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Colorado (3-2) at Kansas (4-1),
12:30 EST ESPN2
Why to watch: Colorado
has made a few nice strides
under head coach Dan Hawkins,
who was just awarded a contract
extension this week, but after
beating Oklahoma in the 2007 Big
12 season opener, the program
hasn’t been able to build on
anything else big. This year,
the team appeared to be on its
way with an ugly overtime win
over West Virginia, but
back-to-back blowout losses to
Texas and Florida State changed
all of that. Now, the Buffs have
to try to revive their season
with a tough stretch of three
road games in four weeks
starting with this trip to
Lawrence. Last year, the
Jayhawks had their toughest
battle in Boulder until the
regular season-ending loss to
Missouri. This year, KU is
trying to find its groove. At
4-1, the season has hardly been
a disappointment, but after
blowing a lead to lose late at
South Florida, and with an ugly
first half against Iowa State
last week, the season appeared
to be slipping away. And then
came the comeback as the
Jayhawks scired 35 second half
points to get by the Cyclones.
With Oklahoma and Texas Tech
coming up after this week, the
team needs to get sharp in a big
hurry.
Why Colorado might win:
The KU running game hasn’t been
able to get on track yet. 117
rushing yards against Iowa
State. 61 against South Florida.
This hasn’t been the type of
offense KU was hoping for coming
into the season. The lack of a
running game has killed any
consistency, while it made it
hard to hold a lead against
South Florida. Colorado has been
having major problems against
the run, but that shouldn’t be a
problem this week. The secondary
has been solid, and while the D
is hardly a brick wall, it’s a
good fit to slow down Todd
Reesing and the Jawyhawk
midrange passing game.
Why Kansas might win:
Colorado isn’t exactly setting
the scoreboard on fire. The
Buffs are averaging just 24
points per game, and that’s a
bit misleading as the special
teams helped out against
Colorado State and 31 of the
points came against Eastern
Washington. If the offense isn’t
getting good field position off
turnovers, it’s having problems
scoring points. Outside of a
great first few minutes against
West Virginia, with 14 points
right away, the attack isn’t
working. Kansas can put this
away with a good first quarter.
Who to watch: Is Jake
Sharp finally going to be the
key cog in the Kansas running
game? He was supposed to take
over last year, but he was
relegated to a No. 2 role. With
no one stepping up so far this
year to take over, Sharp was
given the reins last week and
ran for 79 yards and a touchdown
on 19 carries, and he took three
passes for 107 yards and a
touchdown. He should be used as
more and more of a playmaker.
What will happen: Colorado
will get the pass rush rolling
just enough to give Kansas a
problem for a half. The Buffs
will tee off on Reesing, but for
one of the first times this
year, the Jayhawk running game
will get going. Colorado’s
offense will continue to
sputter.
CFN Prediction: Kansas 31 …
Colorado 20 ... Line: Kansas -14
Must See Rating: (5 The
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Highlights) … 3
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Kansas State (3-2) at Texas A&M
(2-3),
2:05 EST
Why to watch: Which
disappointing Big 12 team is the
bigger mess? Kansas State might
have three wins, but they came
against North Texas, Montana
State and UL Lafayette. The
defense couldn’t handle the run
against Louisville, and it
couldn’t handle the pass against
Texas Tech. Now it might get a
week off against all things
offense. Texas A&M has been a
disaster over the first five
games of the Mike Sherman era,
but it still has two wins.
Oklahoma State ripped the doors
off the Aggies last week, while
it took way too much effort to
get by Army in a 21-17 win.
Things can quickly change for
A&M with a win over the
Wildcats, and it’s a must-win to
keep bowl hopes alive with Texas
Tech coming next week and
Oklahoma and Texas still to
play.
Why Kansas State might win:
Texas A&M’s defensive line is
getting blasted. The great
Oklahoma State offensive line
had its way with the Aggie front
last week, and Kansas State’s
offensive line should be able to
control the game. There’s no A&M
pass rush, the run defense has
been non-existent, and the
offense isn’t doing nearly
enough to keep up when pushed.
Why Texas A&M might win:
It’s not like Kansas State’s
defense is stopping anyone.
A&M’s run defense is currently
the worst in the Big 12, but
Kansas State’s isn’t far behind
giving up 335 yards to UL
Lafayette and 303 yards to
Louisville. Texas Tech, not
exactly a power running team,
was able to rumble for 136 yards
and two touchdowns to go along
with 490 passing yards and six
scores. If the Texas A&M running
game is ever going to get
rolling, this has to be the
week.
Who to watch: Josh
Freeman has been fine, but he
needs to be better. The Kansas
State junior has thrown well at
times so far this year, but he
hasn’t been able to lead the way
in firefights and when things
get tight. He only completed
13-of-28 passes for 170 yards
and a touchdown against Texas
Tech, but he ran for two
touchdowns. He has rushed for
two scores in four of the five
games this season. Basically,
he’s been the quarterback Texas
A&M has been looking for, but
with little help around him, he
needs to do even more for the
Wildcat offense.
What will happen: Texas A&M
will start to pound away for the
first time all year. The running
game will be just effective
enough to overcome a decent day
from Freeman and the Wildcat
offense, and Sherman will have
his first big win as the Aggie
head man.
CFN Prediction: Texas A&M 31
… Kansas State 27 ... Line:
Kansas State -3
Must See Rating: (5 The
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Highlights) … 2.5
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Big 12 Week
Seven Predictions, Oct.11, Part 2 |