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Conference USA Breakdowns and Matchups
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Denny
O'Brien's Game Day Preview
Saturday, October 19, 2002
FOOTBALL
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Talented QB leaving his 'Marq'
at USF
©2002 Bonesville.net
The golden arm of South Florida
quarterback Marquel Blackwell is strong enough to strike fear into any
defensive coordinator.
Don't take my word for it,
though. Just ask Southern Miss defensive coordinator Tyrone Nix.
"He has a strong arm," Nix
said. "He knows where to go with the football and he can run. He can beat
you running or throwing."
The Golden Eagles' defensive
boss speaks from experience. In South Florida's 16-13 victory over Southern
Miss, Blackwell completed 27-of-49 passes for 271 yards and two touchdowns,
while throwing just one interception.
When he isn't burning defenses
with his record-shattering arm, the Unitas Award candidate is eluding them
with his legs. Quick and deceptive, the St. Petersburg senior is even more
dangerous on the run, when he's subject to either accurately heave a pass or
take off downfield.
Naturally, Pirates coach Steve
Logan has his concerns.
"You can get a little bit of
pressure on the guy, and most people have, but you can't get him on the
ground," Logan said. "You can't catch him to put him on the ground. So it
will be the same cat and mouse game that goes on.
"We are going to have to blitz
a little bit, drop people into coverage and just keep working it back and
forth to try and confuse him. He has thrown only three interceptions this
year. He is one of the best that I have seen on film, so we are going to try
and concoct something that will hopefully give him some problems."
That's a tall task considering
few defenses have yet to formulate a scheme to contain him.
When ECU has the ball
East Carolina is 2-0 in games this season in
which it runs for at least 150 yards. The Pirates are 0-3 when they don't.
The good news this week is the Pirates
should be playing with a full deck of offensive linemen, with Brandon Pope,
Doug White, and Corey Schmidt all slated to return from injuries. The bad
news is South Florida boasts one of the nation's better defenses, which
ranks 17th against the run and 19th overall.
"Their defensive front seven would be in
C-USA's top two or three front sevens this year," Logan said.
If the Pirates can't open holes for running
backs Art Brown and Marvin Townes, additional pressure will be placed on
quarterback Paul Troth to perform well. The sophomore is too inexperienced
to win games on his own, which he may very well be asked to do if the
Pirates can't mount a serviceable ground attack against the tenacious Bulls.
Advantage: Even
When USF has the ball
The Bulls' offense begins and ends with
their dynamic quarterback. In addition to his 1,300 passing yards,
Blackwell has rushed for 200 more, which is second best on the team.
His 45 carries are tops.
Blackwell specializes in the
short-to-intermediate passing game and has a myriad of receivers from which
to choose. Six Bulls have 100-plus yards receiving.
"The wide receivers are a lot of fun to
watch if you are not playing them," Logan said.
The thing is, the Pirates will be playing
them on Saturday. Even with the Tim Rose's revamped schemes, which still
includes hints of soft zones, East Carolina has still proven vulnerable to
the pass.
And that doesn't bode well at all.
Advantage: USF
Special teams
Kicker Kevin Miller and punter Jarad Preston
have been the Pirates' most consistent performers thus far, anchoring a
special teams unit that, with the exception of a couple of muffed return
efforts, has been special indeed.
Miller is as accurate as they come, nailing
five of his seven field goal attempts. Preston's 43.5-yard average ranks
him 12th nationally.
The kicking game cost Southern Miss a
victory in Raymond James Stadium last week, says Eagles coach Jeff Bower.
But if the Pirates fall to the Bulls, it won't be because of that.
Advantage: ECU
Prediction
East Carolina has a tradition of victorious
Homecoming showings. However, the Pirates also have a recent history of
being stale when given an extra week to prepare. The South Florida front
seven looks to pose too many problems for ECU, which will likely have
trouble achieving offensive balance. In the past, that's been the formula
for disaster. Even though East Carolina seems to have a new outlook these
days, that might not be enough to overcome a tough and talented USF team,
which will eek by for a narrow 22-17 victory.
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Denny O'Brien's
C-USA Power Poll
1. Louisville (4-2,
2-0) - John L. Smith again working his magic in the Derby City
2. Southern Miss
(4-2, 2-0) - After two straight uninspiring performances, Eagles
must host Cincinnati team that desperately needs a win.
