4B SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DRAXY KANSAN
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2007
Week two features top-10 match-up
BY CASE KEEFER ckeefer@kansan.com
GAMES OF THE WEEK:
NO. 19 TEXAS CHRISTIAN (1-0) AT NO. 7 TEXAS (1-0)
Texas Christian coach Gary Patterson has demanded respect for his program from the national media and fans since taking over six years ago. Saturday will be his best chance to prove that the Horned Frogs deserve it.
Texas Christian looked much better in its first game of the season than Texas did. The Horned Frogs' defense dictated the pace of a 27-0 win against Baylor.
Texas was nearly upset by Arkansas State before they recovered an onside kick to ensure a 21-13 victory. But Arkansas State still gained 397 total yards on the Longhorn defense, a troubling number for Texas fans.
It's still unannounced whether Horned Frog standout defensive end Tommy Blake will return from injury for Saturday's game. Texas Christian will need him to apply pressure on Texas quarterback Colt McCoy.
MIAMI (FLA.) (1-0) AT NO.
5 OKLAHOMA (1-0)
First, it pairs two tradition-rich programs against each other. Miami and Oklahoma combined have 12 national championships.
There are a few reasons why diehard college football fans will love this game.
Second, the game will likely be filled with bruising hits and smash-mouth football. Oklahoma has one of the best defensive backfields in the nation with junior Reggie Smith and Nic Harris flying across the field. Miami is strong on defense too with Kenny Phillips and junior Randy Phillips waiting to deliver pulverizing hits.
Graig Cooper rushed for 116 yards against Marshall.
Sooner freshman running back DeMarco Murray rushed for five touchdowns against North Texas. Hurricane freshman running back
NO.16 NEBRASKA (1-0) AT
WAKE FOREST (0-1)
Nebraska's rushing yards in its first game: 413.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Cornhusker running back Marlon Lucky leads the nation in rushing after one week with 233 yards. The Demon Deacons must find a way to establish the run Saturday.
Wake Forest's rushing yards in its first game: 2.
Nebraska's one weakness is its rush defense because its defensive line is inexperienced. Wake Forest, last season's ACC champions, will also be forced to run the ball more because sophomore-starting quarterback Riley Skinner will miss the game after separating his shoulder.
Sophomore quarterback Brett Hodges will fill in and faces a daunting task throwing against Nebraska cornerbacks Zackary Bowman and Andre Jones.
NO. 9 VIRGINIA TECH (1-0)
AT NO. 2 LOUISIANA STATE (1-0)
There are a couple of key matchups to keep an eye on in this game.
The Hokies had the top-ranked defense in the nation going into bowl season last year, but the Tigers roster is full of offensive playmakers. Louisiana State wide receiver Early Doucet is one of the nation's best and is complimented by a group of three competent but distinct running backs.
Virginia Tech quarterback Sean Glennon has a tendency to turn the ball over. He will be facing a Louisiana State defense that had no fewer than six interceptions in its first game. The Tigers' defense, led by senior linebacker Ali Highsmith and senior cornerback Jonathon Zenon, may be the fastest in the nation.
SOUTH CAROLINA (1-0)
AT NO. 11 GEORGIA (1-0)
Justin Akers of Baylor chases TCU linebacker Jason Phillips after he intercepts the football against Baylor Saturday. TCU easily defeated Baylor in Fort Worth, Texas, 27-0.
This is the first of what will
prove to be many great games in the Southeastern Conference this season.
South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier was appalled with his team's 28-14 win over a weak Louisiana-Lafayette team. Gamecock's senior quarterback Blake Mitchell will return from academic suspension to play in Athens, Ga.
The Gamecocks have other concerns, though. They gave up 252 rushing yards in their first game and now play the Bulldogs, a team with two great running backs. Georgia redshirt freshman running back Knowshon Moreno gained more than 120 all-purpose yards against Oklahoma State.
OTHER GAMES:
MISSOURI (1-0) AT MISSISSIPPI (1-0)
Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel threw for 359 yards and three touchdowns against Illinois. But how will he handle playing in front of an intense Southeastern Conference crowd?
COLORADO (1-0) AT ARIZONA STATE (1-0)
The Sun Devils are enthusiastic about new coach Dennis Erickson, but the Buffaloes are enthusiastic about new quarterback Cody Hawkins, their coach's son.
SAN JOSE STATE (0-1) AT KANSAS STATE (0-1)
The Wildcats return to Manhattan after a devastating loss to the Auburn Tigers. The Spartans did nothing well in the 45-3 loss to Arizona State.
FRESNO STATE (1-0) AT TEXAS A&M (1-0)
The Aggies compiled more than 250 rushing yards against Montana State. But Fresno State's rushing defense should provide a little more resistance.
EL-PASO (1-0) AT TEXAS
TECH (1-0)
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS
Miners quarterback Trevor Vittato struggled to throw for 59 yards in his first game. Red Raiders quarterback Graham Harrell threw for 416 yards with ease in his first game.
FLORIDA ATLANTIC (1-0)
AT OKLAHOMA STATE
(0,1)
Florida Atlantic is the only Sun Belt Conference team to win its opening game. Oklahoma State will look to bounce back from a disappointing performance against Georgia.
NORTHERN IOWA (1-0) AT IOWA STATE (0-1)
Northern Iowa will try to follow in fellow-FCS power Appalachian State's footsteps and beat an FBS program. The Panthers have a much easier task as the Cyclones couldn't even overcome Kent State last weekend.
