Hey football fans, I hope you're ready for another week of football predictions! This post had to be done a little earlier because of the Huskers' game on tonight at Illinois. However, there are some other good games to watch Friday night, so I probably would've put this post up early anyways. Here are my predictions on the big games this weekend, enjoy!
#14 Miami at Duke (Friday)
The Hurricanes are looking for their first major win of the season as they travel to Durham, NC to take on the sneaky Blue Devils. Duke is 4-0 so far this season and has been playing surprisingly well, especially on defense! They're giving up an average of 261.5 yards per game and just 15.3 points. They've held down some fairly efficient offenses so far this season in Northwestern, Baylor and North Carolina. If the Hurricanes think their #14 ranking will win them the game in this one, they are sorely mistaken. The Canes are playing in only their third game of the season, and while their offense has looked good, the defense still needs some work. They are giving up an average of 389.5 yards per game, with 286.5 of that coming through the air. Logan Woodside and the Rockets of Toledo torched them for nearly 350 last week, and Duke QB Daniel Jones already has 904 yards on the season with a 62% completion rating. The one concerning stat for the Blue Devils that may play into Miami's favor is that Jones has been sacked 9 times already this season. Miami has a lot to prove with their 14th ranking on the line, and I'm not sure they can do it. Duke is playing really good football right now, and I like the Blue Devils at home. Watch the running backs in this match up, whoever can get their ground game going first and keep it, likely wins this game. Mark Walton for Miami has 352 yards and 3 TDs through 2 games and Shaun Wilson has 349 yards and 5 TDs through 4 games. I'm taking Duke at home though, Blue Devils take down the Canes 37-33.
#5 USC at #16 Washington State (Friday)
Sam Darnold vs. Luke Falk, two of the best QBs in the nation will face off under the lights in Pullman, WA. This game has some interest because USC has not looked quite as strong as everyone imagined coming into this season, especially when they've given up back to back 300 yard passing games. Surely Luke Falk and company can take advantage of that right? Wazzu is 3rd in the nation for passing offense with an average of 432.5 yards per game. Falk has 1,378 yards, 14 TDs, 1 pick and an incredible 76.9% completion rating so far this season. He has been sacked 10 times already though, and had to leave the Boise State game for a good part of the game, so USC will be looking to keep him under pressure. It's clear that Falk can light up any defense though, and a reeling USC secondary struggled against a decent, but not great, Cal offense last week. Looking at the other QB, Sam Darnold has been good, but not quite what everyone expected coming into this year. He has 7 picks through 4 games this season, and has been sacked 7 times compared to just 6 last year. In my opinion, this game will come down to which defense steps up. The Cougars, who aren't normally strong on defense, have been fairly solid this year against sub-par competition. USC has faced some tougher offenses, but have been gashed for lots of yards, and Mike Leach loves to rack up the yards. Redzone efficiency will be crucial in this game, and that's where I think USC has the edge. They will be able to use their ground game more effectively in the Redzone, and I expect Ronald Jones III to have a big game to take some of the pressure off of Darnold. I would love to see Luke Falk and Wazzu cause the upset, but USC has too much talent across the board to let that happen. Trojans run away with this one late, 46-30.
#7 Georgia at Tennessee
The Bulldogs are coming off a big win at home over the other bulldogs (Mississippi State), but now they have to travel to Rocky Top for a big battle in the SEC East. The Vols will be looking to get back on track after their stunning loss to Florida two weeks ago and a sub-par performance against UMass last week. I really don't think this game will be a very fun one for Tennessee, but they have the ability to give Georgia a run for their money. The only way to do that is to give the ball to John Kelly as much as possible. He is the feature play-maker for the Vols, and has accounted for over 600 yards and 6 TDs so far this season. Their offense runs through him because Quinten Dormandy has not been very impressive (or helpful at times) at QB. Georgia's run defense is incredibly stout however, and they held Mississippi State to just 177 on the ground last week, even though they're a team that averages nearly 270 per game. John Kelly could have a tough time finding holes this weekend in the nation's 18th best rush defense. Looking at the other side with Georgia's offense against Tennessee's defense, this should be an easy pick. Nick Chubb and Sony Michel will lead the ground game as Jake Fromm looks more and more comfortable commanding the offense. I don't expect Georgia to have too many problems in this game. Bulldogs bring the bark and the bite to win 34-14.
#24 Mississippi State at #13 Auburn
One of the few ranked match-ups we have in week 5 takes place down in the SEC West. The Mississippi State Bulldogs are looking to rebound against the very quietly high-ranked Tigers of Auburn. I think I talked up the Bulldogs a little too much last week, because right after that, Georgia demolished them. Auburn hasn't done much this season, their biggest moment is arguably losing 14-6 to Clemson, so it's hard to imagine what all they'll bring to the table in this game. The numbers for both teams are surprisingly similar across the board, so taking care of the ball will be crucial in this one. Both teams can score, and have play-makers at the QB position. Nick Fitzgerald is still one of my feature players to watch in the nation, because this Junior is an incredible football player. He's the second leading rusher for the Bulldogs and has improved on his completion percentage from a year ago when passing. Auburn has a stingy defense, but I have faith in Fitzgerald and crew to bounce back after last week. Bulldogs pull out a good one on the road, 24-20.
Colorado at UCLA
Both of these teams are coming off tough losses to teams from the PAC-12 North with Washington trouncing the Buffs in Boulder and UCLA being run over, around and through by the Stanford Cardinal on the road. Both teams were gashed constantly by their opponents ground game, Colorado gave up 254 on the ground to the Huskies and UCLA gave up 405 to Stanford. This is a good stat to look at because Colorado RB Philipp Lindsay has 446 yards on the ground thus far in the season, so look for the Buffs to exploit that weakness in UCLA. The Bruins rushing attack doesn't have much traction, but Josh Rosen keeps that offense humming. The Buffs held Jake Browning to just 160 with 1 TD and 1 pick last week, but with Rosen averaging around 450 per game, that could be tough to stop. The primary factors in this game are those two play-makers for each offense. If Colorado focuses their game through Lindsay, I think they'll have the edge because they are playing much better defense overall compared to UCLA. However, if they allow Rosen to stay comfortable in the pocket, he'll do a lot more damage than Browning ever could've done. One other factor is Buffs QB Steven Montez. The Sophomore is extremely accurate, posting a 70.3% completion rating, but was constantly under pressure last week, leading to 3 picks against the Huskies. I don't think UCLA's pass rush is scary enough to push him around too much, so I'm taking the Buffs on the road. I think UCLA's season is starting its iconic downward spiral, and a home loss to Colorado could kick it into overdrive. Buffs 47, Bruins 34.
#2 Clemson at #12 Virginia Tech
This is easily the game of the week, and with good reason. The reigning champs take their unbeaten record on the road yet again to face the scarily, and mysteriously dynamic Hokies. Everyone thought this team was going to take a step back after Jerod Evans left after last year, but true Freshman Josh Jackson has been incredible this season, and has potential to be one of the best VA Tech has ever seen. Jackson has yet to face a defense as formidable as the Tigers' though. Clemson has already shut down the reigning Heisman winner, so there's no reason they should be scared of a little Freshman right? The Tigers are only giving up an average of 227 yards per game, so Virginia Tech will be in a slug-fest to pull out a victory in this one. The advantage? The Hokies get to play at home, under the lights. Blacksburg, VA is never a place you want to play as a top 10 team, but especially as the national game of the week. The Hokies live up well to the hype, and I have no doubt the freshman will impress tonight and hold his own against the Clemson defense. However, Jackson isn't the only QB in this game. Tiger QB Kelly Bryant has looked better and better each game, but is still a little in accurate at times. Luckily his receiving corps is good enough to cover up some of those mistakes, but Virginia Tech's stingy secondary won't make anything easy. Tech is almost always one of the best pass defenses in the nation, so look for Bryant to have to make plays with his feet. Both QBs will have to use their legs quite a bit in this one, especially with the expected heavy dose of pass rush coming their way. I honestly like the Hokies in this one. Again, I just think a night game in Blacksburg as the #2 team sounds like a bad idea. Clemson's defense is their best chance, we'll see if they can crack the level-headed freshman! Hokies pull the upset 31-28. I think this has the potential to be one of the best games all season!
Nebraska at Illinois (Friday)
The Huskers have a short week and travel to Champaign to take on the Fighting Illini. Nebraska lost in Champaign two years ago as they failed to have any offensive production throughout the entire game (sounds familiar). Two new teams will be taking the field this time as the Huskers have Tanner Lee at QB and Illinois has Junior Chayce Crouch. Crouch and Lee have very similar numbers with around 52% completion rating and more picks than TDs. Hopefully Lee can start to flip that around, but as I've been saying all season long, it all starts up front. Offensive line improvement is crucial to the success of any team, especially Nebraska. Lee has been sacked 6 times already, and a couple of his picks have been due primarily to being hit as he throws. The lack of a run game without Tre Bryant picked up a bit last week as the Huskers unleashed their 1, 2 Punch with Mikale Wilbon and Devine Ozigbo. Look for Ziggy to have another big role in this game, but Wilbon will get his touches as well. With so many injuries still plaguing Nebraska, depth could be an issue yet again. It looks like David Knevel and Stanley Morgan will start at RT and WR respectively, hopefully giving Tanner Lee a little more help. The key for Nebraska in this game is to get the ground game going early and keep it running throughout the game. Illinois has been giving up an average of about 185 on the ground per game, so there are weaknesses to attack in their front seven. On the defensive side of the ball, pressure on the QB is still the big issue for the Huskers. Illinois has already given up 7 sacks so far this season, and putting pressure on a lackluster QB will make it very difficult for the Illini to move the ball. The defense has shown great improvement since the second half of Oregon and have only given up 17 points themselves over the past 10 quarters. Hopefully that trend can continue tonight. The Blackshirts will need to watch out for the two Mikes in Orange & Blue however. RB Mike Epstein and WR Mike Dudek are the lead weapons on offense and will be heavily focused on in this game. I think the Huskers will come out with a decent performance, establish a strong ground game and run away with this one late to wear out Illinois. Hopefully Tanner Lee can get a good confidence building game on the road before heading into Wisconsin, and the Blackshirts will continue their improvement! Huskers win it 33-20 on the road!
Here are a few quick hits on some interesting match ups over the weekend as well:
Northwestern at #10 Wisconsin- You never know which Northwestern team will show up, but they have not looked good this season. Wisconsin should roll, but it may not be until the second half like they have been. Badgers 37, Wildcats 7.
Vanderbilt at #21 Florida- Vandy disappointed me greatly last week, and now they have to travel to the swamp. Florida upset me and beat Kentucky in a tight one up in Lexington. I would love to see Vandy bounce back, but Florida in the Swamp is too much. Gators chomp the Commodores 30-14.
Indiana at #4 Penn State- The Nittany Lions are coming off a very tough game at Iowa, and Indiana has a stingy defense as well. Will there be any hangover? The answer is no, Penn State should be ready to go, and Saquon Barkely will be unstoppable yet again. Nittany Lions have no issues with the Hoosiers and win it 40-20.
Arizona State at Stanford- The Sun Devils upset Oregon last week, but now have to travel to Palo Alto to a Stanford team that seems to have their season back on track after a recent QB change. K.J. Costello looked very impressive coming in off the bench against UCLA and I think he'll get the nod for the rest of the season. Plus, there's this young man named Bryce Love, and he cannot be stopped. Stanford runs over, around and through the Sun Devils at home, 42-23.
Memphis at UCF- Two dynamic offenses lead by two second year head coaches are set to clash down in Orlando. This game was supposed to be played earlier this season, but had to be rescheduled due to all of the hurricanes. Both teams can put up a lot of points, but I think UCF has the edge on defense. Golden Knights win a shootout at home, 47-39.
South Carolina at Texas A&M- Two forgotten SEC teams with two young studs at QB. The battle between Jake Bentley and Kellen Mond is one that I am really looking forward to this weekend! Bentley is better in the passing game, but Mond can run circles around defenses. I'll give the edge to A&M at home, plus I think their offense has more play makers overall. Aggies 38, Gamecocks 24.
Cal at Oregon- Both teams had tough losses a week ago, so the bounce back will be the key to watch. Cal needs to cut down on turnovers, because throwing 4 picks and losing to USC by 10 says a lot about the team. Oregon just failed to contain Manny Walkins and the Sun Devil passing attack. If Cal can take care of the ball, they have a good shot on the road in this one. Oregon leans on the run game and takes this one though. Ducks 33, Golden Bears 27.
Thanks for reading all my picks and have a great weekend of football! Be sure to subscribe with your email so you can get updates on my blog posts and remember to tune into The 2nd String every Tuesday from 7-8pm on KRNU2 online to hear my and my pal Nate discuss anything and everything College Football! GO BIG RED!
#CollegeFootballKnowItAll
Alex Fernando
Friday, September 29, 2017
Wednesday, September 27, 2017
Week 4 Reflection
Hey everyone, I hope you're all having a great week and enjoyed the great games of College Football early on this week! It's been a busy week for me already, but this post will give my reflections on the Husker game this past weekend! I'm also attaching the podcast of my radio show, The 2nd String, with my friend Nate Muhlbach. We discuss all of the big games in College Football and go in depth with the Huskers during the core part of our show! We give a little deeper analysis on the show, so if you're looking for more Husker and College Football news, be sure to listen to the podcasts and listen live on KRNU2 online from 7-8 pm on Tuesday nights! Anyways, onto my game 4 reflections, enjoy!
A much needed win for the Huskers came on Homecoming in the form of a 27-17 grinder. Before I get into all the football analysis, I would love to Congratulate my good friends Shayne Arriola and Laura Springer on their engagement after being crowned Homecoming King & Queen. It was a very fun experience being part of the Homecoming Royalty Court, and even more exciting watching their surprise engagement, especially because that was one of the biggest highlights in this game. Not a lot of flash as the Huskers beat Rutgers, but a decent performance that hopefully has given them some confidence. Overall, there's still a lot of work to be done, and injuries have plagued this team early in the year, but Nebraska fought well in this game.
Starting with the offense, we'll get the bad out of the way first. The offensive line, although dismantled with injuries, is still horrible. They were slightly less horrible in this game, but numerous mistakes, missed blocks and flat out knock backs were still a big issue. The Huskers were able to establish more of a rushing attack, finishing with 197 yards on the ground, so that's a good sign heading into the rest of conference play with tougher defenses on the rise. Devine Ozigbo finally got some significant game action, and he made the most of it. Ziggy finished with 101 yards on 24 carries and received a brunt of the workload in the second half. Mikale Wilbon looked good as well, ripping off a couple of nice runs early in the game and finishing with 78 yards on 15 carries. As for the passing game, it has continued its steady decline into the abyss. There was better protection up front, but still nothing to be impressed by. Tanner Lee still looks extremely uncomfortable in the pocket, continues to hold the ball too long and lock in on receivers from the snap. Plus, the banged up receiving corps has struggled mightily with drops, not helping anyone's confidence. The Tightend position is one that has been extremely frustrating to watch this season. Yes, Ketter and Hoppes have made some nice catches over the first 1/3 of the season, but there have been some really bad drops and terrible whiffs on blocking the edge. That's been a contributor to the lack of run game throughout the season, so we'll see what improvements occur as we move forward in the season. No matter what, this offense will run through Tanner Lee and I suggest anyone who dislikes that find a new team. Stop booing him and start cheering him on! Yes, he's not what we wanted him to be, but he's not going to get there without anyone supporting him.
Looking at the defense, I again want to credit them on a solid performance. It's not a very good stat to boast, but they've given up fewer TDs than Tanner Lee has over the past 10 Quarters! They looked very strong against the run game, giving up only 68 yards on the ground. The pass coverage was better, allowing only 126 yards and coming away with 2 INTs, but the thing I was most impressed with in this game was tackling. Probably the best tackling I've seen yet this season from the Blackshirts, and that charge was lead by Outside Linebacker Luke Gifford. Gifford has been one of the most consistent players for the Blackshirts this season, and he proved it yet again on Saturday with 6 total tackles, 3 on his own and 1 for loss. The secondary tackled better as well, even after losing S Aaron Williams early in the game to a Targeting Penalty. I'm still waiting for more QB pressure, but if the defense is only giving up 1 TD per game as of now, I'm not complaining! Again, lots of room for improvement, but there has been improvement from game 1. Finally, with Special Teams, it was good to see DPE have a little spark back, and Drew is still automatic. We'll see what a short week on the road brings as the Huskers travel to Champagne to take on the Fighting Illini on Friday! Thanks for reading and GO BIG RED!
