keith Payne, who made a
strong comeback after being
suspended during the spring for
academic reasons. Payne
redshirted last year but came to
Virginia as something of a
state-wide folk hero after
rushing for 250 yards in a prep
game and playing so well at
linebacker that he helped shut
down Florida sensation Percy
Harvin. Payne rushed for 70
yards two weeks ago against
Middle Tennessee and scored the
first touchdown of his career
last week against Connecticut.
What Will Happen: The
magic stops here for the
Cavaliers, with the lack of
offensive firepower a problem
after the Terps get out to an
early lead.
CFN Prediction:
Maryland 27 … Virginia 20
...
Line: Maryland -4-5
Must See Rating: (5
Keeping Up with the
Kardashians
- 1 Ellen's dog plea) ...
3
ACC Week
8 Predictions, Part 1 |
