Hurricanes and Hokies

Type/Last Week/Season
NCAA/2-0/9-4
NFL/2-4/14-15-1
Invest/-2*/-4.7*

INVEST
Somehow the Bengals were only able to turn 5 interceptions of Packers QB Brett Favre into 21 points.. no missed field goals, only 1 turnover of their own, 22 offensive first downs, ouch. Cincinnat is 3-for-3 in intercepting NFC North QB’s 5 times this season; I’ll be looking for a proposition when they play the Lions to make it 4 for 4 with Joey Harrington back at the helm for an injured Jeff Garcia!

SATURDAY (All Times ET)
**7:45 ESPN HD. #6 Miami 17 (+6 ½) #3 Virginia Tech 20. The Hurricanes have rebounded from the opening 10-7 loss to Florida State to climb to the highest ranking of the 1-loss teams. QB Kyle Wright posted solid passing stats after the FSU game until last week against North Carolina, but I attribute that to the Notre-Dame style alternate gold-green uniforms the Canes wore. Virginia Tech QB Marcus Vick is leading a balanced attack, and is more disciplined in the pocket than his brother, Michael. The Hokies haven’t had a close game since their opening game against N.C. State (20-16) but the Hurricanes defense will be their toughest test of the season to date.

#1 USC faces Stanford at 7:00 on TBS. The Cardinal had undefeated UCLA on the ropes last week (ahead 24-3 with 8 minutes to play) but couldn’t hold the lead, losing 30-27 in overtime. #2 Texas is at Baylor, #4 Alabama visits Mississippi State (3:30 CBS), and #5 UCLA visits Arizona in non-national TV games in conference play.

SUNDAY
1:00 FOX HD Carolina (-1 ½) 22 Tampa Bay 10. Chris Simms replaced Brian Griese (knee injury) at QB and the Bucs lost to the Division I-A 49ers last week. The Panthers only beat the Lions by 1 on the road a few weeks ago, but QB Jake Delhomme will limit his TD passes to Carolina players this week. Tampa Bay needs to get RB Cadillac Williams healthy… then evaluate QB Chris Simms’ play.

1:00 CBS HD Oakland 26 (+4 ½) Kansas City 24. The Chiefs’ offense isn’t in gear this season and the Raiders have found the key component to their offense… run the ball with RB Lamont Jordan. It’s too bad for CBS that the 49ers are at home and they can’t move the start time of this game to the 4:15 doubleheader slot. There is one national game on the CBS schedule: 1-6 Green Bay hosting 5-2 Pittsburgh, which will be without starting QB Ben Roethlisberger (knee surgery).

7:30 ESPN HD NFL PrimeTime Washington 27 (-3) Philadelphia 22. The Redskins played poorly last week in New York, but the Eagles did the same in Denver. QB Donovan McNabb started 0-12 with 1 interception. McNabb scrambled once and RB Brian Westbrook had 1 carry while the Broncos jumped out to a 28-0 lead. I would have loved to have seen a montage of the incompletes on PrimeTime! The Eagles are battling through injuries to McNabb (ribs, hernia) and WR Terrell Owens (ankle). I wonder if the fans in Philly have adopted Bostonian’s “That’s Manny being Manny” with respect to T.O. This week’s press comments by Owens about his injuries, McNabb, Brett Favre, etc. might just be the way he expresses his frustrations, but it isn’t that entertaining. T.O. certainly sounds like a kindergartner. Owens has always played at a top level, and McNabb still throws to him because he values winning above T.O.’s public antics. The Eagles need to get things in order on the defensive side of the football. The Redskins played horribly in the Meadowlands last week against a super-charged Giants team. They will be jacked up for this one, playing at home on national TV under the lights. RBs Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts should be able to run successfully against the Eagles; and WR Santana Moss is outperforming every WR not named Steve Smith in the NFC this season.

9:00 ABC HD New England 30 (+3) Indianapolis 24. The Colts haven’t gotten this monkey off of their backs yet. They’re 7-0 but have faced only 1 quality opponent (Jacksonville) while the 4-3 Patriots faced Carolina, Pittsburgh, San Diego, Atlanta, and Denver… in succession. Indy QB Peyton Manning hasn’t won in New England and while this Patriots defense isn’t Super Bowl caliber right now, it will be physical in the all over the field. Manning tends to throw the ball into the middle of the field late against the Patriots… a huge mistake with playmakers like LB Tedy Bruschi and S Rodney Harrison in coverage. Even though Harrison is out with a knee injury, his replacement will know to watch the middle of the field late. Those have been key components of New England’s strategy through the years in this rivalry, and I’m picking the Patriots until the Colts win one of these games on the field. The Packers didn’t beat the Troy-Emmitt-Michael Cowboys of the ‘90s… they won the Super Bowl after Carolina took out a weakened Dallas squad. The Colts might need that assistance this season… the Patriots might end up as the #3 or #4 seed in the playoffs this season.