#CollegeFootballKnowItAll
Alex Fernando
A much needed win for the Huskers came on Homecoming in the form of a 27-17 grinder. Before I get into all the football analysis, I would love to Congratulate my good friends Shayne Arriola and Laura Springer on their engagement after being crowned Homecoming King & Queen. It was a very fun experience being part of the Homecoming Royalty Court, and even more exciting watching their surprise engagement, especially because that was one of the biggest highlights in this game. Not a lot of flash as the Huskers beat Rutgers, but a decent performance that hopefully has given them some confidence. Overall, there's still a lot of work to be done, and injuries have plagued this team early in the year, but Nebraska fought well in this game.
Starting with the offense, we'll get the bad out of the way first. The offensive line, although dismantled with injuries, is still horrible. They were slightly less horrible in this game, but numerous mistakes, missed blocks and flat out knock backs were still a big issue. The Huskers were able to establish more of a rushing attack, finishing with 197 yards on the ground, so that's a good sign heading into the rest of conference play with tougher defenses on the rise. Devine Ozigbo finally got some significant game action, and he made the most of it. Ziggy finished with 101 yards on 24 carries and received a brunt of the workload in the second half. Mikale Wilbon looked good as well, ripping off a couple of nice runs early in the game and finishing with 78 yards on 15 carries. As for the passing game, it has continued its steady decline into the abyss. There was better protection up front, but still nothing to be impressed by. Tanner Lee still looks extremely uncomfortable in the pocket, continues to hold the ball too long and lock in on receivers from the snap. Plus, the banged up receiving corps has struggled mightily with drops, not helping anyone's confidence. The Tightend position is one that has been extremely frustrating to watch this season. Yes, Ketter and Hoppes have made some nice catches over the first 1/3 of the season, but there have been some really bad drops and terrible whiffs on blocking the edge. That's been a contributor to the lack of run game throughout the season, so we'll see what improvements occur as we move forward in the season. No matter what, this offense will run through Tanner Lee and I suggest anyone who dislikes that find a new team. Stop booing him and start cheering him on! Yes, he's not what we wanted him to be, but he's not going to get there without anyone supporting him.
Looking at the defense, I again want to credit them on a solid performance. It's not a very good stat to boast, but they've given up fewer TDs than Tanner Lee has over the past 10 Quarters! They looked very strong against the run game, giving up only 68 yards on the ground. The pass coverage was better, allowing only 126 yards and coming away with 2 INTs, but the thing I was most impressed with in this game was tackling. Probably the best tackling I've seen yet this season from the Blackshirts, and that charge was lead by Outside Linebacker Luke Gifford. Gifford has been one of the most consistent players for the Blackshirts this season, and he proved it yet again on Saturday with 6 total tackles, 3 on his own and 1 for loss. The secondary tackled better as well, even after losing S Aaron Williams early in the game to a Targeting Penalty. I'm still waiting for more QB pressure, but if the defense is only giving up 1 TD per game as of now, I'm not complaining! Again, lots of room for improvement, but there has been improvement from game 1. Finally, with Special Teams, it was good to see DPE have a little spark back, and Drew is still automatic. We'll see what a short week on the road brings as the Huskers travel to Champagne to take on the Fighting Illini on Friday! Thanks for reading and GO BIG RED!
#CollegeFootballKnowItAll
Alex Fernando
Saturday, September 23, 2017
Week 4 Predictions
Hey everybody, it's week 4 in College Football and we have a great slate of games lined up to watch! I'm very excited because it's Homecoming week at Nebraska, and we've had some very fun festivities all week, and hopefully have a good game tomorrow against Rutgers! I was lucky enough to be selected as one of the Homecoming Royalty Candidates this year, which means I will get announced at half time as we walk out onto the field. They will announce the King and Queen once we are on the field, so we'll see what happens! Regardless of the result, it's been an awesome week with great friends and school spirit. Be sure to cheer for me if you're at the game! Anyways, let's get onto my game predictions (I'll cover all of the Eichorst stuff next week in my review).
#1 Alabama at Vanderbilt
On the surface, this just look like another game for Bama to roll through. However, for those of you who have not had the chance to watch Vanderbilt, this is no cake-walk for Alabama on the road. The biggest names to look are Vandy QB Kyle Shumur and Bama QB Jalen Hurts. Hurts has been improving since his terrific freshman campaign, but still struggles in the passing game at times. His numbers the past couple games have looked good, but he's about to face the number 1 pass defense in the nation! That's right, the lowly Commodores from Nashville are only allowing 95.3 pass yards per game, and have 5 picks through three games. Hurts will have to really take care of the ball in this game, because Vandy's defense is tough, opportunistic and do not give up many points. Their defense will be tested today, but I think the Commodores can hang. Most of that lies with their star QB Kyle Shumur. Shumur has thrown for 703 yards and 8 TDs so far this season, and Bama's legendary defense is sitting at 64th in the nation for pass yards, giving up 224 per game. Expect Vandy to take advantage of that. The spread is 19, but I honestly think this is going to be a close game. I really want to see Vandy pull the upset, but it is still Bama. Commodores keep it tight and prove to everyone they are legit. Alabama 24, Vandy 16.
#5 USC at Cal
Another top ranked team goes on the road this weekend, and that seems to be the theme of the week. The Trojans are traveling up North to take on Pac-12 Rival Cal. The Golden Bears looked improved from a season ago, and new head coach Justin Wilcox is looking for a big signature win during his first season. The Trojans are also coming off a dramatic Double-OT win against Texas at home last week, so we'll see how much that game took out of them. Sam Darnold did not look very impressive against Texas, but still had 397 yards and 3 TDs. Texas put a lot of pressure on Darnold last week, so look for Cal to bring the heat. The big stats in this game are the Trojans averaging 537 yards of offense and 39.3 points per game while Cal averages 433 yards and 31.7 points per game. Both of these teams can move the ball and put up some points, so we'll see how the defenses handle all of this action. My play maker to watch is Cal RB Patrick Laird. As a former walk-on, this kid is arguably the most valuable player on Cal's team. I watched him last week and he is a very tough runner, with 278 yards and 4 TDs on the ground so far, but also a very good receiver out of the backfield. USC will definitely need to watch him in this game. Much like Bama & Vandy, the spread is 17, and I think that's too much for a team playing at home. I think the Trojans stay strong, but Cal keeps it closer than they'd like. Trojans win it 38-28.
#16 TCU at #6 Oklahoma State
This is definitely the feature game of the week, and like most Big XII match ups, should be pretty high scoring! The Frogs and the Pokes have been two of the most dynamic offenses in all of college football so far this season. Both are top 20 in the nation for total offense, and TCU averages 49 points while Oklahoma State averages 54 points. Two stellar QBs in Kenny Hill and Mason Rudolph take the stage looking to light up the scoreboard. One thing to watch in this game is the balanced attack from TCU. The Horned Frogs average 277 yards passing and 230 yards rushing per game. The Cowboys are primarily focused on their passing attack, but when you have Mason Rudolph and one of the nation's best receiving corps, I don't blame them! Rudolph already has 1,135 yards 11 TDs and just 1 pick on the season, but TCU will be the toughest defense they've faced yet this year. The Horned Frogs have been very aggressive this year, holding opponents to just 14.3 points per game on average and under 100 yards rushing. This is going to be a classic Big XII Shootout, but I think the Pokes have the edge. With two teams so evenly matched, it's often defined by the QB play, and although Kenny Hill is playing well this year, it's hard to go against the leading Heisman Candidate. Mason Rudolph keeps slinging it deep to Washington and Oklahoma State wins in a thriller 48-44. This will be a good one!
#8 Michigan at Purdue
Again, this looks a lot like the first couple picks I made on the surface, but a good (not great) Michigan team has to travel on the road against a surging Purdue team under new management. Kicking off BIG 10 play in West Lafayette seems like a cake walk for the Wolverines, but Purdue's offense has already improved from 80th in total offense in 2016 to 44th in 2017 thus far. The name to watch is Redshirt Freshman Wideout Jackson Anthrop. He's become the top target for the Boilermaker offense, especially in the redzone with 4 TDs. Speaking of the redzone, Purdue leads the conference in redzone efficiency scoring on all 13 trips this season, including 10 TDs. Michigan is on the opposite side of that spectrum. They are only 1/10 in scoring in the redzone this season, and QB Wilton Speight is only 1/13 on passes in the redzone. On the other side of the ball, Michigan's defense was expected to drop off after nearly all their starters left, but they have been very solid this year. Only giving up an average of 208 yards per game and 14.7 points per game. The Boilermakers will challenge that, and this could be a one score game. Would love to say Boiler Up on this one, but my upset pick is coming later. Michigan wins a closer one than they'd like, 30-20.
#17 Mississippi State at #11 Georgia
The Battle of the Bulldogs is about to take place between the Hedges down in Athens. Georgia hosts the red-hot Bulldogs from Mississippi State, and this game will be a lot of fun to watch! Nick Fitzgerald is one of the hottest QBs in all of College Football, and he's probably my dark-horse Heisman at this point in the season. Most people might think I'm jumping on the bandwagon, but I watched him a lot last season after he took over for Dak Prescott and I knew this kid was good. He shredded LSU's defense last week for 268 yards and 4 total TDs. The Dawgs defense will have their hands full with Fitzgerald and this offense, especially with RB Aries Williams averaging 112 yards per game on the ground. Georgia's rush defense has been very good, giving up only 71 yards on average in their first three games, but this is the best offense they've faced this season. Freshman QB Jake Fromm is expected to start in his third game as Jacob Eason still recovers from injury, so look for Mississippi State to bring pressure. Fromm has looked solid in his first couple starts, but this is a very tenacious defense, so he'll need to rely heavily on Nick Chubb and Sony Michel. I think both teams are very solid, and Georgia definitely has a good shot at winning the East, but Mississippi State looks like the team to beat right now. I think they get it done on the road and I'm saying HAIL STATE! Dan Mullins and crew beat Georgia between the Hedges 27-17.
#20 Florida at Kentucky
Florida still has some offensive struggles, but they were able to pull off a fantastic Hail Mary against Tennessee last week. The Wildcats have quietly been playing very good football, and they are not a team I'd want to face, especially on the road. Florida's defense has been struggling over the past couple weeks, especially late in the game. Kentucky doesn't have the most dynamic offense, but Mark Stoops has some play makers and RB Ben Snell Jr. has 272 yards and 3 TDs so far this season. The Gators will have their hands full and I honestly think Kentucky pulls the upset in this one. I don't have too much to say, because I just want to see this game and how it plays out. The Wildcats' defense is only allowing 57 yards on the ground too, so be sure to watch the Florida ground game. The Gators pulled it out of the fire last week, but I think Kentucky wins it at home. Close game, low scoring. UK 23, Florida 17.
#7 Washington at Colorado
Did I say this was the week for top ranked teams to play on the road? Washington travels to Boulder, CO in a rematch of last year's Pac-12 Championship. Again, Washington looks like the heavy favorite, but Colorado has played tough at home, and will be looking to avenge last year's 41-10 beat down. Steven Montez has taken over as QB for the Buffs and Phillip Lindsay already has 378 and 3 TDs on the ground this season. They'll be up against another dynamic Pac-12 duo in QB Jake Browning and RB Myles Gaskin. Browning has looked as solid as ever, passing for nearly 800 yards, 8 TDs and just 1 pick. Gaskin has not been used as much as I think he should be, with only 24 carries on the season and 154 rushing yards. He does have 3 TDs on the ground and has a few receptions as well, but if Washington wants to get back to the College Football Playoff and compete, they need to start getting Gaskin the ball. I think Washington should be good in this game, but you always have to be careful of those un-ranked opponents on the road. Huskies win it in a solid performance 38-23.
Rutgers at Nebraska
There isn't much to say with this game either. Nebraska has a lot of questions swirling around after the loss to NIU last week and with Shawn Eichorst being let go as Athletic Director just a couple days ago on Thursday. The best way to forget about all of that is a football game, and the Huskers get to open BIG 10 play on Homecoming with Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights are coming off a 65-0 performance against a D-2 team, but the Huskers will be a different opponent. Even with a rough couple of weeks, Nebraska has the talent to score on anyone and with an improving defense, the Huskers should bounce back this week. The offensive line will be on their 3rd RT with Brenden Jaimes getting his first start after the injury to Farniok last week. Tanner Lee will need to get rid of the ball quickly, and I would really love to see Nebraska start leaning on the ground game. Hopefully Devine Ozigbo will be allowed to play and we can get a bit of a change-up at RB. Defense will need to continue improving, but last week was a big step. They'll need to shut down Rutgers RB Gus Edwards who has 201 yards on the ground this season. Offensive success is crucial in this game, so look for the Huskers to come out firing. I think they'll come out and play better, but with such a crazy week, it'll be a tough game. Husker win it 33-20.
Here are a few quick hits on games I didn't have the chance to break down:
#4 Penn State at Iowa- Iowa is always tough at home, but I think Penn State is legit. Nittany Lions roll to a 48-21 victory.
Notre Dame at Michigan State- The last time this great Rivalry will be played until 2026! This is a good match up, and playing in East Lansing is never fun, but I think Notre Dame is on the rise, and I'll give them the nod on the road. Irish win 28-24.
Texas A&M vs. Arkansas- A Classic Southwest Rivalry takes place at Cowboys stadium this week in the Aggies vs. the Hogs. Aggies are struggling big time and I think the Razorbacks take it with the ground game. Hogs 33, Aggies 21.
UCLA at Stanford- Two teams that have stumbled a bit the past couple weeks. Stanford needs some better QB play, and until that happens I have to go with the Bruins. Rosen looks good on the road, but watch out for Bryce Love. UCLA wins 37-31.
Thanks for reading all my game picks this weekend and be sure to cheer me and my fellow Royalty Candidates on at Halftime! Happy Saturday and GO BIG RED!
#CollegeFootballKnowItAll
Alex Fernando
#1 Alabama at Vanderbilt
On the surface, this just look like another game for Bama to roll through. However, for those of you who have not had the chance to watch Vanderbilt, this is no cake-walk for Alabama on the road. The biggest names to look are Vandy QB Kyle Shumur and Bama QB Jalen Hurts. Hurts has been improving since his terrific freshman campaign, but still struggles in the passing game at times. His numbers the past couple games have looked good, but he's about to face the number 1 pass defense in the nation! That's right, the lowly Commodores from Nashville are only allowing 95.3 pass yards per game, and have 5 picks through three games. Hurts will have to really take care of the ball in this game, because Vandy's defense is tough, opportunistic and do not give up many points. Their defense will be tested today, but I think the Commodores can hang. Most of that lies with their star QB Kyle Shumur. Shumur has thrown for 703 yards and 8 TDs so far this season, and Bama's legendary defense is sitting at 64th in the nation for pass yards, giving up 224 per game. Expect Vandy to take advantage of that. The spread is 19, but I honestly think this is going to be a close game. I really want to see Vandy pull the upset, but it is still Bama. Commodores keep it tight and prove to everyone they are legit. Alabama 24, Vandy 16.
#5 USC at Cal
Another top ranked team goes on the road this weekend, and that seems to be the theme of the week. The Trojans are traveling up North to take on Pac-12 Rival Cal. The Golden Bears looked improved from a season ago, and new head coach Justin Wilcox is looking for a big signature win during his first season. The Trojans are also coming off a dramatic Double-OT win against Texas at home last week, so we'll see how much that game took out of them. Sam Darnold did not look very impressive against Texas, but still had 397 yards and 3 TDs. Texas put a lot of pressure on Darnold last week, so look for Cal to bring the heat. The big stats in this game are the Trojans averaging 537 yards of offense and 39.3 points per game while Cal averages 433 yards and 31.7 points per game. Both of these teams can move the ball and put up some points, so we'll see how the defenses handle all of this action. My play maker to watch is Cal RB Patrick Laird. As a former walk-on, this kid is arguably the most valuable player on Cal's team. I watched him last week and he is a very tough runner, with 278 yards and 4 TDs on the ground so far, but also a very good receiver out of the backfield. USC will definitely need to watch him in this game. Much like Bama & Vandy, the spread is 17, and I think that's too much for a team playing at home. I think the Trojans stay strong, but Cal keeps it closer than they'd like. Trojans win it 38-28.
#16 TCU at #6 Oklahoma State
This is definitely the feature game of the week, and like most Big XII match ups, should be pretty high scoring! The Frogs and the Pokes have been two of the most dynamic offenses in all of college football so far this season. Both are top 20 in the nation for total offense, and TCU averages 49 points while Oklahoma State averages 54 points. Two stellar QBs in Kenny Hill and Mason Rudolph take the stage looking to light up the scoreboard. One thing to watch in this game is the balanced attack from TCU. The Horned Frogs average 277 yards passing and 230 yards rushing per game. The Cowboys are primarily focused on their passing attack, but when you have Mason Rudolph and one of the nation's best receiving corps, I don't blame them! Rudolph already has 1,135 yards 11 TDs and just 1 pick on the season, but TCU will be the toughest defense they've faced yet this year. The Horned Frogs have been very aggressive this year, holding opponents to just 14.3 points per game on average and under 100 yards rushing. This is going to be a classic Big XII Shootout, but I think the Pokes have the edge. With two teams so evenly matched, it's often defined by the QB play, and although Kenny Hill is playing well this year, it's hard to go against the leading Heisman Candidate. Mason Rudolph keeps slinging it deep to Washington and Oklahoma State wins in a thriller 48-44. This will be a good one!
