KG FB Part IV
From Keith Glantz
Keith
Glantz
College Football Preview – Part IV
Below is a FREE Preview of Four Key Games during the opening week of the College Football Season. These are just a few of the highly anticipated battles during the opening week and are among the games I will be tracking before making my final decisions.
I’ve also included INFORMATION ON HOW YOU CAN JOIN IN ON A VERY SPECIAL OPENING WEEK PACKAGE THAT RUNS THURSDAY 9-2 TO SATURDAY 9-4.
A PACKAGE I CALL MY “OPENING WEEK SIX PACK”
6 TOP GAMES BETWEEN THURSDAY & SATURDAY – ONLY $39
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Don’t forget to check back here regularly as I’ll be updating the site with FREE Previews of more Key Games from opening week. I would also suggest you archive these reports for further use.
UCLA at
Kansas
State -
3:30 PM ET - Television: ABC
Both of these teams finished with a 6-6 regular season record last fall. UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel has said he wants eight wins this time around. For this to happen, the Bruins need bigger strides offensively. Coordinator Norm Chow has installed what they refer to as the Revolver scheme, a variation of
Nevada's Pistol formation that allows second year quarterback Kevin Prince more room to improvise at the snap. However, it is the rushing attack that needs the most retooling. UCLA was a paltry 97th nationally carrying the pigskin. Leading rusher Johnathan Franklin returns but was disappointing down the stretch of '09 while only recording 133 yards in the team's last seven games. A few star recruits have been bought in to alleviate the pain. This probably won't be enough against a run defense in
Manhattan that appears to be quite sturdy. The Cats do have some reloading to do though which includes new faces at all three linebacker spots. Don't look for UCLA to pass on this secondary much either. Cornerback Joshua Moore left early for the NFL but this group is bolstered by two lockdown safeties in Tysyn Hartman and Emmanuel Lamur. When KSU has the ball, it's all about tailback Daniel Thomas who is considered to be a long shot Heisman candidate after posting 1,265 yards and 11 touchdowns last fall. This is a run oriented attack as evident by the way they score. Only seven touchdowns last year were through the air and they have yet to name a new starter behind center. Four starters are back on the offensive line so don't expect any unusual game plan changes in this opener. UCLA is missing the Pac Ten Defensive Player of the Year Brian Price at tackle, which leaves a monstrous gap in the middle. Much more needs replaced as well including All-Pac Ten cornerback Alterraun Verner and middle backer Reggie Carder. Oh there is still some talent on this side of the ball, but they better learn how to stop the run before September 4. Many viewers will expect to see UCLA start to make its initial claim as the new team to beat in
Los Angeles. They better not look past this one because a freight train is rolling down the track by the name of Daniel Thomas behind a descent set of blockers. This will keep the score very low and give the Wildcats a fighting chance at home. Reigning Lou Groza Award winning kicker Kai Forbath makes a big difference though in these types of close-to-the-vest-hand-the-ball-off openers.
UCLA 16
Kansas State 14
Washington at Brigham Young -
7:00 PM ET - Television:
CBS
College Sports Network
The Cougars have lost no more than two regular season games during any of the past four years. Head coach Bronco Mendenhall will face his biggest challenge since taking over five years ago and they need to be very leery of a visiting
Washington team that is primed to have its best season in a very long time. Several factors come into play that makes this a daunting season in
Provo. First, the personnel losses from 2009 were heavy and included a record setting quarterback; an NFL bound tight end, receiver and defensive end. Second, losing the school's career rushing leader Harvey Unga due to a team honor code violation really hand straps the new quarterbacks. So BYU finally has a new QB to replace 39 game starter Max Hall. There are two premier prep stars fighting for the right to start this one in last year's back up Riley Nelson and Jake Heaps, the No. 1 rated prep quarterback in the country who enrolled early this past January to get things rolling. The one area where BYU might have an advantage is on the offensive line where four starters return. The Huskies will counter with one of their weaknesses. All of the good feeling about the UW offense gets tempered when considering their widespread defensive concerns, specifically those surrounding the front four. Imagine that...BYU having to run the ball to win this one. But that won't be easy either as the Cougars don’t have a stellar running back. What gives
Washington a distinct advantage is a high-powered offensive attack that includes future NFL hurler Jake Locker behind center and eight other starters. Locker will tuck it and run. He also understands the offense better under second year coach Steve Sarkisian. Running back Chris Polk gives them a nice hand-off option and Jermaine Kearse is one of the Pac Ten's elite receivers. The BYU 3-4 defensive scheme does not match up well here in the trenches. Locker won't throw the ball all over the field on this secondary so look for Polk to play a big role. The loss of Unga will place great demands on the new Cougar QB, and a defense with several new starters may not be ready to carry the team early in the season.
