WAYNE ROOT
MILL - Oregon State
No Limit - Navy
Perfect Play - Florida State
The date is October 6th and Florida State has two losses. These are words that I wouldn't have believed before the season started. So what is Coach Fisher's game plan? Dalvin Cook is a rare talent who broke Miami’s backs the last two years. Once again, he will be highly motivated to play against his hometown team. He is likely the best player the Hurricanes will defend all season. Going one-on-one with Cook in the open field is one of the toughest physical tests in the game. The talented receiver averaged 12.2 yards per touch against UM in 2014, and 10.8 last year. Those are two of his top four performances in that stat category. The Hurricanes have played inferior teams, but they’ve beaten them soundly. FSU has played some quality opponents, but looked shaky. Florida State is angry. Jimbo Fisher is fielding questions about changing schemes and personnel, as fans call for the firing of his defensive coordinator. He’s saying the team isn’t divided, even after Cook commented last week that there’s only so much he can do.
In response, I would guess a proud senior like defensive end Demarcus Walker will have one of his best performances, especially since he’ll be going against a group of Miami offensive tackles which hasn’t been impressive so far. This game calls for desperate measures to be taken. It seems like just four weeks ago, many thought Florida St was the #2 team in the country. Today we see that team.
Inner Circle - Virginia Tech
After getting an extra week to prepare for the North Carolina Tar Heels, Virginia Tech goes into Kenan Stadium and pulls off the upset. So much for that brand new top 25 entry. Even though they defeated Florida St last game, the Tar Heels have another important battle this week. This game is perhaps even more vital in their efforts to repeat as Coastal Division champs. Division foe Virginia Tech invades Chapel Hill and after fumbling away a game against Tennessee, the Hokies have blown out Boston College and East Carolina, leading to a No. 25 ranking. A key for Carolina is that RB Elijah Hood suffered an injury last week. The junior from Charlotte left the game against Florida State in the first half with an undisclosed injury. The Tar Heel offense has been carried by QB Mitch Trubisky and the receivers so far this season, as the unit has averaged only 136 yards per game on the ground. But against a team like Virginia Tech that has considerable defensive talent, North Carolina will need to achieve some offensive balance. Rushing against North Carolina is the Hokies game plan. North Carolina gave up more than 200 rushing yards last week and currently sit at No. 116 nationally in rush defense. In a nut shell, The Hokies have rushed for nearly 200 yards per game, so UNC will have to be wary of Virginia Tech running back Travon McMillian. Quarterback Jerod Evans, who’s gotten off to a great start throwing the football, is a major rushing threat as well. If Virginia Tech has success on the ground, its offense will be difficult to stop.
Oregon ............ Pinny Game of the Year
WOW! That describes the beating that Washington put on Stanford last week. They celebrated all week. But not so fast Huskies. Now you travel to a place where you've not only lost 12 straight games but the closes loss was by 17 points. And there's more Mr Washington. Oregon beat you on your turf last year 26-20. Look for more of the same. Now you get to travel to meet the Ducks laying a lot of points on the road. Quack-Quack they are laying in wait. The Ducks have scored at least 32 points in every game this season, so the offense should provide a challenge for the Husky defense. Running back Royce Freeman had 138 yards and three touchdowns against Washington State to pass Kenjon Barner and move into second place in school history with 3,664 rushing yards. Freeman has rushed for 307 yards in two previous meetings with Washington. Our scouting reports have reported that Justin Herbert will be the Quarterback starting against the Huskies. That should be advantageous to Oregon as Dakota Prukop has been ineffective thus season. Herbert is the future for Oregon and Washington's lack of game film on Herbert might give the Ducks an edge. Oregon's offensive shake-up could catch the Huskies off guard, much in the same way Arizona was able two weeks ago. The point spread should increase so it is best to bet this game as late as possible for added value. Oregon is struggling but it's nice to know that this game has righted the ship over and over.