SB Nation - Frank Summers

The Morning Blitz: Daily Utah links

JazzyUte — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 09:50:25 -0000

Instead of talking about the UNLV game Saturday, I thought I'd just post this because I think it really sums up what's on the line in this game.

It's really amazing how far the program has come since 9/22/07. Or as I'd like to call it: The Day of Infamy.

Frank Summers rushed for 190 yards and scored three touchdowns to lead UNLV to a 27-0 upset victory over Utah as the Rebels stopped an 11-game losing streak to the Utes.
Summers, who had 29 carries and 108 yards in the first half, caught his only pass of the game for a 29-yard touchdown with 14:51 left in the first half, giving UNLV (2-2, 1-0 Mountain West) a 10-0 lead.

Utah (1-3, 0-2) was coming off an impressive 44-6 win over then-No. 11 UCLA a week earlier.

The 11-game streak dated back to Oct. 20, 1979 when the Rebels beat Utah in Las Vegas in the teams' first-ever meeting.

It was the first time Utah was shut out since a 38-0 loss to Arizona State in 1993. It was UNLVs first shutout since 2000 against North Texas. That score was also 38-0.

Summers' second touchdown, a 4-yard run with 12:52 left in the game, gave the Rebels a 20-0 lead. His last touchdown came from 36 yards down the right sideline with 1:52 remaining. Summers' previous career high in rushing was just 43 yards in a Sept. 15 loss to Hawaii.

Utah quarterback Brian Johnson, who separated his shoulder in the first game of the season in a 24-7 loss at Oregon State, did not play in the first half, but started the second. Johnson went 12-of-19 for 78 yards.

Utes starting quarterback Tommy Grady finished 11-of-21 for 117 yards with an interception. Darrell Mack added 89 yards rushing on 21 carries.

UNLV quarterback Travis Dixon was 12-of-27 for 144 yards with two interceptions.

Utah was 1-of-5 on fourth-down attempts, including an attempt from the 1-yard line with 7:43 left in the third quarter. The Utes also fumbled three times.

The Rebels built a 13-0 lead at halftime. Sergio Aguayo hit two of three field-goal attempts, one from 28-yards, and the other from 20 yards.

In the first half, UNLV running back David Peeples was carted off after an injury with 1:27 left in the first quarter when he was hit by Stevenson Sylvester.

Peeples lost consciousness, but regained it while being taken off the field. He was taken to a nearby hospital and was undergoing tests and X-rays during the game.

Truly a nightmare. The program has grown so much since that game (they've gone 25-2) and I think it just proves the saying that you need to hit rock bottom before finding yourself.

Certainly what Utah did in that game constitutes as rock bottom. Wouldn't you agree?

Deseret News | Utah Utes football: Wide carrying the load

Utes want to avoid another Vegas letdown - ABC 4.com - Salt Lake City, Utah News

Deseret News | Cain looks an awful lot like the guy he replaced as Utes make run in MWC

Seattle Post-Intelligencer: College Football

TCU coach defends 'weak' MWC - Salt Lake Tribune

MWC Showdown: Utah Looking to Settle Score with UNLV | Bleacher Report

BCS still all about TV - Salt Lake Tribune

Utes ready for UNLV air attack - Salt Lake Tribune

Utah football: Wynn isn't playing, but he's not complaining - Salt Lake Tribune

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Local product sparks Utes - Sports - ReviewJournal.com

What We Learned From Week Three in the Mountain West

Jeremy Mauss — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 10:00:38 -0000

The conference as a whole lost a lot steam --especially if you watched ESPNs Gameday Final-- by BYU and Utah both losing to unranked teams. This hurts the Mountain West and their chance for a shot at the title game, and an auto bid for the BCS. The loses are not the end of the world but the league is not quite as strong as last year, but I would still bet on three teams being ranked in the top 25 when the season ends and the league champ being ahead of the Big East and maybe the ACC.

Air Force

They came out and beat up on New Mexico in the first conference game of the year. Not much really to say on the offensive front as the Falcons ran for 298 yards on the day. The Falcons have two top end rushers in Asher Clark and Jared Tew who get the bulk of the carries, but they go another four deep at running the ball while being productive. One odd note on offense is that no quarterback ran the ball once, typically the Air Force quarterback runs a few plays on the game.

The defense for Air Force is looking pretty good; even though this was against New Mexico the Falcons were able to force four turnovers and hold the passing game to 102 yards. However the rushing game was an issue in this game by giving up 126 yards to James Wright, but the reason for that was that AFA gave up a bug play for an 84 yard run. If you take that run away then the Falcons did a good job. We will know more in two weeks when Air Force takes on the Naval Academy.

BYU

The Cougar defense and Max Hall reverted back to the 2008 season. The defense was unable to stop Florida State in the passing game, yes the yards were not there but nearly everything was completed by FSU. Then there is Max Hall who threw three picks which were all ill advised passes.

The hype surrounding BYU as a potential BCS title game contender ended up being false with the blowout of the game. Also, FSU maybe better then thought because the hung with Miami (FL) who is now ranked in the top 15. BYU defense was exposed for what it is: not very good. Lets see what BYU learns from this game and makes any adjustments.

Colorado State

The 'other' undefeated team in the league along side TCU and is 3-0. While the Rams defense did give up a good amount of yards, but they countered that by forcing turnovers. The quarterback play for the Rams is still questionable, however Grant Stucker managed the game two touchdowns but only 165 yards. The running game looks to have been solved with John Mosure who had 99 yards on the day.

The running game looks to be settled, but the defense needs work in limiting the yards given up and the passing game needs to be improve some more to keep defenses honest.

New Mexico

The Lobos are still terrible and will challenge for the basement of the Mountain West. The Lobos finally scored their first offensive touchdown on the season, and it was from an 80 plus yard run. The passing attack is still completing under 50 percent on the year, and is only averaging 142 yards per game. In short New Mexico is a bad team.

San Diego State

The other resident bad team in the league is San Diego State, and showed it as they lost to equally bad team Idaho. This team goes as far as Ryan Lindley can go, and in the Idaho game he left for part of the game with an injury. The rushing game is a concern for San Diego State, and if they were to get a decent ground game then they might be able to compete with more teams in the league.

The defense however is another question for the Aztecs. They are sixth in total defense in the Mountain West and 60th in the nation. The real concern is that they are giving up 28.7 points per game which is 90th in the nation.

TCU

It is hard to tell what can be said about TCU after their win over FCS opponent Texas State. Their game was uncomrotably closer then the 56-21 score indicates, because at the start of the fourth the score was only 35-21. We know RB Joseph Turner is doing just fine in becoming the full time back after sharing time last year. The rush defense is there and allowed only 1.3 yard per play by Texas State and forced them to go 3-14 on third downs.