#8 Michigan at Purdue
Again, this looks a lot like the first couple picks I made on the surface, but a good (not great) Michigan team has to travel on the road against a surging Purdue team under new management. Kicking off BIG 10 play in West Lafayette seems like a cake walk for the Wolverines, but Purdue's offense has already improved from 80th in total offense in 2016 to 44th in 2017 thus far. The name to watch is Redshirt Freshman Wideout Jackson Anthrop. He's become the top target for the Boilermaker offense, especially in the redzone with 4 TDs. Speaking of the redzone, Purdue leads the conference in redzone efficiency scoring on all 13 trips this season, including 10 TDs. Michigan is on the opposite side of that spectrum. They are only 1/10 in scoring in the redzone this season, and QB Wilton Speight is only 1/13 on passes in the redzone. On the other side of the ball, Michigan's defense was expected to drop off after nearly all their starters left, but they have been very solid this year. Only giving up an average of 208 yards per game and 14.7 points per game. The Boilermakers will challenge that, and this could be a one score game. Would love to say Boiler Up on this one, but my upset pick is coming later. Michigan wins a closer one than they'd like, 30-20.
#17 Mississippi State at #11 Georgia
The Battle of the Bulldogs is about to take place between the Hedges down in Athens. Georgia hosts the red-hot Bulldogs from Mississippi State, and this game will be a lot of fun to watch! Nick Fitzgerald is one of the hottest QBs in all of College Football, and he's probably my dark-horse Heisman at this point in the season. Most people might think I'm jumping on the bandwagon, but I watched him a lot last season after he took over for Dak Prescott and I knew this kid was good. He shredded LSU's defense last week for 268 yards and 4 total TDs. The Dawgs defense will have their hands full with Fitzgerald and this offense, especially with RB Aries Williams averaging 112 yards per game on the ground. Georgia's rush defense has been very good, giving up only 71 yards on average in their first three games, but this is the best offense they've faced this season. Freshman QB Jake Fromm is expected to start in his third game as Jacob Eason still recovers from injury, so look for Mississippi State to bring pressure. Fromm has looked solid in his first couple starts, but this is a very tenacious defense, so he'll need to rely heavily on Nick Chubb and Sony Michel. I think both teams are very solid, and Georgia definitely has a good shot at winning the East, but Mississippi State looks like the team to beat right now. I think they get it done on the road and I'm saying HAIL STATE! Dan Mullins and crew beat Georgia between the Hedges 27-17.
#20 Florida at Kentucky
Florida still has some offensive struggles, but they were able to pull off a fantastic Hail Mary against Tennessee last week. The Wildcats have quietly been playing very good football, and they are not a team I'd want to face, especially on the road. Florida's defense has been struggling over the past couple weeks, especially late in the game. Kentucky doesn't have the most dynamic offense, but Mark Stoops has some play makers and RB Ben Snell Jr. has 272 yards and 3 TDs so far this season. The Gators will have their hands full and I honestly think Kentucky pulls the upset in this one. I don't have too much to say, because I just want to see this game and how it plays out. The Wildcats' defense is only allowing 57 yards on the ground too, so be sure to watch the Florida ground game. The Gators pulled it out of the fire last week, but I think Kentucky wins it at home. Close game, low scoring. UK 23, Florida 17.
#7 Washington at Colorado
Did I say this was the week for top ranked teams to play on the road? Washington travels to Boulder, CO in a rematch of last year's Pac-12 Championship. Again, Washington looks like the heavy favorite, but Colorado has played tough at home, and will be looking to avenge last year's 41-10 beat down. Steven Montez has taken over as QB for the Buffs and Phillip Lindsay already has 378 and 3 TDs on the ground this season. They'll be up against another dynamic Pac-12 duo in QB Jake Browning and RB Myles Gaskin. Browning has looked as solid as ever, passing for nearly 800 yards, 8 TDs and just 1 pick. Gaskin has not been used as much as I think he should be, with only 24 carries on the season and 154 rushing yards. He does have 3 TDs on the ground and has a few receptions as well, but if Washington wants to get back to the College Football Playoff and compete, they need to start getting Gaskin the ball. I think Washington should be good in this game, but you always have to be careful of those un-ranked opponents on the road. Huskies win it in a solid performance 38-23.
Rutgers at Nebraska
There isn't much to say with this game either. Nebraska has a lot of questions swirling around after the loss to NIU last week and with Shawn Eichorst being let go as Athletic Director just a couple days ago on Thursday. The best way to forget about all of that is a football game, and the Huskers get to open BIG 10 play on Homecoming with Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights are coming off a 65-0 performance against a D-2 team, but the Huskers will be a different opponent. Even with a rough couple of weeks, Nebraska has the talent to score on anyone and with an improving defense, the Huskers should bounce back this week. The offensive line will be on their 3rd RT with Brenden Jaimes getting his first start after the injury to Farniok last week. Tanner Lee will need to get rid of the ball quickly, and I would really love to see Nebraska start leaning on the ground game. Hopefully Devine Ozigbo will be allowed to play and we can get a bit of a change-up at RB. Defense will need to continue improving, but last week was a big step. They'll need to shut down Rutgers RB Gus Edwards who has 201 yards on the ground this season. Offensive success is crucial in this game, so look for the Huskers to come out firing. I think they'll come out and play better, but with such a crazy week, it'll be a tough game. Husker win it 33-20.
Here are a few quick hits on games I didn't have the chance to break down:
#4 Penn State at Iowa- Iowa is always tough at home, but I think Penn State is legit. Nittany Lions roll to a 48-21 victory.
Notre Dame at Michigan State- The last time this great Rivalry will be played until 2026! This is a good match up, and playing in East Lansing is never fun, but I think Notre Dame is on the rise, and I'll give them the nod on the road. Irish win 28-24.
Texas A&M vs. Arkansas- A Classic Southwest Rivalry takes place at Cowboys stadium this week in the Aggies vs. the Hogs. Aggies are struggling big time and I think the Razorbacks take it with the ground game. Hogs 33, Aggies 21.
UCLA at Stanford- Two teams that have stumbled a bit the past couple weeks. Stanford needs some better QB play, and until that happens I have to go with the Bruins. Rosen looks good on the road, but watch out for Bryce Love. UCLA wins 37-31.
Thanks for reading all my game picks this weekend and be sure to cheer me and my fellow Royalty Candidates on at Halftime! Happy Saturday and GO BIG RED!
#CollegeFootballKnowItAll
Alex Fernando
Wednesday, September 20, 2017
Week 3 Reflection
I know most of you are probably going to enjoy reading this post just about as much as I'm enjoying writing it, but let's hunker down and get through it. Yes, this is a reflection of the Huskers' loss to Northern Illinois, but since we all know what happened with the game, I'll discuss a few other topics being thrown around thus far in the early week. So let's get into it, enjoy everyone... as much as you can!
Flat, pathetic and straight up awful. Those are the best 3 adjectives I could come up with for the offense after Saturday's loss at home. The opening drive looked very promising until the easy pick six off of the (way too easy to read) bubble screen. After that, to quote the kids of today, the offense was "shook". No push up front, dropped passes, poor route running, and Tanner Lee looked more uncomfortable in the pocket than a vegan at a steakhouse. All jokes aside, the offense was horrendous throughout the entirety of the game, and as usual, it all starts up front. The offensive line has been far from perfect throughout the year thus far, but Saturday was utterly horrible. Nebraska's O-line averaged nearly 30 lbs. more than the Huskies D-line, yet they were consistently knocked backwards 3 yards on every play. Starting with the run game, or lack there of, I have two big questions: 1. Why the severe drop in run blocking just because Bryant is out? and 2. Why Ozigbo for only 3 plays? Addressing the first one is a bit tougher. It's clear Tre Bryant is the number 1 back, but running him into the ground for the first two games (when he's had injury issues already) was not something I was particularly a fan of. Secondly, it just seemed like the blocking dropped off a cliff once Wilbon jumped in. Yes, his pass protection is part of that, but specifically more with the run blocking, Wilbon had to find most of those yards himself. He finished with 90 yards on 24 carries while the Huskers finished with 85 as a team. I wholeheartedly believe Wilbon earned around 75 of those yards on his own due to his lack of blocking. I might be missing something, but I think Tre had bigger holes and I just don't understand why, especially against a MAC opponent like Northern Illinois. The second question I had was the decision to finally play Devine Ozigbo, but only play him for 3 plays. Waiting until late in the 3rd Quarter of the 3rd game to play one of the arguably top RBs on roster is puzzling enough, but for only 3 snaps? There's clearly a lot more to this story, likely something big, but I don't think Riley and his staff are handling it very well. I don't know anything of the situation, but if there's a reason to sit a player for 2.5 games, either come out with it or there isn't a reason. It was clear Ozigbo has been ready for his shot, dragging defenders for 8 yards on his first carry, but if you're going to bench him, there better be a reason. I thought he provided a nice spark to an otherwise stagnant offense, but with only 3 plays there's not a lot he could've done. I'm interested to see how this story progresses in the future.
Jumping to Tanner Lee and the passing game, I think everyone is starting to realize why I haven't been overly impressed by him. I do want to put a lot of the blame on the Offensive line for the NIU loss, but regardless of the pressure, Lee holds the ball way too long in the pocket, is very inaccurate and inconsistent with his throws, locks in with tunnel vision on one receiver and just seems to panic if his man is covered. Coming out of camp, all I heard about Lee was that he could make the reads, look off the defense and hit his check downs when needed. I have yet to see that this season, and I think he's starting to get into his own head with it. As I said before, the issues do start up front. The constant lack of protection leads to Lee often getting hit when he throws the ball (partly due to how long he holds it), resulting in a few of his picks this season. The offensive line needs to improve tenfold if Lee has any chance of resurrecting this season. Hopefully Coach Riley and Coach Langsdorf can calm him down and get him to progress through his reads. His check downs were open quite a bit on Saturday, and Lee didn't even look their way.
On the defensive side, I'm going to lay off them a bit this week. Although there are still issues that need to be addressed, they held NIU scoreless for 3 quarters and gave up just 213 total yards. The big stat that impressed me was holding Northern Illinois to just 3-13 or 23% on third downs. That's a huge improvement as Oregon posted a 50% conversion rate on the Blackshirts for third downs, and Arkansas State had 54%. There was the big drive in the fourth quarter given up by the defense, right after Nebraska had taken their first lead of the game, but when your defense only gives up 7 points total and forces the opponents to punt 5 times, you can't be very upset. Tackling does need to improve though, there were some bad misses and even worse, horrible attempts where players simply tried to bump the defender to the ground. I'm not going to name names, but Lamar Jackson and Antonio Reed need to learn that they have arms for a reason, WRAP UP!! Overall though, good performance from a young defense, hopefully starting to get a grip on the system. Look for pass rush and tackling to hopefully improve as they understand it more.
Special teams (apart from JD Spielman and Drew Brown) still have yet to impress me this season. I first want to state that the blocked FG at the end of the half was entirely the fault of the offensive line. I watched that from the sideline and it was clear they were not ready to protect. Props for Drew for still getting the kick through the uprights off the bounce though! I think it still should've counted just for that! Anyways, protection needs to improve as well as coverage. It's painful to watch our punt team run right by the return man because they either over-pursue or don't break down to contain him. Switching to Nebraska's Punt Return, DPE had quite a few issues fielding those punts on Saturday. I'm not sure if he was just not paying attention or if he was concerned about getting lit up, but either way the punt return needs to improve a lot. It seems as though nearly everyone is confused on most of our special team units, and that's never a good thing. We'll see how the team improves with the fans, the AD and everyone else grumbling at them after that horrible loss.
One fun stat I learned earlier this week is that since Coach Riley has taken over, there have been 8 games where Nebraska has had 40+ pass attempts. The Huskers are 0-8 in those games, so I think we really need to establish a stronger rushing attack. Thanks for reading my reflection on the game and please comment if there's any other teams or games you'd like me to post about! Also, be sure to tune in every Tuesday evening from 7-8 pm for my radio show The 2nd String with my friend Nate as we talk about everything College Football! You can listen by clicking on KRNU2 after following the link at http://krnu.unl.edu/. Hope you're all ready for a fun week of Homecoming Celebrations at UNL! GO BIG RED!
Flat, pathetic and straight up awful. Those are the best 3 adjectives I could come up with for the offense after Saturday's loss at home. The opening drive looked very promising until the easy pick six off of the (way too easy to read) bubble screen. After that, to quote the kids of today, the offense was "shook". No push up front, dropped passes, poor route running, and Tanner Lee looked more uncomfortable in the pocket than a vegan at a steakhouse. All jokes aside, the offense was horrendous throughout the entirety of the game, and as usual, it all starts up front. The offensive line has been far from perfect throughout the year thus far, but Saturday was utterly horrible. Nebraska's O-line averaged nearly 30 lbs. more than the Huskies D-line, yet they were consistently knocked backwards 3 yards on every play. Starting with the run game, or lack there of, I have two big questions: 1. Why the severe drop in run blocking just because Bryant is out? and 2. Why Ozigbo for only 3 plays? Addressing the first one is a bit tougher. It's clear Tre Bryant is the number 1 back, but running him into the ground for the first two games (when he's had injury issues already) was not something I was particularly a fan of. Secondly, it just seemed like the blocking dropped off a cliff once Wilbon jumped in. Yes, his pass protection is part of that, but specifically more with the run blocking, Wilbon had to find most of those yards himself. He finished with 90 yards on 24 carries while the Huskers finished with 85 as a team. I wholeheartedly believe Wilbon earned around 75 of those yards on his own due to his lack of blocking. I might be missing something, but I think Tre had bigger holes and I just don't understand why, especially against a MAC opponent like Northern Illinois. The second question I had was the decision to finally play Devine Ozigbo, but only play him for 3 plays. Waiting until late in the 3rd Quarter of the 3rd game to play one of the arguably top RBs on roster is puzzling enough, but for only 3 snaps? There's clearly a lot more to this story, likely something big, but I don't think Riley and his staff are handling it very well. I don't know anything of the situation, but if there's a reason to sit a player for 2.5 games, either come out with it or there isn't a reason. It was clear Ozigbo has been ready for his shot, dragging defenders for 8 yards on his first carry, but if you're going to bench him, there better be a reason. I thought he provided a nice spark to an otherwise stagnant offense, but with only 3 plays there's not a lot he could've done. I'm interested to see how this story progresses in the future.
Jumping to Tanner Lee and the passing game, I think everyone is starting to realize why I haven't been overly impressed by him. I do want to put a lot of the blame on the Offensive line for the NIU loss, but regardless of the pressure, Lee holds the ball way too long in the pocket, is very inaccurate and inconsistent with his throws, locks in with tunnel vision on one receiver and just seems to panic if his man is covered. Coming out of camp, all I heard about Lee was that he could make the reads, look off the defense and hit his check downs when needed. I have yet to see that this season, and I think he's starting to get into his own head with it. As I said before, the issues do start up front. The constant lack of protection leads to Lee often getting hit when he throws the ball (partly due to how long he holds it), resulting in a few of his picks this season. The offensive line needs to improve tenfold if Lee has any chance of resurrecting this season. Hopefully Coach Riley and Coach Langsdorf can calm him down and get him to progress through his reads. His check downs were open quite a bit on Saturday, and Lee didn't even look their way.
On the defensive side, I'm going to lay off them a bit this week. Although there are still issues that need to be addressed, they held NIU scoreless for 3 quarters and gave up just 213 total yards. The big stat that impressed me was holding Northern Illinois to just 3-13 or 23% on third downs. That's a huge improvement as Oregon posted a 50% conversion rate on the Blackshirts for third downs, and Arkansas State had 54%. There was the big drive in the fourth quarter given up by the defense, right after Nebraska had taken their first lead of the game, but when your defense only gives up 7 points total and forces the opponents to punt 5 times, you can't be very upset. Tackling does need to improve though, there were some bad misses and even worse, horrible attempts where players simply tried to bump the defender to the ground. I'm not going to name names, but Lamar Jackson and Antonio Reed need to learn that they have arms for a reason, WRAP UP!! Overall though, good performance from a young defense, hopefully starting to get a grip on the system. Look for pass rush and tackling to hopefully improve as they understand it more.