3. TCU (5-1, 2-1) -
Winners of five straight, Frogs put league's longest win streak on
the line against Louisville.
4. East Carolina
(2-3, 2-0) - Early-season stumbles have created sense of urgency
in Pirateland.
5. UAB (3-3, 2-0) -
One week they're hot, one week they're not. Blazers are destined
for a 6-6 finish.
6. Tulane (4-3, 2-2)
- Surprise win over Cincinnati has Green Wave thinking postseason.
7. Cincinnati (2-4,
1-1) - Bearcats must turn things around -- quick.
8. Memphis (2-4,
1-3) - Tigers another in a long line of C-USA disappointments.
9. Houston (2-4,
0-3) - Scoring points isn't a problem for Cougars. Stopping the
opposition is.
10. Army (0-6, 0-4) -
Knights' offense looking better with Reggie Nevels back under
center. |
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Conference USA Capsules
Army at Houston
Houston does have a couple of things over
its fellow C-USA cellar dweller -- two wins.
What appears to be the most meaningless game
on the league slate this week could very well be the most entertaining.
Neither the Knights nor the Cougars boast any glimpse of a defense, but both
have shown the ability to move the ball down the field.
With quarterback Reggie Nevels back in the
lineup, things are looking better in West Point. How could they not?
Still, they're not looking good enough to
outscore Houston, which can pile up yardage both on the ground or through
the air. Cougars win a shootout, 44-33.
Cincinnati at Southern Miss
Both the Bearcats and Eagles need this
victory, each for different reasons.
Cincinnati must win if it hopes to maintain
its dream of securing a third-consecutive bowl bid. Southern Miss needs a
victory to keep pace with Louisville, which is beginning to take on the
texture of a three-time champion.
Three things favor the Eagles in this one,
which is why they are a safe bet to remain undefeated in conference play.
USM has a solid ground attack and smothering defense, neither of which bodes
well for UC. Add to that the fact that the Eagles are especially tough at
The Rock and you have a fairly comfortable 27-13 Southern Miss win.
UAB at Tulane
In a battle of Dow Jonsers, your guess is as
good as any.
On a good week, both the Blazers and the
Wave have shown the ability to hang 40-plus on weaker opponents. On a bad
week, each has proven vulnerable enough to toss a bagel on the scoreboard.
Considering my personal track record of
picking UAB games is less than desirable, perhaps it's time to let the XBOX
take over. Mewelde Moore rushes for 150, and JP Losman burns the Blazers
for a couple of scores. Tulane takes UAB to task on the Superdome carpet,
30-21. So sayeth the XBOX.
Mississippi State at
Memphis
Scoring hasn't been an issue for the
Tigers. Keeping opponents under manageable point totals has.
Quarterback Danny Wimprine and Co. looked
impressive against a good Lousiville defense. The defense, once the
hallmark of the program, didn't.
Once again, Memphis has the opportunity to
slay an SEC opponent and enhance C-USA's image. Once again, though, the
Tigers will fail. The Bulldogs should find plenty of running lanes in the
City of Elvis, which should be just enough to dash by the host Tigers,
23-21.
Game of the Week:
Texas Christian at Louisville
TCU has feasted on a steady diet of cupcakes
en route to an impressive 5-1 mark. That's a far cry from the lineup of
heavies Louisville has faced, which includes Florida State, Kentucky, and
Colorado State.
After dropping two of its first three, the U
of L seems to have found its stride, winning three straight, highlighted by
the Cardinals' rain dance victory over the then-fourth ranked Seminoles.
Frogs coach Gary Patterson, a pioneer of the
4-2-5 defense, devised the perfect scheme to clip the Cards last season.
Cardinals quarterback Dave Ragone was battered and bruised all night long,
as TCU used all-out blitzes to frustrate the Louisville lefty in a
convincing 37-22 victory in Fort Worth.
Expect those same chaotic tactics from TCU,
which is looking to hop into the conference championship race. And even
though the offensive line is Louisville's weakest link, that unit is
beginning to show signs of life. Ragone is beginning to pick up the pace,
and the Cardinals' defense is still one of the best in the league --
Cardinals 26, Frogs 13.
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02/23/2007 01:46:59 AM
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