Not much can be made this week, but next weeks game at Clemson is huge for the league as they are the highest ranked team and the only team left to have a chance to make a BCS game. This will be the TCU's first tough test, because Virginia and Texas State have not been a challenge for TCU.

UNLN

The Rebels havee the second best overall quarterback and the best dual threat in the league with Omar Clayton. Clayton coming off an injury was able to pass for 340 yards and run in a touchdown. Clayton does not run a lot but his threat to break off a big run makes him a real threat. Also, the Rebels have the best receivers in the league with Ryan Wolfe and touchdown maker Phillip Payne. The running game is the real concern which is currently lead by Channing Trotter who is decent but not quite to the level of last years back Frank Summers.

The biggest flaw is the defense that in this short season has given up big plays to the opposing team. UNLV has given up 371 yards per game, but 505 yards came in their recent game against Hawai'i. The Rebels lok for real, at least on offense and will be able to hang in games on that alone.

Utah

The Utes are not going undefeated again, which was not going to happen anyways. RB Matt Asiata is what makes the team go; he was obviously hurt during this game and was unable to provide is power running style in the game. RJ Stanford should be benched for not being able to cover any wide receiver. The corner backs did not lose the game for Utah but there were times when they gave up big plays. QB Jeremiah Moseli only completed four passes by each of those completions were for 95 yards.

QB Terrance Cain showed his inexperience by throwing ill advise passes which lead to two picks. He also was forced to throw 41 times which is the Utes do not want to do and rely on the rookie quarterback. The rush defense which was to be the Utes strengthed was the weakness against Oregon and allowed 217 yards. This is a concern because the defensive line is deep and experienced.

There is a positive to be made of there last game with Utah being able to comeback from a 21-7 deficiet to 28-24 before the last pick by Cain. The kicking game is still a problem and in this game caused Utah to go for it on fourth down instead of kicking a field goal.

Wyoming

The quarterback carousel of 2009 has arrived in Laramie for the second straight season. This past week former starter Karsteen Sween made an apperance to take over along with Robert Benjamin and Austyn Carta-Samuels. Carta-Samuels had the best game, but his stat line wasnothing special with 125 yards and he lead the team in rushing. The running game is the other concern which is suffering a lot after having two established runners the past few years.

The pass defense is actually solid and held Colorado to only 175 passing yards and under fifty percent completion percentage. But the rush defense is not very good and the leading rusher against the Pokes was not even star recruit Darrell Scott for Colorado but was sophomore Rodney Stewart who was able to scamper for 128 yards. This might I add was by Colorado who was outplayed and out manned by Colorado State and Toledo.

What We Learned from Week One

Jeremy Mauss — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 19:00:32 -0000

More photos » by Jack Dempsey - AP

3 months ago: Colorado State quarterback Grant Stucker (18) passes against Colorado during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Boulder, Colo.,on Sunday, Sept. 6, 2009. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Browse more photos »

The Mountain West is not going anywhere and picked up right off from last year with a pair of big wins. The league went 2-1 over Big XII opponents with BYU beating #3 Oklahoma, and Colorado State taking out Colorado. Overall the league went 6-2 with loses coming by the hand of Texas A&M over New Mexico and UCLA beating San Diego State. That puts the league at 2-2 against automatic qualifying leagues.

Yes, the league id beat up on two FCS teams and Utah beat Utah State, but the league could not be more giddy for the BYU win over Oklahoma and the Colorado State win over Colorado. We know for sure that the Mountain West looks to be as good as last year.

Starting with the Utah game last Thursday we do know that RB Matt Asiata is carrying the load and is a stud as he had 38 touches, two scores, and 156 yards. The Utes main target looks to be David Reed he had 172 yards receiving. The quarterback position is fully in the hands of Terrance Cain. Cain did not have to go deep but made his reads and took what the defense gave him, and then allowed the receiver to make the plays.

The Utah defense was so-so at times, that 96 yard waltz was an example, but the Utes were missing Koa Misi so some adjustments needed to be made. Plus, the corners could be in trouble as they did not seem as fast as that 4.4 speed as claimed.

The things to take out from the Air Force game is that the Falcons are the same team that runs the ball like mad, and using everyone to move the ball. Next week when they play at Minnesota is when we will find out about Air Force.

BYU having a solid defense is the most surprising, because last year the Cougar secondary was getting burned by nearly every school they faced. While Oklahoma was replacing most of their starting wide outs and with the loss of Jermaine Gresham the Sooner receivers were not able to beat BYU deep. The offensive line for BYU held up when they needed it most. Yes, Max Hall was pressured, threw interceptions, and was sacked; however on that fourth down pass to win the game he was nicely protected. The coaching staff made freaking adjustments, it took a while but BYU was moving the pocket for Max Hall to bide more time.

The big news out of the Wyoming game was not that Weber State made a comeback but that their was a quarterback rotation. This rotation was unbeknown to starter Robert Benjamin; the replacement was true freshman Austyn Carta-Samuels who had more snaps then Benjamin. Next weeks showdown against Texas will be interesting in the quarterback situation.

New Mexico is not as hyped as Mike Locksley claimed for them to be. The Lobos had no running game against Texas A&M and the pass defense was even worse. This could be a long season for the Lobos, because Texas A&M is nothing special.

San Diego State is showing improvement, despite their defense giving up 30 straight points to UCLA. QB Ryan LIndley was solid as he was in 2008 with two touchdown passes, but the rushing game needs major improvement as does the defense. However, the Aztecs do not look like the team last year that rolled over once the lead got away.

UNLV provided a solid performance over FCS Sacramento State winning by 35 points. The running game was the most intriguing to see who would replace Frank Summers. Most thought it would be CJ Cox but it actually was Channing Trotter who had three scores and 102 yards rushing.

The last quasi-upset of the weekend came out Sunday with Colorado State taking out Colorado. The big surprise was that Grant Stucker came out early and performed well behind that offensive line. His first drive was great with a deep pass that set up the early 7-0 score. He ended up with a decent 208 yards and a score. The running game was looking for a replacement and found it in Leonard Mason who in his first collegiate game had 107 yards rushing and 20 yards receiving.

There you have the important stuff we learned from week one of the Mountain West. Hopefully more can be made from UNLV, Wyoming, and Air Force since they are not playing FCS schools next week.

UNLV Takes Care of Business Over Sacramento State

Jeremy Mauss — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 05:29:32 -0000

Final - 9.5.2009	1	2	3	4	Total
Sacramento St. Hornets	0	3	0	0	3
UNLV Rebels	10	0	7	21	38

Complete Coverage >

Even though the Rebels played a FCS school they took care of business, not like the Falcons earlier today but this was a solid victory. The Rebels have a repeat starter under center in Omar Clayton for the first time since Kurt Nantkes in 2003-04.

