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C-USA Sports Fans
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Conference USA Week #2 Football Preview
The Thundering Herd were barely able to squeak by FCS opponent Southern Illinois in week one. Now, Mark Snyder's team will encounter a slightly more formidable foe, to put it very mildly. It's true that Virginia Tech will have something of a hangover after a dispiriting loss to Alabama, but the Hokies are still stacked at many positions. Marshall needs to spring early when Tech is still thinking about the Crimson Tide. With a big first quarter, the Herd can make Frank Beamer's boys sweat in Blacksburg. After halftime, it will be hard for Marshall to thrive in this contest, simply because the Hokies' depth will be able to wear down MU in the trenches. But with a scoreboard advantage, Marshall can force the Hokies to throw the ball more, thereby turning this tussle into a more finesse-oriented competition that will sustain the Herd's stamina well into the fourth quarter.
Houston @ Oklahoma State - Saturday, 3:30 ET, Fox Sports Net
This is the big test for the conference in week two. Both of these offenses are supremely explosive, but as Oklahoma State showed in its season-opening win over Georgia, the Cowboys can compete on defense as well. Houston began 2009 with an easy win over an FCS opponent in a game that amounted to a glorified scrimmage. In Stillwater, Kevin Sumlin's crew will be up against a squad that's physical, deep, beefy, and experienced. Houston won't stop OSU's offense, but the Cougars will need to limit the Pokes to field goals in the red zone. If UH can force Mike Gundy's group to settle for three-point scores on a fair amount of occasions, perhaps the visitors will be able to stroll into the state of Oklahoma and win a shootout with touchdowns from the arm of gunslinger Case Keenum. Houston won't win this game 17-13; a score of 35-33 sounds much more realistic... and that's if everything goes right in this attractive non-conference encounter.
Brigham Young @ Tulane - Saturday, 3:30 ET, ESPN2
Uh-oh.
Tulane got waxed by 24 points at home against Tulsa, and how Bob Toledo's troops have to step onto the gridiron against the team that toppled mighty Oklahoma on Labor Day weekend? Let's be honest: Tulane can't touch BYU if the Cougars play anything close to their best. How will this game be competitive? Oh, there's a chance it could be--BYU could read press clippings, feel full of itself, and take a very smug and overconfident attitude into the Louisiana Superdome. Teams often sleepwalk after hugely emotional games, win or lose--that's been known to happen in college football's 140-year history. If BYU thinks it can simply show up, roll the ball out on the field, and win, Tulane needs to get angry, for one thing. Secondly, the Green Wave need to max out in the first half and make the Cougars pay for any complacency they might display. Stanford beat USC two years ago as a 41-point underdog, and Syracuse beat Louisville that same season as a 36-point dog. Perhaps, Tulane can muster up some magic against the BCS-busting aspirant from the Mountain West Conference.
East Carolina @ West Virginia - Saturday, 3:30 ET, ESPN360.com
If Houston-Oklahoma State is the biggest non-conference game for C-USA in week two, this is the second-largest showdown. East Carolina thumped the Mountaineers of West Virginia last year in Greenville, but now, Skip Holtz must take his team to Morgantown for a return engagement against Bill Stewart's bunch. Right off the bat, it's essential to say that if Patrick Pinkney, ECU's sixth-year senior quarterback, plays anything like the way he did against Appalachian State, the Pirates will get pulverized in Appalachia. Pinkney must be effective for ECU to have any chance; if the Pirates' defense can then shut down WVU signal caller Jarrett Brown, the successor to all-world athlete Pat White, a road upset is possible. Perhaps East Carolina was already looking ahead to this game when it allowed Appy State to score 17 fourth-quarter points on Opening Day. Well, now that this game is here, ECU can't take a single play off. West Virginia will punish any lapses or breakdowns, but if anyone can stay the course in a hostile environment, it's this veteran ballclub led by a sixth-year field general under center.
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Southern Methodist @ UAB - Saturday, 4 ET, no TV
UAB is one of only two teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision (Miami, FL is the other) to play two straight conference games to open its season. Happily for the Blazers and coach Neil Callaway, the two opponents aren't in the upper tier of the league. Rice proved to be depleted in week one, and in week two, the Blazers face an SMU squad that eeked out a tense 31-23 win over FCS-level Stephen F. Austin last weekend. For SMU, the mantra is still week-to-week improvement in year two of the June Jones era, as the Mustangs continue to sift through the rubble of a death penalty from which the program has never recovered. For the Blazers, this is another must-win ballgame, a chance to take a step toward a bowl game and an upper-division conference finish. So mething worth noting: UAB Center Jake Seitz is poised to break the school's record of 43 consecutive starts, originally set by kicker Kevin Thomason back in 1995.