Washington 35 Brigham Young 27
Oregon
State vs. TCU
@Arlington,
TX -
7:45 PM ET - Television: ESPN
This game is really titanic for the Horned Frogs. Outside of this opener with the Beavers, the rest of the non-conference schedule is extremely weak. Could this spell too much pressure? TCU is sitting in the Top 10 of most every preseason poll and for good reason. Quarterback Andy Dalton returns for his fourth season as a starter, and does so as the winningest active QB in the nation. As he did last year,
Dalton will have a deep group of ball carriers and receivers to help carry the load behind a line that returns four starters.
Oregon
State has the Pac Ten's best defensive tackle in Stephen Paea but aside from him desperately needs someone to step up and put pressure on opposing quarterbacks while the secondary has not done well covering or creating turnovers. The linebackers are an area of concern too. All this could spell trouble for four quarters when TCU has the ball. What seals the OSU fate in
Arlington is that the TCU defense has led the nation in total defense four times since 2000 including the past two seasons. Ouch! The top two playmakers are gone in DE Jerry Hughes and LB Daryl Washington and two new cornerbacks enter the fray. On the corner is where the most concerns lie. There will be a new look quarterback in the Orange & Black this fall so don’t expect the Beavers to give these newcomers their top test of the young 2010 season. This offensive show is about Mr. Rodgers Neighborhood as running back Jacquizz is a frontrunner for the Heisman and his brother James is a serious threat running, catching and returning kicks. The offensive line will also be a position of strength. OSU has a shot if they can hold on to the rock and work magic between the tackles. TCU actually wins this game with more offense. TCU 34
Oregon State 21
LSU vs.
North Carolina
@Atlanta,
GA -
8:00 PM ET - Television: ABC
Probably the most anticipated game of the Labor Day weekend outside of the Boise State/Virginia Tech match up on Monday involves another ACC team.
North Carolina is predicted to have its best outing under the Butch Davis fourth year plan. Any other previous year, LSU would have been a big time favorite. Not this time. The Tar Heels boast some of the most NFL talent anywhere across the college landscape. The problem is that it all rests on the defensive side. Six of the
Carolina defensive players are returning All-ACC selections and they can move. LSU on the other hand has staled in a major way while in possession of the football. Ranked 112th nationally in total offense last year, the Bayou Bengals are trying to restock the cupboard. Granted, Les Miles is no stranger to recruiting talent. Many of the positions on both sides of the ball though are inexperienced…only nine starters total return. Junior quarterback Jordan Jefferson has not shown he is ready to beat this sound defense with his arm and the running game somehow has disappeared. For all the lows LSU hit offensively a year ago,
Carolina is not far behind. For as good as this defense will be in
Chapel Hill, the offense is quite the opposite. Senior quarterback T.J. Yates had better pick up the pace and limit his completions to the other team or no one will score six points in this tussle. LSU will counter with a young SEC defense, which basically equates to a great deal of raw talent and speed. This is such a young ball club for the team from
Baton Rouge. They are used to competing with great SEC players week in and week out which makes this game between two ranked teams close. Almost too close to call. The expectations are much bigger for the Heels and they should be ready. A loss here just reinstates the fact that even the ACC's upper echelon teams won't out due one of the SEC's middle of the road teams. Not many points scored at all in this one where defense rules.
LSU 14
North Carolina 10