Special teams (apart from JD Spielman and Drew Brown) still have yet to impress me this season. I first want to state that the blocked FG at the end of the half was entirely the fault of the offensive line. I watched that from the sideline and it was clear they were not ready to protect. Props for Drew for still getting the kick through the uprights off the bounce though! I think it still should've counted just for that! Anyways, protection needs to improve as well as coverage. It's painful to watch our punt team run right by the return man because they either over-pursue or don't break down to contain him. Switching to Nebraska's Punt Return, DPE had quite a few issues fielding those punts on Saturday. I'm not sure if he was just not paying attention or if he was concerned about getting lit up, but either way the punt return needs to improve a lot. It seems as though nearly everyone is confused on most of our special team units, and that's never a good thing. We'll see how the team improves with the fans, the AD and everyone else grumbling at them after that horrible loss.
One fun stat I learned earlier this week is that since Coach Riley has taken over, there have been 8 games where Nebraska has had 40+ pass attempts. The Huskers are 0-8 in those games, so I think we really need to establish a stronger rushing attack. Thanks for reading my reflection on the game and please comment if there's any other teams or games you'd like me to post about! Also, be sure to tune in every Tuesday evening from 7-8 pm for my radio show The 2nd String with my friend Nate as we talk about everything College Football! You can listen by clicking on KRNU2 after following the link at http://krnu.unl.edu/. Hope you're all ready for a fun week of Homecoming Celebrations at UNL! GO BIG RED!
#CollegeFootballKnowItAll
Alex Fernando
Saturday, September 16, 2017
Week 3 Predictions
Hey everybody, I hope you're all ready for week 3 of College Football!! Now I know there are not a lot of big games this week, but I think there are a few interesting match-ups that could turn some heads. Besides, you never know what's going to happen any given Saturday! Here are my interesting games to watch this weekend and my predictions, enjoy!
#25 UCLA at Memphis
Most of you might wonder why I'm even making a pick on this game and assume that Josh Rosen will pick apart the Tigers in an easy, blowout win. I think this could be a closer game than most people think. The Tigers finished 8-5 last year and had an extra week to prepare for this game since their match-up with UCF was canceled and rescheduled last week. Having that extra week should definitely help Memphis as they didn't overly impress in their 37-29 win over UL-Monroe in week 1. Senior QB Riley Ferguson is high on a number of expert's NFL draft boards, but is still fairly unknown to most of the nation. He didn't look strong in the opener, throwing for just 97 yards 0 TDs and a pick on a 40% completion rating. However, he threw for nearly 3,800 yards last year along with an impressive 32:10 TD to INT ratio, so he could just be shaking off some early season rust. The other part of this match-up that I like is the time. This game is an 11 am kick Central Time, which means it's going to feel like 9 am to the Bruins traveling from LA. Morning games can sometimes cause a team to come out sluggish, but throwing a two hour time zone difference could make it even more difficult for the Bruins to wake up early on in this game. One factor to watch in this game will be the Memphis rushing attack against the Bruins rush defense. UCLA has given up an average of 331.5 yards on the ground through just two games, and the Tigers had 319 yards rushing in their lone game against the Warhawks. The dynamic duo of Sophomore RBs in Patrick Taylor Jr. and Darrell Henderson combined for 300 on their own along with 3 TDs. Look for the Tiger's ground game to be a big factor in this one, they will be able to control the clock and keep the ball out of the hands of Josh Rosen. For UCLA, the key will be forcing tough 3rd down situations. Memphis was in the middle of the nation last year, ranking 64th in 3rd down conversions with right around 40%. If they Bruins defense can get some key stops, they can prevent the upset. I think Josh Rosen and crew will be fine, but look for Memphis to put up a fight. The spread is 3, so expect a close game. UCLA 36, Memphis 31.
#23 Tennessee at #24 Florida
A key SEC East showdown will take place in The Swamp as the Vols travel to Gainesville to take on the arch rival Gators. Usually this game has big implications on who will win the SEC East, but with Florida having so many suspensions (9), its hard to imagine that this will be one of the major games in the East this year. Nonetheless, anytime these two teams battle, it's always fun. If there's any saving grace for Florida, it's that they've had an extra week to prepare for Tennessee as they had to cancel their game last weekend from Hurricane Irma. Hopefully this extra time has given Malik Ziare some time to learn the offense a little more and develop some more chemistry with his offense. The Gators could not move the ball against Michigan in their opening game, and were it not for Wilton Speight throwing two easy pick sixes, Florida probably wouldn't have scored. Tennessee on the other hand mounted a phenomenal comeback (much to my disgust) against Georgia Tech in their opener, and came away with a 42-41 2OT win! Vols QB Quinten Dormandy has looked good so far thus season, throwing for 415 yards, 4 TDs and just 1 pick through two games. I think the difference maker could be Tennessee RB John Kelly. Kelly has been a big part of the Vols offense with over 200 yards and 4 TDs this season, so watch for them to ground and pound against the Gators. I'm sure they'll make it a little closer than necessary because it's Tennessee and Florida, but the suspensions are still too much for the Gators. Vols win it 29-20.
#18 Kansas State at Vanderbilt
This one has potential to get interesting. Kansas State will have their first true test as they travel to Nashville to take on the Commodores. The 18th-ranked Wildcats have blown out their two previous opponents, but again, they've played Central Arkansas and Charlotte. Vandy hasn't played much competition yet either, but Junior QB Kyle Shurmur is not someone you want to play very often. Shurmur has thrown for 498 yards and 7 TDs with a very impressive 76.1% completion rating. The Wildcats were one of the worst in pass defense a year ago, so we'll see how well they hold up against Shurmur and company. I think Vandy is a much tougher team than most people think, and they could cause a lot of teams headaches this season. Both teams have solid QBs with lots of weapons, so defense will be the key to victory in this game. K-State RB Alex Barnes is tough to bring down, so the Commodores will have wrap up and make sure tackles. It's hard to predict this game since we really haven't seen much from either team, but I'll go with the home team. I wouldn't be surprised either way, especially with Bill Snyder coaching in a game. Commodores win a good one at home, 43-38.
Kentucky at South Carolina
Another SEC East battle that most people probably will overlook. The Wildcats travel to Columbia, SC to take on the red-hot Gamecocks. The Wildcats have been a sneaky team over the past couple years, and they'll be bringing a powerful run game along with them on the road. Sophomore RB Benny Snell Jr. rushed for over 1,000 in his Freshman year, and already has 170 so far this season. South Carolina has only given up an average of 133.5 rushing yards, so Snell could have a tough time breaking free. The big story in this game lies with the Gamecock's Sophomore QB Jake Bentley. Bentley has been fantastic this season, throwing for 402 yards, 4 TDs and 1 pick. He has completed 61.4% of his passes and really commands the offense well. I think his play will lift South Carolina over the Wildcats, but look for Kentucky to get pressure. Bentley has already been sacked 4 times this season, so protecting him will be key for South Carolina. I think this will be a fun one to watch, but Bentley leads the Gamecocks to victory! South Carolina 37, Kentucky 28.
#3 Clemson at #14 Louisville
Alright, we all know that Lamar Jackson is worth at least 21-28 points on his own, even against Clemson. The big issue in this game is whether or not he'll have any help from his friends. Apart from the Heisman in the backfield though, the Cardinals don't have too much to offer. Jackson was sacked 46 times last year, 3rd worst in the nation. Clemson has one of the best pass rushing front four in the nation that has already recorded 11 sacks this season. Lamar will get his yards and his points, but I'm sure he'll be under pressure all night long. On the other side of the ball, Kelly Bryant has his first start on the road. While Louisville doesn't have the most threatening defense, but the sheer magnitude of this game could get to Bryant's head. Game of the week, on the road, against the reigning Heisman winner? Look for Bryant to press on a lot of plays and force some passes early in the game before his nerves settle down. If he comes in as cool as a cucumber, Clemson will win this game outright. With two dynamic QBs, defense is always the key. Clemson has the edge, but this game came down to the wire last year. I'd love to see Lamar get the upset and his revenge, but I think the Tigers are just too strong on defense. Expect another stellar game from the reigning Heisman winner, but the Tigers chomp the Cardinals in a tight one on the road. Clemson 30, Louisville 28.
Northern Illinois at Nebraska
Just as my friend Nate and I discussed on our radio show, this is a game that Nebraska needs to win convincingly. Northern Illinois is not a very strong team, and they've lost their starting QB for at least a few weeks with an elbow injury. The Huskies have not played much competition this year, so coming into Memorial Stadium will be a huge challenge for them. They will look to establish a ground game with RB Marcus Jones, but if they've watched any film, I expect them to pick on our secondary early and consistently throughout the game. That's where most Husker fans will have their eyes too, the Blackshirts' secondary. They've been burned for an average of 390 yards over two games, ranking 2nd to last in the nation. Northern Illinois should prove to be a much easier opponent for the Huskers. I'll be interested to see what changes are made on defense, and how they deal with the injuries like Josh Kalu. Offensively, hopefully Tanner Lee will settle down after that Oregon game and progress through his reads to find the open man. I'm expecting to see Tre Bryant back tomorrow as well, but limiting his carries would not be a bad idea. Getting other backs experience and keeping Tre healthy for BIG 10 play would be very helpful for the offense. As I've stated the past couple of weeks, I'm not to worried about our offense scoring points, but I would love to see Drew Brown get his chance at some long Field Goals. The kid has the leg for it and if we get around the 40 and get stopped, give him the shot! I'm excited for tomorrow, and ready for a solid Husker victory! Nebraska 41, Northern Illinois 20.
I hope you all enjoyed my predictions and have a great day of watching football! If you're going to the Husker game, look for me on the sidelines! Also, be sure to subscribe to my blog so you can receive an email whenever I make a post and tune into The 2nd String on KRNU2 online every Tuesday from 7-8 pm! Thanks for reading and GO BIG RED!
#CollegeFootballKnowItAll
Alex Fernando
#25 UCLA at Memphis
Most of you might wonder why I'm even making a pick on this game and assume that Josh Rosen will pick apart the Tigers in an easy, blowout win. I think this could be a closer game than most people think. The Tigers finished 8-5 last year and had an extra week to prepare for this game since their match-up with UCF was canceled and rescheduled last week. Having that extra week should definitely help Memphis as they didn't overly impress in their 37-29 win over UL-Monroe in week 1. Senior QB Riley Ferguson is high on a number of expert's NFL draft boards, but is still fairly unknown to most of the nation. He didn't look strong in the opener, throwing for just 97 yards 0 TDs and a pick on a 40% completion rating. However, he threw for nearly 3,800 yards last year along with an impressive 32:10 TD to INT ratio, so he could just be shaking off some early season rust. The other part of this match-up that I like is the time. This game is an 11 am kick Central Time, which means it's going to feel like 9 am to the Bruins traveling from LA. Morning games can sometimes cause a team to come out sluggish, but throwing a two hour time zone difference could make it even more difficult for the Bruins to wake up early on in this game. One factor to watch in this game will be the Memphis rushing attack against the Bruins rush defense. UCLA has given up an average of 331.5 yards on the ground through just two games, and the Tigers had 319 yards rushing in their lone game against the Warhawks. The dynamic duo of Sophomore RBs in Patrick Taylor Jr. and Darrell Henderson combined for 300 on their own along with 3 TDs. Look for the Tiger's ground game to be a big factor in this one, they will be able to control the clock and keep the ball out of the hands of Josh Rosen. For UCLA, the key will be forcing tough 3rd down situations. Memphis was in the middle of the nation last year, ranking 64th in 3rd down conversions with right around 40%. If they Bruins defense can get some key stops, they can prevent the upset. I think Josh Rosen and crew will be fine, but look for Memphis to put up a fight. The spread is 3, so expect a close game. UCLA 36, Memphis 31.
#23 Tennessee at #24 Florida
A key SEC East showdown will take place in The Swamp as the Vols travel to Gainesville to take on the arch rival Gators. Usually this game has big implications on who will win the SEC East, but with Florida having so many suspensions (9), its hard to imagine that this will be one of the major games in the East this year. Nonetheless, anytime these two teams battle, it's always fun. If there's any saving grace for Florida, it's that they've had an extra week to prepare for Tennessee as they had to cancel their game last weekend from Hurricane Irma. Hopefully this extra time has given Malik Ziare some time to learn the offense a little more and develop some more chemistry with his offense. The Gators could not move the ball against Michigan in their opening game, and were it not for Wilton Speight throwing two easy pick sixes, Florida probably wouldn't have scored. Tennessee on the other hand mounted a phenomenal comeback (much to my disgust) against Georgia Tech in their opener, and came away with a 42-41 2OT win! Vols QB Quinten Dormandy has looked good so far thus season, throwing for 415 yards, 4 TDs and just 1 pick through two games. I think the difference maker could be Tennessee RB John Kelly. Kelly has been a big part of the Vols offense with over 200 yards and 4 TDs this season, so watch for them to ground and pound against the Gators. I'm sure they'll make it a little closer than necessary because it's Tennessee and Florida, but the suspensions are still too much for the Gators. Vols win it 29-20.
#18 Kansas State at Vanderbilt
This one has potential to get interesting. Kansas State will have their first true test as they travel to Nashville to take on the Commodores. The 18th-ranked Wildcats have blown out their two previous opponents, but again, they've played Central Arkansas and Charlotte. Vandy hasn't played much competition yet either, but Junior QB Kyle Shurmur is not someone you want to play very often. Shurmur has thrown for 498 yards and 7 TDs with a very impressive 76.1% completion rating. The Wildcats were one of the worst in pass defense a year ago, so we'll see how well they hold up against Shurmur and company. I think Vandy is a much tougher team than most people think, and they could cause a lot of teams headaches this season. Both teams have solid QBs with lots of weapons, so defense will be the key to victory in this game. K-State RB Alex Barnes is tough to bring down, so the Commodores will have wrap up and make sure tackles. It's hard to predict this game since we really haven't seen much from either team, but I'll go with the home team. I wouldn't be surprised either way, especially with Bill Snyder coaching in a game. Commodores win a good one at home, 43-38.
Kentucky at South Carolina
Another SEC East battle that most people probably will overlook. The Wildcats travel to Columbia, SC to take on the red-hot Gamecocks. The Wildcats have been a sneaky team over the past couple years, and they'll be bringing a powerful run game along with them on the road. Sophomore RB Benny Snell Jr. rushed for over 1,000 in his Freshman year, and already has 170 so far this season. South Carolina has only given up an average of 133.5 rushing yards, so Snell could have a tough time breaking free. The big story in this game lies with the Gamecock's Sophomore QB Jake Bentley. Bentley has been fantastic this season, throwing for 402 yards, 4 TDs and 1 pick. He has completed 61.4% of his passes and really commands the offense well. I think his play will lift South Carolina over the Wildcats, but look for Kentucky to get pressure. Bentley has already been sacked 4 times this season, so protecting him will be key for South Carolina. I think this will be a fun one to watch, but Bentley leads the Gamecocks to victory! South Carolina 37, Kentucky 28.
#3 Clemson at #14 Louisville
Alright, we all know that Lamar Jackson is worth at least 21-28 points on his own, even against Clemson. The big issue in this game is whether or not he'll have any help from his friends. Apart from the Heisman in the backfield though, the Cardinals don't have too much to offer. Jackson was sacked 46 times last year, 3rd worst in the nation. Clemson has one of the best pass rushing front four in the nation that has already recorded 11 sacks this season. Lamar will get his yards and his points, but I'm sure he'll be under pressure all night long. On the other side of the ball, Kelly Bryant has his first start on the road. While Louisville doesn't have the most threatening defense, but the sheer magnitude of this game could get to Bryant's head. Game of the week, on the road, against the reigning Heisman winner? Look for Bryant to press on a lot of plays and force some passes early in the game before his nerves settle down. If he comes in as cool as a cucumber, Clemson will win this game outright. With two dynamic QBs, defense is always the key. Clemson has the edge, but this game came down to the wire last year. I'd love to see Lamar get the upset and his revenge, but I think the Tigers are just too strong on defense. Expect another stellar game from the reigning Heisman winner, but the Tigers chomp the Cardinals in a tight one on the road. Clemson 30, Louisville 28.
Northern Illinois at Nebraska
Just as my friend Nate and I discussed on our radio show, this is a game that Nebraska needs to win convincingly. Northern Illinois is not a very strong team, and they've lost their starting QB for at least a few weeks with an elbow injury. The Huskies have not played much competition this year, so coming into Memorial Stadium will be a huge challenge for them. They will look to establish a ground game with RB Marcus Jones, but if they've watched any film, I expect them to pick on our secondary early and consistently throughout the game. That's where most Husker fans will have their eyes too, the Blackshirts' secondary. They've been burned for an average of 390 yards over two games, ranking 2nd to last in the nation. Northern Illinois should prove to be a much easier opponent for the Huskers. I'll be interested to see what changes are made on defense, and how they deal with the injuries like Josh Kalu. Offensively, hopefully Tanner Lee will settle down after that Oregon game and progress through his reads to find the open man. I'm expecting to see Tre Bryant back tomorrow as well, but limiting his carries would not be a bad idea. Getting other backs experience and keeping Tre healthy for BIG 10 play would be very helpful for the offense. As I've stated the past couple of weeks, I'm not to worried about our offense scoring points, but I would love to see Drew Brown get his chance at some long Field Goals. The kid has the leg for it and if we get around the 40 and get stopped, give him the shot! I'm excited for tomorrow, and ready for a solid Husker victory! Nebraska 41, Northern Illinois 20.
