Pretty good performance last week in a bunch of good games. This week the games aren't as exciting but we will look to replicate last week's performance. Below are this week's picks.
Texas Tech vs #24 Oklahoma St
The Red Raiders will look to get back on track after they were destroyed at home by the Arkansas Razorbacks two weeks ago when they take on the Oklahoma St Cowboys in Stillwater. The Red Raiders will no doubt look to stop the run better after giving up 438 rushing yards and seven touchdowns to the Razorbacks. With a new defensive coordinator running the show, it will be interesting to see the adjustments to the run that the Red Raiders installed during the bye week to stop a strong Cowboy rushing attack.
Quarterback Davis Webb leads the up tempo Raider attack into Stillwater that will look to get on the board early and often. Mayfield has already thrown for just under 1000 yards and 10 touchdowns through three games and will need to be on point tonight if the Red Raiders expect to go into Stillwater and get the win. Webb will look to spread the ball around to receivers Jakeem Grant, Bradley Marquez and Reginald Davis who have each showed some early playmaking ability this season.
The Red Raiders will also bring in a better rushing attack than they have had in the past with DeAndre Washington leading the charge and Justin Stockton sure to see some time as well. The Red Raiders obviously won't be looking to control the clock or pound the ball down the opponents throat in the running game, but instead use it every now and again to keep the defense guessing and play on their heels.
If Texas Tech is going to win this game, its defense will need to show up and prove it can stop the run. So far this season, the defense has been unimpressive to say the least, ranking 112th in points per game against and 120th out of 124 teams in total rushing yards allowed. If the Red Raiders can force a couple of stops and get their offense rolling early, than they will have a great chance to win this game.
Oklahoma St will look to win its third game in a row when it hosts Texas Tech tonight. After narrowly losing the opener to Florida St, the Cowboys have blown out their previous two opponents. While both of these teams(Missouri St, UTSA) were significantly outmatched, the Cowboys were able to continue to stay balanced on offense and work through the injury of starting quarterback J.W. Walsh during the Missouri St game.
Quarterback Daxx Garman has shown so far why so many wanted him to be named the season openers starter. Garmann has a QB rating of 164.6 over the last two games and has yet to turn the ball over. The Cowboy offense looks to be operating more smoothly with him under the helm than Walsh. So far six different receivers have at least five catches on the year to go along with six different receivers averaging 15 yards or more per reception. Garman will need to prove that he is the real deal on Thursday when he takes on the Red Raiders who will be looking to prove themselves after being embarrassed by Arkansas.
Along with Garman, the Cowboys sport an under the radar, but powerful running game that can punish opponents at times. Three different running backs have more than 20 carries on the year and you can expect that the Cowboys will look to run the ball early and often against a Red Raider defense that is one of the worst at stopping the run.
If Oklahoma St can run the ball effectively against Texas Tech and keep drives alive while keeping the Red Raider offense on the sidelines, than the Cowboys will be in great shape to win.
Prediction: Both teams will come out trying to establish their up tempo identity. The Cowboys will look to take advantage of the Tech rushing defense early and often while the Red Raiders will stack the box early and force Garman to beat them through the air.
Both teams will have drives stall in the early stages of the game. Oklahoma St will take a three point lead just before halftime. After a Tech score the Cowboys will drive down the field on a long, methodical drive leading to a touchdown. After stopping the Tech offense, the Cowboys once again will go down the field and get another touchdown putting them up 10 points with about eight minutes to go.
After another defensive stop, the Cowboys run the clock down before kicking a field goal. Down 13 with less than two minutes to play, Webb leads a touchdown drive, but the Raiders rally falls short after failing to recover the onside kick.
+Oklahoma State Athletics 30 - +Texas Tech University 24
#11 UCLA vs #15 Arizona St
UCLA will look to avenge last year's loss to Arizona St when it travels to Tempe to take on the Sun Devils. UCLA might be without starting quarterback Bretty Hundley for this game, who hurt his non throwing arm while trying to break his fall during a tackle against Texas two weeks ago. Whether the Bruins have Hundley or not, they will have their work cut out for them in this game.
The Bruins have had trouble protecting the quarterback so far this year, allowing 12 sacks through the first three games. The Bruins will need to do a better job against a Sun Devil defense that will bring the pressure early and often if they expect to win tonight.
UCLA will look to slow down the aggressive Sun Devil defense by trying to establish the run early and often. The Bruins have had some success on the ground this year as evidenced by running back Paul Perkins' 4.8 yards per carry average, but have been inconsistent in their execution.
If the Bruins can establish the run early and protect their quarterback from a defense that will send a lot of pressure throughout the game, then they will be in a good position to win later tonight.
