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East Carolina (3-0) at North
Carolina State (1-2), 12:00 EST
Why to watch: East
Carolina played with fire last
weekend and darn near got
burned. The Pirates, darlings
among the non-BCS schools,
needed to rally late in the
fourth quarter against Tulane to
avoid being on the other end of
an upset. They better get used
to seeing the other team’s best
effort, which is what they’ll
experience as an unbeaten and
ranked program. North Carolina
State has sputtered to a 1-2
start, beating William & Mary in
a game that was sandwiched
between losses at South Carolina
and Clemson, respectively. These
two schools have a long history
and are separated by just 90
miles, so more than just a
victory will be at stake. For
the Wolfpack, it has a chance to
build some momentum with a rare
win over a Top 25 team.
Why East Carolina might win:
The way the Pirates are playing
defense, they shouldn’t have
many problems with the Wolfpack.
Take out the game with William &
Mary, and the Pack offense has
produced one field goal in eight
quarters. The passing game has
miserable and the offensive line
will struggle to control a big
East Carolina front that’s led
by end C.J. Wilson and tackle
Jay Ross. Despite opening with
ranked teams, the Pirates lead
Conference USA in pass defense
and are No. 2 in total defense.
Why NC State might win: With
no help whatsoever from the
offense, the Wolfpack D has
single-handedly kept the program
from getting humiliated in the
first three games. LB Nate
Irving is having an All-ACC
start and Willie Young can be a
nuisance rushing around the
edge. The East Carolina offense
has been mortal during the
three-game winning streak,
averaging 26 points and failing
to get the running game started
against Tulane. While QB Patrick
Pinkney is performing like an
MVP, the rest of the Pirates can
be controlled by the State
defense.
Who to watch: It didn’t
catch up with East Carolina last
week, but at some point, the
lack of a running game could be
their downfall. While it’s a
shared problem with the
offensive line, it’s incumbent
upon Brandon Simmons and Jon
Williams to start making
something out of nothing. The
Pack has been inconsistent in
run defense, so this week would
be a good time to get on course.
What will happen: For the
second straight week, East
Carolina will have to scratch
and claw in order to preserve
its perfect record. It’s a good
thing N.C. State is a mess on
offense or else this game would
be doubly dangerous for the
Pirates. They’ll survive behind
the play of Pinkney, who’ll be a
rock when the game is tight in
the second half.
CFN Prediction: East
Carolina 17 … NC State 14 ...
Line: East Carolina -7.5
Must See Rating: (5
Dr. 90210 - 1 Biggest
Loser: Families) … 2.5
UL Monroe (1-2) at Tulane (0-2),
3:00 EST
Why to watch:
While it’s hard to get too
excited about an 0-2 start,
Tulane has to feel pretty good
about the way it’s performed
versus a couple of ranked
opponents. The Green Wave gave
Alabama a good fight before
fading 20-6, and had East
Carolina on the ropes until the
Pirates squirmed away with two
minutes remaining. If the
program can maintain its level
of play against all comers, it
has a chance to exceed forecasts
this fall. Louisiana-Monroe has
had its own brush with SEC
greatness, coming within a
missed field goal in the final
seconds of shocking Arkansas.
The Warhawks rebounded from the
disappointing loss, blowing past
Alabama A&M for the first win of
the season.
Why UL Monroe might win:
The Warhawks have begun to heat
up on offense, and have the
ingredients for one of the Sun
Belt’s better attacks. Kinsmon
Lancaster is a veteran
quarterback, who’s yet to throw
a pick and can beat defenses in
multiple ways. His targets
include Zeek Zacharie, an
all-league tight end, and
redshirt freshman WR Anthony
McCall, who schooled the
Razorback secondary for six
catches and a pair of touchdown
receptions.
Why Tulane might win:
Louisiana-Monroe may have some
weapons on offense, but it’s
going to labor to move the ball
on a Green Wave defense that’s
been a revelation through two
games. Despite playing a couple
of quality opponents, Tulane
leads Conference USA in total
defense and the country in
sacks. With no bona fide stars
entering the season, it’s
getting support from everywhere,
including DE Logan Kelley, LB
Evan Lee, and CB Josh Lumar. The
Green Wave is pitching total
team efforts on defense, which
presents problems for a Warhawk
line breaking in four new
starters.