I hope you all enjoyed my predictions and have a great day of watching football! If you're going to the Husker game, look for me on the sidelines! Also, be sure to subscribe to my blog so you can receive an email whenever I make a post and tune into The 2nd String on KRNU2 online every Tuesday from 7-8 pm! Thanks for reading and GO BIG RED!
#CollegeFootballKnowItAll
Alex Fernando
Wednesday, September 13, 2017
Week 2 Reflection
Well, I avoided writing this reflection for as long as I could. Luckily, a couple of my friends got married this past Saturday, so I was able to avoid watching most of the first half train-wreck live. Going back over the film, there were obviously a lot of bad things that I will touch on, but quite a bit of good as well. Hopefully everyone can hold back on the "Fire Diaco" chants after the Blackshirts second half performance. Yes, there is still a lot of work to be done, but there was improvement throughout the game. Here's my in depth analysis on the game!
Let's get the bad stuff out of the way early and talk about the defense. Giving up 42 points and over 400 yards in one half was absolutely pathetic. Lamar Jackson (along with everyone else in the secondary) was burned constantly throughout the game and Oregon QB Justin Herbert could've read through all of his textbooks with the time he had in the pocket. There was no pass rush at all throughout the game and the run defense was gashed multiple times by Royce Freeman. I'm not entirely sure what the answer will be, but all areas of the defense need work. I knew it would not be a 180 turn around with the defense, but they looked completely unprepared for Oregon. The secondary gave up another 365 yards through the air, making them the 2nd worst pass defense in the nation. The defensive line still has yet to record a sack on the season, and the linebackers struggled to contain the edge. Again, there were some bright spots. I thought Luke Gifford and Chris Weber both played well in the second half, and Defensive linemen Mick Stoltenberg and Dontre Thomas plugged up holes very well. The second half shut out gives the Huskers a lot to build on as they head into their final non-conference game before opening up BIG 10 play with Rutgers on the 23rd. I think we'll continue to improve on defense, and our next few weeks will give the Blackshirts a great chance to do that. I'm hoping to see a little more pressure on the opposing QBs in the upcoming weeks.
Looking to the offense, Tanner Lee and Tre Bryant are the biggest concerns. Hopefully Bryant can get back to health soon and the knee doesn't have any issues. He's clearly the number one back and like Nate and I discussed on our radio show, The 2nd String, I doubt any defense is overly concerned with our other backs at this point in the season. Regardless, getting some of the other RBs on roster some carries would not be a bad thing for the offense. Switching over to Tanner Lee, there's a lot he'll need to improve on over the season. He's sitting at just 52.1% completion rating for the season through 2 games, and his performance at Oregon was not stellar by any means. There were some flashes of greatness and accurate throws, but there were a lot of passes where I think he tried to force too much. Tanner finished with 4 picks, but I'll take away 1.5 of them. The first one was off the hands (and helmet) of Stanley Morgan, so definitely not Lee's fault. The reason I only take away half of Lee's last interception of the game is because although his arm was hit while he threw, I personally don't think he should've been throwing that direction. It looked like he was throwing to the sideline at Stanley Morgan, but when looking at the film, Morgan did not have much room and I just don't like the idea of going for it all on 1st down of a potential drive to tie up the game. This goes back to my forcing throws comment. Riley gave him this job because Lee not only has a great arm, but a great ability to read the defense and find the open man. This offense is built around finding the open route and picking apart the defense systematically. I think Lee will recover and be a solid QB this season, but he needs to progress threw his reads instead of forcing throws. That's a lot like Tommy Armstrong used to do at times. My advice would be to trust in the offense and make the reads necessary to be consistent with his throws. But I'm simply a football fanatic.
Overall, I'm not terribly worried about the offense, but I do believe our ground game will struggle if Bryant isn't able to come back soon. Wilbon is decent out of the backfield, but not quite as decisive or powerful when he runs. No one knows what has happened to Devine Ozigbo, and new comer Jaylin Bradley will likely get his first look at action this weekend. Right Tackle Matt Farniok looked really good in his first start at Oregon, and I would not be surprised or upset to him take over that starting spot full time. Lee will improve, again, this is his first time playing in a couple years and there's a lot that goes into Coach Riley's offense. Defense showed some flashes, just need to put it all together now! Hopefully we can have a solid win against Northern Illinois this week and prep up for BIG 10 Conference play next week! Thanks for reading and GO BIG RED!
#CollegeFootballKnowItAll
Alex Fernando
Let's get the bad stuff out of the way early and talk about the defense. Giving up 42 points and over 400 yards in one half was absolutely pathetic. Lamar Jackson (along with everyone else in the secondary) was burned constantly throughout the game and Oregon QB Justin Herbert could've read through all of his textbooks with the time he had in the pocket. There was no pass rush at all throughout the game and the run defense was gashed multiple times by Royce Freeman. I'm not entirely sure what the answer will be, but all areas of the defense need work. I knew it would not be a 180 turn around with the defense, but they looked completely unprepared for Oregon. The secondary gave up another 365 yards through the air, making them the 2nd worst pass defense in the nation. The defensive line still has yet to record a sack on the season, and the linebackers struggled to contain the edge. Again, there were some bright spots. I thought Luke Gifford and Chris Weber both played well in the second half, and Defensive linemen Mick Stoltenberg and Dontre Thomas plugged up holes very well. The second half shut out gives the Huskers a lot to build on as they head into their final non-conference game before opening up BIG 10 play with Rutgers on the 23rd. I think we'll continue to improve on defense, and our next few weeks will give the Blackshirts a great chance to do that. I'm hoping to see a little more pressure on the opposing QBs in the upcoming weeks.
Looking to the offense, Tanner Lee and Tre Bryant are the biggest concerns. Hopefully Bryant can get back to health soon and the knee doesn't have any issues. He's clearly the number one back and like Nate and I discussed on our radio show, The 2nd String, I doubt any defense is overly concerned with our other backs at this point in the season. Regardless, getting some of the other RBs on roster some carries would not be a bad thing for the offense. Switching over to Tanner Lee, there's a lot he'll need to improve on over the season. He's sitting at just 52.1% completion rating for the season through 2 games, and his performance at Oregon was not stellar by any means. There were some flashes of greatness and accurate throws, but there were a lot of passes where I think he tried to force too much. Tanner finished with 4 picks, but I'll take away 1.5 of them. The first one was off the hands (and helmet) of Stanley Morgan, so definitely not Lee's fault. The reason I only take away half of Lee's last interception of the game is because although his arm was hit while he threw, I personally don't think he should've been throwing that direction. It looked like he was throwing to the sideline at Stanley Morgan, but when looking at the film, Morgan did not have much room and I just don't like the idea of going for it all on 1st down of a potential drive to tie up the game. This goes back to my forcing throws comment. Riley gave him this job because Lee not only has a great arm, but a great ability to read the defense and find the open man. This offense is built around finding the open route and picking apart the defense systematically. I think Lee will recover and be a solid QB this season, but he needs to progress threw his reads instead of forcing throws. That's a lot like Tommy Armstrong used to do at times. My advice would be to trust in the offense and make the reads necessary to be consistent with his throws. But I'm simply a football fanatic.
Overall, I'm not terribly worried about the offense, but I do believe our ground game will struggle if Bryant isn't able to come back soon. Wilbon is decent out of the backfield, but not quite as decisive or powerful when he runs. No one knows what has happened to Devine Ozigbo, and new comer Jaylin Bradley will likely get his first look at action this weekend. Right Tackle Matt Farniok looked really good in his first start at Oregon, and I would not be surprised or upset to him take over that starting spot full time. Lee will improve, again, this is his first time playing in a couple years and there's a lot that goes into Coach Riley's offense. Defense showed some flashes, just need to put it all together now! Hopefully we can have a solid win against Northern Illinois this week and prep up for BIG 10 Conference play next week! Thanks for reading and GO BIG RED!
#CollegeFootballKnowItAll
Alex Fernando
Saturday, September 9, 2017
Week 2 Predictions
Hello readers, I hope you're all ready for another great weekend of football! There are a lot of great match-ups this weekend, so here are 8 of my big games to watch and their predictions! Remember to tune into KRNU2 online every Tuesday from 7-8 pm to listen to my College Football Radio show, The Second String! Enjoy the predictions and please comment if you have any other games you'd like me to weigh in on!
Iowa at Iowa State (Battle for the Cy-Hawk Trophy)
Saturday kicks off with a classic rivalry in the Mid-West. Iowa's defense looked much better than I imagined they would be last week when they held Josh Allen and Wyoming to just 3 points and just 233 total yards. Wadley ran for 116 yards but that was the primary highlight for the Hawkeyes as they only gained 263 total yards and lost 4 turnovers to the Cowboys. They Cyclones aren't too much to shake a stick at either, but I like to point out this game simply because of the rivalry. This game almost always comes down to the wire, and with two young teams, I expect it to be close. Watch ISU WR Allen Lazard closely in this one, I expect him to cause more headaches than anyone else for the Hawkeyes secondary. Iowa always seems to get around my picks, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt on the road. Stopping Akrum Wadley will be tough for the Cyclones, so Iowa probably wins this one. Close game, fun rivalry, probably not that impressive of a game though. Hawks 27, Cyclones 22.
Indiana at Virginia
This game is one that I think has potential to be very good this afternoon. Most people probably wouldn't think to watch this game, but I like the match-up because the Cavaliers are on the rise. They may not turn a lot of heads, but this Virginia team has a solid offense lead by Senior QB Kurt Benkert, and could potentially cause some upsets this season. Bronco Mendenhall will look to right the ship in his second season as head coach, and I think Virginia could be dangerous under him. Indiana is a very similar team because they too aren't the strongest in their conference by any means, but have some very athletic play makers that should garner some national attention. Plus, first year head coach Tom Allen is one of my key new coaches to watch this season. He did wonders for the Hoosiers last year as their defensive coordinator, bringing them from the 121st ranked total defense in 2015 to the 45th total ranked defense in 2016. They started strong in 2017, but couldn't hold down the Buckeyes in the second half, so they'll definitely be looking for some vengeance. Again, I just really like this match-up and think it could be a really fun game to watch. I'm going to ignore the fact that Indiana refuses to start anyone at QB other than Richard Lagow, but with Diamont retiring from football at the end of last year, I guess he's their best choice. No matter what, I think this game comes down to defense and I'm giving the nod to Indiana. The Hoosier defense is lead by one of my top Linebackers in the nation, Tegray Scales. He racked up 12 tackles in the opener against Ohio State and causes havoc for every opposing OC and QB. Look for him to have a big game and lead the Hoosiers to a solid win on the road. Cavs fight tough, but Hoosiers win it 31-20.
#23 TCU at Arkansas
The Horned Frogs travel to Fayetteville to take on the Razorbacks. Both teams won easily last week against Division 2 opponents, so this will be the first real test of the season for each team. QBs Kenny Hill and Austin Allen looked good last week, but will be playing much faster defenses this time around. Kenny Hill lead the Frogs to 542 total yards last week while passing for 4 TDs. He has a lot of weapons to utilize within Gary Patterson's system, so look for TCU to spread the ball around and keep Arkansas on their heels defensively. The Razorbacks will look to do what they normally do, run over, around and through anyone who stands in their way. Freshman RB Chase Hayden had 120 rushing yards on 14 attempts last week for the Hogs. He seems to be one of the feature backs, but did split carries with Sophomore Devwah Whaley and Senior David Williams. TCU was 74th against the run last season giving up 188 yards per game, so we'll see if they've improved at all. In the end, I think this game will come down to QB play and offensive fire power. I lean towards TCU with that because the Frogs can strike so quickly. I think Kenny Hill outplays Allen and the Horned Frogs win a tight one on the road. TCU 41, Arkansas 37.
#13 Auburn at #3 Clemson
One of the big ranked match-ups of the weekend is a battle between Tigers. Auburn travels to Death Valley, SC to take on the reigning champs. This game features two dynamic QBs and some great defense. Ex-Baylor QB Jarrett Stidham leads Gus Malzan's high powered offense and has a lot of weapons at his disposal. Junior RB Kerryon Johnson rushed for 895 yards and 17 TDs a year ago, and is off to a solid start in 2017 with 136 yards from week 1. He'll be a key factor in today's match-up to take pressure off Stidham and keep the Clemson defense from blitzing so much. On the flip side, Junior QB Kelly Bryant will be making just his second start for Dabo, but will be a handful for Auburn to deal with. I thought he commanded the offense well in his debut, and his ability to run the ball will be crucial to Clemson's success this year. As usual, the Tigers (the ones that wear purple and orange) are quite formidable on defense. I expect them to get after the QB and cause lots of problems for Stidham early on in the game. I like the match-up on the outside too, Auburn has a lot of speed at receiver, so Clemson's secondary will be challenged. In the end, I think the home field advantage will be too much and Kelly Bryant will show why he's ready to fill Deshaun Watson's shoes. Clemson wins 38-27.
#15 Georgia at #24 Notre Dame
The Bulldogs lost star QB Jacob Eason for the time being, so true Freshman Jake Fromm will get the start on the road in South Bend. Fromm looked solid as he took over last week for Eason, but this will be a much tougher opponent and a much tougher crowd. Look for the Bulldogs to heavily favor the ground game in this one, especially since Notre Dame gave up an average of 182 yards per game last season in 2016. Keeping 3rd down manageable will be crucial if Georgia wants to pull out a win in this game. Looking to the side of the Irish, Junior RB Josh Adams is the name to know. He carried the ball 19 times for 161 and 2 TDs last week against Temple, and looks to test Georgia's defense, especially with his speed. The Irish will have their own run defense to be in charge of however as Nick Chubb, Sony Michel and crew are coming to town. I think this one will be a hard-nosed, ground and pound battle, heavily dependent on the trenches. Whichever line gets the most push late in the game. I think it's close, but I'll give the nod to Notre Dame for my uncle. Wouldn't be surprised either way, but the Irish beat the Bulldogs 24-20.
#14 Stanford at #6 USC
Ten years removed from one of the most incredible upsets in College Football History, these two Pac-12 Titans are set to clash again. The Cardinal jumped onto the national stage after upsetting the Trojans at home in 2007, but now everyone knows their name. Both of these teams are lead by high powered offenses, specifically in the ground game. Stanford's Bryce Love has been doing his best Christian McCaffrey impression by rushing for 180 yards on just 13 carries thus far. With the Trojans giving up 263 yards rushing to Western Michigan last week, it could be fun to see how much Love is able to run around the Coliseum tonight. On the other side, Ronald Jones II is back looking to improve on his Sophomore year numbers, and already has 159 and 3 TDs to show for it. Oddly enough, Trojan QB Sam Darnold didn't look the most impressive last week, throwing two picks. He'll have his hands full with a very tough Stanford defense that loves to take advantage of mistakes. His opponent, Senior QB Keller Chryst already looks improved from last year, but USC's defense isn't no slouch. I think this game comes down to who commits the turnovers and who can get the most stops, because these offenses will be rolling! I honestly expect quite a few points early on in this contest. Great game for Saturday night, and I'm going with the Cardinal. I think Bryce Love will be too much for USC to handle and Stanford comes away with a 33-23 win.
#5 Oklahoma at #2 Ohio State
The big game of the week takes place in Columbus, OH as the Sooners travel to take on the Buckeyes. Two of the most dynamic QBs and offenses in all of college football face off as the Sooners look to avenge last year's blowout loss in Norman. Baker Mayfield is arguably the most athletic QBs in the nation, and will likely cause all sorts of headaches for a Buckeyes defense who gave up 420 yards passing to Richard Lagow and the Indiana offense last week. Mayfield will be looking for those holes the Hoosiers found last week, so Ohio State's secondary better be ready. The big target to watch is Junior TE Mark Andrews. He's a nightmare for defenses at 6'5, 254 and soft hands. Andrews caught 7 passes for 134 yards and 1 TD last week, and is definitely Mayfield's favorite target. Ohio State's young safeties will have to play really well to hold down Andrews tonight. On offense for Ohio State, JT Barrett will need to take care of the ball because OU's young, but talented defense will be looking to create lots of turnovers. Barrett struggles throwing the short and mid-range passes, and with expected pressure from the Sooner defense, that's where I see a couple of picks happen. Rising star RB JK Dobbins will probably be leaned on heavily as he rushed for 181 yards on 29 carries last week in his debut. This will be a high scoring game, and Mayfield will keep the Sooners in it, but in the end, I don't think their defense can make the key stops against the Buckeyes. Ohio State wins a good one at home 40-34.