This game was unexpectedly close heading into the fourth quarter before UNLV broke out with 21 points to put the game away. RB Channing Trotter lead the way with two scores within seven minutes of each other in fourth and lead the way with 101 yards on the ground, and it looks like Trotter is the replacement back to take over from Frank Summers.

Breakout candidate QB Omar Clayton had a solid game with 213 yards and a score, nothing special but ran an efficient offense. The defense was the key for UNLV tonight, by shutting down Sacramento State to under 100 yards passing and 100 yards rushing.

For UNLV's sake this win is as good as any because the history of UNLV football has not been good the past decade, so any win is a good win.

Best Case/Worst Case Scenario: UNLV Rebels

Jeremy Mauss — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 22:00:10 -0000

Best Case Scenario: First off is getting to a bowl game, but record wise 9-3 is the highest of high. The plus side is that the Rebels return a starting quarterback -- Omar Clayton-- for consecutive seasons for the first time since the 2003 and 2004 seasons.

Clayton has the chance to become a star in Mike Sanford's spread option offense. Last year Clayton did not run much because they had Frank Summers in the backfield, but he did scramble and make plays with his legs and that will be something he will do more of.

All-American candidate Ryan Wolfe is back and is the best receiver in the league and all he does is make plays and is look for another 1,000 yard season. Wolfe is not the only star from the receiving corp and that is Phillip Payne who only caught 29 passes but did catch 7 touchdowns.

The only problem on offense is finding a running back, but that honor goes to the 2008 backup CJ Cox who is now the starter for 2009. He is more of a shifty back then Frank 'The Tank' Summers and with his ability the offense will be able to do more misdirection and outside option plays because of his speed.

The offensive line should be in good shape with potential all-conference candidates Joe Hawley and Matt Murphy. these guys will help out the offense run more crisp, and get the new running back more room to run.

The defense which has struggled at times and last year allowed 32 points per game, but the front seven for the Rebels are as good or better since the 2000 squad, which also happens to be the last time the Rebels went bowling.

Worst Case Scenario: Well it is UNLV and last years five wins were most since they won six in 2003, and in between those years the Rebels only won two games per year. Five or six wins should be the worst case scenario, but this is the Rebels and last year with a bowl berth on the line they laid an egg and were smoked at home against San Diego State.

The main concerns would be that the running game never comes together and makes the team one-dimensional and allow opposing defense to pin back and just attack the quarterback. The defense could be a concern with the defensive back position by bringing in eight recruits with half of them coming from the junior college route. Historically transfers who come from the Pac-10 or the junior college ranks have not panned out for UNLV.

Just learning to win, last year in close games the Rebels were not able to make the plays to win the games.

Date	Game	Time	Zone	Television
Saturday, September 5	Sacramento State at UNLV	7:00 PM	PT	No TV
Saturday, September 12	Oregon State at UNLV	8:00 PM	PT	- HD
Saturday, September 19	Hawai'i at UNLV	8:00 PM	PT	&
Saturday, September 26	UNLV at Wyoming	1:00 PM	MT	No TV
Saturday, October 3	UNLV at Nevada	1:00 PM	PT	No TV
Saturday, October 10	BYU at UNLV	7:00 PM	PT
Saturday, October 17	Utah at UNLV	7:00 PM	PT
Saturday, October 24	UNLV at New Mexico	6:00 PM	MT
Saturday, October 31	UNLV at TCU	3:00 PM	CT	HD
Saturday, November 7	Colorado State at UNLV	7:00 PM	PT
Saturday, November 14	UNLV at Air Force	4:00 PM	MT
Saturday, November 28	San Diego State at UNLV	6:00 PM	PT

Not a Chance @TCU

50/50 Oregon State, Hawai'i, @Nevada, BYU, @New Mexico, Colorado State, @Air Force, San Diego State

Lock it up Sacrament State

Poll

How many wins will UNLV get in 2009?

9 or more

2 votes

8

1 votes

7

12 votes

6 or less

11 votes

26 votes | Poll has closed

The 2009 SB Nation Mountain West Preview

Jeremy Mauss — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 05:57:25 -0000

The 2009 SB Nation Mountain West Conference college football preview is coming from the Mountain West Connection, Utah blog BlockU, BYU blog Vanquish The Foe, and Mid Major Madness. The Mountain West is trying to put on an encore presentation from the unparalleled success from 2008 which featured Utah winning its second BCS bowl in four years by defeating Alabama in the Sugar Bowl and finishing with a number two ranking in the AP poll.

Then there was TCU who also finished the season in the top 10 with an impressive 11-2 record, and then BYU who completed its third straight 10 wins season and finished the 2009 season in the top 25.

This year the preseason polls are still in love with the Mountain West with the three usual suspects --BYU, Utah, and TCU-- being represented in both top 25 polls. The obvious big question for the league is what team, if any, will make it to a BCS bowl game.

The Mountain West over the summer desperately tried to force the hand by waiting until the elevnth hour to sign the BCS agreement and presenting a playoff proposal to possibly bring on change. None of those seemed to work, so all the Mountain West can do is keep winning games and hope it is enough to garner BCS inclusion when the four year evaluation cycle ends after the 2011 season.

The league also has new coaches with Mike Locksley taking over at New Mexico after serving as offensive coordinator at Illionois, Dave Christensen coming from the offensive coordinator post from Missouri to take over for 'Cowboy' Joe Glenn at Wyoming, and finally Brady Hoke left Ball State after a great season to become the head man at San Diego State.

The league has scheduled big again by facing 14 teams from four of the six BCS leagues with only the SEC and Big 10 off the schedule this year.

So go ahead and enjoy the 2009 SB Nation Mountain West Conference college football preview again being provided by Mountain West Connection,Mid Major Madness, BlockU, and Vanquish The Foe.

The projected order of finish is voted using 9 points for first place through 1 point for ninth place.

2009 Projections

1.TCU 34 (2 first place votes)

2.BYU 33 (2 first place votes)

3.Utah 29

4.Air Force 22

5.UNLV 20

6.Colorado State 14

7.New Mexico 13

7.San Diego State 13

9.Wyoming 4

1. What team will be the biggest surprise in 2009?

BlockU:
The most likely option would have to be San Diego State or New Mexico, since they bring in new coaches. While I have both finishing with a losing conference record, I don't think it's impossible one of them climbs high enough to break even and receive a bowl bid.