Who to watch: The one
Green Wave player attracting the
most interest from NFL scouts is
massive LT Troy Kropog. It’ll be
up to he and his linemates to
move the pile if Tulane is going
to take advantage of
Louisiana-Monroe’s iffy run
defense. With a little help, RB
Andre Anderson has the potential
to generate more than the 114
yards on 46 carries he’s gained
so far this season.
What will happen: Tulane
and Louisiana-Monroe have both
shown that they can survive a
step up in class. Now, each has
to prove it can handle a peer.
In a matchup of equals, the
Green Wave will earn its first
win of the season, getting a
100-day from Anderson and
remaining tough on the defensive
side of the ball.
CFN Prediction:
Tulane 27 … UL Monroe 15 ...
Line: Tulane -6
Must See Rating: (5
Dr. 90210 - 1 Biggest
Loser: Families) … 1.5
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Houston (1-2) at Colorado State
(1-1),
3:30 EST
Why to watch: While
Houston is scoring points in
bunches, the defense has been
non-existent, the main reason
it’s off to a 1-2 start in Kevin
Sumlin’s first season. Losing to
Oklahoma State was no surprise,
but getting bounced by
rebuilding Air Force was a sign
that the Cougars will have
trouble winning the West
division of Conference USA. Of
course, it didn’t help the team
that Hurricane Ike was sweeping
through Houston and forced the
“home” game to be moved to SMU’s
Ford Stadium in Dallas. Colorado
State will be looking for some
answers as it comes out of its
bye week. The Rams are still
adjusting to a rookie head coach
of their own, Steve Fairchild,
and didn’t look sharp in a loss
to Colorado or a three-point win
over Sacramento State.
Expectations remain modest
around Fort Collins, and no one
is expecting an overnight
turnaround.
Why Houston might win: A
few misfires aside, the Cougar
offense has been incendiary,
averaging 40 points and 544
yards through the first three
games. They’ll spread out the
field with four and five wide
receivers, putting tons of
pressure on a suspect Colorado
State pass defense. Houston QB
Case Keenum has been doing quite
an impression of David Klingler
and Andre Ware, leading the team
in rushing and throwing 13
touchdowns to just one pick.
Why Colorado State might win:
Houston has proven it can score,
but can it stop anyone? That was
a rhetorical question. Forget
the game with Southern, which
meant nothing in the picture. In
the losses to Oklahoma State and
Air Force, the Cougars were
tagged for more than 1,000
yards, most of it coming on the
ground. The Rams have a veteran
offensive line and two backs,
Gartrell Johnson and Kyle Bell,
who are capable of keeping the
Houston offense on the sidelines
for long periods of time.
Who to watch: Mark
Hafner’s transition from tight
end to wide receiver in the new
Houston offense is going better
than anyone on the staff could
have imagined. He won’t frighten
opposing players with his speed
or leaping ability, but he has
great hands and a knack for
finding soft spots in the
defenses. He’s already caught 22
passes, six which have gone for
six.
What will happen: It’s
going to come down to the
Houston passing attack versus
the Colorado State running game.
The Cougars rate an edge because
of how well Keenum has been
performing, but the outcome of
this game will be in doubt deep
into the fourth quarter.
CFN Prediction: Houston
42 … Colorado State 31 ...
Line: Houston -6
Must See Rating: (5
Dr. 90210 - 1 Biggest
Loser: Families) … 2
Alabama State (0-2) at UAB (0-3),
4:00 EST
Why to watch: This week’s
visit from Alabama State
provides UAB with its best
opportunity all year to snap a
nine-game losing streak. It
better deliver while it has a
chance, or things might actually
get worse in Birmingham. The
Blazers continue to fight for
Neil Callaway, including in last
week’s loss to Tennessee, but an
obvious lack of depth and talent
aren’t easily overcome. With
South Carolina in the on-deck
circle, they’ll need to take
care of business on Saturday to
avoid a winless September. The
Hornets are a second-division
team out of the SWAC, having
already lost by double-digits to
Florida A&M and Bethune-Cookman.
The last time these two schools
met in 1995, both were members
of I-AA.