Nebraska at Oregon
The first big road test for the Huskers comes against the revived Ducks out in Oregon. I have a lot of family ties with this game as my Great-Uncle taught at U of O and one of my cousins went to school there. However, my Huskers are coming to town, and that's not good news for them! Yes, Oregon has a lot of speed, just like normal, and yes, they did score 77 points last week. The Huskers, and Blackshirts especially, will have their hands full this afternoon. My biggest key to the game is containment on the edge and fighting off blocks. Last week, the secondary really struggled against blocking on the edge, and the containment of the quick passes. I know Husker fans weren't very impressed last week, nor was I, but you can't judge everything off of the first game. There are a lot of new people playing in new positions with a new system. There's no way to have a solid performance with that. I'm excited to see what adjustments are made and how our team comes out against that speedy duck offense! On the other side, Tanner Lee and the offense looked really good last week. Tre Bryant is clearly the number one back carrying the ball 31 times for 192 yards in week 1. I personally would like to see the touches spread out just a little bit more, hopefully saving Bryant's body for the inevitable bumps and bruises that will come with BIG 10 play. We'll see if Wilbon and Ozigbo get some touches today. Looking back at Lee, making reads and hitting his spots will be crucial this week. He got away with a couple close passes last week against Arkansas State, but I can assure you Oregon's defense won't be dropping as many picks. Wideouts will have much tighter coverage on them, so hopefully we'll see more route patterns, that was something I thought lacked a week ago. The O-line will be tested with more speed and a possible new starter. RT David Knevel has been in a boot all week, so redshirt FR Matt Farniok will likely get the start, I'm excited to see how he does! Finally, the Huskers will need a healthy dose of Special Teams if they want to win this one in Autzen. JD Spielman will be looking to run another one back, and Drew's leg could be the deciding factor! Kick and Punt Coverage needs to improve drastically from a week ago. I've got my Huskers winning a fun one in Eugene. Nebraska 40, Oregon 36.
Some other interesting games to watch this week are Pitt at #4 Penn State, a great rivalry with the Battle for the Beehive Boot (Utah at BYU), and Boise State at #20 Washington State. I hope you all have a great Saturday and enjoy some fantastic College Football! GO BIG RED!
#CollegeFootballKnowItAll
Alex Fernando
Iowa at Iowa State (Battle for the Cy-Hawk Trophy)
Saturday kicks off with a classic rivalry in the Mid-West. Iowa's defense looked much better than I imagined they would be last week when they held Josh Allen and Wyoming to just 3 points and just 233 total yards. Wadley ran for 116 yards but that was the primary highlight for the Hawkeyes as they only gained 263 total yards and lost 4 turnovers to the Cowboys. They Cyclones aren't too much to shake a stick at either, but I like to point out this game simply because of the rivalry. This game almost always comes down to the wire, and with two young teams, I expect it to be close. Watch ISU WR Allen Lazard closely in this one, I expect him to cause more headaches than anyone else for the Hawkeyes secondary. Iowa always seems to get around my picks, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt on the road. Stopping Akrum Wadley will be tough for the Cyclones, so Iowa probably wins this one. Close game, fun rivalry, probably not that impressive of a game though. Hawks 27, Cyclones 22.
Indiana at Virginia
This game is one that I think has potential to be very good this afternoon. Most people probably wouldn't think to watch this game, but I like the match-up because the Cavaliers are on the rise. They may not turn a lot of heads, but this Virginia team has a solid offense lead by Senior QB Kurt Benkert, and could potentially cause some upsets this season. Bronco Mendenhall will look to right the ship in his second season as head coach, and I think Virginia could be dangerous under him. Indiana is a very similar team because they too aren't the strongest in their conference by any means, but have some very athletic play makers that should garner some national attention. Plus, first year head coach Tom Allen is one of my key new coaches to watch this season. He did wonders for the Hoosiers last year as their defensive coordinator, bringing them from the 121st ranked total defense in 2015 to the 45th total ranked defense in 2016. They started strong in 2017, but couldn't hold down the Buckeyes in the second half, so they'll definitely be looking for some vengeance. Again, I just really like this match-up and think it could be a really fun game to watch. I'm going to ignore the fact that Indiana refuses to start anyone at QB other than Richard Lagow, but with Diamont retiring from football at the end of last year, I guess he's their best choice. No matter what, I think this game comes down to defense and I'm giving the nod to Indiana. The Hoosier defense is lead by one of my top Linebackers in the nation, Tegray Scales. He racked up 12 tackles in the opener against Ohio State and causes havoc for every opposing OC and QB. Look for him to have a big game and lead the Hoosiers to a solid win on the road. Cavs fight tough, but Hoosiers win it 31-20.
#23 TCU at Arkansas
The Horned Frogs travel to Fayetteville to take on the Razorbacks. Both teams won easily last week against Division 2 opponents, so this will be the first real test of the season for each team. QBs Kenny Hill and Austin Allen looked good last week, but will be playing much faster defenses this time around. Kenny Hill lead the Frogs to 542 total yards last week while passing for 4 TDs. He has a lot of weapons to utilize within Gary Patterson's system, so look for TCU to spread the ball around and keep Arkansas on their heels defensively. The Razorbacks will look to do what they normally do, run over, around and through anyone who stands in their way. Freshman RB Chase Hayden had 120 rushing yards on 14 attempts last week for the Hogs. He seems to be one of the feature backs, but did split carries with Sophomore Devwah Whaley and Senior David Williams. TCU was 74th against the run last season giving up 188 yards per game, so we'll see if they've improved at all. In the end, I think this game will come down to QB play and offensive fire power. I lean towards TCU with that because the Frogs can strike so quickly. I think Kenny Hill outplays Allen and the Horned Frogs win a tight one on the road. TCU 41, Arkansas 37.
#13 Auburn at #3 Clemson
One of the big ranked match-ups of the weekend is a battle between Tigers. Auburn travels to Death Valley, SC to take on the reigning champs. This game features two dynamic QBs and some great defense. Ex-Baylor QB Jarrett Stidham leads Gus Malzan's high powered offense and has a lot of weapons at his disposal. Junior RB Kerryon Johnson rushed for 895 yards and 17 TDs a year ago, and is off to a solid start in 2017 with 136 yards from week 1. He'll be a key factor in today's match-up to take pressure off Stidham and keep the Clemson defense from blitzing so much. On the flip side, Junior QB Kelly Bryant will be making just his second start for Dabo, but will be a handful for Auburn to deal with. I thought he commanded the offense well in his debut, and his ability to run the ball will be crucial to Clemson's success this year. As usual, the Tigers (the ones that wear purple and orange) are quite formidable on defense. I expect them to get after the QB and cause lots of problems for Stidham early on in the game. I like the match-up on the outside too, Auburn has a lot of speed at receiver, so Clemson's secondary will be challenged. In the end, I think the home field advantage will be too much and Kelly Bryant will show why he's ready to fill Deshaun Watson's shoes. Clemson wins 38-27.
#15 Georgia at #24 Notre Dame
The Bulldogs lost star QB Jacob Eason for the time being, so true Freshman Jake Fromm will get the start on the road in South Bend. Fromm looked solid as he took over last week for Eason, but this will be a much tougher opponent and a much tougher crowd. Look for the Bulldogs to heavily favor the ground game in this one, especially since Notre Dame gave up an average of 182 yards per game last season in 2016. Keeping 3rd down manageable will be crucial if Georgia wants to pull out a win in this game. Looking to the side of the Irish, Junior RB Josh Adams is the name to know. He carried the ball 19 times for 161 and 2 TDs last week against Temple, and looks to test Georgia's defense, especially with his speed. The Irish will have their own run defense to be in charge of however as Nick Chubb, Sony Michel and crew are coming to town. I think this one will be a hard-nosed, ground and pound battle, heavily dependent on the trenches. Whichever line gets the most push late in the game. I think it's close, but I'll give the nod to Notre Dame for my uncle. Wouldn't be surprised either way, but the Irish beat the Bulldogs 24-20.
#14 Stanford at #6 USC
Ten years removed from one of the most incredible upsets in College Football History, these two Pac-12 Titans are set to clash again. The Cardinal jumped onto the national stage after upsetting the Trojans at home in 2007, but now everyone knows their name. Both of these teams are lead by high powered offenses, specifically in the ground game. Stanford's Bryce Love has been doing his best Christian McCaffrey impression by rushing for 180 yards on just 13 carries thus far. With the Trojans giving up 263 yards rushing to Western Michigan last week, it could be fun to see how much Love is able to run around the Coliseum tonight. On the other side, Ronald Jones II is back looking to improve on his Sophomore year numbers, and already has 159 and 3 TDs to show for it. Oddly enough, Trojan QB Sam Darnold didn't look the most impressive last week, throwing two picks. He'll have his hands full with a very tough Stanford defense that loves to take advantage of mistakes. His opponent, Senior QB Keller Chryst already looks improved from last year, but USC's defense isn't no slouch. I think this game comes down to who commits the turnovers and who can get the most stops, because these offenses will be rolling! I honestly expect quite a few points early on in this contest. Great game for Saturday night, and I'm going with the Cardinal. I think Bryce Love will be too much for USC to handle and Stanford comes away with a 33-23 win.
#5 Oklahoma at #2 Ohio State
The big game of the week takes place in Columbus, OH as the Sooners travel to take on the Buckeyes. Two of the most dynamic QBs and offenses in all of college football face off as the Sooners look to avenge last year's blowout loss in Norman. Baker Mayfield is arguably the most athletic QBs in the nation, and will likely cause all sorts of headaches for a Buckeyes defense who gave up 420 yards passing to Richard Lagow and the Indiana offense last week. Mayfield will be looking for those holes the Hoosiers found last week, so Ohio State's secondary better be ready. The big target to watch is Junior TE Mark Andrews. He's a nightmare for defenses at 6'5, 254 and soft hands. Andrews caught 7 passes for 134 yards and 1 TD last week, and is definitely Mayfield's favorite target. Ohio State's young safeties will have to play really well to hold down Andrews tonight. On offense for Ohio State, JT Barrett will need to take care of the ball because OU's young, but talented defense will be looking to create lots of turnovers. Barrett struggles throwing the short and mid-range passes, and with expected pressure from the Sooner defense, that's where I see a couple of picks happen. Rising star RB JK Dobbins will probably be leaned on heavily as he rushed for 181 yards on 29 carries last week in his debut. This will be a high scoring game, and Mayfield will keep the Sooners in it, but in the end, I don't think their defense can make the key stops against the Buckeyes. Ohio State wins a good one at home 40-34.
Nebraska at Oregon
The first big road test for the Huskers comes against the revived Ducks out in Oregon. I have a lot of family ties with this game as my Great-Uncle taught at U of O and one of my cousins went to school there. However, my Huskers are coming to town, and that's not good news for them! Yes, Oregon has a lot of speed, just like normal, and yes, they did score 77 points last week. The Huskers, and Blackshirts especially, will have their hands full this afternoon. My biggest key to the game is containment on the edge and fighting off blocks. Last week, the secondary really struggled against blocking on the edge, and the containment of the quick passes. I know Husker fans weren't very impressed last week, nor was I, but you can't judge everything off of the first game. There are a lot of new people playing in new positions with a new system. There's no way to have a solid performance with that. I'm excited to see what adjustments are made and how our team comes out against that speedy duck offense! On the other side, Tanner Lee and the offense looked really good last week. Tre Bryant is clearly the number one back carrying the ball 31 times for 192 yards in week 1. I personally would like to see the touches spread out just a little bit more, hopefully saving Bryant's body for the inevitable bumps and bruises that will come with BIG 10 play. We'll see if Wilbon and Ozigbo get some touches today. Looking back at Lee, making reads and hitting his spots will be crucial this week. He got away with a couple close passes last week against Arkansas State, but I can assure you Oregon's defense won't be dropping as many picks. Wideouts will have much tighter coverage on them, so hopefully we'll see more route patterns, that was something I thought lacked a week ago. The O-line will be tested with more speed and a possible new starter. RT David Knevel has been in a boot all week, so redshirt FR Matt Farniok will likely get the start, I'm excited to see how he does! Finally, the Huskers will need a healthy dose of Special Teams if they want to win this one in Autzen. JD Spielman will be looking to run another one back, and Drew's leg could be the deciding factor! Kick and Punt Coverage needs to improve drastically from a week ago. I've got my Huskers winning a fun one in Eugene. Nebraska 40, Oregon 36.
Some other interesting games to watch this week are Pitt at #4 Penn State, a great rivalry with the Battle for the Beehive Boot (Utah at BYU), and Boise State at #20 Washington State. I hope you all have a great Saturday and enjoy some fantastic College Football! GO BIG RED!
#CollegeFootballKnowItAll
Alex Fernando
Monday, September 4, 2017
Week 1 Reflection
Now that everyone has had a day to think about the Husker's win over Arkansas State, I'd like to throw my recap and analysis of the game out to the world. Overall, I would give the Huskers a solid B if I were to grade them. Many readers might initially disagree, but there are parts of the game missing when you look at just the score and number of yards racked up. The Red Wolves challenged the Huskers in a number of ways, finding a number of holes in Diaco's defense. Most people have been quite quick to criticize the new system, and although there were things I didn't necessarily like, I am definitely still a believer. Here's why:
I'll start with the defense as I break down the Huskers' game, and we'll start up front with the DL. Lots of rotation, but not a lot of pressure. I was hoping for a bit more since ASU was starting 5 new offensive linemen, but their QB was only sacked once and hurried just a handful of times throughout the game. Part of this was due to Arkansas State playing away from their offensive weakness and using a lot of quick passes to the perimeter in order to keep the ball away from their young O-line and part of this was due to the Blackshirts still working in the new system. I was hoping for more pressure from the D-line, but they contained the QB well and held the run game in check, not a bad start. Moving to the Linebackers, speed seemed to be an issue. We were almost always in purist all game long and it seemed as though some of them had cement shoes when getting out to the edge to make a tackle. When you load the box with 6-8 guys every down, teams are going to really push the boundaries and attack the perimeter of the field. Diaco and Bray will definitely need to look at the contain with the outside backers. Overall, solid tackling, and apart from a few mismatches, I thought the LBs covered well. That's something they haven't had to do much under previous defenses, so that will be an adjustment to keep your eye on. Finally, we get to what looked to be the biggest issue for the Blackshirts, the Secondary. Giving up 415 yards through the air to Arkansas State isn't exactly the ideal way to start the season, but there are some bright spots too look at as well. The first being there were only 2 passes over 20 yards, so the big play was prevented well. Secondly, tackling was fairly solid for the Secondary as well. My biggest concern was the cushion given to the wide receivers of ASU, especially in the first half. It was clearly a scheme thing, but all of our DBs were playing 7-9 yards off of the ball, giving the Red Wolves lots of room for those quick perimeter passes to gain 8 yards a pop. There was definitely more aggression towards those in the second half, but with so much cushion, it's easy to see how QB Justice Hansen threw for 415 yards. Another issue was how easy it seemed to be for our secondary to be taken out of the play. Specifically on those quick screens, ASU's wideouts would drive the corners to the sideline and would not let off on their blocks. Great execution by the Red Wolves, poor block shedding on the outside. I know Oregon will attack the perimeter just as much as the Red Wolves, and they actually have a decent ground game to lean on with Senior RB Royce Freeman and crew, so the Blackshirts will have a lot to contain next week in Eugene. I wasn't expecting anything overly impressive with the defense, but even with a couple of young corners I expected a little more from the secondary. We'll see what improvements and adjustments Coach Diaco and Company make for this week. Overall not the best, but definitely not quite as bad as everyone might initially react. Working to prevent 3rd down conversions will be key as well, ASU had 7/13 converted, many on quick passes underneath with too much cushion.
On the offensive side of the ball, I was very happy with the performance. Tanner Lee looked good, 238 yards, 2 TDs and just under 60% completion percentage for his first game as a Husker. Many people were probably expecting him to put on a show and be damn near perfect, but you need to remember he hasn't taken a live snap in a couple of years. His deep passes were very pretty, and he hit a lot of receivers in stride. Solid performance in game 1, I'm excited to see how he handles the crowd at Autzen while managing the offense. Looking at the run game, Tre Bryant was clearly the feature back, and with good reason. the Sophomore racked up 192 yards on 31 carries and added a TD for good measure. The things I liked most about watching him was his patience in waiting for holes to open up, and his toughness. I swear Bryant broke through at least 2 tackles on every play except for the safety. He will be a force to be reckoned with if Nebraska can lean on him throughout the season. I'm hoping to see a little more of Ozigbo to mix in as well, but Bryant looked like the clear number 1 on Saturday. The O-line was about what I expected, strong run performance, decent pass protection and a lot of stupid penalties. There were a few plays where I saw some missed assignments (i.e. the safety), but overall the penalties are the biggest issue. Finally, the Wideouts. I was very happy with their performance, and believe they will cause a lot of headaches for opposing defenses. I'm hoping Riley and Langsdorf mix in some more mid-range passes rather than just quick screens and long bombs, but I can understand the play calling due to the lack of size with our guys on the perimeter. Nonetheless, speed, athleticism and raw talent will help our wideouts be a step ahead of most corners they'll face this year.
