SEC Week 8 Discussion

[FONT=&quot]Alabama Crimson Tide 49, Tennessee Volunteers 10[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Here are the biggest takeaways and highest-graded players from Alabama’s 49-10 win over Tennessee.[/FONT]
[h=3]Alabama Crimson Tide[/h][FONT=&quot]Quarterback grade: Jalen Hurts, 69.8[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Hurts struggles through the air but does it all on the ground[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]If you look solely at his passing performance, it’s not a pretty sight for Alabama freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts. His accuracy was all over the place, and he threw a wobbly crossing route with 10:25 remaining in the second quarter that was one of the ugliest off-target passes you will ever see. As a runner, however, Hurts was on the complete opposite end of the scale. He averaged 14.3 yards per carry on 10 designed runs, and broke two tackles.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Top offensive grades:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]C Bradley Bozema, 82.5[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]RG Lester Cotton, 77.7[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]WR ArDarius Stewart, 77.2[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]RT Jonah Williams, 76.1[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]LG Ross Pierschbacher, 73.7[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Bama’s offensive line dominates[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]If 2015 Heisman-winning Bama running back Derrick Henry would have been running through holes like the ones created by the Tide offensive line Saturday a season ago, 3,000 yards wouldn’t have been out of his reach. Alabama runners averaged a ridiculous 4.9 yards before contact and totaled 235 such yards on the day. Right guard Lester Cotton was particularly impressive, as he bulldozed the Tennessee defensive tackles into the dirt on multiple ocassions.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Top defensive grades:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]DT Jonathan Allen, 88.5[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]S Ronnie Harrison, 85.9[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]LB Shaun Dion Hamilton, 84.4[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]DT Dalvin Tomlinson, 83.2[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]OLB Ryan Anderson, 82.8[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]No weaknesses for Tennessee to exploit in Tide’s defense[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]All three levels of the Alabama defense came to play in this one. The defensive line pressured opposing quarterbacks on 18 of their 34 dropbacks, the linebackers didn’t miss a single tackle while combining for eight stops, and the secondary broke up three passes to go along with a pick-six. Cornerback Minkah Fitzpatrick was the only starter to finish the day with a below-average grade.[/FONT]
[h=3]Tennessee Volunteers[/h][FONT=&quot]Quarterback grade: Joshua Dobbs, 61.3[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Nothing downfield for Dobbs[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The underneath passing game is a fantastic tool for teams when the run game is working and you’re in favorable down and distances. When that’s not the case, however, a quarterback has to prove he can throw the ball accurately down the field, and Joshua Dobbs proved once again on Saturday that that’s not his strong suit. The Tennessee QB was 2-of-7 on passes targeted 10-plus yards downfield for a total of 30 yards.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Top offensive grades:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]TE Ethan Wolf, 70.1[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]WR Josh Malone, 70.0[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]WR Jauan Jennings, 67.0[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]WR Josh Smith, 65.2[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]RB John Kelly, 61.5[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Star running backs Kamara and Hurd shut down[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]In a game where Tennessee absolutely had to have their star running backs Alvin Kamara and Jalen Hurd come up big, both were shut down worse than they had been all season. They combined for 49 yards on 21 carries and only one broken tackle. A good deal of that could be put on the offensive line, but there were a handful of times each had space in which to work and couldn’t create against the Alabama linebackers and safeties.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Top defensive grades:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]CB Emmanuel Moseley, 75.8[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]DE Derek Barnett, 75.7[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]CB Rashaan Gaulden, 72.0[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]DT Shy Tuttle, 69.2[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]LB Elliott Berry, 68.2[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Vols defense struggles to defend the run[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Tennessee’s contain players and unblocked edge men on option running plays had trouble versus Alabama all day long Saturday. Bama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin installed an interesting wrinkle to the traditional zone-read play that sent the Volunteers’ defense reeling. He flipped the reads so that the inside-zone blocking set up for the quarterback, while the running back would be running free towards the edge. Defensive end Corey Vereen got suckered on it multiple times, and it led to big gains. Tennessee gave up 170 yards on 22 carries that hit well wide of the tackles.[/FONT]
 
[FONT=&quot]North Carolina Tar Heels 20, Miami (FL) Hurricanes 13[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Here are the biggest takeaways and highest-graded players from North Carolina’s 20-13 victory over Miami.[/FONT]
[h=3]North Carolina Tar Heels[/h][FONT=&quot]Quarterback grade: Mitch Trubisky, 73.1[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Trubisky bounces back[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]After struggling mightily last week, Trubisky righted the ship down in Miami. Trubisky was able to throw from a clean pocket for most of the night – experiencing pressure on just 10 of his 50 dropbacks – and he was masterful when given time, completing 31 of 40 attempts for 264 yards, a pair of touchdowns and a 110.8 QB rating; when the Hurricane’s were able to disrupt his pocket he was just three of seven for 53 yards to go with a 69.3 QB rating.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Top offensive grades:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]T Bentley Spain, 75.3
QB Mitch Trubisky, 73.1
C Lucas Crowley, 71.5
WR Bug Howard, 69.3WR Mack Hollins, 68.7[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Offense does just enough to win[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Some games you don’t have to be great to win, you just can’t be as bad as your opponent — and that was North Carolina’s offense down in Florida. The offensive line had a good game in pass protection, allowing just six total pressures between them; but no members from the unit stood out as having an impact performance as a run blocker and the unit shot itself in the foot repeatedly with false start penalties. Bug Howard had a productive day catching the football, hauling in 10 of 12 targets for 156 yards. Opposite of him, Ryan Switzer was also active, seeing 14 targets on the game and catching nine of them. He gained a total of just 18 yards on those nine catches and also had a pair of drops.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Top defensive grades:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]CB M.J. Stewart, 87.9
DI Nazair Jones, 80.2
ED Malik Carney, 78.2
LB Ayden Bonilla, 77.0
S Dominiquie Green, 77.0[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Standout performances on all three levels[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Nazair Jones was a force in the middle of the defense against the fun, finishing the game with a very nice 82.0 run defense grade while also tallying two hits on just 19 pass rush attempts. Malik Carney led the defense with an 83.1 run defense grade – all five of his tackles qualified as a stop (a stop is a solo tackle which constitutes as a loss for the offense, given the situation) – and he also all but wrapped up the game with his strip sack in the final few minutes of the game. In the coverage game, M.J. Stewart led the Tar Heels by allowing just one of the five balls that was thrown in his direction to be caught, and that pass resulted in a nine yard loss for the Hurricanes; Stewart also had one pass defense and Brad Kaaya had just a 39.6 QB rating when throwing at him. Kaaya was able to pick on LB Andre Smith though – that is, until Smith was ejected in the second half on a targeting penalty – completing six of eight passes for 110 yards and a 116.7 QB rating when throwing at Smith’s receiver.[/FONT]
[h=3]Miami Hurricanes[/h][FONT=&quot]QB Grade: Brad Kaaya, 58.8[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Kaaya unable to move ball downfield[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Outside of the fumble he lost the last time the Hurricanes had the ball, QB Brad Kaaya really didn’t do anything to cost his team from winning this football game — but at the same time he didn’t do anything to elevate their chances of winning, either. Kaaya was unable to capitalize on anything in the intermediate-to-deep range. When throwing the ball at least 10 yards in the air on Saturday, Kaaya was just one of seven for a total of 30 yards.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Top offensive grades:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]HB Joseph Yearby, 67.5
G Danny Isidora, 64.5
TE Christopher Herndon IV, 60.5
TE David Njoku, 60.3
HB Mark Walton, 55.9[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Offense doesn’t show up versus North Carolina[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]There aren’t many positive things to say about the Hurricanes’ offensive performance this weekend. The offensive line held its own during pass-protection, allowing just five total pressures with all five of those being split up between LT Trevor Darling and LG Kc McDermott. However, they were dominated in the trenches by Carolina when they tried to keep the ball on the ground — not a single offensive linemen graded positively as a run-blocker. Kaaya also received little help from his receivers, who combined to drop four passes.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Top defensive grades:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]CB Corn Elder, 85.0
DI RJ McIntosh, 77.8
CB Adrian Colbert, 73.6
LB Shaquille Quarterman, 75.5
LB Michael Pinckney, 70.7[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Corn Elder turns in another spectacular performance[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Elder finished the game with his top overall grade of the season, and that’s saying something considering he’s now finished every game this year with an above-average overall grade. The Hurricanes’ star CB did allow seven receptions on 10 targets, but he limited the production on those seven receptions to just 27 total yards and he didn’t allow a single reception to go for more than seven yards. Elder led the team with 13 tackles and nine stops and he also had a sack on a well-timed blitz. Elder is now tied for fourth– with Desmond King from Iowa – among all Power-5 draft-eligible cornerbacks with allowing just 0.57 yards per coverage snap[/FONT]
 