Memphis @ Middle Tennessee State - Saturday, 7 ET, ESPN360.com and GamePlan
Memphis's defense played extremely well in week one against Ole Miss, picking off Rebel quarterback Jevan Snead and generally containing an SEC foe's many shifty backs and receivers. The problem for the Tigers in their season opener was an offense whose quarterback, Arkelon Hall, couldn't protect the ball, and a line that couldn't excel against the athletic specimens it faced on the other side of the line. In this game, Tommy West's team won't be going up against an opponent similar to Ole Miss. Middle Tennessee doesn't figure to be a cakewalk for the Tigers, but in comparison to Mississippi, the Blue Raiders are far more beatable. Ball security from Hall, plus continued excellence on defense, are the immediate keys in this contest for Memphis, but in many ways, the biggest question surrounding this tilt is, "Will Memphis feel good about its performance against Ole Miss, or will the Tigers sulk at Middle Tennessee after failing to beat a high-profile SEC opponent?" The answer to that question will, in all likelihood, determine the outcome of this game.
UCF @ Southern Miss - Saturday, 7 ET, no TV
UCF might have won its first game, but the Golden Knights barely scraped by Samford, an FCS school, at home. Southern Miss also took on an FCS team ( Alcorn State) and won by a 52-0 score. It's clear which team tended to business on Opening Day. If UCF is to make this contest even remotely competitive, George O'Leary's lineup must punch the Golden Eagles in the mouth and get to USM quarterback Austin Davis. If the Golden Knights can't pressure Davis, USM will be able to mix the pass with runs from stellar tailback Damion Fletcher. UCF must make Southern Miss one-dimensional; without a high-impact defensive performance, the visitors from the Sunshine State will have no chance of winning in Hattiesburg.
Rice @ Texas Tech - Saturday, 7 ET, no TV
Texas Tech sleepwalked in week one against North Dakota, so after the Red Raiders shake off the cobwebs this week, it will be hard to imagine how Rice can slow down Mike Leach's men on Saturday. The Owls allowed 44 points to UAB in their own opener, so against Tech's vaunted spread passing game, coach David Bailiff will be hoping for any slight degree of improvement. An inability to adjust on the defensive side of the ball will consign Rice to an early and bloody fate. With an early defensive spark, particularly on a turnover, Rice might be able to make things interesting for at least a little while in Lubbock.
Kansas @ UTEP - Saturday, 7:30 ET, TV TBA
The University of Texas-El Paso football team experienced a crushing defeat on Opening Night against Buffalo. Having a winning touchdown nullified by a holding penalty in the first game of the season can create a negative vibe that hijacks the remaining 11 games. With this reality in mind, the Miners have to be flinty and forceful against the Jayhawks, a resident of the top 25 under head coach Mark Mangino. UTEP must contain KU quarterback Todd Reesing, a Heisman Trophy sleeper candidate who can light up the night sky (and scoreboards) with his pinpoint passing and high-level pocket presence. Unless coach Mike Price's defense does something to disrupt Reesing, this slugfest at the Sun Bowl will quickly get ugly, and an 0-2 start will greet a team that badly needs a spark.
Tulsa @ New Mexico - Saturday, 8 ET, no TV
Tulsa and new quarterback G.J. Kinne had a sharp, effective and encouraging conference opener at Tulane on Sept. 4. Now, Todd Graham's Golden Hurricane will take on a non-conference crew from the Mountain West. Tulsa owns more weapons than the Lobos, so as long as this team doesn't wilt on the road in an unfamiliar environment, another win should be posted. It's particularly relevant to ask if an easy win in week one will lead the Golden Hurricane to think that the rest of their season will go smoothly. All in all, Tulsa needs to ratchet up the intensity Saturday night, guarding against an emotional letdown while once again proving that the losses of coordinator (Gus Malzahn) and quarterback (David Johnson) won't sidetrack this roster in the 2009 season.
Article by Matt Zemek
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