Special teams was both great and horrible. Drew Brown is automatic, that will be very useful this year, and JD Spielman is all I knew he would be and more. Caleb Lightbourn even had 3 punts downed inside the 20, so he's starting to improve as well! The bad parts came with kick coverage. The Punt Return was bad, everyone over pursued and did not cut down their angles to cut off the return man. I do want to give Red Wolves returner Blaise Taylor credit, he's their school's all-time kick and punt returner, but the Huskers definitely need to work on their coverage. Finally, the onside kick. Great kick, couldn't ask for anything better, but again, expect that to be a focus in practice this week!
I hope you all enjoyed the game and reading my review. Quick shout out to Turner Gill and Liberty for pulling the upset on Baylor! There were a lot of great games this weekend, and we're only at week 1! Remember to tune in tomorrow (Tuesday) night from 7-8 on http://krnu.unl.edu/ KRNU2 to listen to my friend Nate Muhlbach and I break down the Husker game and more on our new Radio show, The Second String. We'll be talking all about College Football from all around the nation, so you won't want to miss it! Thanks for reading and GO BIG RED!!
#CollegeFootballKnowItAll
Alex Fernando
I'll start with the defense as I break down the Huskers' game, and we'll start up front with the DL. Lots of rotation, but not a lot of pressure. I was hoping for a bit more since ASU was starting 5 new offensive linemen, but their QB was only sacked once and hurried just a handful of times throughout the game. Part of this was due to Arkansas State playing away from their offensive weakness and using a lot of quick passes to the perimeter in order to keep the ball away from their young O-line and part of this was due to the Blackshirts still working in the new system. I was hoping for more pressure from the D-line, but they contained the QB well and held the run game in check, not a bad start. Moving to the Linebackers, speed seemed to be an issue. We were almost always in purist all game long and it seemed as though some of them had cement shoes when getting out to the edge to make a tackle. When you load the box with 6-8 guys every down, teams are going to really push the boundaries and attack the perimeter of the field. Diaco and Bray will definitely need to look at the contain with the outside backers. Overall, solid tackling, and apart from a few mismatches, I thought the LBs covered well. That's something they haven't had to do much under previous defenses, so that will be an adjustment to keep your eye on. Finally, we get to what looked to be the biggest issue for the Blackshirts, the Secondary. Giving up 415 yards through the air to Arkansas State isn't exactly the ideal way to start the season, but there are some bright spots too look at as well. The first being there were only 2 passes over 20 yards, so the big play was prevented well. Secondly, tackling was fairly solid for the Secondary as well. My biggest concern was the cushion given to the wide receivers of ASU, especially in the first half. It was clearly a scheme thing, but all of our DBs were playing 7-9 yards off of the ball, giving the Red Wolves lots of room for those quick perimeter passes to gain 8 yards a pop. There was definitely more aggression towards those in the second half, but with so much cushion, it's easy to see how QB Justice Hansen threw for 415 yards. Another issue was how easy it seemed to be for our secondary to be taken out of the play. Specifically on those quick screens, ASU's wideouts would drive the corners to the sideline and would not let off on their blocks. Great execution by the Red Wolves, poor block shedding on the outside. I know Oregon will attack the perimeter just as much as the Red Wolves, and they actually have a decent ground game to lean on with Senior RB Royce Freeman and crew, so the Blackshirts will have a lot to contain next week in Eugene. I wasn't expecting anything overly impressive with the defense, but even with a couple of young corners I expected a little more from the secondary. We'll see what improvements and adjustments Coach Diaco and Company make for this week. Overall not the best, but definitely not quite as bad as everyone might initially react. Working to prevent 3rd down conversions will be key as well, ASU had 7/13 converted, many on quick passes underneath with too much cushion.
On the offensive side of the ball, I was very happy with the performance. Tanner Lee looked good, 238 yards, 2 TDs and just under 60% completion percentage for his first game as a Husker. Many people were probably expecting him to put on a show and be damn near perfect, but you need to remember he hasn't taken a live snap in a couple of years. His deep passes were very pretty, and he hit a lot of receivers in stride. Solid performance in game 1, I'm excited to see how he handles the crowd at Autzen while managing the offense. Looking at the run game, Tre Bryant was clearly the feature back, and with good reason. the Sophomore racked up 192 yards on 31 carries and added a TD for good measure. The things I liked most about watching him was his patience in waiting for holes to open up, and his toughness. I swear Bryant broke through at least 2 tackles on every play except for the safety. He will be a force to be reckoned with if Nebraska can lean on him throughout the season. I'm hoping to see a little more of Ozigbo to mix in as well, but Bryant looked like the clear number 1 on Saturday. The O-line was about what I expected, strong run performance, decent pass protection and a lot of stupid penalties. There were a few plays where I saw some missed assignments (i.e. the safety), but overall the penalties are the biggest issue. Finally, the Wideouts. I was very happy with their performance, and believe they will cause a lot of headaches for opposing defenses. I'm hoping Riley and Langsdorf mix in some more mid-range passes rather than just quick screens and long bombs, but I can understand the play calling due to the lack of size with our guys on the perimeter. Nonetheless, speed, athleticism and raw talent will help our wideouts be a step ahead of most corners they'll face this year.
Special teams was both great and horrible. Drew Brown is automatic, that will be very useful this year, and JD Spielman is all I knew he would be and more. Caleb Lightbourn even had 3 punts downed inside the 20, so he's starting to improve as well! The bad parts came with kick coverage. The Punt Return was bad, everyone over pursued and did not cut down their angles to cut off the return man. I do want to give Red Wolves returner Blaise Taylor credit, he's their school's all-time kick and punt returner, but the Huskers definitely need to work on their coverage. Finally, the onside kick. Great kick, couldn't ask for anything better, but again, expect that to be a focus in practice this week!
I hope you all enjoyed the game and reading my review. Quick shout out to Turner Gill and Liberty for pulling the upset on Baylor! There were a lot of great games this weekend, and we're only at week 1! Remember to tune in tomorrow (Tuesday) night from 7-8 on http://krnu.unl.edu/ KRNU2 to listen to my friend Nate Muhlbach and I break down the Husker game and more on our new Radio show, The Second String. We'll be talking all about College Football from all around the nation, so you won't want to miss it! Thanks for reading and GO BIG RED!!
#CollegeFootballKnowItAll
Alex Fernando
Saturday, September 2, 2017
Week 1 Predictions
College Football is finally Back!!! Hey everyone, I hope you're as excited as I am about football being back! I apologize to anyone who tried to tune into our radio show, The Second String on KRNU2 last week, they forgot the activate our ID cards, so we were unable to get into the booth. That issue has been resolved, so every Tuesday from 7-8 pm you can tune into the online stream of KRNU2 at http://krnu.unl.edu/. Now onto my predictions for this weeks' games!
Maryland at #23 Texas
Picking games for the first week of the season is always the toughest, because I have only assumptions and guesses to base my picks off of. I'm starting with the Maryland-Texas game because even though Texas finished last year 5-7, they are ranked to start the season and some analysts even have them competing for a Big XII Championship and more! This is all due to they hype followed by the hiring of Tom Herman in replace of Charlie Strong. Don't get me wrong, Texas has a number of experienced players returning and Herman is a great coach. However, this game will give us a lot of insight to the season the Longhorns could have. Offensively, they are lead by Sophomore QB Shane Buechele. Buechele passed nearly 3,000 yards last year with 21 TDs and 11 picks. He returns a number of weapons including speedster Devin Duvernay who averaged 20.6 yards per catch last year as he sprinted past defenders. The Longhorns have to replace star RB D'Onta Foreman who has moved onto the NFL, taking with him 2,028 rushing yards and 15 TDs with a 6.3 yards per carry average. The duo replacing Foreman are Junior Chris Warren III and Sophomore Kyle Porter. Porter is listed as the #1 back, but I expect both of them to be used heavily to take the pressure off of Buechele. The Terrapins return a number of offensive weapons including star widout D.J. Moore and the RB duo of Ty Johnson and Lorenzo Harrison III who combined for 1,637 yards last season along with 11 TDs. They have an experienced offensive line to follow, so look for the ground game to be a focus early on for Durkin's squad. The biggest issue comes at QB. It's been a battle all offseason, and it looks like Sophomore Tyrrell Pigrome will be the guy. Pigrome appeared in 11 games last season with one start against Minnesota. He threw for just 322 yards with a 52.1% completion rating and a 2:2 TD to INT ratio, but was quite dynamic on the ground rushing for 254 yards and 4 TDs. Having a year to mature will help along with the supporting cast of weapons I mentioned. Look for Texas' defense to struggle with Pigrome's dual threat ability. Speaking of the Longhorn defense, they have a lot of returning starters, but will need to improve if they want to avoid a third straight season of giving up 30+ average points per game. The Terps are in a similar boat with experience, but not a lot of product to show for it. They gave up just under 30 points per game last year and were ranked 99th in rush defense. Senior Linebacker Jermaine Carter Jr. has lead the Terps in tackles over the past two years and will be looking to lead this defense yet again in 2017. Be sure to watch #15 on defense for the Terps, Melvin Keihn. He's a terrific pass rusher and Buechelle and crew will have to keep an eye out for him all day. In the end, I think Texas will win (not that I want them to), but I'd like to see Pigrome and Maryland test them. The Terps have the talent to stick around, we'll see if they do. Texas 34, Maryland 24.
Wyoming at Iowa
Yes, I did pick this game in part because I really hope to see Iowa lose, but trust me, Wyoming is a team to watch. They surprised everyone by winning the Mountain Division of the Mountain West Conference last year, and return star QB Josh Allen. Allen can cause headaches for any opponent, and with the Hawkeyes replacing 3 starters in the secondary, including 2015 Thorpe winner Desmond King, Allen could have a field day this weekend. The Hawks do return all 3 starting linebackers, so they will have good experience leading the defensive side of the ball. Offensively, Akrum Wadley will be the primary focus this year. Wadley rushed for 1,081 yards last year, but with a severe lack of experience at QB and WR, he could easily crack 1,500+ in 2017. The Cowboys gave up an average of 203.64 yards per game on the ground last year, so look for Iowa to attack that weakness early and often. Wyoming's defense returns 8 starters, so experience won't be much of an issue. Craig Bohl's team knows what needs to be fixed and could definitely upset Iowa at home. If Josh Allen can find early chemistry with his wideouts, the Hawkeyes will be in trouble. Iowa has a lot to replace from last year, and with Brian Ferentz being named the new OC, there could be some early struggles. Sticking to what they know best and handing the ball to Wadley as much as possible could save them, but I think Josh Allen is the real deal. Partly because I think Josh Allen and the Cowboys will do it, and partly because I want them to do it. Cowboys win a close one in Iowa City 27-23.
#11 Michigan vs. #17 Florida
For a team that only returns 6 total starters in 2017, Michigan is ranked incredibly high. The Wolverines need to replace nearly everyone, but they are lucky enough to return QB Wilton Speight who threw for more than 2,500 yards last year and 18 TDs. The ground game will be a heavy focus since all of Speights primary wideout targets are now in the NFL. Sophomore RB Chris Evans averaged 7 yards per carry last year, and will likely be the feature back in Ann Arbor. Florida is in a similar boat, but that one is sinking fast. The Gators have 10 players suspended for the opener against the Wolverines, including star WR Antonio Callaway. With so many suspensions hurting positions on both sides of the ball, Jim McElwain's squad could have a very frustrating Saturday. The Gators still have talented players, but with a new starting QB, lack of weapons and severe lack of experience on defense, I'm giving the edge to Harbaugh and Co. Michigan wins a not-so-epic opener 35-20.
Appalachian State at #15 Georgia
This game may not seem like a highlight game, but I think this has potential to be a good one. Plus, we must not forget that just a decade ago was the crazy Appalachian State upset over #5 Michigan. I like the way this one sets up because lots of people (including myself) are picking the Bulldogs to challenge Florida for the SEC East Division crown. Most people think a simple Sun Belt team would be an easy cupcake to start the year, but Appalachian State (and Arkansas State for that matter) are not your typical Sun Belt cupcakes. The Mountaineers shared last year's title with the Red Wolves, and star RB Jalin Moore looks to continue his success as a Junior. Moore rushed for over 1400 yards last season, averaging 5.9 yards per carry and topping 100+ yards in 8 games in 2016. Georgia ranked 36th in rush defense last year giving up an average of 143.7 yards per game on the ground, so Moore and Senior QB Taylor Lamb will be challenged. The Bulldogs return practically everyone on their defense, so App. State will have to keep control of the clock if they want to pull off an upset, as it could be difficult to score. Speaking of scoring, that will be Georgia's primary focus this season. They have a lot of returning weapons on offense from a year ago, but only averaged 24.5 points per game in 2016, ranking 102nd in the nation. The Mountaineers took Tennessee to Overtime in the opening week last year, so look for this to be a tough win for the Bulldogs. I like Kirby Smart's team playing at home, but never count out Appalachian State. Just remember, any given Saturday someone can go down! Nick Chubb and the Bulldogs will take over late with this one, but we can always hope for that upset! Georgia 38, Appalachian State 24.
BYU vs. #13 LSU
This game had to be moved to New Orleans due to the terrible flooding in Houston, but will go on as scheduled apart from the location change. The Cougars started their season last week at home against Portland State, but did not look overly impressive. Junior QB Tanner Mangum only completed 59.3 percent of his passes last week, and I anticipate LSU's defense to be much more stingy than Portland State. This will probably a lower scoring game because of the two teams having experienced play makers on defense. Both teams return roughly half of their defensive starters, and were both in the top 15 in scoring defense in 2016. Lucky for the Cougars, LSU has been struck by the injury bug and will be without a couple of their top pass rushers for the season opener. Because the defenses will be so tough, QB play will likely make the difference. LSU QB Danny Etling will be lead by new OC Matt Canada and is without one of the best RBs in the nation behind him. Luckily, Fournette's shoes won't be too hard to fill as Junior RB Derrius Guice already has 1,823 career rushing yards and 18 TDs. Guice will have a difficult time fighting through the Cougar Defense, but I think just a few big plays could break this game open. Closer game, but I'll give the edge to LSU and their ground attack. I think Guice will wear them down in the end. Tigers beat the Cougars 24-17.
#22 West Virginia vs. #21 Virginia Tech (Sunday)
Battle for the Black Diamond Trophy
We get to start off the 2016 with a classic rivalry being renewed! Both teams saw great success in 2016 as the Mountaineers finished 10-3 and the Hokies won the Coastal Division. The Hokies return 12 total starters including 7 on a defense that ranked 27th in scoring last year giving up only 22.8 points per game. They're going to need to be tough again on defense, because the Mountaineers averaged over 30 points per game in 2016. WVU only returns 8 starters from last season, but Senior RB Justin Crawford is back and is looking to take the pressure off of ex-Florida QB Will Grier who will start for the Mountaineers. VT has to replace lots of weapons on offense, but I think Justin Fuente will have them ready. You never know when a rivalry resumes after 12 years, but I'm going with the Hokies in this one! Virginia Tech 34, West Virginia 23.
Texas A&M at UCLA
The Aggies and the Bruins are both looking to forget disappointing seasons in 2016. There are numerous questions on both sides of the ball for Texas A&M. They have to replace a #1 draft pick on defense as well as break in a new QB. Luckily, whoever gets the nod will have some weapons to help them out. WR Christian Krik has nearly 2,000 receiving yards over the past two years along with 16 TDs. Defenses will be keying on Krik early, so the Aggies will need other wideouts to step up. On defense, I already mentioned how they will have to replace DE Myles Garrett, one of the best pass rushers in the nation. The Aggies will also be replacing some starters in the secondary, which bodes well for UCLA and star QB Josh Rosen....that is, if Rosen can stay healthy and focused on football. Injuries plagued the Bruins last season and definitely played a factor in their 4-8 record. Having Rosen back should help give their offense a boost, and I think that QB will be the difference maker in this one. Rosen has the talent, and I think there are too many question marks with the Aggies. UCLA wins it 40-24.
#25 Tennessee vs. Georgia Tech
Last year, Tennessee was the team to watch, and the team that would give Alabama a run for their money in the SEC. Last year Tennessee sputtered to a disappointing, but expected, 9-4 record. I always have a difficult time trusting the Volunteers, and this season is no different. They return a lot of experience on their offensive line, but that's about it after QB Joshua Dobbs, RB Jalen Hurd and WR Josh Malone have all moved on. Luckily, there's plenty of young talent in the cupboards for Butch Jones to use. I expect them to lean heavily on RB John Kelly who rushed for 630 yards last season while sharing carries. On the other side of the ball, the Vols will need some work. They gave up an average of 28.8 points per game in 2016 and ranked 104th in the nation in rush defense giving up 218.6 yards per game on the ground. That is bad news when you line up to face the Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets averaged nearly 260 rush yards per game in 2016 with their Triple Option attack, and with 17 returning starters, GT is a Dark Horse team to watch in 2017. I like the Yellow Jackets in this one! Georgia Tech wins a good one 38-23.