[FONT=&quot]Clemson Tigers 24, NC State Wolfpack 17[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Here are the top takeaways and highest-graded players from Clemson’s 24-17 win over NC State.[/FONT]
[h=3]Clemson Tigers[/h][FONT=&quot]Quarterback grade: Deshaun Watson, 68.7[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Watson finishes strong after inaccurate start[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]It wasn’t the sharpest day throwing the ball for Watson, who missed a number of throws and even on his completions, threw the ball with less-than-ideal ball location. Perhaps most concerning was the pick-six at the start of the second half as he misread the coverage and threw the ball directly to Mike Steven, and overthrew a post in the second quarter that was dropped by NC State safety Shawn Boone. There was still plenty of good, including a strong run for a touchdown and an anticipation-post route early in the fourth quarter that hit WR Mike Williams in stride. Expectations are always high for Watson and this wasn’t his finest outing overall.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Top offensive grades[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]RT Jake Fuhmorgen 74.0
LG Tyrone Crowder 71.2
TE Jordan Leggett 70.5
C Jay Guillermo 69.7
WR Mike Williams 68.4[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Offense has few bright spots[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]There weren’t a lot of top performances on the offensive side, as WR Mike Williams would be much higher on the list had he not fumbled in the third quarter. He was Watson’s go-to guy and caught 12 of his 16 targets for 146 yards and a score. After running back Wayne Gallman went down to injury after only two carries, RB C.J. Fuller found little room to run and even Watson had to fight for every yard in the designed run game. RT Jake Fruhmorgen deserves credit for posting his top grade of the season at 74.0.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Top defensive grades[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]CB Ryan Carter 82.6
CB Marcus Edmond 82.5
ED Christian Wilkins 82.5
DI Carlos Watkins 81.9
S Jadar Johnson 78.9[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Clemson wins up front and on the back end[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Carlos Watkins and Christian Wilkins set the tone up front as neither player was blocked often in the run game and Watkins had his best pass-rushing game of the season with two sacks, two QB hits and a hurry on 39 rushes. Wilkins has taken to more of an edge role in impressive fashion this season and he led the team with four stops to go with a rushing first down on the fake punt. The Clemson cornerbacks played well as Marcus Edmond hauled in the game-ending interception in overtime while Ryan Carter allowed only four receptions on 10 targets to go with two passes defensed. Potential first-round pick Cordrea Tankersley played tight coverage for much of the afternoon but did get called for a holding penalty.[/FONT]
[h=3]NC State Wolfpack[/h][FONT=&quot]Quarterback grade: Ryan Finley, 64.6[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Inaccuracy and game-ending interception story of the game for Finley[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]After taking good care of the ball during the first part of the season, Finley was playing with fire for much of the game Saturday and it came back to bite on the final play of the season as he floated a post route for the game-ending interception. He misread coverage early in the game and got away with a dropped interception by CB Ryan Carter and floated another sideline pass against cover-2 that was nearly picked off as well. Finley’s game was marred with inaccuracy early on, but he does deserve credit for a strong finish leading up to overtime, including two keep passes that were dropped.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Top offensive grades[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]TE Jaylen Samuels 75.8
RB Matthew Dayes 74.8
WR Kelvin Harmon 70.3
TE Cole Cook 69.8
QB Ryan Finley 64.6[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Offensive line struggles, Samuels and Dayes carry the offense[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]In addition to the many false start penalties, the offensive line was hit or miss in the running game and they were protected by a quick passing game. TE Jalen Samuels did his usual work making plays all over the field as he lined up in the slot, at tight end and in the backfield to catch his eight passes for 100 yards. RB Matthew Dayes maximized his blocking showing good burst and decisive running in NC State’s zone-heavy scheme.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Top defensive grades[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]CB Dravious Wright 87.5
ED Bradley Chubb 79.5
S Shawn Boone 78.6
CB Mike Stevens 78.1
CB Niles Clark 76.9[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Wright leads the way as NC State’s defense nearly leads the upset[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]It was an impressive effort by NC State’s defense against the multitude of playmakers that Clemson brings to the table. CB Dravious Wright was a one-man show as he forced a fumble on RB Wayne Gallman before later forcing and recovering a fumble on the goal line. CB Mike Stevens had a pock-6 and got his hands on two other passes. On the edge, Bradley Chubb continued his strong season with two QB hits and three hurries on his 40 rushes while also showing well against the run.[/FONT]
 
[FONT=&quot]Ohio State Buckeyes 30, Wisconsin Badgers 23 (OT)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Here are the top takeaways and highest-graded players from Ohio State’s 30-23 overtime win over Wisconsin:[/FONT]
[h=3]Ohio State Buckeyes[/h][FONT=&quot]Quarterback grade: J.T. Barrett, 75.3[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Wisconsin’s linebackers did a solid job of containing Ohio State’s running backs, but on both designed runs and scrambles, Buckeyes quarterback J.T. Barrett was able to evade defenders and come up with the key plays to add an extra dimension that Wisconsin couldn’t quite cope with. Barrett was able to provide timely plays in the clutch, both when Ohio State was trailing late in the game and in overtime that made Barrett the difference-maker in this game. Barrett’s strongest area of the field to throw to was outside the right numbers, where he went 7-of-10 for 142 yards, including his overtime TD pass to Noah Brown.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Top offensive grades:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]C Pat Elflein, 83.1[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]WR Noah Brown, 71.1[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]RB Curtis Samuel, 70.6[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]RG Billy Price, 69.4[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]RB Mike Weber, 63.4[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Elflein controls the middle for Ohio State[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]After two impressive seasons at left guard for the Buckeyes, Pat Elflein has slid down to the center spot almost seamlessly, producing his best play as Big Ten conference games have gotten up and running in the last three weeks. Elflein had his best game of the season Saturday night, dominating Wisconsin nose tackle Olive Sagapolu, with his blocking paving the way for Ohio State’s ball-carriers to gain 4.1 yards per carry through the A-gaps (either side of the center) while they gained only 2.7 yards per carry on rushes off guard. Aside from Elflein’s power through the middle, the Buckeyes relied largely on speed plays to the edge, gaining 25 percent of their rushing yards on runs wide off end, often away from the blocking on inverted read plays.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Top defensive grades:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]CB Gareon Conley, 83.5[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]DE Sam Hubbard, 81.8[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]DE Nick Bosa, 81.7[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]DE Jalyn Holmes, 74.6[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]DE Tyquan Lewis, 71.7[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Defensive ends deliver the pressure[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Replacing a defensive end of the caliber of Joey Bosa — the No. 3 overall pick of San Diego’s who has played very well in his two games so far — is no small task, but replacing one man with a group helps spread the load, and Ohio State’s corps of defensive ends all stood up to be counted last night. Each of Tyquan Lewis, Jalyn Holmes, Sam Hubbard and Nick Bosa recorded at least four total pressures and multiple hits or sacks on Wisconsin’s quarterback. Bosa led the way with seven pressures, taking his season total to 18 on only 77 pass rushes; he trails only Boston College’s Harold Landry (18.9) among 4-3 defensive ends in our pass-rushing productivity metric at 17.5. One of the players capitalizing on that pressure was CB Gareon Conley, who allowed his first completion since Week 2, but more than made up for that with his second interception and fifth pass breakup of the season.[/FONT]
[h=3]Wisconsin Badgers[/h][FONT=&quot]Quarterback grade: Alex Hornibrook, 68.1[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]This was a stronger outing for Badgers QB Alex Hornibrook than he produced against Michigan at the Big House prior to Wisconsin’s bye week. He hit on some big plays down the field, including a well-placed pass for a 30-yard gain to TE Troy Fumagalli to set up one of Wisconsin’s field goals in the second quarter. However, the down-to-down consistency was not there from him to elevate the Badgers and deliver the big plays in the clutch. His velocity and pass placement allowed Ohio State’s defensive backs to make plays on the ball and recover at times when they had allowed separation. Ultimately, Hornibrook’s subpar down-to-down play ensured that the big plays weren’t enough to carry Wisconsin to victory.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Top offensive grades:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]TE Troy Fumagalli, 76.4[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]LT Ryan Ramczyk, 73.6[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]C Brett Connors, 68.3[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]WR Robert Wheelwright, 66.9[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]RB Corey Clement, 63.1[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Badgers offense comes up short in OT[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The Wisconsin offensive line struggled against Michigan, providing their running backs with only 0.55 yards per carry before contact, but this week they bounced back with Wisconsin’s running backs getting 1.57 yards per carry before contact. That strong showing, particularly from the likes of LT Ryan Ramczyk, didn’t extend to overtime, however, with the Badgers failing to gain a single yard on three carries and surrendering pressure to Hornibrook on all three dropbacks. Ramczyk in particular struggled in the extra session, missing two run blocks and surrendering pressure to Bosa on Hornibrook’s second-down throwaway. The Wisconsin offensive line answered their critics in this game, until the game’s decisive drive.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Top defensive grades:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]ILB Jack Cichy, 84.5[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]S D’Cota Dixon, 82.5[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]OLB T.J. Watt, 81.3[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]S Leo Musso, 75.4[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]CB Derrick Tindal, 73.7[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Cichy powers Wisconsin’s defense[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Once again playing without excellent outside linebacker Vince Biegel due to injury, the Wisconsin defense was led by inside linebacker Jack Cichy, who recorded a game-high seven defensive stops, comfortably outplaying Ohio State’s more heralded linebacker Raekwon McMillan. Cichy and outside linebacker T.J. Watt were the strength of the Wisconsin run defense in particular, with NT Olive Sagapolu struggling to hold up at the point of attack against Ohio State’s offensive line. Safety D’Cota Dixon put in a strong performance for the second game in a row, including his first interception since Week 1, after an inconsistent beginning to his first season as a starter.[/FONT]
 
