Service Plays (Sunday)

[wayne1218]

Post or look for Service Plays Here

[wayne1218]

********* Predictions

U-C-F (0-0) at (9) Virginia Tech (0-0)
Sunday, August 31, 2003
By Pat Taggart, College Football Staff Writer
Latest Line: Central Florida +20 O/U: 52.5


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GAME NOTES: The UCF Golden Knights have the unenviable task of traveling to Blacksburg on Sunday to battle the ninth-ranked Virginia Tech Hokies in the season-opener for both squads. Last season marked the first for the Golden Knights as members of the Mid-American Conference. The squad opened the campaign with three consecutive losses to tough teams, including a letdown to MAC powerhouse Marshall by five points on the road. UCF did bounce back strong to finish 7-5, and the turnaround should provide plenty of confidence heading into this season. The team plays its home games at the Florida Citrus Bowl in Orlando, and fans will certainly pack the stands if the Golden Knights challenge for the MAC title as expected. As for Virginia Tech, it won its first eight games last season and appeared to be poised to make a run at the National Championship. However, losses in four of the last five regular season tilts left the team stunned. The campaign did end on a positive note, as the Hokies recorded a 20-13 decision over Air Force in the San Francisco Bowl. With a wealth of talent back in the fold, the squad hopes to return to the dominance it displayed early in 2002. Virginia Tech has won both of its previous matchups with UCF, including a 46-14 victory over the Golden Knights two seasons ago.

The fact that UCF welcomes back quarterback Ryan Schneider immediately makes the squad a MAC title contender. Although he struggled with injury early on in 2002, Schneider showcased his tremendous talent over the final six games by throwing for 2,055 yards and 18 touchdowns during that span. Overall, he finished with 3,770 yards and 31 touchdown passes in his junior campaign to write his name in the program's record books. Duplicating or improving upon those stats could be difficult however, as the veteran signal-caller lost his two top targets from last season and three of the starting five offensive linemen. Tavaris Capers will fill the role as the squad's top wideout, and his work with Schneider in preseason drills has been outstanding. Last season, Capers hauled in 43 balls and reached the end zone five times. The ground attack will be spearheaded by tailback Alex Haynes, who racked up 456 yards in the last three contests. Needless to say, Haynes will struggle mightily if the fresh faces along the offensive line are not up to the challenge.

Heading into the 2002 season, the Golden Knights were expected to have one of the toughest defenses in the MAC. The same can be said for this season, as the loss of a few key players will be offset by some returning talent. The defensive line may be the strength of this defensive unit, and it will clearly be tested by the Hokies on Sunday. The leaders up front will be DeMarcus Johnson, who is steadily improving, and Rashad Jeanty, who led the defensive line with 79 tackles in 2002. Antoine Poe will be watched closely by UCF coaches and fans alike in this season opener, as he was expected to make a major impact a year ago before a broken fibula ended his campaign before it began. In the defensive backfield, strong safety Atari Bigby and free safety Peter Sands are back. Those players combined for 223 tackles last season and should be able to produce similar numbers this year.

Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer has plenty of reason to be optimistic about his offense, especially considering that he has outstanding athletes at all the skill positions. Although he has never been a full-time starter during his first two seasons in Blacksburg, tailback Kevin Jones is considered one of the nation's top runners. Now that he no longer has to share carries with the departed Lee Suggs, Jones could make a run at the Heisman Trophy and lead his squad to a national title. That is of course, if the phenom can avoid the injury bug that has stung him dating back to high school. Jones will have plenty of room to run if Bryan Randall can show the same accuracy as a passer that he exhibited as a freshman in 2002. Randall threw for 2,134 yards and ran for an addition 507 yards, proof that he is far from one-dimensional. No matter how well Randall plays, expect to see some of the electric Marcus Vick under center. The younger brother of former Tech and current Atlanta Falcons' star Michael, Marcus has many of his brother's attributes. Senior wideout Ernest Wilford is among the best targets in the Big East. The 6-4 receiver finished the 2002 campaign with a program record of 51 grabs for 925 yards and seven scores. Make no mistake, the Hokies will light up the scoreboard in 2003.

The fact that Virginia Tech possesses such an explosive offense makes the job of the defense much easier. The defensive line, despite some significant injuries, should still be a strength for the Hokies. The two ends are particularly strong with Nathaniel Adibi and Cols Colas back in place. Both of those players registered nine sacks a year ago, and it will be interesting to see if one emerges as the more dominant pass rusher beginning on Sunday.

