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| Friday, November 3 Vick or no Vick, Va. Tech-Miami will be wild By Rod Gilmore Special to ESPN.com | ||||||||
| Michael Vick or no Michael Vick, this is going to be a great weekend of games. Here's a look at a few of the best ones.
No. 2 Virginia Tech at No. 3 Miami This was supposed to be the game where Michael Vick would win or lose the Heisman Trophy. However, Vick might not even play due to a sprained right ankle he suffered last week. But the game itself is bigger than the chase for the Heisman. It is also Week Two in the defacto playoff system college football has to determine who will play in the Orange Bowl for the National Championship. If Vick's replacement Dave Meyer gets in the game, expect VirginiaTech to feature the running game with Lee Suggs and FB Jarrett Ferguson. The Hokies are No. 4 in the country in rushing with 280 yards per game. Expect coach Frank Beamer to rely on his offensive line as he did late in the Pittsburgh game. Meyer is a good deep passer, so the Hokies should throw deep often. However, if Vick plays, the sprained ankle will limit his mobility. He may be fine running straight ahead, but he'll have more trouble trying to scramble and creating those highlight moves and runs. Explosion plays on special teams will be very important in this game. Virginia Tech is the best in this department, but Miami can make some plays on special teams too. Santana Moss has taken punts back for TDs the last two weeks. If the Hokies kick one ball to him Saturday, someone should question their sanity. But don't you want to see Moss try to take one back against Beamer's Boys? Ego may not let VirginiaTech kick the ball away from Moss. Miami is getting dogged by the BCS. The computers have ranked Miami behind Florida State even though the Canes knocked off the Seminoles. This is just flat out wrong and casts doubt on the credibility of the BCS. However, a win over Virginia Tech should right this wrong. But the Hokies are good enough defensively to knock off Miami. No. 10 Clemson at No. 4 FSU
This is a huge game for bowl positioning purposes. Yes, both teams are still alive in the Rose Bowl hunt, but Purdue would have to stumble in order for either one to get to Pasadena. However, Michigan would be a very attractive At-Large team for the BCS if the Wolverines win out and don't go to the Rose Bowl. That would leave Michigan at 9-2, with a likely top 10 ranking and very attractive players in Drew Henson, David Terrell and Anthony Thomas. Thus, Michigan really needs this game. But Northwestern seems to be having a charmed season, as evidenced by the Hail Mary game winning TD catch last week. The key in this game is whether Michigan can keep Damien Anderson in check. Although Northwestern uses a spread offense, the goal is to run the ball -- not pass it. Northwestern averages 256 yards a game on the ground (7th in the country), and Anderson has already run for 1,335 yards. If Michigan can't slow Anderson down, the Wildcats will score a lot of points. Michigan has only given up 13 points per game, but teams have moved the ball effectively against them. This one should be fun to watch. No. 14 Oregon State at California In a couple weeks, Oregon State is heading towards a showdown with Oregon in the annual Civil War. That game will likely decide the Pac-10 Championship. Dennis Erickson's name has been linked to other head coaching job possibilities, such as USC. This is all pretty heady stuff for a program unaccustomed to being in the spotlight. It's the perfect time for the Beavers to overlook California. Tom Holmoe has the Bears playing at a high level, and they are finally learning how to win. The Bears knocked off UCLA and USC, and have shown great strides on offense. Much of that is due to RB Joe Igber, Cal's best offensive player. Igber leads the Bears in rushing with a 4.6 yard per carry average, and is also the leading receiver with 17 -- that tells you how little production the Bears have had from their wide receivers. In order to avoid an upset, the Beavers must contain Igber and deal with a California defense that is better than its mediocre statistics indicate. The Beavers will have trouble with Cal's defensive line, particularly Jacob Waasdorp and Andre Carter. Don't be surprised if the Bears pull off an upset. Kansas at No. 6 Nebraska How Nebraska responds to the Oklahoma loss is the question in this game. There will be two things to keep an eye on: first, can Nebraska regain a little swagger and run the ball? Also, after Nebraska gets ahead, check out whether they work on their passing game. Bobby Newcombe has to be the most frustrated guy on the team. He just doesn't get the ball anymore. Nebraska will do some things this week to get him more involved because they will need him the remainder of the season. Kansas is in a tough spot. The Jayhawks are sitting at 4-4 and must win 2 of their next 3 to become bowl eligible. They face Nebraska, Texas and Iowa State and that's a tough road for anyone. KU doesn't have the athletes to pull off the same kind of performance against Nebraska as Oklahoma did. KU will need to force some turnovers and get an early lead. That might force Eric Crouch into more passing situations, which is not good for Nebraska. | ALSO SEE Canes looking to reclaim Big East Stakes are high in Bowden Bowl II Fowler: Don't count out the Hokies yet | |||||||
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