[FONT=&quot]Here are the top-graded players and biggest storylines from Louisville’s 24-14 win over Duke:[/FONT]
[h=3]Louisville Cardinals[/h][FONT=&quot]Quarterback grade: Lamar Jackson, 72.3[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Lamar Jackson’s Heisman campaign took a serious hit Friday night, as his passing was average at best, and his tendency to keep the ball (especially in the first half) instead of handing off when the free man on the edge stayed home really bogged down the offense. He completed just two of nine attempts at least 10 yards through the air from the line of scrimmage, as he repeatedly threw passes into the dirt well-short of his targets.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Top offensive grades:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]OT Lukayus McNeil, 77.4
RB Jeremy Smith, 72.4
QB Lamar Jackson, 72.3
WR Jamari Staples, 72.1
OT Geron Christian, 72.0[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Jeremy Smith saves the day with spectacular second half TD run[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]After Jackson’s first half, which featured a clear unwillingness to hand the ball off on read-option plays, it was ironic to see the key play of the game for the Louisville offense to be a simple trap run (with no option). Smith burst into the second level behind excellent point-of-attack blocking, then eventually made three defenders miss and outran a fourth on his way to an 80-yard touchdown jaunt. The offensive line had struggles blocking on run plays, but while the offense as a whole gave up 13 total pressures, the offensive line accounted for just eight of them, as Jackson and Smith were charged with a sack, a hit and three hurries.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Top defensive grades:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]LB Stacy Thomas, 87.5
ED Devonte Fields, 82.9
DI DeAngelo Brown, 82.3
S Chucky Williams, 81.1
ED James Hearns, 79.1[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Defense makes Duke offense earn their yards[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]While the defense was seemingly on the field the entire game, with the exception of a 51-yard reception given up by Trumaine Washington the unit made Duke take the long way down the field. Pass-rush specialist Devonte Fields was his usual self, as he chalked up three run stops and six total pressures. LB Stacy Thomas was the star of the show, as he has three total stops, six solo tackles and gave up just on reception for two yards on three targets and a pass breakup.[/FONT]
[h=3]Duke Blue Devils[/h][FONT=&quot]Quarterback grade: Daniel Jones, 63.7[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Daniel Jones executed the offensive game plan well, although it was a highly conservative one. He only attempted three passes longer than 10 yards from the line of scrimmage, but did well dumping the ball off against the blitz, as he completed six of eight throws versus the blitz for 70 yards and a score.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Top offensive grades:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]WR T.J. Rahming, 77.8
RB Jela Duncan, 71.8
OG Tanner Stone, 68.5
WR Anthony Nash, 65.9
WR Johnathan Lloyd, 65.2[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Offense does enough to keep Duke in game[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]It wasn’t always pretty, but the Blue Devils offense found ways to move the chains and keep the clock moving, which kept the high-powered Louisville offense off the field and limited their possessions. 82 of the 111 rushing yards for Duke were earned after contact, led by Jela Duncan getting 35 of his 44 yards after the first hit.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Top defensive grades:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]S Deondre Singleton, 84.8
CB Mark Gilbert, 78.9
DI A.J. Wolf, 77.3
DI Brandon Boyce, 72.7
CB Corbin McCarthy, 71.5[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Duke pass-rushers put the heat on Jackson[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Four Blue Devil defenders had multiple pressures on the day, led by DT A.J. Wolf’s four total pressures. S Deondre Singleton was the clear top performer of the unit, as he racked up six solo tackles and pressured Jackson twice. He was also targeted twice in coverage, and yielded just one reception for six yards.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]PFF Game-Ball Winner: Louisville LB Stacy Thomas[/FONT]
 
Marquis Haynes on LF:

Haynes was asked Monday if Fournette would be the best back Ole Miss faces this season. His answer was "No."
"I don't think Leonard Fournette is going to be the best back. I think (Derrius) Guice, number five for LSU, I think that's going to be our test, right there. I think he's faster than Leonard Fournette."
 
Thoughts on Miss St/Kentucky:

Just an incredible situational opportunity here to back the Cats. Miss St coming off a bye, following another humiliating loss at home to Auburn then a Friday trip to Utah where they play their best game of season and are gutted in OT and now their season is over - only redeemable by a win over Bama or more importantly the Egg Bowl. Technically at 2-4 they aren't mathematically out of it but they really pretty much are. Kentucky is coming off a bye week and are 3-3 are their season and Stoops' tenure will really be defined by their next 3 games - Miss St, @ Mizzou, UGA. They've got to find wins in two of them to guarantee a bowling trip and I would say this is clearly their most winnable although they get another likely favorable scenario when UGA comes to town after the cocktail party in a game where they could be demoralized by the Gator defense. Kentucky has been here before in recent years. UK started 5-1 two years ago only to finish 5-7 and last year 4-2 only to finish 5-7 again. I've mentioned it over the past month but I believe the UK defense has made as large of strides as any one unit in the SEC this season. The issue is that their really talented QB is still out and Johnson doesn't seem like the type of QB that is going to do anything to win games, more just try not to lose them. The Cats will rely on the ground game and I believe be pretty methodical in their pace as Miss St likes to go fast and if I were them I would slow things down and try to wear down that defense that is coming off two physical games. I like the Miss ST front 7 and they finally played the way they were capable of last week and they will have their chance to make some plays against a ground heavy Cats offense. Miss St showed signs of life last week in Provo but were too inconsistent to put BYU away, especially passing the ball where I think BYU has major vulnerabilities and on a diff note Boise should really exploit this week. I just can't bring myself to bet UK and/or under right now. I left a lot of winning leans on the table last week and that's on my mind but still something just kinda doesn't feel right at this moment so I'm holding off on playing anything unless someone hits the over and I get across some key numbers. 24-23 Cats
 
twinkie13 said:
CK what was the open for Arky game?
Aubbie front 7 as good as anyone as you said.....my one fear would be IF AU has found the QB and rallies around him and plays an a real inspired effort at JH

Is this the game ARK turns into the beast? After ole piss game?
I don't know...I agree it looks high at 1st blush......but something looks off
Click to expand...

I believe it opened at AU -9, then bet down to -7.5 when released to the public. I don't know if AU's LB corps is any good, but they have as much talent as anyone on the DL. I do know that the AU fanbase is very confident and are tentatively making plans to be in Atlanta the first Saturday in December.
 
Thoughts on Ole Miss/LSU:

Last year Ole Miss won a really weird game 38-17 in Oxford. LSU outgained them 508-432. The last few games in Red Stick have been pretty competitive - 10-7, 41-35, 43-36 all LSU wins. What's funny to me about those scores is I wouldn't be all that surprised if it ended up on either end of that spectrum. I'm still trying to digest the LSU offensive changes. To me, looks like a good bit more of the same type stuff. They decimate Mizzou and set school record in yardage and then play a funky game against S Miss in which they moved at about as slow a pace as possible somehow scoring 45 points on 42 snaps, I believe it was. I had the over and let me tell ya, that's a recipe for sure fire loss when the heavy favorite runs 42 plays but the big plays happened and they got it done. I like the LSU DL to have success against the OM OL but I also have some concerns after the injuries in how LSU will defend the pass against Kelly, arguably the game's best deep ball passer. I get the sense that LSU will try to hog the ball here and be more deliberately paced - as much as they want to talk about changes in offensive philosophy and whatnot I think it just makes football sense to lean on OM and run, run, play action. In a vacuum, if you tell me I can have Kelly as a dog against Etling I unload the Brinks truck on the Rebs but it doesn't quite work like that. The LSU OL is still a mess as MOT has kept us informed of over the past month+. I do like the Rebs DL and think they will do pretty good at the point but as Grovehard as mentioned numerous times, LB play is the concern and certainly a concern that I would have against this run game for LSU. I don't have a great feel for the game and I don't see a spread or total that has me ready to jump in at this point - will keep an eye on this one throughout week.
 
Thoughts on Tenn St/Vanderbilt:

Pretty bad spot actually for Vandy. Maybe the fact it's instate helps keep their focus but I know this, Tenn St will be focused and ready to pounce on the opportunity to play and beat an SEC team. Tenn St is solid on offense they avg 36 ppg and on defense they give up 24 ppg. They have a pretty explosive passing attack that avg over 9 ypa. I just don't think they are big enough to stand up defensively to Vanderbilt for 4Q and I think that offensively they are likely to contribute against an inconsistent Vandy defense. Last week in the upset win Vandy actually allowed almost 450 yards offense to UGA but their scoring output was whacky and they only scored 16. Rare chance for Vanderbilt to do some scoring offensively and I like them to take advantage of their athleticism. Thanks to captjohn for pointing out total to me I got a little action on OVER 44. 38-17 Dores
 
CrimsonK said:
If I wouldnt have known any better I would have thought it was 5 AM and he just ran out of blow and had no more money left.
Click to expand...

You're the 5th or 6th person I've heard make that observation, and I'm starting to think there's something to it - not about coke specifically, but that he's coming down off of uppers. He was weird during the game too. Maybe he just got a little crazy with the coffee or Red Bull given the late start time.
 
I've been irresponsible with both. I used to be opiate addict but have been clean almost 10 years. I work a lot with people in active addiction and he is either coming off narcotic uppers or dealing with clinical depression
 
gps_3 said:
I believe it opened at AU -9, then bet down to -7.5 when released to the public. I don't know if AU's LB corps is any good, but they have as much talent as anyone on the DL. I do know that the AU fanbase is very confident and are tentatively making plans to be in Atlanta the first Saturday in December.
Click to expand...
BOL opened at 9 (see below line history) and then BM came with 8 later on.

