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Northeastern (0-2) at Syracuse
(0-3), 3:30 EST, Saturday, September 20
Why to watch: Buck up,
Syracuse fans. Your best shot
all year to win a game is here.
The Orange’s miserable start to
the 2008 season gets a week off
as Northeastern, a bad Colonial
Conference team, makes the trip
west to the Carrier Dome.
Syracuse has been mauled by an
average of 25 points in its
three losses, including
Saturday’s 55-13 drubbing at the
hands of Penn State. Little has
gone right for head coach Greg
Robinson, who is clearly living
on borrowed time and won’t be
able to talk his way out of this
mess. In some respects,
Northeastern is the Syracuse of
the FCS, an inept program
searching for its first win. The
Huskies have opened their season
by losing to Georgia Southern
and getting throttled by Ball
State.
Why
Northeastern might win:
The Syracuse defense has gotten
progressively worse with each
passing week, allowing an
average of 42 points a game and
getting embarrassed in pass
defense. Husky QB Anthony Orio
has helped spark the passing
attack in the first two games
and could present a problem for
the Orange secondary. He threw
for 287 yards in the loss to
Georgia Southern, and has three
veteran receivers, including TE
Brian Mandeville, a legitimate
NFL prospect.
Why Syracuse might win:
Finally, an opponent the Orange
can bully in the trenches.
Without a big deficit to make
up, Syracuse will run right at
the Huskies with Curtis Brinkley
carrying the load and FB Tony
Fiammetta leading the way. For a
change, this is the type of
defense that QB Cameron Dantley
will be able to exploit with his
arm and his legs. He’ll make
people miss on designed running
plays and find TE Mike Owen for
at least one touchdown pass.
Who to watch: Really good
players often get lost on really
poor teams. Syracuse DT Arthur
Jones is one of those players.
He doesn’t much help around him,
yet continues to shed blockers
and make plays for minus yards.
For a second straight year, he’s
leading the team in tackles for
loss, and could consider jumping
to the NFL after his junior
season.
What will happen:
Syracuse is in really bad shape,
but even it wouldn’t squander
this opportunity to win a game
for the first time since last
October. The Orange will get 100
yards and a couple of scores
from Brinkley, mercifully ending
a seven-game losing streak
CFN Prediction: Syracuse
33 … Northeastern 14 ... Line:
No Line
Must See Rating: (5
Dr. 90210 - 1 Biggest
Loser: Families) … 1
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Rutgers (0-2) at Navy (1-2),
3:30 EST, Saturday, September 20
Why to watch: Now that
Rutgers has raised the bar and
pumped millions of dollars into
stadium renovations, an ugly 0-2
start is the kind of development
that can stall the program’s
development. No only have the
Knights lost home games to
Fresno State and North Carolina,
but they’ve been awful in the
process, getting destroyed by
the Tar Heels, 44-12, in front
of a national TV audience. If
they can’t get even with
upcoming games with Navy and
Morgan State, it’s going to feel
like 2002 again around
Piscataway. Navy is having
problems of its own, losing
back-to-back games at Ball State
and Duke after opening with a
win over Towson. The Midshipmen
haven’t been the same without
head coach Paul Johnson or QB
Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada, who’s
only been healthy for a couple
of quarters. Don’t think the
Middies have forgotten the
chants of “Navy sucks” that they
heard from the Rutgers crowd
last September.
Why
Rutgers might win:
The Navy defense should be the
perfect cure for a struggling
Scarlet Knight offense. Rutgers
has been miserable in the
post-Ray Rice era, but a trip to
Annapolis means facing a defense
that’s been torched for nine
touchdown passes and at least
300 yards in every game. As
erratic as Mike Teel has been
under center, he’ll get healthy
at the expense of the
overmatched Middie secondary,
making frequent connections with
top receivers Kenny Britt and
Tiquan Underwood.
Why Navy might win: As if
the nation’s most potent running
game needs an excuse to keep it
on the ground, Rutgers has
played soft up front in the
first two games. Kaheaku-Enhada
is expected to be at full
strength for the first time this
season, which will give a
significant boost to the
triple-option. With he and
nation’s-leading rusher Shun
White in the backfield at the
same time, Navy can grind out
long drives, while keeping the
Scarlet Knight offense waiting
helplessly on the sidelines.
Who to watch: Time and
time again, Teel has proven to
be an average college
quarterback who benefited more
than anyone from Rice’s
presence. However, as much as
Greg Schiano is promising
changes, this is one area where
there aren’t many options. Jabu
Lovelace? He’s not an upgrade.
For now it’s still Teel, who
should be able to restore some
confidence against a handicapped
defensive backfield.
What will happen: While
both schools will have success
on offense, Navy’s inability to
make stops late will be its
undoing. Rutgers will move the
ball at will through the air,
getting three touchdown passes
from Teel. Most of the damage on
the ground will be done by
punishing 250-pounder Jourdan
Brooks, who has earned a bigger
role in the offense
CFN Prediction: Rutgers
38 … Navy 27 ... Line: Rutgers
-6
Must See Rating: (5
Dr. 90210 - 1 Biggest
Loser: Families) … 2.5
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South
Florida (3-0)
at Florida International
(0-2),
5:00
EST, ESPNU, Saturday, September
20
Why to watch: With a
pulsating Friday night win over
Kansas, South Florida has moved
up to No. 12 in the latest AP
poll and is carrying the
weathered banner for the Big
East. It was another defining
moment for the Bulls, who
rallied from a 17-point deficit
to win on a Maikon Bonani field
goal as time expired. Provided
they don’t get caught looking
ahead, a trip to Miami will be a
perfect breather before the
rugged portion of the schedule
resumes a week later. As
expected, Florida International
has not been competitive in
losses to Kansas and Iowa to
begin the season. A visit from
South Florida will be another
good measuring stick for the
Golden Panthers and a chance to
fill the stadium with Bulls fans
looking to make the four-hour
trip south.
