BLOG: Previewing weekend college football games
Staff Reporter Matt Firsht breaks down the rest of the Mid-American Conference games this weekend, along with some of the biggest games around the country.
No. 1 Alabama (5-0) at No. 19 South Carolina (3-1), 3:30 p.m., CBS South Carolina hopes to be the lucky team that knocks Alabama off of it’s winning pedestal as they look to improve their SEC record. The Crimson Tide has won 19 consecutive games dating back to last season, and has had absolutely no problem defending their streak last weekend, beating Florida 31-6. Mark Ingram led the team with 42 rushing yards and two touchdowns. A 235-yard performance that included three touchdowns from Gamecocks quarterback Stephen Garcia was not enough for a win, as they were upset by Auburn 35-27. The Tigers finished the third quarter down trailing by seven points, but scored 14 in the fourth while holding S.C. scoreless to sneak out with a win.
No. 17 Michigan State (5-0) at No. 18 Michigan (5-0), 3:30 p.m., ABC Michigan State and Michigan compete for the Paul Bunyan Trophy as undefeated teams for the first time in 11 years. Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson has caught many people’s attention putting up big numbers both on the ground and in the air. He picked up the slack for a struggling Wolverines Defense with 444 yards and five touchdowns of total offense when U-M beat Indiana 42-35. The Spartans had an important win last weekend when they defeated Wisconsin 34-24. Quarterback Kirk Cousins led the way with 269 yards and three touchdowns passing. MSU head coach Mark Dantonio will return to coach from the press box for this big game, after missing the last two games while recovering from a heart attack and blood clot.
Western Michigan (1-3) at Ball State (2-3), noon, ESPN3.com After beating Central Michigan, Ball State looks for a second consecutive win against Western Michigan. The Cardinals were dominant on offense, scoring four touchdowns, two of which came from running back Eric Williams. Quarterback Keith Wenning also had a good game, completing two touchdown passes while throwing no interceptions. The Broncos however, suffered another loss last week at the hands of Idaho. They had trouble getting anything going on offense as their quarterback, Alex Carder, threw for only one touchdown, completing just 42 percent of his passes.
Temple (4-1) at Northern Illinois (3-2), noon, ESPN3.com Temple plays against its second MAC opponent of the season, taking on a hot Northern Illinois team. NIU has won back-to-back games after taking down Akron 50-14. Quarterback Chandler Harnish had a big game passing the ball, throwing for a total of 281 yards and three touchdowns. Receiver Willie Clark had a nice day as well, scoring two touchdowns. The Owls produced plenty of offense in their game against Army, beating the Black Knights 45-35. Their offense was lead by Matt Brown, who had four touchdowns off 226 yards rushing. Both teams are undefeated in conference play.
Bowling Green (1-4) at Ohio (2-3), 2 p.m. Bowling Green will try to straighten out their season as they play in-state opponent Ohio, who also is off to a disappointing start. The Falcons came up just short of a win last weekend, losing 28-26 against Buffalo. Their fatal error came early in the fourth quarter as they failed a two-point conversion attempt, proving to be costly. Meanwhile, Ohio had a convincing win against Eastern Michigan, 30-17. Vince Davidson had a breakout performance, scoring three touchdowns overall.
Akron (0-5) at Kent State (1-3), 3:30 p.m., ESPN3.com Akron is still looking for its first win of the season after Northern Illinois scored 50 points on the Zips’ defense. Scoring has been an issue for Akron all year long, as it hasn’t scored more than 20 points in a game this season. Defense was an issue for Kent State as well last week. They had a four point lead heading into the final quarter of the game, and blew it allowing Miami (OH) 17 points and a win 27-21.
Eastern Michigan (0-5) at Vanderbilt (1-3), 7 p.m., ESPNU Vanderbilt looks to improve on its season after a less than spectacular start to the season, getting their only win against Mississippi 28-14. The Commodores defense had no answer for Connecticut’s offense last week, allowing them to score 40 points. EMU fell victim to its 17th consecutive loss after losing to Ohio 30-17. EMU head coach Ron English is still eager for his first victory since taking over the team following the 2008 season.
Miami OH (3-2) at Cincinnati (1-3), 7 p.m., ESPN3.com After finishing 2009 12-1, last year’s Big East champion Cincinnati is off to a 1-3 start. Former Central Michigan head coach Butch Jones has taken over for the Bearcats after Brian Kelly left to pursue a head coaching job at Notre Dame. With only one win, Cincinnati will try to turn its luck around when it plays Miami. The RedHawks scored 17 points in the fourth quarter last week, beating Kent State 27-21. Evan Harris delivered the game-sealing touchdown when he returned a blocked punt for 18 yards, putting them up by a score of 24-14.
Toledo (3-2) at No. 4 Boise State (4-0), 8 p.m., ESPN3.com Boise State looks to march right through the Toledo defense just as they have done to the last three teams they faced. The Broncos have had no trouble winning this year, whether it was against a ranked opponent or a non-ranked opponent. Boise walked all over New Mexico State last weekend, winning 59-0. Toledo was putting together a good season, winning three consecutive games, but fell short last week against Wyoming, 20-15.
No. 23 Florida State (4-1) at No. 13 Miami (3-1), 8 p.m., ABC Both teams come into the game with one loss, despite some who predicted the in-state rivals would make it to this game undefeated. Florida State, coached by Jimbo Fisher in his first year after a controversial retirement from Bobby Bowden during the last off-season, lost to Oklahoma 47-17 in week two during a game where they struggled to get any offense going and their defense had trouble stopping the Sooners. Miami’s week two loss occurred against Ohio State. The Hurricanes put up a good effort, but the Buckeyes defense was too much for them to get through as they lost 36-24.