Adam from Vanquish The Foe:

UNLV. Mike Sanford’s club returns 8 starters on defense – including Preseason All-Conference selection Jason Beauchamp at OLB. The Rebels won 5 games in 2008, including the upset of then 15^th ranked Arizona State in Tempe. The offense also returns 6 starters – including WR Ryan Wolfe, an All-Conference 1^st Team selection last season. With Brian Johnson (Utah) graduated, junior Omar Clayton could be the most versatile quarterback in the conference. UNLV has a real chance of a win at Texas A&M and could very well improve upon last season and become bowl eligible in 2009.

Layton From Vanquish The Foe:

San Diego State is my surprise team.

Mountain West Connection:

Has to be UNLV and it is not even close. If not for a monumental letdown against San Diego State 41-21 which would have made the Rebels bowl eligible. The Rebels are my super-extreme darkhorse to win the Mountain West, but do not have the guts to put in the preseason rankings. There is rationale behind that and it comes is in their schedule because they get two of the big three at home in Utah and BYU.

Plus remember when UNLV shutout Utah in 2007 at Sam Boyd Stadium, and in 2008 the BYU game at LaVell Edwards stadium came down to the wire with backup quarterback Mark Clausen getting significant snaps while starter Omar Clayton was out with an injury.

Their tough road conference games are at Air Force and TCU. It all starts with QB Omar Clayton who is finally a fit for Mike Sanford's spread attack and toss in potential All-American WR Ryan Wolfe and the Rebels should be much improved, all they need is to find a serviceable running back to replace Frank Summers who went to the NFL.

2. What player if lost will impact their team the most?

BlockU:
I think you have to go with quarterback Max Hall at BYU. If he's taken out for even a few games, it could cost them any hope of a decent season. I just don't see their defense carrying the team without Hall and I'm not sold on backup Riley Nelson.

Adam from Vanquish The Foe:

The conventional answer would appear to be Max Hall, BYU’s QB. But I’m going to actually go with a pair of DE’s: BYU’s Jan Jorgensen and TCU’s Jerry Hughes. Without Jorgensen the Cougar’s pass-rush is dramatically reduced, and with an inexperienced secondary and no standout linebacker like Bryan Kehl and David Nixon of previous years, Bronco Mendenhall will be relying heavily on last year’s all-conference first team selection. In fact, without Jorgensen I think BYU finishes behind both TCU and Utah, again.

Jerry Hughes is quite simply the best defensive player in the conference and an excellent NFL prospect. He anchors TCU’s defensive line, but at least Hughes has Daryl Washington behind him at linebacker to create plays. Still, if Gary Patterson’s team wants to reach the BCS they’ll need Hughes healthy – especially for games at Clemson and BYU.

Layton From Vanquish The Foe:

Quarterback Max Hall at BYU if he goes down, then BYU is looking at 6-6.

Mountain West Connection:

Hard to argue anyone but BYU quarterback Max Hall, the only othe player that might cause his team failuer is Utah running back Matt Asiata just because of the inexperience at quarterback. Back to Hall, who is a senior quarterback and if you back into BYU history they typically win conference titles with senior quarterbacks.

Rile Nelson has not played in two years since he was on a Mormon mission,and prior to that he was the starting quarterback at Utah State, so Nelson just does not have the reps or real experience in the offense to lead the team if Hall goes down for a significant amount of time. Max Hall has been in this system for years and knows the offense so well, and with the Cougars breaking in a new line he an experienced quarterback is necessary for their success.

3. Does a team from the MWC make a BCS game?

BlockU:

No, I see a real logjam at the top of the conference this season. TCU has a very tough test on the road against Clemson and BYU (both losses in my book), while I think the Cougars drop games to Oklahoma and Utah, with Florida State acting as another potential loss.

With the Utes, they'll lose to Oregon and TCU, though I think they have a higher chance of dropping another conference game than either the Frogs or Cougars, especially with the final season showdown coming at LaVell Edwards Stadium. If that scenario happens, I don't see any MWC team busting the BCS this year.

Adam from Vanquish The Foe:

No. I think TCU and BYU have about an even shot at reaching the BCS but I think they’ll each stumble somewhere, and the conference doesn’t appear as deep as 2008. BYU’s non-conference schedule against Oklahoma and Florida State will not allow them to lose a MWC game if they want to reach the BCS.

I’m not saying Max Hall and Co. have no chance against the Sooners, but with that banged up offensive line it is extremely unlikely. Injuries (Matt Reynolds, Jason Speredon, and Houston Reynolds) could also potentially be a big factor and prevent the Cougars from getting what would be a major win against the Seminoles in Provo. TCU’s non-conference opponents aren’t as tough - but they could have a tough time with Clemson in South Carolina.

I think Utah has a remote possibility, coming off of last season’s success – but don’t expect them to beat Oregon, TCU and BYU all on the road without some of those key players who’ve since graduated.

Layton From Vanquish The Foe:

With BYU's schedule they can make the BCS. Even if they lose a close game to Oklahoma the first week of September, they can then win out and still go to the BCS. Any other loss, and the MWC has no team in the BCS. Utah won't because they plat at TCU and BYU. And TCU plays at BYU which hasn't lost in 18 games in Provo. That leaves BYU as the lone dog at the top.

Mountain West Connection:

TCU will be making their first ever BCS bowl game. It could be that I am high on the MWC but their schedule sets up the best for a BCS run (sorry BYU fans when a loss is nearly certain the schedule is not set up for you this year) with their toughest game at BYU in late October.

Clemson is tricky but they always seem to underachive each year, Virigina is nothing special, and the rest of the non-conference is Texas State and SMU. The toughest conference game is at BYU who have won 18 straight entering the season, but last year the biggest problem for BYU was their offensive line stopping TCU's defensive line. TCU does only return four starters on defense, but Gary Patterson always has players in the wings to step up, plus this is the year the offense finally steps it up to the same level as the defense.

Team Capsules

Air Force by BlockU:

The poor Falcons seem destined to be overshadowed by Utah, TCU and BYU every single year. Even though Troy Calhoun has put together two solid seasons in Colorado Springs, they are again not getting much mention for a spot at the top of the league. Is this the year Air Force positions itself for a title run? I don't see it. That isn't to say the Falcons are bad, but the top-three of the Mountain West is just that good. There really isn't enough room at the table and I think Air Force needs to get comfortable being the 4th-best team in the conference, because it's likely they are going to be there for a while.

With that said, they are going to be a scary team because there is the potential to beat the top-three at any point this season. Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year Tim Jefferson returns at quarterback after a solid freshman campaign and it appears he's distanced himself in fall camp to reclaim the starting role. The fact there is some stability there is enough to create a threat - especially since Jefferson put up decent numbers last year.

