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UCF (1-1) at Boston College
(1-1),
1:00 EST, ESPNU
Why to watch: Both Boston
College and UCF spent their week
off trying to get over tough
home losses that could have gone
either way. The Eagles dropped a
19-16 game to Georgia Tech,
failing miserably on offense and
forcing Jeff Jagodzinski and his
staff to head back to the
drawing board. It’s just two
games, but Chris Crane is doing
a weak impersonation of Matt
Ryan, eliciting a smattering of
calls for young Dominique Davis
to get a chance behind center.
The Knights gave rival South
Florida everything it had before
dropping a gut-wrencher in
overtime, 31-24. Although the
game was lost, UCF showed a ton
of character by battling back in
the fourth quarter, something it
can build on the rest of the
season. Beating the reigning
champs from the ACC Atlantic
division would be a terrific
springboard for the program
heading into the start of the
Conference USA schedule.
Why UCF might win: As
long as Boston College continues
to struggle on offense, it’s
going to have problems putting
teams away. After averaging just
18 points and 299 yards against
Kent State and Georgia Tech,
things don’t get any easier for
the Eagles. The Knights are a
ball-hawking, veteran defense
that’s especially stingy in the
secondary. If Crane tries to get
on track against a group that
includes Joe Burnett, Johnell
Neal, and Sha’reff Rashad, it’ll
take three of his passes the
other way.
Why Boston College might win:
The Eagle D has been as stout as
advertised in the first two
games, holding opponents to just
19 total points and no touchdown
through the air. A front seven
that includes tackles B.J. Raji
and Ron Brace, and linebackers
Brian Toal and Mark Herzlich
will overwhelm the feeble UCF
running game. The Knights have
one of Conference USA’s worst
offenses, a trend that’ll
continue in Chestnut Hill.
Who to watch: Until the
passing game shows some
progress, Boston College will
need more production from its
top two backs, Josh Haden and
Jeff Smith. While both were
productive in the opener with
Kent State, they got stuffed by
the Yellow Jackets. UCF is
vulnerable to power running
games, which is exactly what the
Eagles will try to become in
order to get the offense moving.
What will happen: Boston
College games are rarely pretty,
and this one will be no
different. The Eagles will gut
out a tough win over UCF,
getting a suffocating
performance from a defense
that’ll score one of the team’s
three touchdowns and hold the
Knights under 300 total yards
CFN Prediction: Boston
College 24 … UCF 10 ... Line:
Boston College -10
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Eastern Michigan (1-2) at
Maryland (2-1),
1:00 EST
Why to watch: There has
finally been a Maryland
sighting. After two forgettable
games against Delaware and
Middle Tennessee State, the
latter a loss, the Terps rose up
and shocked unbeaten Cal, 35-27,
in a game that was more
one-sided than the score looked.
Has the program turned the
corner? That’s probably a reach
considering its maddening
inconsistency. With Eastern
Michigan up next, however,
Maryland has a chance to build a
head of steam before the pivotal
game at Clemson a week later.
After opening with a rout over
Indiana State, the Eagles
reverted back to old form,
getting dumped by Michigan State
and Toledo. There are no
delusions of grandeur in
Ypsilanti, where the home team
hasn’t had a winning season
since 1995.
Why Eastern Michigan might
win: Which Terrapin offense
will show up? Sure, Maryland
scored five touchdowns last
week, but it only gained 297
yards and was held in check by
Delaware and Middle Tennessee
State, hardly defensive giants.
An Eagle secondary that’s
holding opponents to less than a
50% completion percentage will
frustrate erratic QB Chris
Turner, turning the Terrapins
into a one-dimensional attack.
Why Maryland might win:
That one dimension, the Terp
running attack, will be enough
to zoom past an Eastern Michigan
offense that has no passing game
and has scored just 27 points
over the last two weeks. Running
behind one of the biggest
offensive lines in the country,
Da’Rel Scott has been a
revelation, averaging 135 yards
a game on the ground. He’s
questionable with a sprained AC
joint in his shoulder, but
freshman Davin Meggett has
proven to be capable when given
a chance. The Eagles have
yielded 671 yards and nine
touchdowns on the ground the
last two games, so it’s no
mystery what the Terps will be
aiming to do when they have the
ball.
Who to watch: With better
support from the quarterback
position, Maryland’s Darrius
Heyward-Bey would be in the same
discussion with some of the best
receivers in the country. He’s
that good. While his numbers
don’t always show it, he’s a big
burner with the jets to erupt at
a moment’s notice. The Terps
will continue searching for
unique ways to get the ball in
his hands.
What will happen: For a
change, Maryland isn’t going to
mess around with an inferior
opponent or make things
interesting late in the second
half. Instead, the Terps will
sucker punch Eastern Michigan
right from the opening drive,
wearing out a smaller defense
with a non-stop dose of runs
between the tackles. Even if
Scott is a scratch, they’ll
control the clock and grind out
more than 200 yards on the
ground.
