October 1, 2007 'gMgT 3 McComas picks the best: week 1 By MATTHEW MCCOMAS By MATTHEW SARVER Staff Reporter Staff Reporter MDM337@PSU.EDU MBSSOII@PSU.EDU Kentucky Ca> South Carolina Overview: The Wildcats roll into Columbia expecting to upend another ranked opponent. The problem is South Carolina has the best defense Kentucky has seen all year. To win this game, the Wildcats will have to score early and often. A hostile environment would create mental errors for most teams, but not the men in blue. Look for Kentucky’s quarterback to lead the Wildcats to a victory over Steve Spurrier’s Gamecocks. ftv Surprise: Kentucky’s high-powered offense is what allows the Wildcats to win. Watch for Kentucky to score over 30 points through the air Thursday night Sarver is Burning Hello my fellow Nittany Lion classmates. I am here to give my opinion about the sports for Penn State. I would first like to send my wishes to the Penn State Harrisburg Baseball Team. A lot of returning starters along with some new additions should make this an interesting season. However this being all PSU Harrisburg’s first season as a Division 111 the competition will be a lot tougher. So Good Luck! Now this is the part where I’m going to get my rage out about our beloved football team. After another disappointing loss to Michigan I did some serious screaming and hitting of objects to get my frustration out. However I began to think about what changes should be made in Happy Valley to actually give the team a chance to compete like the USC’s, Florida’s, and LSU’s. The first major change has to come within the coaching staff. I love JoePa and I believe he will go down in history as the greatest coach of all time (in any sport), but the offense runs the same stupid plays. We have some of the best athletes in the country, especially at Wide Receiver. Did the coaching staff watch any of the game tapes from Michigan’s first two opponents? How did those teams beat Michigan? By spreading out the defense. What does Galen Hall do, run an I-formation and stack the line. Good call, run right at one of the best defensive lines in the country. I understand that by spreading out the defense would mean that Penn State would need a quarterback who can hit open receivers and not throw the ball five feet over their heads. However until JoePa realizes that Anthony Morelli is garbage and gives Daryl Clark a chance to lead this team, 1 don’t see Penn State beating Wisconsin, Ohio State, or maybe even Michigan State (the way their playing). Considering our season is pretty much shot for any National Title talk, 1 say give Clark a chance. He’s like a miniature Michael Robison and we know how much JoePa loved M-Rob. Let him get the reps and get comfortable with the offense and then next year when he’s a senior and the wide receivers (except Golden who’s going to be gone) are seniors, the offense will be explosive. Finally I would like to say that we need a change and running back. Senior Austin Scott a.k.a. butterfingers needs to be benched for the rest of the year. In critical situations, like when you driving late in the game and are inside the Michigan 15 and you decide to fumble the ball and cost your team the game, that’s where you draw the line. Rodney Kinlaw knows how to hold onto the football and is more explosive than Scott. The offense seems to respond a lot better with Kinlaw in the baekfield. Be prepared fellow Nittany Lions for this may be the start to a long, long season of complaining and moaning. I guess until there are some serious changes with the football organization, we can look forward to having “good” expectations w ith our teams but never become “great.” We might as well be Philadelphia fans; they always have a good team but never win. Have a great October I am out! THE CAPITAL TIMES use Photos courtesy of ask*CO<n Qi yi w lOWA HAW KEYES PACKERS auxms against a stingy Gamecock defense Gamebreaker: The Wildcats are rarely the focal point of the college football weekend. Andre’ Woodson will use this opportunity to advertise why he should be the No. 1 pick in next year’s NFL draft. Florida @ LSU Overview: The Gators enter Baton Rouge better than expected. Their offense is explosive and their defense flashes to the ball quicker than lightning. Florida’s youth movement has opened eyes and has them gearing up for another championship run. Unfortunately for Gainesville, the Gators’ bite stops at Tiger Stadium. LSU is extremely difficult to beat under the lights. The Tigers win this SEC battle and continue their prowl to New Orleans. Surprise: LSU has the experience to shutdown the Gator offense. No shootout Saturday night. Gamebreaker: Les Miles. The old ball coach at LSU will scheme a way to confuse first-year-starter, Tim Tebow. The Florida quarterback can’t be spectacular every game. Oklahoma @ Texas Overview: The classic Red River Shootout is always an intense rivalry game. A win improves the victors’ chance to play for the national championship. The loser all but eliminates themselves from the conference and national title picture. Oklahoma is just too good this year. Look for the Sooners to stampede past the Longhorns. Surprise: A convincing win from OU could catapult the Sooners into the No. 1 or 2 spot. Either way, Bob Stoops can pack that covered wagon for Louisiana. Gamebreaker: Oklahoma wide receiver, Juaquin Iglesias. Quarterback, Sam Bradford, should have an easy time finding No. 9 for a few big plays. Iglesias will break 100 yards again. Virginia Tech @ Clemson Overview: An ACC battle, which will entertain a defense versus offense match-up. The Hokies will have to try and contain the Tigers’ dynamic backfield tandem. With a little luck from Howard’s Rock, the Tigers should improve their record in Death Valley. Surprise: A low-scoring affair with the winner vying for a date against Boston College in the ACC championship game. Gamebreaker: Clemson tailback, C.J. Spiller, will make this talented VT defense look sub-par. Prepare to be awed at least once. lowa @ Penn State Overview: When the Nittany Lions left home they were undefeated. That is no longer the case. With PSU now chasing the Big Ten championship, expect the Lions to snap their losing streak against lowa. Surprise: Beaver Stadium is never quiet. Look for the deafening crowd on hand to rattle the Hawkeyes and help Penn State bring a smile back to Happy Valley. Gamebreaker: Team captain Anthony Morelli should connect on several occasions with his receivers. Expect multiple touchdowns for the senior quarterback. Chicago @ Green Bay Game: The Packers are balanced on both sides of the ball. The Bears are potent on defense, but struggle on offense. Green Bay scores just enough to beat Chicago at home. Fantasy: Donald Driver is Brett Favre’s favorite target. There shouldn’t be any dominating performances, but Driver will have the best game. Carolina @ New Orleans Game: A divisional game that should see big plays. The Panthers squeak out a win on the road. Fantasy: Carolina’s Steve Smith will be the culprit of those big plays on the visitors’ side. Two touchdowns and 100 yards equal high scoring for any online league. San Diego @ Denver Game: Mile High will see the two best teams in the AFC West. The Broncos aren’t pretty, but they find a way to win. Denver keeps rolling and the Chargers are left to ponder why they fired Marty Shottenheimer. Fantasy: Travis Henry will see many attempts. Attempts create opportunities and opportunities lead to production. LT might not be the best back in this game. Seattle @ Pittsburgh Game: A rematch of the Super Bowl two years ago. The result will be similar. Steelers win big over the Seahawks, Fantasy: Big Ben makes big plays all game. Those terrible towels will be waving as Seattle is embarrassed.
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