[TABLE="width: 650"]
<tbody>[TR]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="colspan: 6, align: center"][h=1]BetOnLine[/h][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: title, bgcolor: #565656"]
[TD="colspan: 6"]FG[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-left, bgcolor: #E6E6E6"]10/16 08:36:39 AM[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-left, bgcolor: #E6E6E6"] [/TD]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-left, bgcolor: #E6E6E6"]#401[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-left, bgcolor: #E6E6E6"]ARKANSAS[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-right, bgcolor: #E6E6E6, align: right"][/TD]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-right, bgcolor: #E6E6E6, align: right"]OPENER[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: casino-whitebg-left"]10/16 08:36:39 AM[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-whitebg-left"] [/TD]
[TD="class: casino-whitebg-left"]#402[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-whitebg-left"]AUBURN[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-whitebg-right, align: right"]-9-15[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-whitebg-right, align: right"]OPENER[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-left, bgcolor: #E6E6E6"]10/16 01:06:24 PM[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-left, bgcolor: #E6E6E6"] [/TD]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-left, bgcolor: #E6E6E6"]#402[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-left, bgcolor: #E6E6E6"]AUBURN[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-right, bgcolor: #E6E6E6, align: right"]-9[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-right, bgcolor: #E6E6E6, align: right"][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: casino-whitebg-left"]10/16 01:06:37 PM[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-whitebg-left"] [/TD]
[TD="class: casino-whitebg-left"]#402[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-whitebg-left"]AUBURN[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-whitebg-right, align: right"]-9-05[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-whitebg-right, align: right"][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-left, bgcolor: #E6E6E6"]10/16 03:38:06 PM[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-left, bgcolor: #E6E6E6"] [/TD]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-left, bgcolor: #E6E6E6"]#402[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-left, bgcolor: #E6E6E6"]AUBURN[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-right, bgcolor: #E6E6E6, align: right"]-8[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-right, bgcolor: #E6E6E6, align: right"][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: casino-whitebg-left"]10/16 03:40:22 PM[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-whitebg-left"] [/TD]
[TD="class: casino-whitebg-left"]#402[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-whitebg-left"]AUBURN[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-whitebg-right, align: right"]-7½[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-whitebg-right, align: right"][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-left, bgcolor: #E6E6E6"]10/17 01:10:25 AM[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-left, bgcolor: #E6E6E6"] [/TD]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-left, bgcolor: #E6E6E6"]#402[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-left, bgcolor: #E6E6E6"]AUBURN[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-right, bgcolor: #E6E6E6, align: right"]-7½-05[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-right, bgcolor: #E6E6E6, align: right"][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: casino-whitebg-left"]10/17 06:01:07 AM[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-whitebg-left"] [/TD]
[TD="class: casino-whitebg-left"]#402[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-whitebg-left"]AUBURN[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-whitebg-right, align: right"]-7-15[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-whitebg-right, align: right"][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-left, bgcolor: #E6E6E6"]10/17 07:15:06 AM[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-left, bgcolor: #E6E6E6"] [/TD]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-left, bgcolor: #E6E6E6"]#402[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-left, bgcolor: #E6E6E6"]AUBURN[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-right, bgcolor: #E6E6E6, align: right"]-7-19[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-right, bgcolor: #E6E6E6, align: right"][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: casino-whitebg-left"]10/17 07:15:29 AM[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-whitebg-left"] [/TD]
[TD="class: casino-whitebg-left"]#402[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-whitebg-left"]AUBURN[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-whitebg-right, align: right"]-7½[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-whitebg-right, align: right"][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-left, bgcolor: #E6E6E6"]10/17 07:22:20 AM[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-left, bgcolor: #E6E6E6"] [/TD]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-left, bgcolor: #E6E6E6"]#402[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-left, bgcolor: #E6E6E6"]AUBURN[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-right, bgcolor: #E6E6E6, align: right"]-8[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-right, bgcolor: #E6E6E6, align: right"][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: casino-whitebg-left"]10/17 07:35:31 AM[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-whitebg-left"] [/TD]
[TD="class: casino-whitebg-left"]#402[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-whitebg-left"]AUBURN[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-whitebg-right, align: right"]-8½[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-whitebg-right, align: right"][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-left, bgcolor: #E6E6E6"]10/17 08:14:57 AM[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-left, bgcolor: #E6E6E6"] [/TD]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-left, bgcolor: #E6E6E6"]#402[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-left, bgcolor: #E6E6E6"]AUBURN[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-right, bgcolor: #E6E6E6, align: right"]-8½-15[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-right, bgcolor: #E6E6E6, align: right"][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: casino-whitebg-left"]10/17 11:33:18 AM[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-whitebg-left"] [/TD]
[TD="class: casino-whitebg-left"]#402[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-whitebg-left"]AUBURN[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-whitebg-right, align: right"]-9½-15[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-whitebg-right, align: right"][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-left, bgcolor: #E6E6E6"]10/17 03:10:48 PM[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-left, bgcolor: #E6E6E6"] [/TD]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-left, bgcolor: #E6E6E6"]#401[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-left, bgcolor: #E6E6E6"]ARKANSAS[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-right, bgcolor: #E6E6E6, align: right"]54[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-right, bgcolor: #E6E6E6, align: right"][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: casino-whitebg-left"]10/17 03:14:34 PM[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-whitebg-left"] [/TD]
[TD="class: casino-whitebg-left"]#401[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-whitebg-left"]ARKANSAS[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-whitebg-right, align: right"]54½[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-whitebg-right, align: right"][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-left, bgcolor: #E6E6E6"]10/17 03:17:30 PM[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-left, bgcolor: #E6E6E6"] [/TD]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-left, bgcolor: #E6E6E6"]#401[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-left, bgcolor: #E6E6E6"]ARKANSAS[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-right, bgcolor: #E6E6E6, align: right"]55[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-greybg-right, bgcolor: #E6E6E6, align: right"][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: casino-whitebg-left"]10/17 04:39:07 PM[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-whitebg-left"] [/TD]
[TD="class: casino-whitebg-left"]#401[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-whitebg-left"]ARKANSAS[/TD]
[TD="class: casino-whitebg-right, align: right"]55½

[/TD]
[/TR]
</tbody>[/TABLE]
 
Thoughts on aTm/Bama:

Last year Bama won 41-23 in College Station as 5 point favorites with a total of 54.5. The Bama defense actually scored 3 TD in that game - Minkah Fitzapatrick who had 3 INT against Arky had 2 for TD's in this game last year. aTm scored on a punt return and Bama turned it over in their own area and Ags scored on a 3 play 47 yard drive. There were only 700 yards in the game but 64 points. The two weak points of the Ags last year were lack of run game on offense and lack of run defense and both were magnified in the game as they ran for 32 yards on 25 carries and Bama ran for 258 at 5.7 ypc. The last time the Ags came to Tuscaloosa it was ugly - 59-0 Bama with a Tennessee like effort 30-8 FD edge, 602-172 yardage edge and aTm was actually worse running it this year with 31 yards on 24 carries and Bama ran for 300.

aTm is a lot different team this year - they have a much better DL, LB that appear to be MUCH better and poor corners but a solid safety. They also have show the ability to run the ball really well and I think they are a much more complete team than they have been the past couple years. Situationally, really nice spot for the Ags coming off the bye and I think Garrett should be in a lot better shape than he was against UT where he was not much more than a warm body but he was gritty and tried to play through it. The Ags WR's also have an extra week to heal up which is probably where I see their biggest potential edge and that is with a group of tall, elite WR - sounds a bit like Ole Miss. Good news for Bama fans, Chad Kelly, Trevor Knight is not. While he does possess the best running threat of any team Bama will face this regular season he would be considered a below average passer of the football. I will be interested to see how the run game goes for the Ags here. They have run it on everybody so far. Again, they haven't averaged even 1.5 ypc against Bama the past two games so can they actually translate a MUCH improved ground game into success against a defense that is borderline impossible to run against? If you know, that's probably the key that everything else hinges on. Here are the total yardages teams have run for against Bama this year: 64, 23, 101, 82, 72, 73, 32 for an avg of 2.04 ypc and 3 TD. The susceptibility, if there is one, is against elite passing offenses - Ole Miss and Arkansas have them and they both threw for 400+ yards. I certainly wouldn't call the Ags pass offense elite by any means but they do have the types of big WR that can rip off big chunk play scores. Bama hardly ever gives up a positive play but when they do, they are giving up HUGE plays.

Similar to the offense actually, Bama is just making so many explosive plays. I think the Bama offense has shown great signs of improvement and could even end up being an elite group, I just am not quite ready to crown them. The Bama rush offense is actually very close numerically to the Ags (just think about that and how far Ags have come this year) but the pass offense for Bama has proven to be much more explosive than the Ags. I do like the Bama WR to win their individual battles against the aTm corners whom I don't like at all. As far as the pass rush for the Ags, which is their best unit, I still have concerns over Garrett's effectiveness and both he and Hall will be going up against 2 future 1st rounders on the ends. Barnett made his impact felt last game a few times whether it was causing false starts or picking off a pass and I do expect the pass rush of the Ags to cause problems as well. If I felt Garrett were 100% I would be more concerned but I just don't think he will be full go unless he had stem cell treatment in the bye week. Ags have the edge on ST's and both teams have the potential to score with their returners, Bama's certainly moreso on punts thank kicks, IMO.

I think this will be Bama's toughest game of the year. Knight has beat Bama and this is the type of offense that has pieces in place that can cause problems against the Tide defense. The missed tackles for the Ags against UT were the worst I've ever seen from a top 10 team but I think that is correctable - if not and they give up 300+ yards after catch like they did to the Vols vaunted passing attack, look out.. I'll call it 34-24 Bama. I do think aTm +18.5 is a winning bet, but I hope I am wrong. I don't want to bet against Bama in this game purely from the human element but I think it's a good bet.
 
VT -3.5

I'm really high on VT they are ahead of schedule in Fuente year 1. Both teams coming off of losses and while VT's is more embarrassing from a national standpoint, their adjusted scoring margin in that game was -3.9 so the big loss very unjustified. Miami lost at home to UNC by 7 and I saw more red flags in their loss. They are suffering major attrition in the trenches which has hurt them, their whole offense is predicated on Coley at WR who has a tweaked knee and was ineffective and Kaaya is dinged up after FSU and played like it. I have VT superior in all phases and I think their defense could really limit Miami's production. Richt's play calling has been a thing of beauty when he has better athletes than the other guy, which we saw first few weeks, now the playing field is leveled and they have fallen off drastically - this fits his entire offensive philosophy of just winning battles with skill guys. Short week on the road for a beat up Miami team playing in, IMO, the best midweek venue in terms of HFA there is. I think the VT defense comes back and shines after a poor performance and their balanced offense gets it done 31-14.


UVA +10.5


UVA played Pitt even last week but came away with a deceptively good loss. The S&P+ adjusted scoring margin actually had UVA winning by a half point, instead they lose by 14 in reality and we get an inflated line this week. I'll take a conference home team getting two scores with a potent offense against UNC prob 95% of the time. No lead is safe for UNC with their leaking defense and I like the UVA pass offense to have success and open up running lanes which UNC has consistently demonstrated they will allow. UVA now 17-4 ATS as a dog last 21 and I expect them to bounce back here and play UNC to another final possession game - which UNC has played in just about every ACC game thus far in 2016.


