The No. 11 West Virginia Mountaineers will be looking to avenge last year's 19-14 loss to the Syracuse Orange in Morgantown when they visit the Carrier Dome on Friday night.That loss snapped the Mountaineers' eight-game winning streak over the Orange and knocked them out of the Top 25.
The lone blemish on this year's West Virginia team is a 47-21 loss to current No. 1 LSU Tigers. The Mountaineers are coming off a 43-16 win over the Connecticut Huskies on October 8 and bring the nation's fourth-ranked passing attack with them to western New York. Quarterback Geno Smith is completing 64 percent of his 258 pass attempts for 2,159 yards and 16 touchdowns against just three interceptions. Wide receivers Tavon Austin, Stedman Bailey and Ivan McCartney have combined for 110 receptions, 1,653 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Syracuse is ranked 96th in the country in total offense, with its strength being the aerial attack, which ranks 71st and is lead by quarterback Ryan Nassib and wide receiver Alec Lemon. The Orange also possesses a stout run defense, with dynamic freshman linebacker Dyshawn Davis having a team-high seven tackles for a loss and four quarterback sacks.
Game date, time: 8pm ET, Friday, October 21, 2011
Location: Carrier Dome, Syracuse, New York
TV channel: ESPN
Spread: Mountaineers are favored by 13.5 points
Series history: The Orange lead the all-time series, 31-27
For further reading, news, discussion and more, visit West Virginia blog The Smoking Musket and Syracuse Orange blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician. Here’s this week’s college football TV schedule, and stay tuned to SB Nation’s college football news hub for more.
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights enter ride a three-game winning streak and 5-1 record into Louisville, Kentucky to take on the 2-4 Louisville Cardinals as part of ESPN's Big East football double-dip on Friday night. The Scarlet Knights are 2-0 in the Big East this season, while the Cardinals are 0-1 within the conference.
Both schools boast Top 20 defenses (Rutgers are 19th, Louisville 17th) and offenses that, despite starting true freshmen at quarterback, prefer to move the ball via the passing game. Rutgers sophomore quarterback Chas Dodd started the first four games before he was demoted in favor of true freshman Gary Nova, who is 55-of-99 for 683 yards and six touchdowns since replacing Dodd in their comeback win over Syracuse. Junior wide receiver Mohamed Senu is by far the Scarlet Knights' top receiver, catching 55 passes for 555 yards and five touchdowns, with no other receiver catching more than 15 passes.
Louisville freshman quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has replaced Will Stein the last three weeks and has completed 63 percent of his 108 pass attempts for 709 yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions. Wide receivers Michaelee Harris and Eli Rogers and 6-foot-8, 240-pound tight end John Chichester lead the Cardinals in receiving this season.
Game date, time: 8pm, Friday, October 21, 2011
Location: Papa John's Cardinal Stadium, Louisville, Kentucky
TV channel: ESPN2
Spread: Cardinals are favored by 2 points
Series history: The Scarlet Knights lead the all-times series, 7-3
For further reading, news, discussion and more, visit Louisville blog Card Chronicle and Rutgers blog On The Banks. Here’s this week’s college football TV schedule, and stay tuned to SB Nation’s college football news hub for more.