Past Hot and Not:
Week 1 |
Week 2 |
Week 3 |
Week 4
Week 5 |
Week 6 |
Week 7
Who’s
Hot …
Air Force RB Chad
Hall
Is he a wide receiver? Is he a running back? Does it matter? The
senior has become the centerpiece of the resurgent Air Force attack,
turning into the biggest weapon in the running game over a three game
stretch. He ran 18 times for 169 yards and two touchdowns in a win over
UNLV, followed it up with a 31 carry, 256-yard, four score day against
Colorado State, and this week, in a win over Wyoming, he ran 28 times
for 167 yards, and caught two passes for four yards and a score. He
leads the Mountain West in all-purpose yards.
Rutgers RB Ray
Rice
Rutgers might have cooled off with a two-game losing streak
before beating South Florida, but that didn't necessarily include Rice,
who has only run for fewer than 94 yards this year, and that was because
he only carried it 12 times in a 59-0 win over Norfolk State. Talk about
being the workhorse, he has carried the ball 109 times over the last
three games for 471 yards and four touchdowns. He has 999 yards and 13
scores, with a receiving touchdown, on the season.
Tulane RB Matt Forte
Tulane might not be all that great, but it's been more than
competitive thanks to the running of its senior runner. Forte ran for
303 yards and five scores against SE Louisiana several weeks ago, but
has turned it up another notch over the last three games rushing for 202
yards and two scores against Army, 209 yards and a touchdown against UAB,
and 342 yards and four touchdowns in a win over SMU. He leads the nation
in rushing.
Virginia in close
games
A win by one or 101 still counts the same, but Virginia is
pushing it. After pulling off a late 18-17 win over Maryland, five of
the seven wins have been decided by a touchdown or less, and the last
three wins, over Middle Tennessee, UConn and Maryland, have been decided
by a grand total of four points. A trip to NC State is up next.
West Virginia's defense
Everyone knows about Pat White, Steve Slaton, and the
high-powered West Virginia offense, currently 12th in the nation in
yards and second in rushing, but the defense that was so suspect and
such a question mark coming into the season, has been a surprising rock.
The Mountaineers, not South Florida, Cincinnati or Rutgers, lead the Big
East in total defense and rank fourth in the country, They're also
allowing just 16.57 points per game, good for tenth in the nation.
Who’s
Not …
Central Michigan in non-conference games
It's not a
plus for the MAC when its best team is getting obliterated by almost
everyone outside the league. So far, CMU is 3-0 in MAC play, beating
Toledo, Northern Illinois and Ball State by a combined score of 145 to
79, and beat Army 47-23, but lost to Kansas, Purdue, North Dakota State,
and Clemson by a combined score of 211 to 57. That's an average of 52.75
to 14.25
Washington QB Jake Locker's
accuracy
There's no question that Locker is one of college football's most
exciting young talents. Now he has to figure out how to throw on a
consistent basis. He threw four touchdown passes in the loss to Oregon,
and has 11 touchdown passes to just nine interceptions so far, but he
has completed just 48% of his throws, and in Pac 10 play, he has
completed just 52 of 123 passes, or 42%.
Tennessee on the road
Tennessee beat
Mississippi State 33-21 two weeks ago in Starkville. That's been it for
the production away from Knoxville so far this year, with the Vols
losing to Cal, Florida and Alabama by a combined score of 145 to 68, or
an average of 48 to 23. Fortunately, the next four games are at home
before finishing up on the road at Kentucky.
Minnesota's run
defense
In the weekly picking on Minnesota, where things have gone from
bad to worse after losing to North Dakota State 27-21, the Gophers
aren't just dead last in America in pass defense and total defense,
they're also giving up 192 yards per game on the ground. NDSU, a
provisional D-I team who's not even eligible for the FCS playoffs
despite being unbeaten and considered the nation's best D-IAA squad, ran
for 394. In other words, Michigan's Mike Hart, who gets the Gophers next
week.
Conference USA pass defenses
Where are the
Conference USA secondaries? East Carolina (118th in the nation), UTEP
(117th), East Carolina (116th), SMU (111th), Tulsa (106th) and Tulane
(102nd) are all having problems slowing down passing games. With several
shootouts, the passing games have flourished, but the defensive backs,
and defenses overall, have simply been that bad. Of the league's 12
teams, ten are ranked 76th or lower in pass defense.
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