NC State/Louisville UNDER 68


Hard to believe this total opened the same as Duke/Ville last week given the contrast in speed at which Duke and NC State play the game on average. Duke broke tendency and slowed to a snail's pace and it was brilliant. I think Doeren does a nice job gameplanning and I imagine he implements a similar approach in this game - they arent in a hurry ever anyway. Lousiville defense with another nice effort last week especially in the 2H once they knew the 3rd down WR screen was going to be called every time after a couple 1 and 2nd down runs. NC State in tough spot after choking game away at Clemson and now going back on road to tough environment and playing a motivated team after a poor showing on prime time Friday. Lamar can blow up an under in heart beat but if we get a pace anything close to resembling what we saw last week then it's too many. Two top 25 defenses hopefully play the way they are capable. 40-20
 
Indiana +4.5

I'm getting the team I believe to be quite a bet better and had favored as a dog. Perfect situation with NW beating two very down Iowa and Sparty teams. I prefer Indy in all phases of the game and really don't think highly of NW at all right now. Not much more to say. 34-20 Hoosiers

Penn St +21


Had this game circled pre-season as a spot to bet PSU. After the first few games of the year I was thinking maybe I should start circling games in pencil and not pen. Good news is that tOSU has looked mortal their past two and PSU showed a lot in crushing Maryland. Defense still a bit beat up but getting better and healthier and the offense in the new system seems to be hitting it's stride. Bucks off a lucky win in Madison and PSU rested off bye and get a white out at night here in Happy Valley. 31-24 Bucks


ULM/New Mexico UNDER 71.5


ULM lost starting QB last game and backup gets his first start. I have a good friend very connected in program and they don't plan to burn the redshirt of QB Caleb Evans, very talented brother of VT QB Jerod Evans. ULM sees the option for the second time this year, held Ga So to 23, and spent extra time getting ready for it in camp. New Mexico runs option and they are likely without their starting QB Lamar Jordan who is doubtful. Should be plenty of running clock and the rare advantage of seeing option twice in a year. 38-21

Wazzou/ASU UNDER 70


ASU QB situation a real mess. Losing QB's left and right and Wilkins looks like he will try to give it a go but he relies on his mobility to be effective and I don't think he will be able to. ASU relies heavily on ground game and I mentioned it last week but I really like this Wazzou front and the way they stop the run. Their vulnerabilities are in the back end and I don't trust a full strength ASU team to really exploit that and certainly don't with their injuries. Wazzou has shown they are willing to run the ball more and hopefully they elect to go for balance here because I do have my concerns they torch what is a miserable ASU secondary. Bad spot for Wazzou here going on road after two huge wins and now turn on the tape and see an ASU team get OBLITERATED by Colorado last week. Sleepy game for the Pirates and his mates and should see an average paced game. Barring too many huge chunk plays or NOT I think this one stays lower. 34-27

Memphis/Navy UNDER 58


Second game in two weeks Memphis sees the triple option. They defended it really well last week and while there are differences in this option versus the 'spread option" they saw last week I think it's a definite edge to see it again. Memphis offense has three plays - a stretch run, a WR tunnel screen and a slant pass and I trust the Navy staff to use their impromptu bye week to get ready for those elements. The Tulane front 7 DOMINATED Memphis for large stretches of last game and ultimately their lack of depth and ability to extend drives is what did them in late. Memphis goes super fast and Navy super slow, like the option to burn up some clock and if any 6 min drive stalls with a mid 50's total it puts you in pole position to cash an under and is the most frustrating thing in the world with an over. 27-23


Oregon State/Washington UNDER 61


Oregon State on 3rd string QB against top 10 defense. Just hoping a classy guy like CP doesn't try to humiliate them too badly. 45-6
 
CrimsonK said:
Thoughts on aTm/Bama:

Last year Bama won 41-23 in College Station as 5 point favorites with a total of 54.5. The Bama defense actually scored 3 TD in that game - Minkah Fitzapatrick who had 3 INT against Arky had 2 for TD's in this game last year. aTm scored on a punt return and Bama turned it over in their own area and Ags scored on a 3 play 47 yard drive. There were only 700 yards in the game but 64 points. The two weak points of the Ags last year were lack of run game on offense and lack of run defense and both were magnified in the game as they ran for 32 yards on 25 carries and Bama ran for 258 at 5.7 ypc. The last time the Ags came to Tuscaloosa it was ugly - 59-0 Bama with a Tennessee like effort 30-8 FD edge, 602-172 yardage edge and aTm was actually worse running it this year with 31 yards on 24 carries and Bama ran for 300.

aTm is a lot different team this year - they have a much better DL, LB that appear to be MUCH better and poor corners but a solid safety. They also have show the ability to run the ball really well and I think they are a much more complete team than they have been the past couple years. Situationally, really nice spot for the Ags coming off the bye and I think Garrett should be in a lot better shape than he was against UT where he was not much more than a warm body but he was gritty and tried to play through it. The Ags WR's also have an extra week to heal up which is probably where I see their biggest potential edge and that is with a group of tall, elite WR - sounds a bit like Ole Miss. Good news for Bama fans, Chad Kelly, Trevor Knight is not. While he does possess the best running threat of any team Bama will face this regular season he would be considered a below average passer of the football. I will be interested to see how the run game goes for the Ags here. They have run it on everybody so far. Again, they haven't averaged even 1.5 ypc against Bama the past two games so can they actually translate a MUCH improved ground game into success against a defense that is borderline impossible to run against? If you know, that's probably the key that everything else hinges on. Here are the total yardages teams have run for against Bama this year: 64, 23, 101, 82, 72, 73, 32 for an avg of 2.04 ypc and 3 TD. The susceptibility, if there is one, is against elite passing offenses - Ole Miss and Arkansas have them and they both threw for 400+ yards. I certainly wouldn't call the Ags pass offense elite by any means but they do have the types of big WR that can rip off big chunk play scores. Bama hardly ever gives up a positive play but when they do, they are giving up HUGE plays.

Similar to the offense actually, Bama is just making so many explosive plays. I think the Bama offense has shown great signs of improvement and could even end up being an elite group, I just am not quite ready to crown them. The Bama rush offense is actually very close numerically to the Ags (just think about that and how far Ags have come this year) but the pass offense for Bama has proven to be much more explosive than the Ags. I do like the Bama WR to win their individual battles against the aTm corners whom I don't like at all. As far as the pass rush for the Ags, which is their best unit, I still have concerns over Garrett's effectiveness and both he and Hall will be going up against 2 future 1st rounders on the ends. Barnett made his impact felt last game a few times whether it was causing false starts or picking off a pass and I do expect the pass rush of the Ags to cause problems as well. If I felt Garrett were 100% I would be more concerned but I just don't think he will be full go unless he had stem cell treatment in the bye week. Ags have the edge on ST's and both teams have the potential to score with their returners, Bama's certainly moreso on punts thank kicks, IMO.

I think this will be Bama's toughest game of the year. Knight has beat Bama and this is the type of offense that has pieces in place that can cause problems against the Tide defense. The missed tackles for the Ags against UT were the worst I've ever seen from a top 10 team but I think that is correctable - if not and they give up 300+ yards after catch like they did to the Vols vaunted passing attack, look out.. I'll call it 34-24 Bama. I do think aTm +18.5 is a winning bet, but I hope I am wrong. I don't want to bet against Bama in this game purely from the human element but I think it's a good bet.
Click to expand...

If aTm can't tackle the WR screen like against Tennessee, Ardarious Stewart may have 250 yards receiving in the 1st half
 
gps_3 said:
If aTm can't tackle the WR screen like against Tennessee, Ardarious Stewart may have 250 yards receiving in the 1st half
Click to expand...

I wonder if we could convince Kamara to come back for one more game and they could both go for 250?
 
Coach's presser. Talking about Bama here.

[FONT=&quot]• Last year, I thought Alabama benefited from depth. I don't know what they do over there because I thought they'd all leave for the draft. They didn't. They do a fabulous job recruiting, developing and educating their players. I've learned a lot from that. We talk to guys about their realistic draft spot and playing your way into a better one. They do a good job with that. Their defensive front is ridiculous. What makes them different is the rotation of those guys. You'd think they would fall off sometime, but they haven't.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]• They've had this offense since Lane Kiffen got there. He's made a big difference in their formations. Jalen Hurts has done a great job this year. I'm not surprised. I've known him and his dad for a long time. Very few things get to him. He has a solid demeanor and is very smart. He's an exceptional athlete. His dad is a coach. He's been a pleasant surprise for many, but I'm not surprised. He's surrounded by good players. He's been able to operate their system well. Lane has done a great job of keeping him in position to be successful. He's got numbers similar to Trevor, and lots of our concepts on offense are similar to theirs. Scoring points is at a premium in college football. You have to score points to win football games. Alabama has been able to put up points recently. What they're doing offensively fits their quarterback as well as it could.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]• Alabama gets pressure up front. The guys on the back end are really good. Minkah Fitzpatrick is really fast. A lot of them were two-way players in high school. They practice getting turnovers. They're organized. Once you have some success, it becomes contagious. It's not just one thing that allows them to score on defense, but it certainly isn't luck.[/FONT]
 
Really just want to thank CK.....that Bama boy is doing work with these write ups....he and VK so a ton
For the site....
Now if we can get Br@ss back......

Also love CXBBum.....no info, just winners lol
 
LSU's OL and TE Moreau all returned to practice yesterday. Clapp at LG and Boutte was back at RG although they were wearing a no contact jersey and still looked hobbled. Weathersby was also back with the second group at RT, but it was apparent he was just easing back in and will not play this week. Reports are Fournette looked as healthy as he has all year.
 