Why South Florida might win:
It takes a certain type of
offense to have sustained
success against this attacking,
opportunistic Bull D. Florida
International doesn’t have one
of those offenses. Like a year
ago, the Panthers labor to mount
drives and have yet to score an
offensive touchdown in eight
quarters. No matter what they
throw at DE George Selvie, he’ll
either get his sacks or open
things up for Terrell McClain
and Aaron Harris to wreak havoc
from the inside. Florida
International has one of the
worst offenses in the country, a
reputation it won’t shake
against South Florida.
Why Florida International
might win: Logically, the
Panthers match up poorly with
the Bulls, but logic never plays
a role in major upsets. While
this is a huge game for Florida
International, it’s a classic
sandwich game for South Florida.
A week after the thriller with
Kansas and a week before
traveling to an ACC opponent,
the Bulls will have a hard time
getting up for one of the worst
teams in the FBS. Fueled by the
play of linebackers Quentin
Newman, Toronto Smith, and Scott
Bryant, the Panther D has
actually played rather well,
keeping Kansas and Iowa from
running it out of the building.
Who to watch: Although
Jim Leavitt certainly hopes to
have backs Mike Ford and
Benjamin Williams healthy again,
he’s not afraid to hand the bulk
of the carries over to sophomore
Jamar Taylor. One of the
catalysts in Friday’s comeback,
he rushed for 72 yards and a
touchdown on just 11 carries,
showing blazing speed around the
edge.
What will happen: A
sluggish start and an incomplete
effort will be almost
unavoidable for South Florida.
Still, the gap in talent between
the two programs is so vast that
any lapses in focus won’t cost
the Bulls on the scoreboard.
They’ll begin to roll before
halftime, getting the starters
to the bench by the start of the
fourth quarter.
CFN Prediction: South
Florida 48 … FIU 6 ... Line:
South Florida -28
Must See Rating: (5
Dr. 90210 - 1 Biggest
Loser: Families) … 1.5
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Miami Univ.
(1-2) at Cincinnati (1-1),
7:30
EST, ESPN360, Saturday,
September 20
Why to watch:
Cincinnati’s situation at
quarterback suffered a major
blow when Dustin Grutza was lost
for the season with a broken leg
suffered in the blowout loss to
Oklahoma. Just when the Bearcats
felt they’d gotten past not
having Ben Mauk, they’re being
forced to move forward with Tony
Pike behind center. The junior
has never started a game,
meaning head coach Brian Kelly
is going to earn his reputation
as a developer of quarterbacks.
For Miami, the battle for the
Victory Bell is the final
non-conference game in what has
been a rough stretch on the
schedule. After losing games
against Vanderbilt and Michigan
to start the season, the
RedHawks broke into the win
column last week at the expense
of Charleston Southern. In the
wide-open MAC East, they remain
in the mix for a division crown.
Why Miami might win: The
RedHawk defense will provide a
tough test for Pike in his first
career start. The linebackers,
in particular, form a fantastic
trio, but they haven’t played up
to their talent and potential
yet this year. Clayton Mullins,
Joey Hudson, and Caleb Bostic
are rugged run-stuffers who’ll
keep the pedestrian Cincy ground
game quiet, forcing Pike to make
plays through the air. If the
Bearcat offensive line keeps
having problems in pass
protection, it’ll be a long
night for the entire offense.
Why Cincinnati might win:
Now more than ever, the Bearcat
defense is going to need to step
up and assert itself. Sure, the
unit was gutted by Oklahoma, but
Miami’s attack won’t be confused
with the Sooner offense. In
fact, until pasting lowly
Charleston Southern, the
RedHawks only managed to ring up
one touchdown in the first two
games. Turnover-prone QB Daniel
Raudabaugh should have major
problems with Mike Mickens,
DeAngelo Smith, and one of the
most athletic defensive
backfields in the Big East.
Who to watch: As good as
the Cincinnati defense can be,
it still needs more outside
pressure from players like DE
Connor Barwin. A converted tight
end, he’s been making a smooth
transition to the defensive side
of the ball. After abusing
Eastern Kentucky for three
tackles for loss and two sacks,
he was quiet against the
Oklahoma tackles. The RedHawk
front doesn’t pose nearly the
same challenge, so Barwin should
get back in the boxscore for
getting his hands on Raudabaugh.
What will happen: It’ll
be back to basics for
Cincinnati, which will lean
heavily on the strength of the
program, its defense. The
Bearcats won’t need Pike to be
great, relying on three
interceptions and a total effort
from the D to keep the Victory
Bell in the Queen City for a
third straight year.
CFN Prediction:
Cincinnati 31 … Miami University
10 ... Line: Cincinnati -11.5
Must See Rating: (5
Dr. 90210 - 1 Biggest
Loser: Families) … 2
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Week 4, Sept. 20 Predictions,
Part 1 |