Pushing Jefferson for the starting role was sophomore Asher Clark, who Calhoun expects to get some snaps. However, when he's not at the quarterback spot, it's almost certain he'll line up in the backfield with Jefferson - creating another offensive weapon.

The Falcons also bring back a decent and experienced defense, which helped the offense through its growing pains last year. But, as it generally is with Air Force, they do lack size, especially up front. That could prove to be a weakness if they have trouble stopping the run (last year, they gave up 139 rushing yards per game).

Ultimately, the Falcons' biggest problem might be their schedule They face Minnesota, New Mexico, Navy, Utah, Colorado State and BYU on the road - which all could be losses. Their home slate is easier, but that TCU game could be the difference between a bowl berth and staying home for the holidays.

BYU by BlockU

Asking a Ute fan to preview BYU is a lot like asking Rush Limbaugh to critique President Obama. But I'll try to be as non-partisan as possible, though there are no promises!

Without a doubt, the Cougars return the most potent offense in the conference this season. I don't think I can emphasize enough how big it is to return a senior quarterback, especially one who hasn't lost many games for BYU. Of course, there are some questions that will have to be answered if the Cougars are going to put together that dream season everyone in Provo thought was going to be delivered last season.

For starters, how well is that offensive line going to adjust to not only their inexperience, but the injuries brought on by fall camp? The Cougars' offense is going to live or die based on that line and if they struggle, especially against Oklahoma, it could set the course for a difficult season. I say this because if they can't protect Hall from the probable swarming Sooner defense, he not only faces the prospects of injury, but potential issues with his game.

Hall has not performed at a high-level against very good defenses, as was on full display against TCU, Utah and Arizona last season (all losses) and a blowout loss to start the season could leave him mentally and worse - physically - scarred. If that happens, it could snowball from there and cost BYU crucial games and derail their season.

Of course, that seems overtly critical and it is, but if I were a Cougar fan, this would be my number one concern. However, nothing is set in stone and as John Beck proved, a quarterback can make a gigantic leap mentally and emotionally from his junior season to his senior one.

I mention Beck because in his 2005 season, BYU was fairly average. They had some decent wins and a nice offense, but there were issues against better teams and the lingering doubt Beck just could not get it done. I think we all remember the overtime loss to Utah to end the season and how Beck really crumbled when the Utes' defense pressured him.

Well a year later, in a near-similar situation, he stepped up and found a wide open Jonny Harline for the win. There was so much growth between '05 and '06 and it marked arguably the best season in a decade for the Cougars. Will Hall make that same step and deliver a memorable season? We'll see...

Colorado State by Vanquish the Foe

Last year's Rams finished a satisfactory 7-6 overall. They went to a bowl game for the first time since 2003 (the New Mexico Bowl), beating Fresno State 40-35 in what was also their first bowl win since 2001. However, CSU was still average within the MWC at 4-4. Steve Fairchild's (former Buffalo Bills and St. Louis Rams offensive coordinator) team was able to give both TCU (13-7) and BYU (45-42) very close contests, but came up short each time. 2008 was Fairchild's first season, after taking over from long-time head coach Sonny Lubick.

At the forefront of CSU's success in 2008 was RB Gartrell Johnson who ran for 1,476 yards (including 285 on the ground against Fresno State) and a 1^st Team All-MWC selection. Johnson is gone now, but the CSU offense still returns 7 players including WR Rashaun Greer a 2^nd Team All-MWC pick in 2008. Last year's QB, Billy Farris has graduated with Johnson, leaving Fairchild to find his starting man under center from the likes of senior Grant Stucker and JC transfer Jon Eastman. Sophomore Klay Kubiak is also in the mix but is coming off shoulder surgery.

TE Kory Sperry also finished his career at CSU with over 1,700 yards receiving. Despite these losses (Johnson, Farris and Sperry) the offense's strengths in 2009 should be in its receivers and lineman. Greer and the other wide-outs should make up for some of the lack of experience at QB while Preseason All-MWC 1^st Team selection OG Shelley Smith should provide the QB with some time to throw.

Across the LOS, the Ram's best player is without question sophomore LB Mychal Sisson. Sisson may be undersized (at 5'11", 203 lbs. he was recruited as a safety) but he was second among NCAA freshman last year in tackles with 105. Sisson was a 2008 All-MWC honorable mention and a Sporting News 1^st Team All-American. However, CSU's defense lost multiple key contributors to graduation - including three starters on the D-line, and LB Jeff Horinek who started 48 games as a Ram. The new core of LB's consists of junior Alex Williams, former safety Davis Burl, and redshirt freshmen James Skelton and Chris Gipson - and of course Sisson. They were supposed to have last season's second leading tackler Ricky Brewer as well, but he was suspended for all of 2009. The secondary should be in better shape, with returning starters at both field and boundary corner.

Overall, Fairchild's Rams have their work cut out for them in order to have as much success as they did in 2008. The losses of Johnson and Farris will be big. But their non-conference schedule is extremely weak and includes Weber State and Nevada coming to Fort Collins and the Rams traveling to Idaho. With as many players returning as they have - including leaders in Sisson, Greer and Shelly - CSU should win those games, but expect the Wolfpack to be trouble. San Diego State, Air Force and Wyoming are all coming to Fort Collins and should be winnable contests as well. The Rams goal this year should be to win seven games again, but realistically they'll probably only win five or six and be stuck in the middle of the MWC yet again.

New Mexico by Mountain West Connection

The Lobos bring in new coach Mike Locklsley from Illinois where he served as their offensive coordinator, and help create what Juice Williams has become. The hope in Albuquerque is that Donovan Porterie --who is coming off of a knee injury-- can become a similar player to Juice Williams.

The Lobos are looking to run a no-huddle offense to increase the tempo and catch defense in an unfavorable set with their lineup. Porterie is a talent and in his last full season in 2007 he passed for over 3,000 yards and is back in the starting role after missing the last eight games in 2008.

New Mexico traditionally has had one of the best running attacks in the nation and have had seven straight years of having a 1,000 yard rusher --which is the longest streak in the nation-- and who knows if the new offense will allow that. Nonetheless, the Lobos are going to have a new starter and there will be some competition between James Wright, A.J. Butler and Desmond Dennis.

There is talent but the 1,000 yard rusher may not happen, because of the offense they run. To cross reference the Illinois offense under Locksley the only year he had a 1,000 yard rusher was when Rashard Mendenhall roamed the backfield in 2007. The other years in 2005-2008 Locksley produced solid run offenses that ranked 47th, 10th, 5th, and 38th respectively in the nation.

