On Campus 9/22/07

5 Games to Watch

East Carolina vs #5 West Virginia- The Pirates may be the best 1-2 team in America. In week one the played the Hokies to a stand still havign a chacne to win the game, then returning home to beat North Carolina and lost a heartbreaker to Southern Miss. Coach Skip Holtz has lost the last two years to West Virginia but nobody has been able to slow down the Mountaineer running attack quite like the Pirates. West Virginia averages 343 yards per game on the ground, but against ECU the last 2 years they have a total of 280 yards. The Pirates will need to keep the ground attack under wraps and unleash their own dual threat QB in Patrick Pinkney. The lower scroing the game the more the Pirates have a chance, keep your eye on this one in the year of the upset.


Iowa vs #9 Wisconsin- The Badgers have not played well this year and neither has Iowa. This is chance for one of them to get a leg up in the Big 10 race and get going in a positive direction. Wisconsin is 3-0 and has a solid ground game lead by PJ Hill and against Iowa's defense they will need him. The Hawkeyes have not allowed a touchdown this year, and have somehow lost a game. In total Kirk Ferentz crew has yielded only 18 total points and 212 yards per game. The Wisconsin offense has been potent averaging almost 450 yards per game, so something here has to give. If Iowa quarteback Jake Christensen can have a breakout game he could be the differnce maker up in Camp Randall Stadium


#12 South Carolina vs #2 LSU- Oh baby this could be the slobber knocker of the week. The Ole Ball Coach traveling down on the Bayou trying to get another huge SEC road win in his time at South Carolina (he has won at Tennessee, Georgia and Arkansas). Weather could be a factor as a tropical storm may be moving in the area which would favor the heavy underdog Gamecocks. Spurrier's team is built on defense and ball control, with running backs Mike Davis and Cory Boyd both averging over 6 yards per carry. The LSU defense is a machine, only giving up one touchdown and not even allowing a field goal attempt. This battle will be won up front between the defensive line of the Tigers and offensive line of the Gamecocks. If South Carolina can keep it close into the fourth quarter I would never bet against the Ole Ball Coach.


Maryland vs Wake Forest- The defending ACC Champs are already down 0-1 in conference and they face a more mature Maryland team who is off to a solid 2-1 start. The Terps lost a Thursday nighter to West Virginia and now have back to back road games, Wake and Rutgers. If they can go into Winston Salem and sneak out a win that would get them to 1-0 in a winnable ACC this year and give them momentum going into New Brunswick next weekend. On the other hand the Deacons need a win, and moreover an ACC win. A loss here would put them in an 0-2 hole in the ACC race, something difficult for them to climb out of. It is time for QB Riley Skinner to show back up and lead this team just like he did last season. If the Deacons get a good performance from their QB they will win, if not look for the Terps to pull of the conference road win.


#21 Kentucky vs Arkansas- This is the contender/pretender match-up in the SEC. Arkansas is coming off what could be a backbreaking loss to Alabama last weekend, losing in the last 30 seconds. The Wildcats are on the other side of that coin, coming off a last minute victory over #9 Louisville, which catupulted them into the national rankings for the first time in 23 years. Wildcat QB Andre Woodson is the real deal and he will be tested in Fayettenam this week, a tough place to win. The Razorbacks need to have McFadden not fade on them with crqamps this week like he did last week in Tuscaloosa, controlling the ball and clock will be key to an Arkansas victory. The Kentucky offense is high octane and can score in bunches. The winner here is going to be a factor in the conference race all season long, and the loser (especially if it is Arkansas who will fall to 0-2 in the SEC) may fade off from serious contention in the SEC.


4 Players to See


Alex Brink, QB Washington State- During his sophomore and junior years as a starter Brink has thrown for almost 6000 yards, 43 TD's and only 23 INT's, and last season ha da pass in the air with a chane at upsetting the Trojans in Pullman. Off to fast start as a Senior, Brink has completed 74% of his passes for 10 TD's and 947 yards in three games. Another big performance and most importantly turnover free performance (only 2 INT's & no fumbles in '07) will be important if the Cougars plan on spoiling the day down in the city of angles.


James Davis, RB Clemson- Still on the national scene this guy is recognized for his brilliant running, now some of that is his fault because he can be injury prone and sometimes struggled in the national spotlight. He is abrusing 205 pound back with good quickness and deceptive speed int he open field, which has lead to his 7 100 yard rushing games in his career and his 5.9 yards per carry through 2 full seasons. While Clemsons ground game has struggled a bit this season NC State has given up almost 700 yards on the gorund in three games so Davis may be able to break loose of this early season slump.


Chase Daniel, QB Missouri- One of the best dual threat QB's in the country, and most certainly the least talked about. In 3 games this season Daniel has completed 93 passes for 10 TD's and an average of 340 yards a game. Take thos numbers and his 4.0 yards per carry for over 100 yards this season and Daniel is 6th in the country in total offense. He has a chance this weak against I-AA Illinois State to have huge game like 400 and 150 which would put him on a bunch of awards list and get the Missouri Tigers to 4-0 for the second year in a row under coach Gary Pinkle.


George Selvie, DE South Florida- As a freshman last season Selvie was thrid ont he team in tackles with 84 and 5.5 sacks. This season he has picked up right where he left off. Despite only playing 2 games so far this season Selvie is among the nations best with 5.5 sacks (matching last seasons total) and 9.5 tackles for loss. The North Carolina line is young and inexperienced and may have trobule keeping Selvie out of the backfield. If he can disrupt the Tar Heels passing game it could be along day in Raymond James Stadium for Butch Davis and company.