MARSHALL (0-1) AT NO. 3
WEST VIRGINIA (1-0)
The Thundering Herd gave up more than 200 rushing yards to Miami's combination of Graig Cooper and Javarris James last week. Things won't get easier this week as they face West Virginia's Pat White and Steve Slaton.
TROY (0-1) AT NO. 4
FLORIDA (1-0)
The Trojans played right with the Arkansas Razorbacks for the first half last week. This week, they'll try to hang in for a full game with another SEC opponent.
NO. 5 WISCONSIN (1-0) AT UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA LAS VEGAS (1-0)
The Rebels held the Utah State Aggies to 237 yards total offense last week. The Badgers will be a tougher opponent with quarterback Tyler
Donovan and running back P.J Hill
AKRON (1-0) AT NO. 12 OHIO STATE (1-0)
New Buckeye quarterback Todd Boeckman was impressive in his first start, throwing for 225 yards. But the games get increasingly tougher and that starts this week against the Zips.
BRIGHAM YOUNG (1-0) AT NO. 13 UCLA (1-0)
Cougar wide receiver Harvey Unga had 127 yards in his first game. Bruin defensive back Chris Horton will be waiting for him this week, though.
NOTRE DAME (0-1) AT NO.
14 PENN STATE (1-0)
last week. This week, he's already announced freshman phenom Jimmy Clausen will be under center.
Refusing to formally announce a starting quarterback didn't go so well for Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis
NO.22 BOISE STATE (1-0) AT WASHINGTON (1-0)
Washington believes it can be the team to snap Boise State's 15-game winning streak. The Broncos will count on senior defensive back Marty Tadman to lead the defense against an explosive Huskies offense.
OREGON (1-0) AT MICHI-
GAN (0-1)
COMMENTARY
The Wolverines are forced to abandon their goals of a national championship. But all it should think about right now are the up-and-coming Ducks to avoid another loss in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Edited by Jeff Briscoe
Last minute advice for fantasy football owners
ASSOCIATED PRESS
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith could be an impact player for fantasy football owners. San Francisco's first game is against the Arizona Cardinals on Monday.
KELLY BRECKUNITCH
KELLY BRECKUNITCH
KANSAN COLUMNIST
KBRECKUNITCH@KANSAN.COM
The NFL season officially kicked off last night with the Colts playing the Saints. That means the fantasy football season is finally underway. Here are some things to watch for in the weekend games.
MATCH-UP BENEFITS;
— Anquan Boldin. San Francisco's new addition Nate Clements provides a sufficient challenge to Arizona wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald. However, the 49ers do not have much depth at cornerback behind Clements. This should allow Boldin to have a big game since he is a more potent option going against San Francisco's No. 2 cornerback.
Dallas Offense. Pick any player you want and they will have the advantage over an aging and less-than-impressive Giants defense. Even though I would never own him on my team, Terrell Owens could have a huge game Sunday. Even Tony Romo could look better than Eli Manning this weekend.
— San Diego Defense. How could they not have the edge? They are playing a team led by Rex Grossman. Chicago is also debuting first-year starter Cedric Benson at running back Sunday. That's enough to sell me on the Chargers defense. Add a shaky receiving corps and I can almost guarantee a shutout.
MATCH-UP PROBLEMS:
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— Tavaris Jackson. It will be a tough day for the Vikings first-year starter. He is a mobile quarterback, but he faces an Atlanta defense that was ranked third last year in rushing defense according to Espn.com. Bill Simons justified Adrian Peterson as one of his top 50 fantasy players by saying, "Yeah, he's splitting time with Chester Taylor and probably rushing against the first 11-0-0 defensive formation because of Tavaris Jackson, but you never know." That statement alone should haunt Jackson as he heads into his first career start on Sunday.
whether it's Vernand Morency or Brandon jackson. The Eagles return most of the parts of a defense that was ranked 7th overall last season according to Espn.com. The Packers will have a tough time on offense, especially running the ball.
laparrillalawrence.com 814 Massachusetts 841-1100
— Chiefs Secondary. This may be a pattern throughout the season. The Chiefs pass defense is almost always at the bottom of the league rankings, and that spells trouble this year when they barely have an offense. It's even more trouble when they are mismatched in their first game against the Houston Texans. The Texans added quarterback Matt Schaub and have a solid receiver in Andre Johnson that will create major problems for the Chiefs secondary. Jacoby Jones may even cause problems for the Chiefs.
— Lee Evans. Lee Evans could have a stellar year, but he has to start off against the best cornerback in the NFL. Champ Bailey is arguably the only cover corner left in the league. He gives every wide receiver problems and Lee Evans will be no different. It was no mistake that Bailey led the league in interceptions last year.
— San Francisco vs. Arizona.
San Francisco made a lot of smart moves in the off-season and has built up a solid team that will compete at a high level in the NFC West this year. Arizona has taken gradual steps toward success the past few years. Do not be surprised if this year's NFC West is similar to the NL West in baseball, consisting of a lot of teams with very close records. Monday Night will be all about the offenses, and if you have any of those players on your team, look for a lot of points to roll your way, unless, of course, you have the Cardinals or 49ers defenses.
GAME TO WATCH:
Edited by Kyle Carter
814 Massachusetts • 841-1100
— Green Bay rushing offense. Whoever ends up being the startin running back will face trouble this weekend against the Eagles.
Match-up mismatches
Lee Evans (Champ Bailey)
Green Bay running game
Tavar Jackson
Chiefs secondary
best bets
Match-ups (beneficial)
Anquan Boldin
Dallas offense
San Diego defense
Match-up mismatches
Game to watch San Francisco at Arizona
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