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HEY GUYS, WITH ONLY ON GAME TONIGHT I'M JUST GOING TO GIVE THIS AN OPINION RATING AS THERE ARE MUCH STRONGER GAMES AVAILABEL TO US THIS WEEKEND. GOOD LUCK IF YOU DECIDE TO PLAY!
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W VIRGINIA (6 - 0) at CONNECTICUT (3 - 3)
Week 8 Friday, 10/20/2006 8:00 PM
vs. 
Analysis
It is very tempting to look at the home underdog in this ESPN televised contest. This game will mark the last Big East game for West Virginia until its showdown with Louisville on Nov. 2. West Virginia (6-0 SU & 3-2 ATS) struck for 272 average yards rushing last season, 5.2 yards per carry, and has a ton of speed behind sophomore QB Pat White, and speedy sophomore running back Steve Slaton. Quarterback Pat White ran for a career-high 247 yards and four touchdowns, three in the second half to break open a close game as No. 5 West Virginia beat Syracuse 41-17 on Saturday for its 13th straight win. West Virginia's defense, criticized by coach Rich Rodriguez for numerous mistakes in a win at Mississippi State last week, had problems early with coverage breakdowns and allowing long drives before playing a nearly perfect second half. West Virginia won 45-13 over UConn last season. Meanwhile, UConn (3-3 SU & 2-3 ATS) has a strong ground game of its own behind senior running back Terry Caulley. Terry Caulley ran for long touchdown and Larry Taylor scored on a punt return as the Huskies posted a 21-7 victory over Army. But they couldn't keep up with Navy's speed earlier this season in a 41-17 home loss as the run defense allowed 461 yards! Remember that UConn's defense was also bludgeoned by Division 1AA Rhode Island in the opener giving up 198 rush yards. In addition, five players were dismissed from the Connecticut team by coach Randy Edsall last week for violating team rules. The players are sophomore WR Nollis Dewar, freshman WR Todd Dorcelus, junior safety Ricky McCollum, junior defensive end Harold Stanback and freshman Carl Teague.
Despite some technical dominance on the West Virginia side (12-3 SU and 13-2 ATS in its last 15 conference road games) were going to look at the home underdog UConn in this contest in what I believe is a very good situational spot. The crowd at the University of Connecticut will surely be psyched up to watch their club try to take down the undefeated Mountaineers, and even if they can’t get the outright win, we still have a whopping 23 points to play with. From a fundamental standpoint, the Huskies have had trouble with running quarterbacks, giving up 182 yards and three touchdowns to Navy’s Brian Hampton, and 82 yards and another three touchdowns to Matt Grothe of South Florida in two blowout losses. Tonight, in comes Pat White of West Virginia, the runningest quarterback in the nation, including 247 last week against Syracuse, breaking his own conference and school records for rushing yards by a quarterback. Despite Uconn’s aforementioned troubles, White will be coming into this contest playing on just four days' rest, and West Virginia more than likely will have to gut it out with less production from him, because it's a long, long season and the 4th ranked team in the county will not want their “bread and butter” excellent quarterback to be exposed to hits in a game where they are favored by more than three touchdowns. This will have to be a gut-it-out game for #4-ranked West Virginia against a scrappy home dog that will most definitely look to eat clock with a confident running game against West Virginia's run-vulnerable 3-3-5 defense that is allowing way too many third-down conversions by opponents. Let’s also not ignore Connecticut's 4-0 ATS mark in its last four Big East home games and West Virginia’s spread failures after taking on Syracuse 3-14 ATS last 17. Woff…Woff!
Verdict: W Virginia 28, Connecticut 17
OPINION SELECTION ON CONNECTICUT +23
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W VIRGINIA (6 - 0) at CONNECTICUT (3 - 3)
Week 8 Friday, 10/20/2006 8:00 PM
vs. Analysis
It is very tempting to look at the home underdog in this ESPN televised contest. This game will mark the last Big East game for West Virginia until its showdown with Louisville on Nov. 2. West Virginia (6-0 SU & 3-2 ATS) struck for 272 average yards rushing last season, 5.2 yards per carry, and has a ton of speed behind sophomore QB Pat White, and speedy sophomore running back Steve Slaton. Quarterback Pat White ran for a career-high 247 yards and four touchdowns, three in the second half to break open a close game as No. 5 West Virginia beat Syracuse 41-17 on Saturday for its 13th straight win. West Virginia's defense, criticized by coach Rich Rodriguez for numerous mistakes in a win at Mississippi State last week, had problems early with coverage breakdowns and allowing long drives before playing a nearly perfect second half. West Virginia won 45-13 over UConn last season. Meanwhile, UConn (3-3 SU & 2-3 ATS) has a strong ground game of its own behind senior running back Terry Caulley. Terry Caulley ran for long touchdown and Larry Taylor scored on a punt return as the Huskies posted a 21-7 victory over Army. But they couldn't keep up with Navy's speed earlier this season in a 41-17 home loss as the run defense allowed 461 yards! Remember that UConn's defense was also bludgeoned by Division 1AA Rhode Island in the opener giving up 198 rush yards. In addition, five players were dismissed from the Connecticut team by coach Randy Edsall last week for violating team rules. The players are sophomore WR Nollis Dewar, freshman WR Todd Dorcelus, junior safety Ricky McCollum, junior defensive end Harold Stanback and freshman Carl Teague.
Despite some technical dominance on the West Virginia side (12-3 SU and 13-2 ATS in its last 15 conference road games) were going to look at the home underdog UConn in this contest in what I believe is a very good situational spot. The crowd at the University of Connecticut will surely be psyched up to watch their club try to take down the undefeated Mountaineers, and even if they can’t get the outright win, we still have a whopping 23 points to play with. From a fundamental standpoint, the Huskies have had trouble with running quarterbacks, giving up 182 yards and three touchdowns to Navy’s Brian Hampton, and 82 yards and another three touchdowns to Matt Grothe of South Florida in two blowout losses. Tonight, in comes Pat White of West Virginia, the runningest quarterback in the nation, including 247 last week against Syracuse, breaking his own conference and school records for rushing yards by a quarterback. Despite Uconn’s aforementioned troubles, White will be coming into this contest playing on just four days' rest, and West Virginia more than likely will have to gut it out with less production from him, because it's a long, long season and the 4th ranked team in the county will not want their “bread and butter” excellent quarterback to be exposed to hits in a game where they are favored by more than three touchdowns. This will have to be a gut-it-out game for #4-ranked West Virginia against a scrappy home dog that will most definitely look to eat clock with a confident running game against West Virginia's run-vulnerable 3-3-5 defense that is allowing way too many third-down conversions by opponents. Let’s also not ignore Connecticut's 4-0 ATS mark in its last four Big East home games and West Virginia’s spread failures after taking on Syracuse 3-14 ATS last 17. Woff…Woff!
Verdict: W Virginia 28, Connecticut 17
OPINION SELECTION ON CONNECTICUT +23
MY MEAT IN THE HOT DESERT.......
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