On Campus 9/29/07 (and 9/28)

5 Games to Watch


#5 West Virginia vs. #18 South Florida- ***NOTE THIS GAME IS ON FRIDAY NIHJGT ON ESPN2***A BCS bowl bid could easily be on the line in Raymond James Stadium Friday night. Coach Rich Rodriguez leads his high octane Mountaineer offense into Tampa led by QB Pat White. White has been college footballs best player so far this season; completing over 70% of his pass attempts for 6 TD's and no picks, while picking up 70+ yards a game on the ground and accounting for 6 TD's also. White is joined by tailbacks Steve Slaton and Freshmen sensation Noel Devine to provide a stiff test for the Bulls defense. Last season in Morgantown the Bulls slowed White & Slaton down to 60 yards total on the ground to pull off the upset. This season the Bulls have everyone’s attention and deserve their Top 20 ranking. The West Virginia defense can't go to sleep though, because the Bulls bring their own dual threat QB in Sophomore Matt Grothe. Bulls coach Jim Leavitt knows that this game is more then about the Big East title, it could mean a BCS bowl bid and the cementing of his programs among the nations consistent elite.


#21 Penn State vs. Illinois- The Nittany Lions are coming off a disappointing loss last week and they have no time to lick their wounds, they have to go on the road to play a vastly improved Illinois squad. The Flyin Illini are lead by three of Ron Zooks most heralded recruits and are averaging 36 points a game. Junior RB Rashard Mendenhall is coming into his own and coming off a 200 yard performance at Indiana last week. Sophomore QB Juice Williams is still a little inconsistent throwing the ball but his feet allow him to make plays; and lastly Williams is getting accustomed to having a big play weapon on the outside in Freshmen WR Arrelious Benn. Penn State gave up too many yards on the ground last week against Michigan, but the defense usually can dominate smaller offensive lines. Nittany Lion success comes down to one thing, the play of Anthony Morelli. The excuses are over for Morelli he has to lead this team to victory and a loss at a place liek this could seal his fate as one of the most hated Penn State QB's in recent memory.


#23 Cincinnati vs. San Diego State- The Bearcats have been perhaps the most dominant team in the country in their first 4 games. They have outscored their opponents 180-30 and are averaging the 13th most points in the country, all that has lead to their first national ranking in 31 years. But before the get started in Big East conference play they have to travel across the country to play in one of the ultimate trap games. Awaiting the Bearcats is a very mediocre San Diego State Aztec team who is giving up over 30 points per game. The Aztecs lost two big games on the road at Arizona State and Washington State and have a I-AA win, so nobody is really sure how good they are, but this is for sure they always have talent at their skill positions and on defense (don't believe me just check NFL rosters). The Bearcats better be prepared for a hard fought battle in Qualcomm this weekend so they can continue their unbeaten streak.


#6 California vs. #11 Oregon- Everyone seems to think one of these two teams can beat Southern Cal later in the year, but the loser here will be down a game in the Pac-10 race. This promises to be a high octane game with two teams who are int he top 15 in scoring and the Ducks who are 6th in total offense. The main cog int he Ducks wheel is the QB Dennis Dixon who has almost 1300 yards of total offense and 15 touchdowns. And if Dixon is struggling he can always turn and hand it off to Jonathan Stewart who is only averaging 7.7 yards per carry. The Cal Bears counter with their own QB Nate Longshore who has thrown for 230+ yards in three of their four games this season. The key factor in the game could be the big play ability of Cal wide out DeSean Jackson, he can change the game with one play.


#23 Arizona State vs. Stanford- Dennis Erickson is leading a rebirth down in the dessert; the Sun Devils are 4-0 and ranked in the top 25. However, they have yet to play a game outside the Tempe city limits. This week the travel up Paolo Alto to take on a revamped Stanford program. Under first year coach Jim Harbaugh the Cardinal have fought hard but suffered tough defeats at the hands of #14UCLA and then #13 Oregon. Cardinal QB T.C. Ostrander has played well this year only throwing 2 picks to go along with 6 TD passes. If he can continue to improve the Cardinal may be able to pull off an upset against a weak Sun Devil defense.


4 Players to See


Cullen Harper, QB Clemson- The big question for Tommy Bowden’s Tigers this season was who would be under center; true freshmen Willy Korn or Junior Cullen Harper who had thrown a total of 22 passes in college. Well so far Harper has not disappointed. Leading his team to 4 wins including a 2-0 start in ACC play Harper has thrown 12 TD’s and no picks, while completing 70% of his passes. This week will be a big test as Clemson travels down to Atlanta to take on Georgia Tech and their aggressive blitzing defense meant to take QB’s out of their rhythm. We should see this week just exactly what Cullen Harper can do against a quality opponent


BenJarvus Green-Ellis, RB Ole Miss- Perhaps the least known commodity in the SEC, Green-Ellis is a bruising back, at 5’10 225 pounds who wears teams down. He has surprising speed in the open field and has ripped off some 20+ yard carries this season. The Georgia defense is susceptible to an effective ground game and Green-Ellis could put together a big day if Ole Miss wants to keep the ball out of the hands of Georgia’s offense.


Limas Sweed, WR Texas- When the Longhorns look for the homerun play it is usually Sweed who they look for. Though slightly injured coming into the year he has caught 15 balls and 3 TD’s. Sweed is big tall and fast and can really exploit the Kansas State secondary for some big plays an perhaps improve upon that 17.8 yards per catch.


James Laurinaitis, LB Ohio State- The All-American has led his team in tackles in 12 of the last 16 games. He is the spearhead of a ferocious defensive attack which is yielding only 9 points a game. The Golden Gophers have a strong offense but look for Laurinaitis and crew to zone in on RB Amir Pinnix to slow down the rushing attack of Minnesota.