With the spread attack that will be implemented many a players will get to touch the ball and the eighth straight season of a 1,000 rusher may not happen, but the rushing attach as a whole should be pretty good. Porterie is a much better passer then Locksley had at Illinois, and this could be the thing that makes the Lobo no-huddle attack that much more dangerous.

The receiving corp is very important to the offense and even though the top three receivers are back they are either undersized or not that fast. Those wide outs will be getting a lot of balls thrown their way and will need to make plays to make this offense work.

The main problem for New Mexico last year was their defense --which is changing from a 3-3-5 to a 4-3 -- the teams that beat the Lobos all had a decent to really good offense and averaged at least 25 points per game. The hope is that the move to the traditional 4-3 will put less strain on having to find five defenisve backs that are good enough to defend the pass and the rush.

Surprisingly New Mexico ranked in the top third in scoring and total defense, even though they suffered eight losses on the year, so there is some talent on the defensive side of the ball. They did lose their top two corners to the NFL last year and experienced corners are hard to replace. New defensive coordinator Doug Mallory who was previously the LSU co-defensive coordinator is taking over the defense and should get them to adjust nicely to the new defense.

Former coach Rock Long did not leave the cupboard bear and the main reason the Lobos suffered such a drop off in production from their bowl season in 2007 was because of injuries, so Locksley will have talent to work with and the Lobos will be competitive in 2009 and jumping point for the future. Their first five of seven games are against teams that went bowling last year so do not look for them to get off to a fast start.

San Diego State by Mid Major Madness

The Aztecs are coming off an extremely disappointing season in ’08 with a 2-10 record, with a lack luster defense who is not returning there star linebacker and safety for the ’09 season. Newly acquired coach Brady Hoke will be looked upon this season to turn around the last place Aztecs. Hoke is coming off a 12-2 season at Ball State and has his work cut out for him with a team who just suffered their first 10 loss season and has not had a winning season since 1998.

Although inexperienced, the Aztecs did have talent on the offensive side of the ball and with the addition of an offensive minded coach in Hoke, this could lead to great success through the air and on the ground. The offense is returning leading rusher, Atiy Henderson, reception leader Vincent Brown and Ryan Lindley at quarterback. Last year as freshman Lindley completed over 50% of his passes and threw for 16 TD’s.

If he can grow and learn under Hoke’s system, Lindley can be dangerous this year especially with the talent that surrounds him. Henderson rushed for over 500 yards last season and if linemen Ikaika Moleta, Trask Iosefa, and Peter Nelson can improve on opening up holes from last season, Henderson will hope to eclipse the 1,000 yard mark this season.

Again, if the linemen can supply time and protection to Lindley he has a couple of solid targets to throw to. Brown led the team with over 60 receptions and accumulated over 600 yards receiving. With Darren Mougey 2ot returning, veteran Robert Wallace will have to step up to be a constant number two receiver.

The defense was definitely the low point of the Aztecs team last season. They finished last in a majority of the conference defensive statistical categories, giving up on average 450 yards a game. Although the defense lost two of its stars, they are returning seven starters so the experience is in place. The question is if the defense can learn from their mistakes last season and improve upon what was an embarrassing display.

Although I do not see the Aztecs being bowl eligible this year I do believe they will improve. They have some tough road games at UCLA, Utah and Air Force, which will tell coach Hoke where this team stands in its maturing process.

TCU by Mountain West Connection

The Horned Frogs finally looked poised to get to a BCS game for the first time in school history. The schedule plays out nice with their non-conference not terribly difficult with the two big games on the road against Virginia and Clemson, and then the conference slate only has two tough games at BYU and at Air Force beyond that the games are manageable. The touted defense only returns four starters, but that defense is lead by All-American defensive end Jerry Hughes and Gary Patterson always has a good defense on his hands.

The biggest concern on defense is that the front line needs to replace three starters, with only Jerry Hughes the returning along that line. TCU also lost to all-league safeties but they do bring in junior college transfer Malcolm Williams fill one of those positions. Williams originally was an Oklahoma signee before heading to a junior college. The player to emerge as the next star for TCU is linebacker Daryl Washington who in his first start in the Poinsettia Bowl recorded six solo tackles, and is the best athlete on defense which is saying a lot since Gary Patterson puts athletes on defense.

The offense is finally in a position to potentially outshine the defense, or at least be on par with them. Andy Dalton returns for his third year as the starting quarterback. Dalton is a good quarterback but not a great quarterback, but improve his accuracy from year one to year two by decreasing his interceptions from 11 to 5. Dalton is not just a manager of the game but makes plays with his arm and his feet by having five games by passing over 200 yards in those games, and knows how to win games.

The running game for TCU does lose Aaron Brown, but they do return Joseph Turner and touted freshman Ed Wesley. Last season when Turner took the starting job while Brown was out on suspension he emerged just as good for Brown and even better in the touchdown department where Turner had 11 scores. Besides the running game being a plus for 2009 the receving corp is near the top of the Mountain West, and Jimmy Young is the star who had 988 yards last year, which was second most in school history.

Antoine Hicks originally signed with the Texas Longhorns and transferred before he ever played, and last year played in only the last two games and garnared only seven catches. 2009 should provide an increase in his production and help the team get closer to their BCS goal. Then there is do everything wide out Jeremy Kerley who takes snaps from shotgun and is an all around play maker who was able to cause havic on opposing defenses.

This TCU team is the most balananced in a long time and their offense looks to be in the upper tier of the Mountain West and with their defense as good as it usually is should be able to lead the Horned Frogs to a potential BCS bowl.

UNLV by Mountain West Connection

UNLV looks to improve of last years three win improvement and make the next step to a bowl game. It all starts with quarterback Omar Clayton who is not a Pac-10 or JUCO transfer but is rather a quarterback who came through the UNLV system. Clayton is the perfect quarterback to run Mike Sanford's spread option attack, and even though Clayton did not run too much last year he is capable of running at the correct times. Also, for a first year starter Clayton threw 18 touchdowns and only four picks.

To go along with Omary Clayton is all-world wide receiver Ryan Wolfe who last year caught 88 passes for over 1,000 yards, and six scores. 2009 will make Wolfe more of a target because the other star receiver from 2008 Casey Flair has graduated making Wolfe the man. It may be hard to improve too much off of Wolfe's number except that his touchdowns could increase.

The second receiver to take over for Casey Flair is most likely going to come from either Phillip Payne, Jerriman Robinson, and Rodelin Anthony all who played last year and it could be Payne who pulled in seven touchdowns last year. Payne could have had more production but missed the last three games because of a concussion he suffered, so if he is back and fully healthy then look for Payne to take full control over the second receiver spot.

