Huskies look for win against Bowling Green
Who was the idiot that referred to Oklahoma as the mostoverrated team in the country during preseason?
The Daily Campus should never let him write again. Heclearly has no idea what he is talking about.
Actually, I am the guilty one. I am the idiot.
Now I’m sold on Sooner football; the Texas gamewasn’t a fluke.
Oklahoma made a statement last week when it destroyed then 24th-ranked Missouri: “We are for real; get out of our way or getrun over.”
This team has it all. The offense is efficient, to say theleast. They average 45.7 points and 315.6 passing yards per game.Wow! This was supposed to be a running team. The defense is a brickwall; they allow only 14.4 points per game. That’s a 31.3point differential for those of you who aren’t math majors.Their special teams are more dangerous than Maverick was in TopGun.
Antonio Perkins has returned four punts for touchdowns thisyear, tying an NCAA record.
They have the best football coach on the planet in Bob Stoops.Can this team possibly lose? In a word, yes.
No matter how good a team is, they don’t always bringtheir “A” game to the table. One or two times thisyear, they will play a little sluggish and the ball won’tbounce their way. The question then becomes: Can the Sooners winwhen they don’t play their best?
It depends who they do it against. If they don’t comeready to play against Baylor, it really won’t matter; one ofthe Olsen twins could quarterback them to a victory.
However, if they don’t show up against Texas Tech orOklahoma State, things could get interesting. Both of these gamespose potential threats for OU.
The Texas Tech offense is hard to stop and OSU has beaten theSooners two years in a row. However, in the end, it doesn’tmatter.
The only team that could possibly beat Oklahoma this year isOklahoma, and Bob Stoops won’t let that happen.
All fans of the Crimson and Cream can start basking in glory andgetting plane tickets to New Orleans. They will be heading to theSugar Bowl.
The Big Game
Northern Illinois at Bowling Green
Who would have thought this was going to be a game with BowlChampionship Series implications? In fact, this is so big that ithas drawn the attention of ESPN’s College Gameday.
This is the first time two ranked teams from the Mid-AmericanConference have played each other in nearly thirty years.
Northern Illinois’ keys to victory
Give it to Turner. Give it to Turner. Give it to Turner. Thatpretty much sums up how the Huskies will start this game. They willgive the ball to their all-American runner Michael “TheBurner” Turner. He ran for 929 yards and scored sixtouchdowns in only seven games. A big time performance here couldput him smack in the middle of the Heisman trophy race.
However, don’t be fooled by the hype surrounding therunning game; the Huskies can throw, too. Once they haveestablished Turner, they will look to the pass-catch combination ofjunior quarterback Josh Haldi and senior receiver P.J. Fleck.
Haldi has thrown for over 1,500 yards and 14 touchdowns, whileFleck has received for over 600 yards and has scored fourtouchdowns.
If Northern Illinois wants to stay undefeated, the offense willhave to score a lot of points as Bowling Green boasts one of thenation’s most high-powered offenses.
Bowling Green’s keys to victory
The Falcons come into this game with a 6-1 record scoring 36.1points per contest. Their one loss came at the hands of thedefending national champions, the Ohio State Buckeyes. Needless tosay, this team can stay on the field with the Huskies.
They are going to come out passing. Senior quarterback JoshHarris is going to spread the field out with four and five receiversets. This should enable the fast receivers for Bowling Green toget one-on-one match-ups with the linebackers. If this happens,look for some big plays early.
When Northern Illinois adjusts with nickel-and-dime packages inthe secondary, the Falcons will run the ball with sophomore P.J.Pope.
If Bowling Green can manipulate the Northern Illinois defenselike this, they could surprise the Huskies.
These two teams appear to be evenly matched statistically, eventhough the Huskies get all the hype. Look for a close game with thehome team pulling out the win.
Prediction: Bowling Green wins 27-23.
Notes
LSU hosts the resurgent Auburn Tigers. After being left for deadwith an 0-2 start, Auburn has rallied to win its last five games,and Cadillac Williams has put himself in the Heisman race. Thisgame has huge implications as the winner has the inside track tothe SEC West title. Auburn has been too tough lately and head coachTommy Tubberville has his team playing with a chip on its shoulder.Look for Auburn to go into Death Valley and get the win.
Purdue travels to Ann Arbor to take on Michigan. The Wolverinesdesperately need a win to stay in the hunt for the Big Tenchampionship. Look for Michigan running back Chris Perry to have abig day and the Maize and Blue to come away with a win.