#1 Alabama vs. #3 Florida State
The biggest opener in College Football History takes place down in Atlanta to kickoff the primary Saturday of the 2017 season! The Tide and the 'Noles clash for what looks to be an incredible game. I'm a little frustrated, because although I am beyond hyped for the Husker game, I'm a little bummed it is taking place during the same time as the FSU-Bama game. This one has the makings to be one of the all-time classics, and there are some great young players to watch. Both teams feature two dynamic Sophomore QBs in Deondre Francois and Jalen Hurts. I personally think Francois is the better of the two, especially in the passing game. Francois threw for 3,350 yards with a 20:7 TD to INT ratio last season compared to Hurts who threw for 2,780 yards and a 23:9 TD to INT ratio. The biggest difference between the two is the protection. Francois was sacked 34 times last season and was constantly under pressure. Jalen Hurts plays QB for Alabama... so he didn't get hit very often (19 times). Protecting the QB will be one of the biggest keys to success in this one, especially because these two teams have arguably two of the best defenses in the nation. The Seminoles return 9 starters on the defensive side of the ball, including one of the best players in the nations with Safety Derwin James. The Tide only return 5, but again, it's Alabama, I think they'll probably be okay. This game is incredibly difficult to pick on because I think both of these teams will be in the CFP at the end of the year. Florida State has the talent to beat Alabama, but it's so hard to pick against Bama, especially in a season opener. I want to see Francois have the game of a lifetime and beat the Tide, but I think the offensive line for Bama will be too much in the end. Great game, great finish, Roll Tide. Bama 31, FSU 30.
Arkansas State at Nebraska
Now is the prediction you've all been waiting for! I got the chance to help out with Football Friday at the Wick Alumni Center last night, and listened to the football panel on their predictions for the Husker game. The recurring theme that was talked about were all the question marks. This has been one of the most anticipated Husker seasons of my lifetime, simply because we have no idea what the Huskers will look like! New QB, new weapons on offense, new defense, new faces and a new outlook on direction of the program. So many questions will be answered in this opener, not just because we'll see lots of new players on the field, but because the Red Wolves face a bigger challenge than most think. They won a share of the Sun Belt title last year and were a top 20 defense giving up only 21.5 points per game on average. They also lead the nation in tackles for loss in 2016, so look for their defense to come with a lot of pressure. Senior DE Ja'Von Rolland-Jones lead the nation with 13.5 sacks last year, so Tanner Lee and Crew will definitely have to keep an eye on him. The good news for the Huskers is even though the Red Wolves have strength on the Defensive line, their biggest weakness is their offensive line. Arkansas State will be starting 5 new offensive linemen against Nebraska today, so the new 3-4 defense will have lots of opportunities to cause havoc. We've all heard the things to watch for, but I'm just excited to have football back, get some questions answered and watch some of my good friends play football! Be sure to watch #57 Jake Weinmaster and #23 DiCaprio Bootle! Huskers win a solid game and answer a lot of questions for us! Nebraska 37, Arkansas State 17.
I hope you enjoyed all of my game predictions and have a fantastic Saturday! Be sure to subscribe with your email so you can receive updates on my posts and GO BIG RED!!
#CollegeFootballKnowItAll
Alex Fernando
Maryland at #23 Texas
Picking games for the first week of the season is always the toughest, because I have only assumptions and guesses to base my picks off of. I'm starting with the Maryland-Texas game because even though Texas finished last year 5-7, they are ranked to start the season and some analysts even have them competing for a Big XII Championship and more! This is all due to they hype followed by the hiring of Tom Herman in replace of Charlie Strong. Don't get me wrong, Texas has a number of experienced players returning and Herman is a great coach. However, this game will give us a lot of insight to the season the Longhorns could have. Offensively, they are lead by Sophomore QB Shane Buechele. Buechele passed nearly 3,000 yards last year with 21 TDs and 11 picks. He returns a number of weapons including speedster Devin Duvernay who averaged 20.6 yards per catch last year as he sprinted past defenders. The Longhorns have to replace star RB D'Onta Foreman who has moved onto the NFL, taking with him 2,028 rushing yards and 15 TDs with a 6.3 yards per carry average. The duo replacing Foreman are Junior Chris Warren III and Sophomore Kyle Porter. Porter is listed as the #1 back, but I expect both of them to be used heavily to take the pressure off of Buechele. The Terrapins return a number of offensive weapons including star widout D.J. Moore and the RB duo of Ty Johnson and Lorenzo Harrison III who combined for 1,637 yards last season along with 11 TDs. They have an experienced offensive line to follow, so look for the ground game to be a focus early on for Durkin's squad. The biggest issue comes at QB. It's been a battle all offseason, and it looks like Sophomore Tyrrell Pigrome will be the guy. Pigrome appeared in 11 games last season with one start against Minnesota. He threw for just 322 yards with a 52.1% completion rating and a 2:2 TD to INT ratio, but was quite dynamic on the ground rushing for 254 yards and 4 TDs. Having a year to mature will help along with the supporting cast of weapons I mentioned. Look for Texas' defense to struggle with Pigrome's dual threat ability. Speaking of the Longhorn defense, they have a lot of returning starters, but will need to improve if they want to avoid a third straight season of giving up 30+ average points per game. The Terps are in a similar boat with experience, but not a lot of product to show for it. They gave up just under 30 points per game last year and were ranked 99th in rush defense. Senior Linebacker Jermaine Carter Jr. has lead the Terps in tackles over the past two years and will be looking to lead this defense yet again in 2017. Be sure to watch #15 on defense for the Terps, Melvin Keihn. He's a terrific pass rusher and Buechelle and crew will have to keep an eye out for him all day. In the end, I think Texas will win (not that I want them to), but I'd like to see Pigrome and Maryland test them. The Terps have the talent to stick around, we'll see if they do. Texas 34, Maryland 24.
Wyoming at Iowa
Yes, I did pick this game in part because I really hope to see Iowa lose, but trust me, Wyoming is a team to watch. They surprised everyone by winning the Mountain Division of the Mountain West Conference last year, and return star QB Josh Allen. Allen can cause headaches for any opponent, and with the Hawkeyes replacing 3 starters in the secondary, including 2015 Thorpe winner Desmond King, Allen could have a field day this weekend. The Hawks do return all 3 starting linebackers, so they will have good experience leading the defensive side of the ball. Offensively, Akrum Wadley will be the primary focus this year. Wadley rushed for 1,081 yards last year, but with a severe lack of experience at QB and WR, he could easily crack 1,500+ in 2017. The Cowboys gave up an average of 203.64 yards per game on the ground last year, so look for Iowa to attack that weakness early and often. Wyoming's defense returns 8 starters, so experience won't be much of an issue. Craig Bohl's team knows what needs to be fixed and could definitely upset Iowa at home. If Josh Allen can find early chemistry with his wideouts, the Hawkeyes will be in trouble. Iowa has a lot to replace from last year, and with Brian Ferentz being named the new OC, there could be some early struggles. Sticking to what they know best and handing the ball to Wadley as much as possible could save them, but I think Josh Allen is the real deal. Partly because I think Josh Allen and the Cowboys will do it, and partly because I want them to do it. Cowboys win a close one in Iowa City 27-23.
#11 Michigan vs. #17 Florida
For a team that only returns 6 total starters in 2017, Michigan is ranked incredibly high. The Wolverines need to replace nearly everyone, but they are lucky enough to return QB Wilton Speight who threw for more than 2,500 yards last year and 18 TDs. The ground game will be a heavy focus since all of Speights primary wideout targets are now in the NFL. Sophomore RB Chris Evans averaged 7 yards per carry last year, and will likely be the feature back in Ann Arbor. Florida is in a similar boat, but that one is sinking fast. The Gators have 10 players suspended for the opener against the Wolverines, including star WR Antonio Callaway. With so many suspensions hurting positions on both sides of the ball, Jim McElwain's squad could have a very frustrating Saturday. The Gators still have talented players, but with a new starting QB, lack of weapons and severe lack of experience on defense, I'm giving the edge to Harbaugh and Co. Michigan wins a not-so-epic opener 35-20.
Appalachian State at #15 Georgia
This game may not seem like a highlight game, but I think this has potential to be a good one. Plus, we must not forget that just a decade ago was the crazy Appalachian State upset over #5 Michigan. I like the way this one sets up because lots of people (including myself) are picking the Bulldogs to challenge Florida for the SEC East Division crown. Most people think a simple Sun Belt team would be an easy cupcake to start the year, but Appalachian State (and Arkansas State for that matter) are not your typical Sun Belt cupcakes. The Mountaineers shared last year's title with the Red Wolves, and star RB Jalin Moore looks to continue his success as a Junior. Moore rushed for over 1400 yards last season, averaging 5.9 yards per carry and topping 100+ yards in 8 games in 2016. Georgia ranked 36th in rush defense last year giving up an average of 143.7 yards per game on the ground, so Moore and Senior QB Taylor Lamb will be challenged. The Bulldogs return practically everyone on their defense, so App. State will have to keep control of the clock if they want to pull off an upset, as it could be difficult to score. Speaking of scoring, that will be Georgia's primary focus this season. They have a lot of returning weapons on offense from a year ago, but only averaged 24.5 points per game in 2016, ranking 102nd in the nation. The Mountaineers took Tennessee to Overtime in the opening week last year, so look for this to be a tough win for the Bulldogs. I like Kirby Smart's team playing at home, but never count out Appalachian State. Just remember, any given Saturday someone can go down! Nick Chubb and the Bulldogs will take over late with this one, but we can always hope for that upset! Georgia 38, Appalachian State 24.
BYU vs. #13 LSU
This game had to be moved to New Orleans due to the terrible flooding in Houston, but will go on as scheduled apart from the location change. The Cougars started their season last week at home against Portland State, but did not look overly impressive. Junior QB Tanner Mangum only completed 59.3 percent of his passes last week, and I anticipate LSU's defense to be much more stingy than Portland State. This will probably a lower scoring game because of the two teams having experienced play makers on defense. Both teams return roughly half of their defensive starters, and were both in the top 15 in scoring defense in 2016. Lucky for the Cougars, LSU has been struck by the injury bug and will be without a couple of their top pass rushers for the season opener. Because the defenses will be so tough, QB play will likely make the difference. LSU QB Danny Etling will be lead by new OC Matt Canada and is without one of the best RBs in the nation behind him. Luckily, Fournette's shoes won't be too hard to fill as Junior RB Derrius Guice already has 1,823 career rushing yards and 18 TDs. Guice will have a difficult time fighting through the Cougar Defense, but I think just a few big plays could break this game open. Closer game, but I'll give the edge to LSU and their ground attack. I think Guice will wear them down in the end. Tigers beat the Cougars 24-17.
#22 West Virginia vs. #21 Virginia Tech (Sunday)
Battle for the Black Diamond Trophy
We get to start off the 2016 with a classic rivalry being renewed! Both teams saw great success in 2016 as the Mountaineers finished 10-3 and the Hokies won the Coastal Division. The Hokies return 12 total starters including 7 on a defense that ranked 27th in scoring last year giving up only 22.8 points per game. They're going to need to be tough again on defense, because the Mountaineers averaged over 30 points per game in 2016. WVU only returns 8 starters from last season, but Senior RB Justin Crawford is back and is looking to take the pressure off of ex-Florida QB Will Grier who will start for the Mountaineers. VT has to replace lots of weapons on offense, but I think Justin Fuente will have them ready. You never know when a rivalry resumes after 12 years, but I'm going with the Hokies in this one! Virginia Tech 34, West Virginia 23.
Texas A&M at UCLA
The Aggies and the Bruins are both looking to forget disappointing seasons in 2016. There are numerous questions on both sides of the ball for Texas A&M. They have to replace a #1 draft pick on defense as well as break in a new QB. Luckily, whoever gets the nod will have some weapons to help them out. WR Christian Krik has nearly 2,000 receiving yards over the past two years along with 16 TDs. Defenses will be keying on Krik early, so the Aggies will need other wideouts to step up. On defense, I already mentioned how they will have to replace DE Myles Garrett, one of the best pass rushers in the nation. The Aggies will also be replacing some starters in the secondary, which bodes well for UCLA and star QB Josh Rosen....that is, if Rosen can stay healthy and focused on football. Injuries plagued the Bruins last season and definitely played a factor in their 4-8 record. Having Rosen back should help give their offense a boost, and I think that QB will be the difference maker in this one. Rosen has the talent, and I think there are too many question marks with the Aggies. UCLA wins it 40-24.
#25 Tennessee vs. Georgia Tech
Last year, Tennessee was the team to watch, and the team that would give Alabama a run for their money in the SEC. Last year Tennessee sputtered to a disappointing, but expected, 9-4 record. I always have a difficult time trusting the Volunteers, and this season is no different. They return a lot of experience on their offensive line, but that's about it after QB Joshua Dobbs, RB Jalen Hurd and WR Josh Malone have all moved on. Luckily, there's plenty of young talent in the cupboards for Butch Jones to use. I expect them to lean heavily on RB John Kelly who rushed for 630 yards last season while sharing carries. On the other side of the ball, the Vols will need some work. They gave up an average of 28.8 points per game in 2016 and ranked 104th in the nation in rush defense giving up 218.6 yards per game on the ground. That is bad news when you line up to face the Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets averaged nearly 260 rush yards per game in 2016 with their Triple Option attack, and with 17 returning starters, GT is a Dark Horse team to watch in 2017. I like the Yellow Jackets in this one! Georgia Tech wins a good one 38-23.
#1 Alabama vs. #3 Florida State
The biggest opener in College Football History takes place down in Atlanta to kickoff the primary Saturday of the 2017 season! The Tide and the 'Noles clash for what looks to be an incredible game. I'm a little frustrated, because although I am beyond hyped for the Husker game, I'm a little bummed it is taking place during the same time as the FSU-Bama game. This one has the makings to be one of the all-time classics, and there are some great young players to watch. Both teams feature two dynamic Sophomore QBs in Deondre Francois and Jalen Hurts. I personally think Francois is the better of the two, especially in the passing game. Francois threw for 3,350 yards with a 20:7 TD to INT ratio last season compared to Hurts who threw for 2,780 yards and a 23:9 TD to INT ratio. The biggest difference between the two is the protection. Francois was sacked 34 times last season and was constantly under pressure. Jalen Hurts plays QB for Alabama... so he didn't get hit very often (19 times). Protecting the QB will be one of the biggest keys to success in this one, especially because these two teams have arguably two of the best defenses in the nation. The Seminoles return 9 starters on the defensive side of the ball, including one of the best players in the nations with Safety Derwin James. The Tide only return 5, but again, it's Alabama, I think they'll probably be okay. This game is incredibly difficult to pick on because I think both of these teams will be in the CFP at the end of the year. Florida State has the talent to beat Alabama, but it's so hard to pick against Bama, especially in a season opener. I want to see Francois have the game of a lifetime and beat the Tide, but I think the offensive line for Bama will be too much in the end. Great game, great finish, Roll Tide. Bama 31, FSU 30.
Arkansas State at Nebraska
Now is the prediction you've all been waiting for! I got the chance to help out with Football Friday at the Wick Alumni Center last night, and listened to the football panel on their predictions for the Husker game. The recurring theme that was talked about were all the question marks. This has been one of the most anticipated Husker seasons of my lifetime, simply because we have no idea what the Huskers will look like! New QB, new weapons on offense, new defense, new faces and a new outlook on direction of the program. So many questions will be answered in this opener, not just because we'll see lots of new players on the field, but because the Red Wolves face a bigger challenge than most think. They won a share of the Sun Belt title last year and were a top 20 defense giving up only 21.5 points per game on average. They also lead the nation in tackles for loss in 2016, so look for their defense to come with a lot of pressure. Senior DE Ja'Von Rolland-Jones lead the nation with 13.5 sacks last year, so Tanner Lee and Crew will definitely have to keep an eye on him. The good news for the Huskers is even though the Red Wolves have strength on the Defensive line, their biggest weakness is their offensive line. Arkansas State will be starting 5 new offensive linemen against Nebraska today, so the new 3-4 defense will have lots of opportunities to cause havoc. We've all heard the things to watch for, but I'm just excited to have football back, get some questions answered and watch some of my good friends play football! Be sure to watch #57 Jake Weinmaster and #23 DiCaprio Bootle! Huskers win a solid game and answer a lot of questions for us! Nebraska 37, Arkansas State 17.
I hope you enjoyed all of my game predictions and have a fantastic Saturday! Be sure to subscribe with your email so you can receive updates on my posts and GO BIG RED!!
#CollegeFootballKnowItAll
Alex Fernando
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