The running back position is the biggest question mark on offense, because Frank Summers was drafted in the NFL and the early replacemnt looks to be CJ Cox who was the primary back to Summers last season. Cox only had 54 carries all year and rushed for under 191 yards, also Summer was a larger back and just ran through defenses while CJ Cox is only 5-11 and 195 pounds and is more of a speed back.

Defensively the Rebels were 104th nationally in total defense and 101st in scoring defense by allowing 32.6 points per game. So, if the defense even makes improvements to be in the top 50 defensively UNLV has the chance to continue their improvement. The secondary which was a problem last year and this year UNLV brought in four JUCO transfers and converted two quarterbacks to help shore up the safety position.

The front seven was not much better as they were 115th nationally in rush defense, and the only play maker is linebacker Jason Beauchamp and tackle Malo Taumua besides that there is nothing much on the front seven. The thinking is that the experience from last years team or the JUCO transfers will be enough to make the defense at least average.

Even with the defensive short falls the Rebels should make a bowl game and have a good chance at seven or eight wins.

Utah by Mid Major Madness

Unfortunately the Utes will have several major obstacles coming into the 2009-10 season. The first is they took a major blow during the offseason from players declaring for the NFL Draft as well as graduating seniors. The team lost Paul Kruger, Sean Smith, Brice McCain, and Freddie Brown to the pro’s meaning head coach Kyle Whittingham will have his hands full trying to find suitable replacements.

In addition to players going to the NFL Utah lost defensive coordinator Gary Andersen to become the head coach at Utah State, and then offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig who left to go to Kansas State and then ended up at Cal before the summer even ended to take the same offensive coordinator position.

The offense was hit the hardest with all of the departures. The loss of quarterback Brian Johnson and wide outs Freddie Brown and Bradon Godfrey will put a big dent in the electrifying passing game which was the key to their success just a season ago.

The group connected for a combined 1456 yards and 11 TDs. The loss of Johnson sets up a quarterback competition between Corbin Louks, Terrance Cain and Jordan Wynn, all of whom Whittingham has the out most confidence are capable of leading the team to its second perfect season in a row. Louks ended up transfering to Nevada-Reno and the current depth chart has true freshman Jordan Wynn as the number one and JUCO transfer Terrance Cain as the number two. However coach Whittingham

Another problem the offense will face is the loss of three of their linemen. This could pose as a major setback because without sufficient protection it will be extraordinarily difficult for the Utes to establish a run game or give ample time for their new quarterback to find his open target downfield.

The defensive side will undoubtedly be able to cope with the losses of key players such as Kruger, McCain, and Smith. Defense has be the staple point during Whittingham’s time in Salt Lake City. He has established one of the most respected defensive programs in the nation, which allows him to have the luxury of swapping in a new defender to take over instead of rebuilding the entire team.

The strength in the defense for the 2009-10 looks to be the linebacker core that showcases Stevenson Sylvester who led the team with 4 sacks and finished second with 73 total tackles.

Utah’s defense is a powerhouse and there is no argument about that. However the primary reason for the team’s great success last season was because the offensive production finally reached an equilibrium point with that of the defense.

This is going to be difficult to repeat in the upcoming season but it is very feasible. In order to do so they will have to beat some tough out-of-conference teams such as Oregon and Louisville as well as an even tougher in-conference schedule in which they play TCU and BYU, both of whom are ranked in the preseason top 25.

Whittingham’s standpoint on the upcoming season is to stay positive and use last year’s finish of No. 2 in the nation to help motivate his team. Although another undefeated season is unlikely, it would not surprise me at all if the team will be able to overcome the adversity and do so.

Wyoming by Vanquish the Foe

The 2008 Cowboys finished below .500 for the seventh time in the past nine years. They won only one conference game - and finished 4-8 overall. This led to the school dismissing head coach Joe Glenn after six years and hiring Dave Christensen as a replacement. Christensen was the offensive coordinator at Missouri and there oversaw the recent offensive success the Tigers had with QB Chase Daniel, WR Jeremy Maclin and TE Martin Rucker - playing in back-to-back Big 12 championships. Now, Christensen inherits a Wyoming offense that was among the worst in college football last season.

Last season the Wyoming offense averaged only 117 yards a game and had terrible inconsistency at the QB position. Three QB's - Chris Stutzriem, Dax Crum, and Karsten Sween - combined to throw 17 interceptions and just eight touchdowns, a miserable 91.7 passer rating overall. Needless to say, the QB position in Laramie has been there for the taking in 2009. ESPN's Graham Watson reported this week that JC-transfer Robert Benjamin is the current QB getting reps with the first unit in camp. Benjamin was a NJCAA Region I Offensive Player of the Year at Phoenix College last season. Sween still has a shot apparently, but look for Benjamin to start the season as the Cowboy's starter at QB.

Wyoming returns seven starters on offense and eight on defense. However, the biggest loss to the offense will be RB's Devin Moore and Wynel Seldon - each among the best rushers ever at Wyoming. Moore finished with over 1,300 yards rushing in 2008 and leaves the biggest void. On the other side of the ball the biggest loss is certainly LB Ward Dobbs. Dobbs started 40 games as a Cowboy and was All-MWC in 2008.

Defense was the team's strong suit last year and should remain so in 2009. The D-Line returns three players that have started a combined 24 games together. Two of those lineman - John Fletcher and Mitch Unrein earned MWC honors last season and are a legit force against the run. LB Weston Johnson (78 tackles in 2008) and All-MWC honorable mention free safety Chris Prosinski return also.

Wyoming has a more difficult non-conference schedule than most in the conference: they host the Texas Lonhorns on September 12th, and travel to Colorado and Florida Atlantic (tougher than it sounds). In conference play the Cowboys also have to travel to UNLV, BYU and TCU. It could be a long first year for Dave Christensen and his staff. Expect Wyoming to lose all of the above mentioned matchups. However, they should beat Weber State, and play New Mexico at home. Overall this team could wind up winning just two contests. A solid goal would be to equal the four wins of 2008. Expect them to win 3 or 4 games but for the passing game under Christensen to improve dramatically as the season progresses.

"Interview" With Frank Summers

Cory Williams — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 19:49:37 -0000

So a couple weeks ago, I sent out some messages to obtain interviews with NAU's Lance Kriesien, Stanford's Tavita Pritchard, and UNLV's Frank Summers.

Kriesien was very kind and answered the questions, and Pritchard did not respond.

As for Summers, I thought he wasn't going to respond either, but then last night at 10:37 I received a message. Checking it, it was from Frank Summers, the man himself.

I open it and it says..

GOOD LUCK AGAINST GA.....

