Louisiana Tech
(1-3) at Ole Miss
(1-4)
2:00 PM ET
Why to Watch: Both
teams are in desperate need of a win,
with Ole Miss coming in on a four-game
losing streak, and Louisiana Tech
dropping three in a row. The Rebels have
played well at times, pushing Florida in
a 30-24 loss, and horrible at others,
getting ripped open by Georgia 45-17,
but this game starts a three-game
homestand with Alabama and Arkansas
coming to Oxford in the next two weeks.
If there's going to be any sort of a run
at a decent season, it has to start now.
For Tech, this marks the first SEC game
under head man Derek Dooley, son of
legendary Georgia head coach Vince
Dooley. 0-2 in WAC play, the Bulldogs
could use a confidence boost before
having to deal with New Mexico State and
Boise State.
Why Louisiana Tech Might Win:
Everyone's getting fat running the ball
on the Rebel defense. The front line is
getting penetration into the backfield
and making several nice plays behind the
line, but it's also allowing way too
many runners to get into the secondary.
Georgia's Thomas Brown and Knowshon
Moreno had a blast last week, combining
for 270 yards and four touchdowns. Ole
Miss has allowed 11 rushing scores over
the last three weeks, and Tech, who's
struggled recently to get the ground
game working, should be able to add to
the total. Why Ole Miss Might Win: You can't
win if you can't score, and while Ole
Miss isn't exactly lighting things up,
Tech has been positively stagnant after
scoring 44 in a loss to Hawaii. Nothing
seemed to work against Fresno State,
despite outgaining the Bulldogs, and
there was no hope against Cal. The
offense averages a mere 307 yards per
game, and it has yet to face an
elite-level defense. Who to Watch: Considering each
team's offensive struggles, little
things like the punting game could make
all the difference. That's where Tech
has a huge advantage, with punter Chris
Keagle averaging 43.7 yards per kick.
Ole Miss simply can't go on too many
long drives and win. Helping the Tech
field position battle is punt returner
Philip Beck, who's averaging 19.38 yards
per return, and Weldon Brown, who's
averaging a whopping 31.5 yards per
kickoff return. What Will Happen: Welcome to the
BenJarvus Green-Ellis show. Ole Miss
will run him, run him and run him some
more, eating up plenty of clock on the
way to a grinding win. CFN Prediction:
Ole Miss 27
... Louisiana Tech 13
... Line:
Ole Miss -13 Must See Rating: (5 Paris on
Letterman - 1 Singing Bee) ...
2
UAB
(1-3) at Mississippi State
(3-2)
2:30 PM ET
Why to watch:
Although Mississippi State’s three-game
winning streak came to an end in
Columbia last Saturday, the program
continues to take baby steps in
Sylvester Croom’s fourth season in
Starkville. If the Bulldogs are going
to maintain their slim hopes for a sixth
win and bowl eligibility, they’ve got to
dispose of UAB, the last team they’ll be
favored to beat until Ole Miss visits in
the Egg Bowl on Nov. 23. At the rate
quarterbacks are going down, the team
might also want to begin formulating a
Plan C and D at the position. Starter
Michael Henig has a broken hand and his
backup, Josh Riddell, tore knee
ligaments last week, leaving Croom with
a pair of freshmen on this week’s two
deep. While it’s going to be a
painfully long year at UAB, rookie head
coach Neil Callaway likes where his team
is headed, and appreciates the effort
his young kids are putting forth. Since
getting blown out by Michigan State in
the opener, the Blazers have lost to
Florida State by 10, shut out Alcorn
State, and lost to Tulsa by eight.
Considering the turnover from last year,
things could be much worse. Why UAB might win: There’s no
quit in the Blazers, something that’s
been evident over the last three weeks.
The running game has shown signs of life
in each of the last two games, and
assuming they’re healthy, QBs Sam Hunt
and Joseph Webb are a pair of
dual-threats that can make plays against
the Mississippi State defense. With
third-stringer Wesley Carroll taking
snaps for the Bulldogs, Callaway’s
defense can focus all of its attention
on stopping RB Anthony Dixon without
giving a second thought to the passing
game. Why Mississippi State might win:
Even without the support of a passing
attack, Dixon should find running room
against a leaky UAB defense that’s
giving up 236 yards a game on the
ground. He’s a horse that’s already run
for 434 yards and six touchdowns, and
has the size to wear down the opposition
in the second half. In the three games
the Blazers have played against FBS
opponents, they’ve allowed over 900
yards on the ground, a flashing red flag
heading into this week’s game. Who to watch: A Blazer offensive
line that’s allowing its quarterbacks to
be treated like piñatas this season will
get to know Bulldog DE Titus Brown real
early in Saturday’s game. A relentless
pass rusher off the edge, Brown has
eight tackles for loss and an SEC-high
six sacks, numbers that are going to
increase with UAB in town. What will happen: If the
Mississippi State line does its job,
Dixon will score a couple of times and
surpass his career high of 131 yards
rushing established earlier this year.
In moral victories, UAB will move to
4-1. In the real world, however, the
Blazers will slip to 1-4. CFN Prediction:
Mississippi State 31 ...
