|
Syracuse (2-6) at Rutgers (3-5),
12:00 EST, ESPNU
Why to watch: Although
Syracuse and Rutgers are both
below .500, neither school has
quit on the season. The Orange,
presumably with one foot already
in 2009, stunned Louisville on
Saturday for its first win of
the year over an FBS opponent.
After playing much better over
the last month, the program
finally broke through with a
win, getting 166 yards and a
touchdown on the ground from
Curtis Brinkley. When we last
saw the Scarlet Knights, they
were thrashing Pittsburgh behind
a school-record six touchdown
passes from maligned QB Mike
Teel. November will answer
whether that 54-34 stunner was a
fluke or the start of turnaround
in Piscataway. The winner of
Saturday’s game will remain
mathematically alive in its
quest for an additional game in
December.
Why Syracuse might win:
Less than a year after suffering
a season-ending injury, Brinkley
has been sensational for the
Orange, cranking out five
straight 100-yard games. Mitch
Browning’s offensive line
continues to make progress,
creating room for the backs and
limiting the number of sacks of
Cam Dantley. Syracuse will be
content to run the ball right at
a Rutgers defense that’s next to
last in the Big East in both run
defense and pass efficiency
defense.
Why Rutgers might win:
It’s taken three-quarters of the
season, but the light has
finally gone on for the Scarlet
Knight offense. Teel torched a
Panther defense that’s tougher
than the one he’ll face this
weekend, making good use of
speedy receivers Kenny Britt,
Tim Brown, and Tiquan Underwood.
Plus, the offense has started
getting more consistent
production from RB Kordell
Young, who’s averaged 80 yards
over the last three games. Teel
gets in trouble when he forces
his throws, but Syracuse is last
in the league with eight sacks,
posing little threat to the
integrity of the pocket.
Who to watch: Young has
been one of the keys to Rutgers’
mini-resurgence, giving an
offense top-heavy in receivers
some much-needed balance. Slow
to recover from last year’s
season-ending knee injury, he’s
finally running without soreness
and making the cuts of an
exciting back that was pegged
two years as Ray Rice’s
successor. If he continues to be
a threat out of the backfield
down the stretch, Teel and the
passing game will be the chief
beneficiaries.
What will happen: While
it’s a few weeks later than Greg
Schiano would have liked,
Rutgers is beginning to click on
both sides of the ball. The
offense has some momentum from
the rout of Pittsburgh and the
defense is making modest
strides. The Knights will keep
Syracuse winless away from the
Carrier Dome, getting
contributions from Teel, Young,
and a suddenly balanced attack.
CFN Prediction: Rutgers
31 … Syracuse 13 ... Line:
Rutgers -14
Must See Rating: (5 The
Non-Stop Election Coverage
– 1 The Non-Stop Election
Analysis) … 2
-
Click here to receive ATS
Consultants FREE selections
|
Get Tickets
Louisville (5-3) at Pittsburgh
(6-2),
12:00 EST, ESPN GamePlan
Why to watch: At this
stage of the season, no one
wants to fall too far behind
West Virginia, the last unbeaten
team in Big East play. The
Panthers became bowl-eligible in
dramatic fashion last weekend,
outlasting Notre Dame in a
four-overtime marathon, 36-33.
Although the victory didn’t
narrow the gap on the
Mountaineers, it did provide a
tremendous boost for a program
that was embarrassed at home by
Rutgers just two weeks earlier.
For the second straight year,
Louisville took it on the chin
from Syracuse, losing a critical
game to the Orange, 28-21. The
Cardinals fell a couple of games
out of first place in the loss
column, but can recapture some
momentum with a road win that
would make them bowl-eligible.
Why Louisville might win:
The Cardinals have the balance
on offense to exploit a
Pittsburgh defense that’s
getting worse as the season
progresses. The Panther pass
defense has been especially
vulnerable of late, allowing
nine touchdown passes and
picking off just one pass in the
last two games with Rutgers and
Notre Dame. Louisville will lean
on veteran QB Hunter Cantwell to
make plays through the air and
backs Vic Anderson and Brock
Bolen to keep Pitt honest on the
ground. The Panthers are just
2-2 at Heinz Field, so
home-field advantage won’t be a
major factor.
Why Pittsburgh might win:
As usual, the forecast in
Pittsburgh calls for plenty of
Shady. Sophomore RB LeSean McCoy
has shaken off a slow start to
rush for 762 yards and 10
touchdowns over the last five
games. While Louisville is ninth
nationally at stopping the run,
it also just got ripped for more
than 200 yards on the ground by
Curtis Brinkley and Syracuse.
Cantwell lacks much foot speed,
which presents a problem against
speedy Panther ends Greg Romeus
and Jabaal Sheard, and the rest
of the Big East’s top sack unit.
Who to watch: While Bill
Stull hasn’t exactly been
channeling Tyler Palko this
season, Pittsburgh is better off
when he’s under center. He’s
expected back in the lineup
after sitting out the Notre Dame
game with a concussion and a
sore neck. In his place, Pat
Bostick was ineffective,
throwing a touchdown pass and
getting picked three times.
Stull needs to get the ball in
the hands of rangy true freshman
Jonathan Baldwin, who’s caught a
touchdown in three of the last
four games and is emerging into
a force on the outside.
What will happen: After
getting smoked by Rutgers two
weeks ago, Pittsburgh righted
the ship with last week’s
come-from-behind win over Notre
Dame. While McCoy will solve the
Louisville ground defense,
Stull’s return will provide a
spark to the passing attack.
Yeah, the Panthers got burned
through the air the last two
games, but they’ll find the
Cardinal receivers far easier to
contain than the ones they saw
from the Scarlet Knights and the
Irish.
CFN Prediction: Pitt 30 …
Louisville 21 ... Line: Pitt
-6.5
Must See Rating: (5 The
Non-Stop Election Coverage
– 1 The Non-Stop Election
Analysis) … 2.5
-
Click here to receive ATS
Consultants FREE selections
|
Get Tickets |