Thanks a lot, Frank. We'll need it. I hope you enjoy bagging my groceries in a few years.

Dennis Erickson's Coaching Style Is Resonating With Me

Cory Williams — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 19:42:27 -0000

This isn't much of a news story. But I want to talk about Dennis Erickson's style and how he motivates his team.

Erickson is a "one game at a time" type of coach, focusing on the task at hand rather than looking forward to the glory games. He reminds me of a sure-handed wide receiver, in the sense that many players are thinking about their first step before they make sure they have the ball in their hands. That's when teams can sputter, when the focus isn't where it needs to be.

Erickson also is realistic, since he has been around so many teams of varying quality and depth. He knows when he has a good team, and he knows when it's not as good as it should be. He won't pump up the team's ego; if anything, he puts the team down and makes them want to prove his public comments wrong.

Here is an example from the Stats LLC preview of UNLV @ ASU:

The Sun Devils also have a major area for improvement against UNLV. ASU's goal-line offense sputtered early against Stanford, as the team settled for two short field goals and was behind 7-6 midway through the second quarter.

"We've just got a lot of work to do," Erickson said. "We're not near where we need to be to compete in our league. I just don't think we're there yet or close to it."

The Rebels (1-1) found that out about themselves the hard way last Saturday. UNLV opened its Mountain West Conference schedule with a 42-21 loss to No. 22 Utah, allowing 35 straight points to squander a 14-7 lead.

"We have to eliminate penalties and play four quarters consistently," fourth-year Rebels coach Mike Sanford said. "In reality, we have not played four good quarters of football yet."

UNLV is 7-30 under Sanford, but that hasn't stopped Erickson from sounding concerned about the Rebels. Those concerns may be well founded regarding running back Frank Summers, who had 87 yards in each of the Rebels' first two games, scoring a pair of touchdowns against Utah.

"He is about 235 pounds, and he's a beast who can really run in there," Erickson said. "They move the football and they play a good defense. They are very capable of beating us. We are a team that has to focus every week against every opponent and if we don't, then we're not going to win the game and our players know that."

Dennis Erickson is a lot of things, and our rivals like to make him out to be some sort of recruitment villain. In reality, he is just an amazing motivator who gets the best out of all his players. He's exactly the type of coach Dirk Koetter never will be, and he's exactly what ASU needed to turn the corner and become a legitimate Pac-10 Conference challenger.

Pac-10 Preview and Predictions, Week #3, Part 2

Cory Williams — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 06:13:57 -0000

The week #3 preview continues with...

Stanford Cardinal @ TCU Horned Frogs. 4:00 PM Pacific, The Mountain Network.

Stanford's weaknesses were rightly exploited by Arizona State last Saturday. The passing game is suspect, and their defense can be thrown over for big plays. We shouldn't discredit their strong running game, led by Toby Gerhart, and the consistent defensive pressure on ASU QB Rudy Carpenter.

TCU is perhaps best known as "that school LaDainian Tomlinson went to," but the Horned Frogs are no slouches. Tied for first in the Mountain West with #22 Utah and Air Force, TCU has given up a total of 10 points combined against New Mexico and Stephen F. Austin, while posting 93.

TCU QB Andy Dalton is 28/37 on the year for 251 yards. The consecutive blowout victories have given TCU the opportunity to get their backups invaluable game experience, but I get the feeling they won't be inserted in this matchup save for injuries.

The running back situation at TCU needs to be quickly looked into. The starting RB, Joseph Turner, scored 3 touchdowns against Stephen F. Austin, but only ran for 44 yards. Other running backs that made impressions were Ryan Christian and Jai Cavness, who each got 11 carries and a touchdown. It will be interesting to see how the Stanford defense deals with such intense RB rotation.

Prediction: TCU 35, Stanford 24

Continuing the preview with #3 Oklahoma Sooners @ Washington Huskies...

#3 Oklahoma Sooners @ Washington Huskies. 4:45 PM Pacific, ESPN.

Oklahoma features a dynamic offense, led by QB Sam Bradford. Bradford has really stepped into the starting QB position with poise and maturity, and already has connected with his wideouts for 7 touchdowns in two games.

Freshman WR Ryan Broyles, playing in his first game after being suspended for the first game of the season, had 7 receptions for 141 yards and 2 TDs against Cincinnati. He must be contained if Washington is to have any chance.

That being said, Washington doesn't have a chance. The Sooners have seen what the Huskies did to BYU, and they won't allow it to happen to them as well. Despite Jake Locker's best intentions, he won't be able to play big enough to keep the game close, as Washington is running with two walk-ons starting in the defensive core.

Prediction: Oklahoma 56, Washington 27

#5 Ohio State Buckeyes @ #1 USC Trojans. 5:00 PM Pacific, ABC.

The big kahuna of week #3 is Ohio State invading The Coliseum to take on the Trojans of Southern California.

We can't take OSU's close victory against Ohio as any indication of their true talent. It is entirely possible that, given the fact that USC was at home watching the game, that Jim Tressel was running a vanilla scheme in order to protect his secrets.

USC's only game this year was a blowout victory at Virginia. Once the game was in hand, Pete Carroll undoubtedly pocketed the interesting plays for Ohio State.

This sounds all so contrite. I think Ohio State is overrated and nearly lost to Ohio because they didn't show up for the first three quarters. If they don't show up for the first three minutes against USC, the game will already be over.

At the same time, if Chris "Beanie" Wells can show up at 100% and become unhinged, Ohio State may very well have the chance to shock the Trojan men. But really? Not gonna happen.

Prediction: USC 42, Ohio State 30

Arizona Wildcats @ New Mexico Lobos. 5:00 PM Pacific.

Arizona goes on the road to take on the mighty New Mexico Lobos. UNM lost to TCU 26-3 last week. Arizona has outscored opposition 111-16 this year.

This game will be more of the same, as the cupcake schedule that Mike Stoops is plowing through so far in 2008 will lead them halfway to a hugely disappointing bowl loss in mid-December.

Prediction: Arizona 54, New Mexico 13.

UNLV Runnin' Rebels @ Arizona State Sun Devils. 7:00 PM Pacific.

UNLV's best player is running back Frank Summers, so it's only natural that they be called the Runnin' Rebels. They were unable to put a scare into Utah last week, losing 42-21. The girthy Summers did collect 87 yards and 2 touchdowns, so he has to be contained by the stout defensive core of ASU.

UNLV will be unable to contain the spread offense, and the experience Rudy brings to the field is not going to be stopped by a middling MWC team.

Watch for Kerry Taylor to score another big play TD, and for Keegan Herring to continue to run the ball with purpose.

Prediction: ASU 48, UNLV 10.

Lets go Devils!