CrimsonK said:
What are your thoughts, press? Gotta take your ags with the points at the very least, right?
Click to expand...

I have 16, 18.5 and ML +715.
Something sneaky going on in Aggieland.
They have rotated players on the Dline, now, all season. He sits 4 players for USCe. If they are hurt and can't play, they should sit. But is Summy playing with us?
Did he actually sit them because, he knew they could win that game? as they should have (on paper). Still an SEC game though. SEC athletes.
Any time in the past , we need all hands on deck---even with a bit of a limp. Did Coach Swag finally have the confidence that his team will win with back ups?
Have they been rotating Dlinemen to get that experience early in the season(almost backfired vs. UCLA), so they could be prepared for one game?
Have they actually been preparing to beat one team? The team LSU works to beat every year? with all other games being an almost automatic W in their minds?

Is Coach Swag confident enough he can play with the big boys?

They can't let Jalen get outside. Have to force him to throw. Can't let him run inside while the y collapse around the outside. So, linebackers have to contain.
Your left tackle is going to need therapy after Barnett and now Miles.
I think they sellout to protect the corners. I think you'll see a lot of Evans and Watts blitz, mostly Evans as Armani is the little general back there. Though I'd prefer the corners blitz. I mean if you're not going to cover.....
I think Harvey will be a good corner at some point, but he needs to tone down his swag. Make a play, return to huddle. You know, like Bama does.
Tackling , obviously, will be paramount. Otherwise , your butt will be dragging by the 4th from never getting off the field.

Your guys are just as fast on defense as our offense. Size will have to be the advantage. Rickey and Josh. That leaves Knight with having to fit it in a window that I'm not comfortable with.
I'd rather see Knight run than throw. And I want to see T-Will get his carries. Bama closes so fast that brute force /in your face would be the way to go. But you kind of have that part covered too.
I would love to see Christian and Speedy be able to have huge games, but not by the use of screens. They'll get murdered.
If it's me, I throw to Josh Reynolds all day until I can run the ball. Deep route, with one of the speedsters breaking underneath into the open space? Gotta hold a block then.

I have more faith in Chief to game plan than Mazzone.
But something sneaky is going on.....
Confidence?
 
SEC West is 7-0 v. East with wins by 39, 35, 31,28, 13, 11, and 7 points (2 OTs). Thus each win except one by double digits, 4 by 28 or more
 
CK, I know you enjoy Pro Football Focus' stuff. I started listening to their podcasts this week. Did you know the SEC guy is Irish? Or British? Crazy to listen to a guy with a foreign accent talk football. Especially as nuanced as these guys are
 
gps_3 said:
CK, I know you enjoy Pro Football Focus' stuff. I started listening to their podcasts this week. Did you know the SEC guy is Irish? Or British? Crazy to listen to a guy with a foreign accent talk football. Especially as nuanced as these guys are
Click to expand...

I actually never knew they had a podcast. Thanks for the heads up I'm gonna check them out today.

I added another total - Syracuse/BC UNDER 53.5
 
Any thoughts on Troy - South AL tonight? I think I remember one of you guys have some contacts with Jones & co. I've probably waited too long to play the under but still considering USA +9.
 
Syracuse/BC UNDER 53.5

20, 14, 13, 17, 31, 19, 28, 0, 7, 0, 17, 14, 10, 8, 17, 14, 0, 10. Those are BC's point totals in conference dating back to the 2014 opener. They haven't scored 20 since 2014. Weather could be a factor in New England this weekend - forecasts calling for light rain in AM and then showers and wind between 25-35 mph with 40 mph gusts. I made the total 49 assuming perfect conditions but if we get some of this weather I'd prob reduce it a bit and the variance made this a play for me as it shot up to 53.5 this morning. Cuse defense showed signs of life last week and I like the BC defense enough to use the bye week to keep the ball on offense and defend the Cuse's dangerous passing attack. BC has taken a step back in pass defense and I don't love them but I think they are prob one of the better equipped teams in the conf to defend the Orange well especially given the extra time and potential Cuse hangover. Never get the feel goods going under with Cuse this year but think it's worth a shot here. 24-20
 
M.O.T said:
Any thoughts on Troy - South AL tonight? I think I remember one of you guys have some contacts with Jones & co. I've probably waited too long to play the under but still considering USA +9.
Click to expand...

No strong opinion from me - I don't remember if anyone had any connects down there but it wasn't me. Opening total was soft and got bet down accordingly. Troy weak running the ball and weak defending the pass. USA doesn't run well and doesn't stop the run well either. The times I've seen USA play I've been impressed by their QB and options on perimeter and I do think they could do some damage against Troy there and the USA rush defense which I think was one of worst in CFB last year has had a few good games their past few so perhaps they are improving there? Should be slow moving game.
 
The last thing Will Muschamp wants to be talking about headed into the seventh game of the season is who’s going to be his starting quarterback, but there he sat Tuesday at his weekly news conference addressing exactly that.
By this time of the year, the Gamecocks had hoped either senior Perry Orth or freshman Brandon McIlwain would have taken the job as their own and everything would be humming along nicely. Everything, as you have no doubt noticed, is not humming along nicely.
South Carolina (2-4 overall, 1-4 SEC) is last in the nation in scoring and 126th in yards. That’s how a coach ends up considering playing his second true freshman quarterback of the season with half the year already gone.
“We have a good plan heading into Saturday,” Muschamp said Tuesday. “Obviously, we are not going to disclose that until Saturday.”
What Muschamp is not disclosing but what is happening is that the Gamecocks are planning to start true freshman Jake Bentley at quarterback this week against UMass, according to two sources with knowledge of the situation. Several South Carolina players said Tuesday that Bentley’s practice repetitions have increased this week.
Bentley, Orth and McIlwain got equal practice repetitions Tuesday, said running back A.J. Turner, who added that’s a departure from the previous rotation.
“Honestly, I have no idea (who is going to start),” Turner said. “I’m just really putting my faith in the coaches to put us in the best position and put the best players out there for us to win. I have no idea what’s going on with the quarterback situation. Whoever is in, they are in.”
Bentley, 6-foot-3, 223 pounds, was a four-star prospect out of Opelika, Ala., when he made a verbal commitment to South Carolina in March. At the time, he was preparing for his senior year in high school but after his father Bobby was hired as the Gamecocks running backs coach, Bentley determined he could graduate high school a year early and signed with South Carolina in July. Like all of the team’s true freshmen, Bentley has not been allowed to speak to the media this season.
“We are not going to make a change for sake of making a change,” Muschamp said. “That doesn’t make any sense. We are going to make a change if we feel like it’s going to help benefit our football team. Those are the decisions we have to make as a staff.”
Bentley would be South Carolina’s fifth different starting quarterback since the start of 2015 season. Unlike McIlwain, Bentley did not participate in spring practice with the Gamecocks because he was unable to enroll in college in January.
“Regardless of whether it’s Jake Bentley or whoever it is, as a freshman those are always the challenges that you go through. How quickly do those guys adjust? How much do they study their playbook? How well do they catch onto the terminology. All of those things are things that every freshman works through,” Muschamp said. “Perry and Brandon were ahead of Jake after training camp was over. As you continue to work through the season, we are not having the production we need to have offensively and it’s not all on the quarterback, but at each position you constantly evaluate if you make a change is it going to make our football team better.”
Bentley would become the fifth true freshman to start at quarterback for the Gamecocks since 1992. Three of those would have come in the last two years. Two of them would have come in the span of three games.
“You can definitely tell he’s young,” Turner said. “Everybody makes mistakes, but you can definitely tell he’s young.”
Bentley is more of a pure pocket passer than McIlwain. In the preseason practices that were open to the media, he looked like the best thrower on the team, but playing the position takes a lot more than throwing. A football person I trust believes Bentley has the chance to be the best offensive player in the school’s history before his career is complete, but even so, it’s a lot to expect him to turn around a moribund offense in his first career start or even his first season.
He does step into a friendly position for a freshman quarterback. Lots of folks like to point out that Alabama true freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts is doing just fine, but Hurts is surrounded by answers at every other position. Bentley, like Orth and McIlwain before him, will have questions at every other position.
It’s important to note that even if the plan is to start Bentley on Tuesday, this is the kind of decision that coaches could get nervous about as the moment of truth draws nearer. So even if the Gamecocks prep Bentley all week to be the starter, if they don’t like what they see or simply rethink their decision, they could go back to Orth, who could be reasonably expected to execute the game plan without much prep work during the week.
At the moment, though, it looks like Bentley will be the guy. He will join Connor Mitch, Lorenzo Nunez, McIlwain and Orth as quarterback starters in the last 19 games. This, of course, is not how anyone would have drawn it up, throwing quarterback after quarterback at the problem and hoping that it goes away.
This, though, is where the Gamecocks are.

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/sports/coll...dall-blog/article108921757.html#storylink=cpy
 
CrimsonK said:
I bet a few sides this week. This tends to be point in season for me where I'm not betting as big a card unless Alabama plays Tennessee and I can bet everything they offer and set myself up for early retirement.


SEC:

Mizzou -4
MTSU/Mizzou OVER 69.5 -121
UMass/USCe OVER 43
Arkansas +10.5 -111


ACC:

VT -3.5
UVA +10.5
NC State/Louisville UNDER 68
Syracuse/BC UNDER 53.5

Other:

Indiana +4.5
Penn St +21
ULM/New Mexico UNDER 71.5
Wazzou/ASU UNDER 70
Memphis/Navy UNDER 58
Oregon State/Washington UNDER 61
Click to expand...

GL CK. Thanks for posting. Are there any of these that you would not bet at their current numbers? Thanks
 
I would bet all the SEC and ACC games at current.