Like the Bruins, the Sun Devils come into this game undefeated and with a quarterback injury of their own. However, for the Sun Devils, starting quarterback Taylor Kelly will not play in this game because of a foot injury. Mike Bercovici will step in Kelly's place for the second game in a row looking to give the Sun Devils the upper hand in the race for the Pac 12 South Division championship.
Bercovici hasn't shown much so far this season as he has only attempted 17 passes coming into tonights game so it will be interesting to see how he deals with an impressive Bruin defense in such a critical game. If Bercovici can complete some easy early throws to start the game, it can really give him some confidence as the game moves forward.
Luckily for Bercovici, he will have a strong running game behind him, which will try and take some of the pressure off of him. It is safe to assume that running back D.J. Foster will touch the ball at least 25 to 30 times in this game. If Foster can get some early momentum against a tough Bruin front seven, it will open up the Bruin defense for Bercovici to take a couple of shots down the field.
If Arizona St can run effectively early and pressure the Bruin quarterback throughout the game, the Sun Devils will be a prime position to pull of the upset.
Prediction: ASU will try to establish the run to take some pressure off of Bercovici, but the Bruins will stack the box and force the Sun Devils to air it out. Hundley will play in this game, but after some early pressure, the hits will add up and he will be replaced by Jerry Neuheisel to prevent further injury.
Both the Bruins and the Sun Devils will rely heavily on their running games with each team taking the occasional shot down the field. This game will be decided in the fourth quarter after a forced turnover by Eric Kendricks will give the Bruins a short field.
A goal line touchdown from star linebacker Myles Jack will put the Bruins up seven with only a few minutes to go. The Sun Devils will be forced to put the ball in the air, but without Kelly will lead to another interception, which will seal the game.
+UCLA Bruins 24 - +Arizona State Sun Devils 17
Duke vs Miami
The Duke Blue Devils will look to improve to 5-0 when they take on the Miami Hurricanes Saturday night. It is hard to believe that the Blue Devils are in the position that they are today after so many years of infamy.
Duke rolls into this game with one of the most balanced offensive attacks in the country, averaging 230 yards passing and 261 rushing yards per game. Quarterback Anthony Boone has thrived under head coach David Cutcliffe, completing 62% of his passes for seven touchdowns and only one interception. Boone has also used his legs a lot so far this season rushing 19 times for three scores and an average of just under five yards a carry.
Boone also has a very good rushing attack behind him with five different rushers carrying the ball at least 20 times this season. These five backs have rushed for a combined 941 yards and seven touchdowns so far this season. If the Blue Devils expect to win on Saturday, they will need to establish the run early against a Hurricane defense that has struggled at times this year stopping the run. If Boone can take care of the football and keep the Hurricane rushing attack on the sidelines, than the Blue Devils will have a very good chance to improve to 5-0.
The Hurricanes will look to rebound after a tough loss in Lincoln last week. The Hurricanes just couldn't come up with a defensive stop when they needed it and will look to prove they can stop the run when they take on the Duke Blue Devils.
Freshman Quarterback Brad Kaaya has played well at times, but has also struggled a little with his consistency, which should be expected from a true freshman quarterback. Kaaya has thrown for just under 1100 yards and 10 touchdowns, but has also thrown seven interceptions so far this season. He will need to do a better job at protecting the ball if the Hurricanes expect to beat the Blue Devils on Saturday.
Kaaya has what many quarterbacks wish they had behind them: a running back that can carry the load. Running back Duke Johnson has done just that rushing 61 times for 370 yards and three touchdowns. Expect a heavy dose of Johnson in this one as Duke has had trouble stopping the run themselves and the Blue Devils haven't seen a running back like Johnson this year. If Johnson can find some holes early and keep the Blue Devil defense on its heels, the Hurricanes will have a great chance at getting back on the winning track.
Prediction: Both teams will start the ground attack early with each team having success. After a few stops, Duke will take a four point lead at the half. Miami will come out and take the lead right back with a touchdown from Kaaya. After exchanging scores, the Blue Devils will take the lead with just over five minutes to go. A turnover by Kaaya puts the Blue Devils in great position with the short field. A late touchdown puts this one on ice and the Blue Devils start 5-0.
+Duke Athletics 31 - +Miami Hurricanes 20
Minnesota vs Michigan
The Golden Gophers roll into the Big House and will look to add to the Wolverines misery with a win on Saturday. To say that Brady Hoke's seat is hot is an understatement and a loss to Minnesota on Saturday could very well end up with a pink slip on Monday.