Vegas Robinson and Mikal Baaqee are a pair of talented linebackers who are back to prove that the team's defensive decline at the end of last season won't happen again. Those two players, along with Brandon Manning, give Beamer plenty of talent and experience at the 'backer positions. With 112 total tackles in 2002, Baquee is the leading returning tackler. Like the linebackers, the defensive backs are battle-tested. Vincent Fuller and DeAngelo Hall made a great deal of progress as sophomores and appear poised to have standout junior campaigns. Hall may experiment at receiver a bit as well.

Free safety Jimmy Williams will certainly be challenged by UCF's vertical passing attack.

Kevin Jones has everything a coach could want in a runner, except of course for durability. Expect him to carry the ball over 20 times in this season opener and exceed 100 yards. Schneider will keep this one respectable for a quarter or so, but the Hokies are clearly the superior team.

Predicted Outcome: Virginia Tech 38, UCF 13

[wayne1218]

********* Prediction

Louisville (0-0) at Kentucky (0-0)
Sunday, August 31, 2003

Latest Line: Louisville +5.5 O/U: 54


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GAME NOTES: Two teams with new head coaches are set to begin their respective seasons when the Louisville Cardinals meet the Kentucky Wildcats in non- conference action from Commonwealth Stadium in Lexington this Sunday. After two straight Conference-USA titles, the Cardinals failed to live up to expectations in 2002, finishing in third place with a 5-3 mark. Also, the squad's 7-6 overall record was a step down from the years prior, when it went 10-2 mark in '01 and 9-2 in '00. With popular head coach John L. Smith moving on the Michigan State, assistant head coach Bobby Petrino is now the man in charge. Petrino, who was an assistant at one point with the Jacksonville Jaguars, brings a more imaginative style of offense to the team, but duplicating Smith's success will be hard to do. As for Kentucky, it replaced head coach Guy Morriss, now at Baylor, with Rich Brooks, a coaching veteran who will be making his return to the college game after a nine-year hiatus from NCAA action. Brooks inherits a team that finished the 2002 season 7-5 overall and 3-5 in SEC play. He also inherits a talented squad, especially on offense, where several key players return. This game marks the 16th meeting between the two schools, with Kentucky holding a 10-5 series advantage, which includes a 22-17 victory in Louisville last season.

In 2002, Louisville had one of the top quarterbacks in C-USA in Dave Ragone, but his departure leaves a big hole to be filled. Ragone, the two-time conference Player of the Year, started the last three years for the Cardinals and passed for 2,880 yards and 24 touchdowns last season. His absence leaves backup Stefan LeFors as the only play-caller with experience. LeFors inherits an offense that ranked 97th overall, but a respectable 54th in passing. He has been the backup for two years and is considered one of the fastest players on the team. Another player this unit must replace is starting tailback Henry Miller. Miller ran for only 594 yards in 2002, but did post 12 touchdowns. As a team the Cardinals rushed for only 106.9 ypg. Taking over at tailback will be Florida State transfer Eric Shelton, who is a more powerful back and has the kind of between-the-tackle strength Louisville has been missing. As for the wideouts they return a healthy corps of players, including Joshua Tinch and Dontay Spillman. The two combined for 53 catches and 793 yards in 2002.

Louisville will also welcome back tight end Ronnie Ghent, who has been selected a All-C-USA member the last three years. Last season he caught 25 passes for 206 yards and three touchdowns.

Defensively, the Cardinals ranked 22nd in the nation last season, allowing just 319.9 total ypg. This year the team will have to replace several top players so it'll be up to the younger guys to make an immediate impact. Up front the team will miss Dewayne White and his 60 tackles and 10.5 sacks, but end Bobby Leffew is finally healthy. Leffew missed six games last season with a leg injury, but was still able to make 21 stops. Tackle Tyrone Saterfield is a star in the making. He's big and experienced and made 19 stops last season.

He was one of the main reasons the Cardinals held opponents to just 113.0 ypg on the ground. The linebacking corps only returns one starter in Rod Day, who has big-time speed and hitting ability. Day made 101 tackles last year while recording a pair of sacks. As for the secondary, it also lacks experience with corner Josh Minkins the only returning starter. Minkins made 58 tackles last season in addition to breaking up nine passes and picking off two. The secondary allowed a respectable 206.9 passing ypg last season, but with little to no experience returning it will be hard to duplicate that kind of performance.

