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Western Kentucky (2-3) at
Virginia Tech (4-1),
1:30 EST
Why to watch: Although no
one outside of Blacksburg is
paying attention, Virginia Tech
has quietly caught fire and
completely regrouped from its
opening day loss to East
Carolina. With Tyrod Taylor
firmly entrenched as the
starting quarterback, the Hokies
have won four in-a-row,
including Saturday’s upset of
Nebraska in Lincoln. While
there’s been a different flavor
of the month in the ACC every
week, it’s Tech that’s right
back on top of the heap and
ranked higher than any other
conference member. Western
Kentucky continues sparring with
teams from major conferences in
its final season of FCS
independence. The Hilltoppers
have already received checks
from Indiana, Alabama, and
Kentucky, losing by an average
of 30 points.
Why Western Kentucky might
win: The Hilltoppers are
home to a solid pass defense
that’s already intercepted seven
passes and has allowed just
three touchdowns over the last
four games. They’ll keep
Virginia Tech one-dimensional by
blanketing a marginal collection
of receivers and forcing it to
make most of its plays on the
ground. As important as Taylor
has been to the Hokies’
four-game winning streak, he’s
yet to throw a touchdown pass, a
prime reason the team ranks 112th
nationally through the air.
Why Virginia Tech might win:
The running game is performing
well enough that it might not
matter if Tech even attempts a
pass Saturday afternoon. The
Hokies have rushed for at least
199 yards in three of the last
four games and have 11 rushing
touchdowns on the season. Darren
Evans and Kenny Lewis have
shared the feature role,
flourishing behind a big line
that’s much more effective at
run blocking than pass
protection. In Western
Kentucky’s three games with FCS
teams, it’s given up at least
216 yards on the ground, a
preview of what’s to come this
week.
Who to watch: Evans has
evolved into one of the MVPs of
the first-half turnaround. The
true freshman has answered the
call for a workhorse, who can
keep the chains moving and move
the pile in short yardage. He
leads the Hokies with 336
rushing yards and six
touchdowns, scoring in each of
the team’s first five games.
Western Kentucky provides an
opportunity for Evans to
register the first 100-yard day
in his brief career.
What will happen: After
the emotional win against
Nebraska, it shouldn’t surprise
anyone if Virginia Tech is flat
when it hosts Western Kentucky.
It could take a quarter before
the Hokies get started, but it
won’t get in the way of a fifth
straight win. Tech will easily
handle an average Hilltopper
offense, while racking up more
than 250 yards on the ground.
CFN Prediction: Virginia
Tech 34 … Western Kentucky 7 ...
Line: No Line
Must See Rating: (5 Palin
vs. Biden - 1 Beverly
Hills Chihuahua) … 1
-
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Consultants FREE selections
Maryland (4-1) at Virginia (1-3),
7:00 EST
Why to watch: Just when
you think you’ve got Maryland
figured out, it goes ahead and
wins three straight games,
including stunning upsets of
ranked teams from Cal and
Clemson. All this from a program
that couldn’t get past Middle
Tennessee State earlier in the
month. The Terps don’t do any
one thing great, but they’re
getting support from across the
roster, and have catapulted into
the ACC Atlantic race. Virginia,
on the other hand, is sinking
fast with no life vest in sight.
Things just keep getting worse
for the Cavaliers, which have
lost three games to FCS
opponents by an average of 36
points and became Duke’s first
ACC victim in almost four years.
They used a dozen freshmen in
the game, a sign that the 2009
season isn’t that far away.
Why Maryland might win:
You can’t win if you can’t
score. And Virginia simply can’t
score these days. They managed
more interceptions—four—than
points—three—in the loss to
Duke, and haven’t thrown a
touchdown pass all year. During
their three-game winning streak,
the Terrapins have picked off
five passes and collected nine
sacks, bad omens for Cavalier QB
Marc Verica. The Maryland
linebackers, in particular, have
been patrolling every corner of
the field, and will stifle a
running game that was supposed
to be Virginia’s strength before
the season started.
Why Virginia might win:
Maryland is one of the country’s
most schizophrenic programs,
especially on offense, so you
really never know what you’re
going to get when it rolls into
your building. The Virginia
defense hasn’t played all that
bad over the past three games,
collecting 11 sacks and twice
holding teams under 300 yards of
offense. The Clint Sintim-led
linebackers are every bit as
good as the group from College
Park, and Matt Conrath is a
budding star at defensive end.