UAB 16
... Line:
Mississippi State -19 Must See Rating: (5 Paris on
Letterman - 1 Singing Bee) ...
1.5
UT Chattanooga
(1-3) at Arkansas
(2-2)
3:00 PM ET GamePlan
Why to Watch: Now
that everyone around the Arkansas
program feels better about themselves
with a 66-7 blasting of North Texas, a
light scrimmage against UT Chattanooga
should help work more of the kinks out,
and rest everyone up, before dealing
with Auburn in an attempt to avoid an
0-3 SEC start. The lamb for the
slaughter is a Moc team coming off a
41-16 drubbing from Citadel, but the
lone win on the year came against a
decent Georgia Southern team. This is an
aggressive team, but it's not very good.
Why UT Chattanooga Might Win: The
only chance to keep this from being a
laugher after about three series is if
the defense makes steady progress at
getting into the backfield. The Mocs
sell out to make plays behind the line,
making 39 tackles for loss on the year,
meaning Arkansas will have a few third
and long situations. However ... Why Arkansas Might Win: The Mocs
make plays behind the line by sending
the linebackers. Joseph Thornton and
Steven Mills are masters at blitzing,
but they can't do that against an
Arkansas running game that needs one
step past the line of scrimmage to hit a
home run from anywhere on the field. To
put this into perspective, you have to
have a really, really bad run defense to
be third in the FCS nation in tackles
for loss, yet still give up 276 rushing
yards per game. Who to Watch: Why do big teams
schedule a game like this? For the easy
win, while making a ton by getting the
fans to pay to watch the debacle, but
also to work on a few things. For
Arkansas to have any shot of turning
things around in SEC play, the passing
game can't be as poor as it's been. Most
teams would take it easy in a game like
this by running, but Arkansas has to do
the opposite and let Casey Dick throw as
much as possible. He tossed three
touchdown passes against North Texas,
but he only completed 12 of 21 passes.
He's a veteran, but he could use as many
live reps as possible. What Will Happen: If Arkansas
wanted to get Darren McFadden 500
rushing yards, it could. The big guys
will get a rest early on. CFN Prediction:
Arkansas 58 ... UT Chattanooga 0
... Line:
No Line Must See Rating: (5 Paris on
Letterman - 1 Singing Bee) ...
1
Houston
(2-2) at Alabama
(3-2)
3:00 PM ET GamePlan
Why to watch:
After going through a three-game
gauntlet of Arkansas, Georgia, and
Florida State, Alabama gets a relative
break with a visit this week from
Houston. The Tide quickly raised
expectations after beating the Hogs in
the final seconds, but has settled back
closer to reality with tight losses to
the Dawgs and the ‘Noles. ‘Bama will
try to use this week’s visit from the
Cougars to work on its most pressing
issues, namely the play of QB John
Parker Wilson and problems with the
defense and special teams, before
resuming SEC play next week. Houston
continues to be tough to read in its
first season after the graduation of
franchise QB Kevin Kolb. Although his
replacements, Case Keenum and Blake
Joseph, have flashed potential, the
defense has had too many lapses, and
last week’s excruciating 37-35 home loss
to East Carolina could come back to
haunt the defending Conference USA
champs. Why Houston might win: The
Cougars have enough weapons in its
complex offense to put a dent in an
Alabama defense that’s at least a year
away from being up to Nick Saban’s usual
standards. The Tide has soft spots on
the interior, and has allowed seven
touchdown passes over the last three
games. Houston will counter with
Anthony Alridge, one of the fastest
backs in the country, and an improving
passing game that averages 281 yards
through the air and features standout
receiver Donnie Avery. Keenum hurt his
hand last week, but is expected to play
on Saturday. If he can’t go, there’s
minimal drop-off to Joseph, who went
24-of-29 for 250 yards and two
touchdowns out of the bullpen versus
East Carolina. Why Alabama might win: The
Houston defense had trouble throughout
September stopping opponents, such as
Alabama, that can move the chains on the
ground or through the air. The Cougars
allowed an average of 34 points in games
with Oregon, Colorado State, and East
Carolina, only having success when it
traveled to lowly Tulane. Look for a
rebound from Wilson, who’ll make good
use of WR D.J. Hall, and a fourth career
100-yard day from freshman RB Terry
Grant. If Houston can’t cut down on its
turnovers and special teams blunders,
the Tide will roll all afternoon. Who to watch: Alabama LBs Rolando
McClain and Ezekial Knight have been two
of the bright spots on a defense that’s
been just slightly above average. The
team’s top two tacklers, respectively,
display great lateral quickness and a
knack for making plays behind the line
of scrimmage. McClain and Knight will
be keeping a close watch on Alridge to
be sure Houston homerun hitter stays in
the park. What will happen: While Houston
will move the ball, Alabama will be able
to answer with a diverse offense that’ll
keep the Cougars defense guessing.
Grant will upstage Alridge with 125
yards rushing and a couple of mad dashes
to the end zone. CFN Prediction:
Alabama 36
... Houston 23
... Line:
Alabama -11 Must See Rating: (5 Paris on
Letterman - 1 Singing Bee) ...
2.5