Putting points on the board was no problem for Kentucky last season, averaging a solid 32.1 ppg, and with the return of beefy play caller Jared Lorenzen, the team may be able to do even better this year. Lorenzen is back for his senior season, and while he has been close to 300 pounds at a few points in his career, Lorenzen has dropped to 260 pounds under the guidance of Brooks. The weight loss will only help the strong-armed lefty, who threw 24 touchdowns against only five interceptions last season. While Lorenzen loses his top receiver from last season, Derek Abney is back and capable of filling the void. Abney caught 40 passes for 569 yards and four scores last season and is a big time threat with his speed. The biggest hole this unit must fill is at the tailback position. With the departure of superstar Artose Pinner, sophomore Alexis Bwenge is expected to carry the load. Bwenge is a is a respectable all-around back, but does not possess the kind of talent of Pinner had. However, he may have immediate success as Kentucky returns all five starters on an offensive line that paved the way for 148.5 rushing ypg last season.

The Wildcats struggled a bit on the defensive side of the ball in 2002, allowing 401.3 total ypg of offense and 25.1 ppg. This year's unit will struggle to even duplicate last season's performance with the departure of several starters. New defensive coordinator Mike Archer will implement a new 3-4-4 scheme, which may sound like a good idea, except he doesn't have any linebackers to do it with. Justin Haydock, who made 25 tackles last season, is the most experienced of the bunch, but that is obviously not saying much. If the defense is going to have any type of success it will have to come from the line and secondary. Defensive end Vincent Burns was an All-SEC performer last season, making 65 tackles, including 14.5 for a loss. At the other end is Jeremy Caudill, who made 39 stops in '02. The secondary is led by strong safety Mike Williams and corner Leonard Burress. Williams posted 53 tackles and two interceptions last year, while Burress broke up 10 passes. This unit is not among the best in the league, but things could be worse.

This game will mark the beginning of a new era for both teams and starting off on the right foot is important to both programs. Louisville has some questions on offense, while Kentucky's defense is vulnerable. The Wildcat offense should be one of the best in the nation this season and that should be enough for them to win their season opener here.

Predicted Outcome: Kentucky 34, Louisville 28

[wayne1218]

Harmon Forecast

NCAA Stat Pack

Total games predicted, 1992-2002: 26,517
Total right: 19,823
Total wrong: 6,537
Ties: 157
Forecasting percentage: .752


Games stats are NOT against the spread!



V.T. 31-14

Kentucky 21-7

Texas 46-7

[predator]

Bryan Leonard | bio - (won 5 of 6)
PICK: Giants/D'Backs UNDER Write-up
Bodog Line
Mike Lee Sports | bio (won 12 of 16)
PICK: White Sox/Tigers UNDER
Bodog Line
Marc Lawrence | bio
PICK: San Fran Giants Write-up
Bodog Line
Mike Neri Sports | bio
PICK: Louisville/Kentucky UNDER
Bodog Line
Z-Play | bio - (won 6 of 9)
PICK: St. Louis Cardinals
Bodog Line
K & B Sports | bio
PICK: San Diego Padres Write-up
Bodog Line
Sports Unlimited | bio - (won 10 of 11)
PICK: LA Dodgers Write-up
Bodog Line
Dr. Bob Sports | bio - (won 6 of 7)
PICK: Virginia Tech Write-up
Bodog Line
The Animal | bio
PICK: PASS

JB Sports | bio - (won 7 straight)
PICK: Kentucky
Bodog Line

[wayne1218]

Buzz Sports

Currently 82-61 (57.34) This Month Overall
MLB Plays Of The Day 18-13 Last 31
MLB and NFL Play Of The Months 3-0
July POD Record 18-9 +35.75 units
MLB Plays Of The Day 53-36 (59.55%) Overall

Houston Astros -153 Peavy vs Villone (Listed)



Ty Gaston - V.T.

[4breakout]

Texas Sportswire--- Virginia Tech

Mike Lee 4* or 8% UNDER FL/MON

[wayne1218]

I like TS and i'm glad we are on the same side.

[ALASCOTT]

Big Al 4* New Mexico St
Alatex Super Play Colorado Rockies

[predator]

mike neri....dodgers,yankees.....4* v tech
spreitzer....hammer-kentucky...main event-texas
cokin...big shot-texas
dr bob...opinion v tech
winning points...reg-vtech,louisville
cal sports....kentucky
wayne root...chair-kent million-yankees
pp of pitt....opinion v tech

[Dr. T]

Anyone have Brian Gabrielle's baseball GOY?

[MikeSchmidt20]

Northcoast/Phil Steele

Does anyone have Norhcoast's college football plays for today? If so, please post.

Thanks.

[hazsupport]

ncs

check-out Pake ....Vt/ kenty 2** hc