In other words, the Cavs are
capable of turning this into a
four-quarter scrum that gets
decided by one of the kickers.
Who to watch: Maryland
coaches about LB Alex Wujciak
before he suffered a
season-ending injury in 2007.
Now that he’s healthy, those
same coaches haven’t stopped
singing his praises. Wujciak
leads the Terps with 43 tackles,
gobbling up a career-high 16 in
last weekend’s come-from-behind
win over Clemson.
What will happen: This
might be one of those games that
Maryland inexplicably fumbles
away if Virginia wasn’t feeble
on offense. The Cavalier defense
will keep things close for
awhile before the Terps get a
big play from WR Darrius
Heyward-Bey and a couple of
short Da’Rel Scott touchdown
runs to end any threat of an
upset in Charlottesville.
CFN Prediction: Maryland 31
… Virginia 10 .. Line: Maryland
-14
Must See Rating: (5 Palin
vs. Biden - 1 Beverly
Hills Chihuahua) … 2
-
Click here to receive ATS
Consultants FREE selections
Connecticut (5-0) at North
Carolina (3-1),
7:00 EST
Why to watch: What looks
like a game concocted by the
Continental Tire Bowl committee
actually has the potential to be
an interesting match up between
a couple of similar schools.
Both programs are coming off
impressive road victories,
despite losing starting
quarterbacks to broken bones.
North Carolina came from behind
to stun Miami, 28-24, behind the
late-game heroics of Cameron
Sexton, who was No. 3 on the
depth chart just a week ago. The
win offset last week’s loss to
Virginia Tech, keeping the Heels
in the hunt in the Coastal
division. Connecticut is coming
off a thrilling win at
Louisville, scoring the final 16
points, including the
game-winner on a Lawrence Wilson
45-yard interception return with
2:45 remaining. Now 5-0, the
resilient Huskies have climbed
into the Top 25 and just keep
finding ways to pull games out.
Staying unbeaten will require
Notre Dame transfer Zach Frazer
to step up for QB Tyler Lorenzen,
who broke his foot Friday night.
Why Connecticut might win:
The Huskies’ success this fall
has been erected upon the
shoulders of nation’s-leading
rusher Donald Brown and a
defense that forces opponents to
fight for every yard.
Connecticut leads the Big East
in scoring defense and is
allowing just 314 yards a game.
It’s a collective effort that
closes fast on the ball and
creates plenty of turnovers.
With Cody Brown up front, Scott
Lutrus in the middle, and Darius
Butler at cornerback, UConn has
an all-star at every level for
Carolina to face. The best way
to beat this D is with a
multi-dimensional quarterback,
but that doesn’t describe
Sexton.
Why North Carolina might win:
While Frazer certainly has
long-term potential, the loss of
Lorenzen is huge for
Connecticut. He brought
leadership and scrambling
ability to an already
predictable Husky offense. The
Heels will be able to focus on
stopping Brown by throwing
everyone they can into the box.
North Carolina is especially
strong on the interior of the
defense, sporting a solid
rotation that includes Marvin
Austin, Aleric Mullins, Cam
Thomas, and Tydreke Powell.
They’ll overwhelm the
Connecticut front wall,
preventing Brown from busting
into the second level.
Who to watch:
Connecticut’s 101st-ranked
kickoff return defense better
tighten up in time for Saturday
night’s game. Carolina’s Brandon
Tate has been quiet of late, but
is still No. 2 in the ACC in
kick return average and can pop
off a momentum-changer with one
timely block. In a game that’ll
be tight and low-scoring, he
could be a difference-maker as a
runner, receiver, or return
specialist.
What will happen:
Connecticut has a knack for
playing everyone close, a
product of a stingy defense and
a clock-milking running game.
This week won’t be any
different. However, in the
battle of the backups, Sexton
has an edge, coming off a great
effort in Miami and having
starting experience from two
years ago. He’ll build on last
week’s effort, throwing a pair
of touchdown passes that help
the Heels to a hard-fought
victory.
CFN Prediction: North
Carolina 28 … Connecticut 20...
Line: North Carolina -6.5
Must See Rating: (5 Palin
vs. Biden - 1 Beverly
Hills Chihuahua) … 3.5
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Consultants FREE selections
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ACC Week
Six Predictions, Oct. 4 |