THE GOLD SHEET
PRO FOOTBALL
*Houston 24 - JACKSONVILLE 17—With three wins in its last four, it’s too
bad Jax didn’t begin ascending a couple of weeks sooner, which might have
put the Jags in the "wild" AFC wildcard race. Which does not include
Houston, with no SU wins since baseball season and now holding a narrow
lead over Atlanta as the NFL’s most disappointing 2013 entry. But their nearmiss
vs. N.E. suggests the Texans have yet to throw in the towel, and Case
Keenum looks more like an NFL QB when helped by a ground force, which Ben
Tate provided with 102 YR vs. the Pats after missing most of the Nov. 24 loss
to the Jags with a rib injury. How long can Jax count on Chad Henne’s recent mostly error-free form? TV—NFL NETWORK
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
*CINCINNATI 28 - Louisville 26—Have utmost respect for nationallyranked
L’Ville, but prefer to take about a FG with sizzling Cincy, gunning for its
7th straight victory in this battle for a possible BCS bowl (if UCF loses at SMU).
Bearcats’ groovin’ 6th-year sr. QB Brandon Kay (70.3%; 2797 YP, 22 TDs)—
operating behind a stone-wall OL (only 11 sacks allowed on 392 pass
attempts!)—well-equipped to outduel Cards’ NFL-ready QB Teddy
Bridgewater, who has generated only 22 ppg his last two outings. Since
Cincy’s unsightly 45-17 setback at Illinois back in early Sept., the gangtackling
Bearcat defense (yielding only 3.0 ypc) has permitted a meager 15
ppg, which is comparable to Cards’ 12 ppg allowance. This is the toughest
road game (by far) for Charlie Strong’s overvalued squad, which is only 1-6
vs. spread last 7. Note, confident Cincy 9-3 as a home dog since 2004 (4-0
since 2007!). TV—ESPN