The ULM/NM UN I would prob just play smaller at 62.5. Wazzou/ASU I would prob play smaller at 64. Same for OSU/Wash. I would prob just play indy ML as opposed to +2, Penn St I would wait at this point with it being 19.5 cause you could get 20/21+ and not a lot diff than 17.5 at 19.5 on dead numbers. 56 is available on Navy so I'd play that now as opposed to waiting
 
CrimsonK said:
I would bet all the SEC and ACC games at current.

The ULM/NM UN I would prob just play smaller at 62.5. Wazzou/ASU I would prob play smaller at 64. Same for OSU/Wash. I would prob just play indy ML as opposed to +2, Penn St I would wait at this point with it being 19.5 cause you could get 20/21+ and not a lot diff than 17.5 at 19.5 on dead numbers. 56 is available on Navy so I'd play that now as opposed to waiting
Click to expand...

:shake2:
 
M.O.T said:
Any thoughts on Troy - South AL tonight? I think I remember one of you guys have some contacts with Jones & co. I've probably waited too long to play the under but still considering USA +9.
Click to expand...

I grew up in Mobile, but I don't follow the Jags with anything other than I hope they do well
 
CrimsonK said:
I bet a few sides this week. This tends to be point in season for me where I'm not betting as big a card unless Alabama plays Tennessee and I can bet everything they offer and set myself up for early retirement.


SEC:

Mizzou -4
MTSU/Mizzou OVER 69.5 -121
UMass/USCe OVER 43
Arkansas +10.5 -111


ACC:

VT -3.5
UVA +10.5
NC State/Louisville UNDER 68
Syracuse/BC UNDER 53.5

Other:

Indiana +4.5
Penn St +21
ULM/New Mexico UNDER 71.5
Wazzou/ASU UNDER 70
Memphis/Navy UNDER 58
Oregon State/Washington UNDER 61
Click to expand...

be more of a GOAT dude, jesus. Every week the line value is insane.
 
[FONT=&quot]Quick: Name the SEC player who has more receiving yards and receiving touchdowns than anyone else in the past three years.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Give up?[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]If you guessed Calvin Ridley, Evan Engram, Christian Kirk, Travin Dural or Fred Ross, you would be close, but wrong.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]The correct answer: Texas A&M receiver Josh Reynolds.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]If the answer took you by surprise, you're probably not alone. Since joining the Aggies in 2014, the San Antonio product has been one of the conference's most consistent and productive receivers but rarely is his name first off the lips of observers rattling off the SEC's top pass-catchers.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]He was far enough under the radar that, despite having more career receiving yards and touchdowns than any active returning SEC receiver this season, he failed to make any of the three preseason All-SEC teams (media or coaches).[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]"You think I brought that up?" Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin said with a laugh and a wide grin. "We might have talked about that during fall camp. ... They were three deep. That meant there were at least six guys better than him. I had that discussion with him."[/FONT]
 
I'm hearing rumors Fresno St is courting Kiffin. Anyone else heard this?
IMO I think is one of or the best OC in the game right now.... on Sat or Sun.
Kiffin in my eyes is a perfect fit as an NFL OC. That may be a little beneath him (his ego) but damn he is good.
I REALLY hate he left Knoxville but absolutely understand why he did and actually glad he left for his "Dream Job" at the time, he could have done it a little more professional way and really left his dad in a terrible position when he left.

Anyways, back to the subject.... Fresno St and Kiffin? Anyone else heard this rumor?
 
ProV1Colt said:
I'm hearing rumors Fresno St is courting Kiffin. Anyone else heard this?
IMO I think is one of or the best OC in the game right now.... on Sat or Sun.
Kiffin in my eyes is a perfect fit as an NFL OC. That may be a little beneath him (his ego) but damn he is good.
I REALLY hate he left Knoxville but absolutely understand why he did and actually glad he left for his "Dream Job" at the time, he could have done it a little more professional way and really left his dad in a terrible position when he left.

Anyways, back to the subject.... Fresno St and Kiffin? Anyone else heard this rumor?
Click to expand...

I think Lane needs a pretty soft landing spot if he doesn't want to have a repeat of his previous head coaching jobs. I tend to agree with you that NFL OC seems perfect for him, and surely he looks favorably on being a long time pro coordinator right? My fear for him is that he gets another marquee job and he and especially the fans/boosters, don't have the patience necessary for him to use what he's learned over the past 3 years. I never was a Kiffin fan, but I have been beyond pleasantly surprised at how he's done in Tuscaloosa.

Obviously he went to Fresno St, and they will probably be looking for a new coach, so it seems to fit. I heard one of the radio shows on Sirius mention it the other day, but have no idea if it has any legs. My guess is that he will have an opportunity to coach in a Power 5 conference though
 
pressitup said:
[FONT=&amp]Quick: Name the SEC player who has more receiving yards and receiving touchdowns than anyone else in the past three years.[/FONT]

[FONT=&amp]Give up?[/FONT]

[FONT=&amp]If you guessed Calvin Ridley, Evan Engram, Christian Kirk, Travin Dural or Fred Ross, you would be close, but wrong.[/FONT]

[FONT=&amp]The correct answer: Texas A&M receiver Josh Reynolds.[/FONT]

[FONT=&amp]If the answer took you by surprise, you're probably not alone. Since joining the Aggies in 2014, the San Antonio product has been one of the conference's most consistent and productive receivers but rarely is his name first off the lips of observers rattling off the SEC's top pass-catchers.[/FONT]

[FONT=&amp]He was far enough under the radar that, despite having more career receiving yards and touchdowns than any active returning SEC receiver this season, he failed to make any of the three preseason All-SEC teams (media or coaches).[/FONT]

[FONT=&amp]"You think I brought that up?" Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin said with a laugh and a wide grin. "We might have talked about that during fall camp. ... They were three deep. That meant there were at least six guys better than him. I had that discussion with him."[/FONT]
Click to expand...


2014: 3/42/0
2015: 3/56/0

I can live with that
 
[FONT=&quot]Virginia Tech Hokies 37, Miami Hurricanes 16[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Here are the top takeaways and highest-graded players from Virginia Tech’s 37-16 home win over Miami.[/FONT]
[h=3]Miami Hurricanes[/h][FONT=&quot]Quarterback grade: Brad Kaaya, 76.0[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Kaaya struggles with pressure[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Much of the game came down around Virginia Tech’s pressure on Miami’s signal-caller. Through the first seven weeks, Kaaya saw pressure on only 21.2 percent of his dropbacks, the 114th-lowest rate among 135 qualifying QBs. But that figure was at 34.8 percent on Thursday, and even more notable was that Kaaya took a sack on half of those plays, with multiple third-down drive-enders. When VT’s rush got to him, his passer rating dropped to 8.3 from 118.5, in part due to a second-quarter throw when he forced the ball into coverage downfield and was picked. Conversely, he looked fairly impressive when given a clean pocket, although a large chunk of his yardage came on Hokie coverage busts against Miami’s switch routes, but Kayaa still managed a few dimes throughout the game, including a pair during the two-minute drill at the end of the first half.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Top offensive grades:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]WR Ahmmon Richards, 76.8
QB Brad Kaaya, 76.0
RG Danny Isidora, 71.5
RB Joseph Yearby, 70.7
WR Stacy Coley, 70.2[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Miami’s O-line struggles to keep Kaaya protected[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]As evidenced by Kaaya’s pressure numbers, Miami’s offensive line had a rough game, RG Danny Isidora had the best grade of the group due to his work the run game, but he was below average in pass protection after yielding three pressures. Left guard Kc McDermott had a particularly tough time against tackles Ricky Walker and Woody Baron; he finished with a unit-high five pressures allowed, while in the run game he lost more than he won, including on the first offensive snap of the game.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Among the few bright spots on Miami’s offense were WR Ahmmon Richards and RB Joseph Yearby. Richards made a pair of plays downfield and broke a tackle on another reception, while Yearby forced three missed tackles and averaged 6.6 yards on nine carries.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Top defensive grades:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]LB Zach McCloud, 77.0
CB Corn Elder, 75.9
DT RJ McIntosh, 74.8
S Jamal Carter, 74.4
LB Michael Pinckney, 68.5[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Miami defense misses 17 tackles and struggles to stop Hokies[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]While a few players put forth respectable performances, including DT RJ McIntosh, who converted a team-high three pass rushes into pressure, most of Miami’s defense played poorly and much of Virginia Tech’s offensive success was due to taking advantage of those mistakes. As a unit the defense combined to miss 17 tackles, which, along with over pursuit, played a big role on the Hokies’ multiple long runs. Corner Adrian Colbert and Safety Rayshawn Jenkins were among the bigger culprits, with three missed tackles each, while the two also allowed eight receptions on a combined 10 targets.[/FONT]
[h=3]Virginia Tech Hokies[/h][FONT=&quot]Quarterback grade: Jerod Evans, 66.8[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Evans runs well but struggles passing[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Evans ran the ball well, as he’s done several times this season, but he was less impressive as a passer than we’ve seen in recent weeks, despite facing far less pressure than his counterpart. In particular he got away with two balls that could easily have been picked, which dropped his grade substantially, along with a handful of other misfires. For the game Evans completed only two passes that travelled outside the numbers, while he was much more comfortable working the short and intermediate middle of the field, where he completed 14-of-19 for 206 of his 259 passing yards. However, his receivers did much of the work on those plays given 55.5 percent of those 259 yards came after the catch, far more than Kaaya’s 29.2 mark.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Top offensive grades:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]LG Wyatt Teller, 81.0
RT Jonathan McLaughlin, 79.0
FB Sam Rogers, 74.4
TE Chris Cunningham, 74.0
LT Yosuah Nijman, 73.9[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Hokies’ O-line helps get offense going[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The top two grades on Virginia Tech’s offense were both up front; left guard Wyatt Teller and right tackle Jonathan McLaughlin each had a clean sheet in 38 snaps in pass protection, and Teller also made several other positive plays as a blocker on runs and screen passes. Otherwise what stood out was the missed tackles forced by VT’s skill players, including a team-high five from RB Travon McMillian, which bested his quarterback’s total of four.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Top defensive grades:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]LB Andrew Motuapuaka, 84.0
DT Ricky Walker, 83.6
LB Tremaine Edmunds, 79.7
S Chuck Clark, 79.7
DT Woody Baron, 73.5[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Ricky Walker leads the way up front for Tech defense[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]From the opening snap, DT Ricky Walker was VT’s most disruptive defender up front; he collected five pressures (1 sack, 1 hit, 3 hurries) in 32 rushes, but did the bulk of his work in run defense, collecting a pair of stops and otherwise causing trouble for Miami’s guard Kc McDermott and center Nick Linder. DT Woody Baron and linebacker Tremaine Edmunds also stood out as pass rushers with Baron getting to Kaaya a team-high six times, while Edmunds converted four of his 10 blitzes into pressure.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]In the back seven, no one had a better game than LB Andrew Motuapuaka, who didn’t allow a completion on any of three targets and defensed two of them, the first of which resulted in an interception at 14:05 of the second quarter.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]PFF Game-Ball Winner: Virginia Tech LB Andrew Motuapuaka[/FONT]
 