Minnesota will look to run the ball throughout the entirety of this game. Starting Quarterback Mitch Leidner has only thrown 54 times all season and quite frankly hasn't been very effective. The Gophers will rely heavily on the rushing attack of running backs David Cobb and Chris Streveler
Cobb and Streveler have amassed a combined 756 yards for an average clip of 6.5 yards per carry and five touchdowns. They will have their work cut out for them as the Wolverines rank 9th in rushing yards against. If the Gophers establish the line of scrimmage and if Leidner can make a play of two through the air then the Gophers just might have a shot at winning this game.
The Wolverines will look to get some sort of offensive consistency going against the Golden Gophers on Saturday. The Wolverines are 94th in the country in points per game, but if you take away the two gimme games they have had this season, they have averaged five points per game. Quaterback Devin Gardner has taken much of the blame, some has been fair while some hasn't.
Gardner has completed 64% of his passes but hasn't thrown the deep ball very well this year and has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns as well. Gardner has also been sacked nine times this season and if the Wolverines expect to win on Saturday he will not only need to create some plays through the air, but also avoid getting his team in 2nd and 3rd and long after taking a sack.
Running back Derrick Green has shown some flashes that he should have his number called more as Green is averaging over 6 yards per carry. Green will need to soften up a tough front seven to help Gardner out and if he can't get anything going against the Gophers, than it will be a long night for the Wolverines.
Prediction: This will be a sloppy, run reliant game with each team struggling to get anything going through the air. Not much offense will occur through the first half and this will be a 7-7 tie at the half. A bad turnover by Gardner deep in the Wolverines own territory will give the Gophers a short touchdown drive. Some more three and out's from each team before the Wolverines get back on the board with a field goal at the beginning of the fourth quarter. A long drive by the Gophers ends will no points, giving the Wolverines one last chance to drive down the field for the winning score. Gardner is sacked and stripped and the Gophers recover to seal this one up with a chorus of boos coming from the crowd.
+Minnesota Gophers 14 - +University of Michigan 10
Upset Special:
#16 Stanford vs Washington
After a week off, the Cardinal will look to get its first win in conference play this year when it travels to Seattle to take on the Washington Huskies. The Cardinal are coming off an easy 35-0 win over Army and have had an extra week to prepare for the high flying Chris Peterson offense.
Quarterback Kevin Hogan has been sensational so far this season completing 73% of his passes for 705 yards, seven touchdowns and only one interception. He will need to make some plays throughout this game if the Cardinal are going to keep up with the Husky scoring machine. Expect Hogan to try and get the ball into the hands of wide receiver Ty Montgomery early and often as Montgomery has been by far and away the best threat on the offensive side of the ball for the Cardinal this season.
The Cardinal haven't established the run as effectively as in past years and it won't get any easier as the Huskies only give up 113 yards per game on the ground. The Cardinal will need at least try and establish the run to keep the Husky offense off the field and to try and take the crowd out of the game with long, slow methodical drives.
If the Cardinal can run the ball effectively and slow down the Husky offense, then they will be in this game until the end.
The Huskies are looking to start 5-0 under first year head coach Chris Peterson and knock off their first ranked opponent since they beat Peterson's old team Boise St in the opener last season.
After struggling the first week of the season without starting quarterback Cyler Miles, the Huskies offense has been on a tear and will look to continue that momentum against a tough Cardinal defense.
Quarterback Cyler Miles has done well so far this season both through the air and on the ground: accumulating 639 total yards to go along with eight touchdowns. Myles will look to receivers Jayon Mickens and DiAndre Campbell to make plays in space to loosen up the Cardinal defense and prevent them from stacking the box to stop the Huskies powerful rushing attack.
Running backs Lavon Coleman and Dwayne Washington lead a backfield that has just pounded opposing defenses so far this season. The Huskies are averaging 240 rushing yards per game and will look to continue that success against the Cardinal defense on Saturday.
If the Huskies can continue rushing the ball like they have this season and can force the Cardinal to be one dimensional, than they will have a very good shot at pulling off the upset.
Prediction: This will be an exciting back and forth game from start to finish. Washington will look to run right at the Cardinal defense and take an occasional shot downfield while the Cardinal will also look to establish the run but given their lack of success on the ground so far this season, will have no problem letting Hogan let it loose. Each team will have success throughout the first half leading to a high scoring first half with the game tied up at 24 at the half. The Huskies will strike first in the second half with a touchdown run by Miles. The Huskies force a stop and drive the length of the field for another touchdown to put the pressure on Hogan and the Cardinal offense. Hogan leads a touchdown drive of his own and after a defensive stop has the chance the tie the game up with four minutes to play. Hogan will try and get the ball into Montgomery's hands but will be intercepted by the Husky defense for the only turnover of the game by the Cardinal. After a first down, the Huskies run the clock out and pull off the upset in front of a rocking crowd.
+Washington Huskies Athletics 38 - +Stanford University 31
Last Week: 4-1
2014 Season: 13-7
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