Why Alabama State might win:
The Hornets boast an aggressive,
attacking defense that’s only
giving up 270 yards a game this
season. Nine starters are back,
including LB Rechard Johnson,
who led the nation with 23
tackles for loss in 2007. On
offense, big-play junior Rahmod
Traylor should find plenty of
running room going against a
Blazer D that lacks girth on the
inside and ranks dead last in
the country in total defense.
Why UAB might win: After
opening with Tulsa, Florida
Atlantic, and Tennessee, the
Blazers are battle-tested and
ready to vent some frustration
on a much weaker opponent. It’ll
be the Joe Webb Show for the
fourth consecutive week as the
multi-dimensional quarterback
will once again take matters
into his own hands as a passer
and a playmaker. When he’s not
running through the Hornet D,
he’ll be looking for Frantrell
Forrest, a rangy receiver with
19 receptions over the last two
weeks.
Who to watch: As UAB
tries to get more than just Webb
and Forrest involved in the
offensive gameplan, look for an
expanded role for Rashaud
Slaughter. A hybrid between a
back and a receiver throughout
his career, he’s taking some
direct snaps in the Blazers’ new
Vulcan formation, and has the
quicks to make people miss in
the open field.
What will happen: Knowing
what’s at stake, UAB won’t waste
any time taking advantage of a
chance to win a game for the
first time in 11 months. The
Blazers will jump out to an
early lead, riding 400 yards of
total offense from Webb to a
comfortable and long-awaited
victory.
CFN Prediction:
UAB 34 … Alabama State 16 ...
Line: No Line
Must See Rating: (5
Dr. 90210 - 1 Biggest
Loser: Families) … 1
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Consultants FREE selections
Marshall (2-1) at Southern Miss
(2-1),
3:30 EST
Why to watch: It’s
obviously early, but as the
pecking order starts fleshing
out in the East Division of
Conference USA, Southern Miss
and Marshall don’t want to fall
behind favorites East Carolina
and UCF. The Golden Eagles are
off to a nice start under rookie
coach Larry Fedora, beating two
Sun Belt opponents and playing
well in a loss to Auburn. Now,
they get their first chance to
see how they stack up against
league competition. Marshall is
also 2-1, but hasn’t been as
impressive reaching that point.
The Herd’s wins came against
Illinois State and Memphis, and
in its lone chance to shock the
world, it got trampled, 51-14,
by Wisconsin.
Why Marshall might win:
While it might be easy to assume
the Southern Miss defense is
like the Nasty Bunch of the
past, that simply isn’t
accurate. The Eagles are
rebuilding on defense,
especially on the interior of
the front line. Each of this
year’s three opponents has run
the ball well on Southern Miss,
and Marshall won’t flip the
script. It’ll put the ball in
the hands of Darius Marshall,
who already has a couple of
100-yards games and is averaging
almost five yards a carry. The
Herd offensive line has yet to
allow a sack, which is helping
the development of freshman QB
Mark Cann.
Why Southern Miss might win:
Although better days lie ahead
for Fedora’s offense, it’s
beginning to show signs of
perking up. League-leading
rusher Damion Fletcher forces
the other team to respect the
running game, and QB Austin
Davis has helped the cause by
tossing two touchdown passes in
each game. The one-two receiving
punch of TE Shawn Nelson and WR
DeAndre Brown will give fits to
a terrible Marshall pass
defense. Getting behemoth LT
Calvin Wilson back from injury
will help everyone do his job
better on offense.
Who to watch: LB Gerald
McRath is the unquestioned star
of the USM defense, but S Chico
Hunter is set to assume the role
when McRath leaves for the NFL.
Just a sophomore, he has
tremendous range and is
comfortable as a run stopper and
a pass defender. Especially good
in the open field, he leads the
team in solo tackles and ranks
20th in the country.
What will happen: Beating
a solid Arkansas State team away
from home was proof that
Southern Miss is headed in the
right direction. The Golden
Eagles will remain on that
trajectory, getting another
balanced effort from the offense
and just enough defensive stops
to hold off Marshall.
CFN Prediction: Southern
Miss 27 … Marshall 13 ... Line:
No Line
Must See Rating: (5
Dr. 90210 - 1 Biggest
Loser: Families) … 2.5
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Consultants FREE selections
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Conference USA Week
Four Fearless
Predictions, Part 2
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