[FONT=&quot]Three top-25 matchups, several rivalries with big conference title implications and a real chance for the No. 1 team in the nation to get upset. What else could you ask for in a weekend of college football?[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Week 8 promises to be as entertaining as ever, so get yourself ready for the action with 10 things to know about this weekend’s slate of games:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]1. Arkansas passing attack proving to be team’s strength[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The Arkansas Razorbacks are traditionally known for their massive offensive lines and clock-churning ground attacks, and while that is still a vital part of their offense, Arkansas’ passing game has been possibly their strongest unit this season. Quarterback Austin Allen ranks third among all Power-5 signal-callers with his 78.0 passing grade, and the Razorbacks boast three of the top five SEC wide receivers when it comes to receiving grade in Jared Cornelius (80.6), Drew Morgan (76.4) and Keon Hatcher (75.7). Arkansas faces a talented Auburn secondary this weekend led by Carlton Davis (83.2) and his SEC-leading six pass breakups, but expect the Razorback air attack to have another productive outing.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]2. West Virginia continues its climb[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The Mountaineers jumped eight spots in the rankings after their dismantling of Texas Tech over the weekend, doing their best to keep the Big 12 relevant in the Playoff discussion. It was an impressive performance by West Virginia, holding the usually potent Texas Tech offense to just 17 points and putting up a solid 48 points of their own. This week they play host to TCU and will be looking to further establish themselves as the class of the conference. West Virginia quarterback Skyler Howard has been a threat as both a runner and passer this season and ranks ninth among QBs with his 80.4 overall grade. Howard has done most of his damage on routes traveling 10-plus yards downfield, but the TCU secondary will be looking to put an end to that on Saturday. Safeties Nick Orr (72.1) and Niko Small (76.6) have been among the best playmaking safeties in the country, ranking third with a combined 10 interceptions and pass breakups on the season.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]3. Aggies defense will need to play clean game against Bama[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]In this weekend’s biggest contest, undefeated Texas A&M heads to Tuscaloosa to try and knock off top-ranked Alabama. The Crimson Tide have looked untouchable so far this season, hence the unusually large spread for a top-10 matchup. The Aggies have been impressive as well this year, but have narrowly escaped with victories on a few occasions and will need to play their cleanest game yet to pull off the upset. One area that Texas A&M must improve on in this game is their tackling. As pointed out earlier this week, the Aggie defense has missed 90 tackles this season, 31 of which came in their win over Tennessee. Even prior to that staggering total versus the Vols, A&M was whiffing on 11.8 tackles per game, a number that has likely caused some sleepless nights for defensive coordinator John Chavis.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Alabama has several players that will make you pay for not wrapping up, namely quarterback Jalen Hurts (79.2) and running back Joshua Jacobs (73.6). Hurts has been a weapon on the ground this year, totaling 375 yards on 46 designed QB runs while Jacobs has forced 18 missed tackles on just 49 touches, good for the second best elusive rating in the country. In a game where points may be hard to come by for the Aggies, they’ll need sure tackling out of their defense to prevent any big plays and easy scores for Alabama (as well as some disruptive play from star edge rusher Myles Garrett).[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]4. NC State has a chance to play spoiler again[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]NC State was one missed 33-yard field goal away from pulling off the upset over No. 3 Clemson last weekend, a reality that likely is still haunting them. As fate would have it, the Wolfpack get yet another chance this weekend to play spoiler against a top-10 team as they go on the road to face Louisville and Lamar Jackson. Clearly NC State has the talent to hang with the bigger programs, knocking off Notre Dame two weeks ago before Saturday’s overtime loss to Clemson. Quarterback Ryan Finley (74.1) and wide receiver Stephen Louis (74.3) have been the leaders of the offense while linebacker Airius Moore (84.7) and cornerback Jack Tocho (86.3) headline the Wolfpack defense. Their matchup with Louisville may be coming at the right time as well, as star quarterback Lamar Jackson looked almost human last week, held to a paltry two touchdowns against Duke. If NC State’s 15th-highest-graded run defense can contain Jackson and force him to make mistakes through the air, the Wolfpack could walk away with that signature win they were so close to grabbing last weekend.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]5. WSU QB Luke Falk should have a field day against Sun Devils secondary[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Washington State quarterback Luke Falk has been one of the more productive passers in the nation this season, earning a 92.12 PFF QB rating and ranking third in the nation with his 79.7 adjusted completion percentage. It’s safe to expect a gaudy stat line out of Falk most weeks, but that is especially true this weekend as the Cougars face a struggling Arizona State secondary. Of all the Sun Devil defensive backs to have played at least 200 snaps this season, only safety Laiu Moeakiola (79.6) has allowed a passer rating of less than 100.0 into his coverage. Through seven weeks, the Sun Devil defense ranks dead last among Power-5 programs in coverage grade, something that surely has Falk anxious for Saturday to arrive.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]6. Ole Miss in danger of dropping second in a row[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Ole Miss remains in the top 25 despite losing its third game of the season last weekend. That number could easily rise to four after Saturday as the Rebels go on the road to play a surging LSU team. The Tigers have looked rejuvenated under interim coach Ed Orgeron, appearing to have finally found an offensive identity. Rumor has it that star running back Leonard Fournette will be returning from injury this week as well, only adding to the already potent LSU ground game. Backup Derrius Guice performed extremely well in Fournette’s absence, ranking third among the nation’s running backs with his 64.9 breakaway percentage over the last three weeks. Considering the struggles Ole Miss had in stopping Arkansas’ rushing attack last week, it could be another long night for the Rebels against LSU on Saturday, unless QB Chad Kelly bounces back with a big game.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]7. Virginia Tech must bounce back this week[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Losing to Syracuse last weekend has caused a slight detour in Virginia Tech’s path to the ACC Coastal title. The Hokies’ loss coupled with North Carolina’s win means the division is now up for grabs and the Hokies face a crucial game against Miami this Thursday night. The Hurricanes have underwhelmed on offense the last two weeks and now face a Hokies defense that is PFF’s seventh-highest-graded unit this season. That being said, Miami is still a highly talented team capable of shaking things up in this ACC race. Virginia Tech will need to forget last week ever happened and regain their early season form so that this game, and their quest for a conference title, doesn’t slip away from them.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]8. BYU’s Jamal Williams to be tested against Boise State defense[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Jamal Williams is the best running back you’ve probably never heard of. The senior back for BYU is our fifth-highest-graded running back this season, earning an 81.0 overall grade through seven games. Williams’ 37 forced missed tackles rank third nationally and he has gained 43.2 percent of his rushing yards on runs of 15 yards or longer — 14th-best at his position. This week he faces one of the best teams in the country in Boise State and will go up against several stout run defenders on the Broncos defense including defensive lineman Sam McCaskill (80.0) and linebacker Tanner Vallejo (70.8). McCaskill has an impressive 11.9 run-stop percentage, while Vallejo has collected a stop on 12.7 percent of his run defense snaps, the best rate of any player at his position this season.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]9. Dede Westbrook is playing like the best receiver in the country[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Oklahoma receiver Dede Westbrook had a pretty pedestrian start to his season, totaling just 154 yards and failing to catch a single touchdown over his first three games. Something clearly changed during the Sooners’ bye week though, as Westbrook (83.9) has been on a complete tear ever since. Over the last three weeks he’s racked up 574 receiving yards and eight touchdowns, grading out as the best receiver in the country during that span. Westbrook’s emergence has been a huge reason why we’ve seen a renewed Oklahoma offense the last few weeks. This weekend’s contest should end in a similar fashion, as the Sooners travel to take on a porous Texas Tech defense. Look for Westbrook to have another dominant outing Saturday night and continue to establish himself among the nation’s best wideouts.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]10. Marcus Williams injury a big loss for Utah[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Utah received some unfortunate news this week as safety Marcus Williams will be out for an undisclosed amount of time due to injury. Williams (88.3) has not only been the best player on Utah’s defense, but he has graded out as the best safety in the nation over the first seven weeks of play. He’s shown an ability to impact a game in several facets, grading extremely well in both run defense and coverage. His 25.0 run-stop percentage is the second-best of any safety in the nation, and he ranks third in both yards allowed per cover snap (0.10) and cover snaps per reception (75.7). To top it all off, Williams is just one of 11 qualifying safeties yet to miss a tackle this season. The timing of the injury is not ideal, as the Utes travel to face UCLA and one of the most talented quarterbacks in the country in Josh Rosen (72.3). If Rosen and the UCLA offense are able to play up to their potential this week, Utah could easily find themselves with their second loss of the season after Saturday.[/FONT]
 
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