CFN Prediction: Maryland
35 … East Carolina 16 ... Line:
Maryland -21.5
Must See Rating: (5
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South Carolina State (2-1) at
Clemson (2-1),
1:00 EST
Why to watch: Although
the real barometers have yet to
come, Clemson is slowly
regrouping from its opening
night flop at the hands of
Alabama. Consecutive wins over
The Citadel and North Carolina
State won’t make pollsters gasp,
but they’ve been good for
confidence and getting reps for
the second and third-stringers.
While the Tigers should dominate
South Carolina State on
Saturday, they need to keep
improving in all phases because
the cushy portion of the
schedule is about to expire. The
Bulldogs are 2-1, winning
back-to-back games against
Benedict and Bethune-Cookman. A
threat to win the MEAC, they
also performed rather well in
the opener, a 17-0 loss at UCF.
Why South Carolina State might
win: The Bulldogs boast a
hard-hitting, veteran defense
that’s only allowed 39 points in
the first three games. Ranked
No. 6 in the FCS in total
defense, they’ll get pressure up
front from Matt Key and rarely
get beat downfield through the
air. On offense, RB William Ford
is an All-America candidate with
the toughness and the veteran
offensive line to keep the
Clemson offense off the field.
Why Clemson might win:
South Carolina State might make
a stop or two in the early
going, but before long, the
Tigers’ speed and talent on
offense is going to take over.
This is the final dress
rehearsal for Clemson, which is
determined to improve markedly
over the last three weeks. QB
Cullen Harper is coming off his
best outing of 2008, and the
running tandem of James Davis
and C.J. Spiller will find more
daylight than it did against
North Carolina State. As stingy
as the Bulldogs can be, Clemson
has too many weapons to be held
in check by second-division
opponent.
Who to watch: As healthy
as he’s been in some time,
Clemson WR Jacoby Ford is
emerging as a game-breaker and
an ideal complement to Aaron
Kelly on the outside. One of the
program’s fastest players, he’s
caught 13 balls for 219 yards
and a touchdown, adding five
carries for 54 yards. As if the
Tigers need more weapons, he’s
scary when he gets into the open
field.
What will happen: By FCS
standards, this is actually a
fairly tough test for Clemson.
South Carolina State is likely
to hang tough for a quarter or
20 minutes before the Tigers’
superior depth and talent take
over. At some point late in the
third quarter, Tommy Bowden will
be thinking ahead to next week’s
Atlantic Division clash with
Maryland.
CFN Prediction: Clemson
41 … South Carolina State 10 ...
Line: No Line
Must See Rating: (5
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Miami (1-1) at Texas A&M (1-1),
3:30 EST, ABC
Why to watch:
A couple of major programs
seeking an identity will hook up
for the second time in as many
years. In Florida last
September, Miami doubled up
Texas A&M, 34-17, helped
partially to a strange Aggie
game plan that ignored RB
Jorvorskie Lane, who was the
team’s hot back at the time.
This is a much different ‘Cane
program, a younger program
trying to recapture the glory
days with a roster that’s
littered with talented freshmen
and sophomores. In its first big
test of the year, Miami got
outclassed by Florida, 26-3, but
earned high marks for the play
of the defense. The coaching
staff is calling the loss a
building block that can pay
dividends over the next three
months. The Aggies are off to a
rocky start in Mike Sherman’s
first season, dropping a stunner
to Arkansas State and nearly
getting picked off by New
Mexico. The Aggies are adjusting
slowly to Sherman’s new
pro-style attack and have been
hindered by injuries to QB
Stephen McGee and RB Mike
Goodson.
Why Miami might win: The
Hurricane defense may be young,
but it’s very fast and getting
better with each passing week.
In the game with Florida, it
held the high-powered Gator
offense to just one touchdown.
Athletic linebackers Colin
McCarthy, Darryl Sharpton, and
Sean Spence will add to the
Aggies’ woes on offense,
especially if McGee and Goodson
are less than 100%. A&M has been
awful stopping the run, which
will lead to a career day for
Graig Cooper, who’ll get more
reps now that Javarris James is
injured.
Why Texas A&M might win:
Until proven otherwise, Miami
will have problems winning on
the road with inexperienced
quarterbacks. Freshmen Robert
Marve and Jacory Harris managed
to complete just 12-of-22 for 79
yards and no touchdowns in
Gainesville, allowing the Gators
to key on the Hurricane running
backs. The Aggies will use the
same blueprint, daring Miami to
beat them through the air.
Jordan Pugh and Jordan Peterson
are a couple of physical
defensive backs who’ll keep the
young ‘Cane receivers from
making plays without getting
tagged.
Who to watch: With a game
under his belt, Marve should
take the next step in his
progression as the quarterback
of the future in Miami. Playing
in the Swamp is an unfair debut
for any freshman quarterback,
but navigating the Texas A&M
defense won’t be nearly as
demanding. The ‘Canes need a
threat from the passing game to
open things up for the rest of
the offense.
What will happen: The
speed and intensity of the Miami
defense will be too much for a
Texas A&M offense in transition.
The ‘Canes will also get a huge
day from Cooper, who’ll rush for
150 yards and two scores,
sending the Aggies to an 0-2
start at Kyle Field
CFN Prediction:
Miami 27 … Texas A&M 20 ...
Line: Miami -4
Must See Rating: (5
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Loser: Families) … 3
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ACC Week
Four Predictions, Part 1 |