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**InsiderEdge** · 11-13-2004, 11:18 AM

Insider Edge Sports – Report For Saturday, November 13, 2004

Not only do we have the Mountain West Conference Game of the Year, but tomorrow we have the NFL Total of the Year! Get both of these huge releases along with the rest of both the Saturday and Sunday cards by grabbing our Two Day Pass For $29.95. Complete information and analysis comes with every play – why would you not get that anyway? Plays with no writeups are as good plays being picked out of a hat. You don’t get that here.

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**InsiderEdge** · 11-14-2004, 01:54 AM

Sometimes it is better to be lucky and that is the case with Wyoming as we go to 5-0 with our Game of the Year releases. But at the same time, you need to be good to go 5-1! Congrats to everyone you rode along today…

Iowa Hawkeyes at Minnesota Golden Gophers 12:00 PM ET

Minnesota Golden Gophers –3 –108 (2 Units)

Minnesota is stumbling while Iowa continues to impress but we have a great situation of an unranked home favorite against a ranked opponent. The Hawkeyes have won 5 straight including 2 on the road but those two road wins were against Illinois and Penn St., a combined 1-12 in the Big Ten. The question is whether or not Iowa can beat a really good team away from home. If the Gophers want go to almost any bowl game, they better win this game and wind up with a 7-4 record. The one-sided losses to Michigan State, Indiana and Wisconsin aren't going to help the Gophers' chances when it comes to picking the bowl participants. The Gophers are 5-0 at home winning by a total score of 204-66 playing with more confidence and precision at the Metrodome than they have shown on the road.

Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz readily admits he is surprised his team is in this position, given all that has gone wrong this season. He knew he could count on his rock-solid defense for some stability, but the injury situation on offense has bordered on the ridiculous. The revolving door at tailback means sophomore Sam Brownlee, a former walk-on who was fifth on the depth chart at the start of the season, will start against the Gophers. The Hawkeyes rank 115th nationally at only 82.4 rushing yards per game and average 2.2 yards per carry. The Hawkeyes have started the same five offensive linemen during their five-game winning streak, but that will likely change this week. Ferentz said center Mike Elgin will not play after suffering an ankle injury Saturday against Purdue and in his place, Ben Cronin will make his first collegiate start. He also said left tackle Lee Gray remained questionable. If he cannot play, Ben Gates likely will take his spot.
Iowa is fourth nationally in rushing defense and 10th in total defense and gave up only 40 points combined in four October games. They have yet to face a rushing attack like the one they will see on Saturday however as the Gophers are 7th in the country in rushing offense. The Hawakeyes have gone against one team ranked higher that 59th in rushing offense and that was Michigan St. who piled up 210 yards on the ground, 142 yards more than Iowa’s season average allowed. There have been rumors about some of the Minnesota players showing displeasure at the coaching staff but that has been downgraded to an isolated comment by one player. Senior captain Darrell Reid questioned the coaching after the Wisconsin game; his remarks had head coach Glen Mason all but steaming at the ears Sunday. "[The coaches] do a great job preparing us and getting us ready to go," Gophers safety John Pawielski said. "We just have to go out and do it. It's really on our shoulders." You’d better believe Mason will have the Gophers ready for this game. Minnesota is ninth in the nation in turnover margin and is even sharper at home. Minnesota’s six turnovers this season leads the Big Ten Conference in fewest turnovers and puts Minnesota in position to break the NCAA record for fewest turnovers in a season. The Golden Gophers will attempt to become the first Minnesota team to finish a season undefeated at home in the Metrodome and the first team to go without a home loss in a season since 1967.

Akron Zips at Ohio Bobcats 1:00 PM ET

Akron Zips –1 –110 (2 Units)

Akron is in the driver’s seat of going to the MAC Championship? It doesn’t sound right but it is correct. The Zips need to win over Ohio this week and they end the regular season at home against Miami where a win will send them to the title game. Akron has won four in a row, incredible after starting 1-3 with rookie coach J.D. Brookhart needing to rally his team after a grueling early schedule left some emotional scars as well as plenty of injuries. They are coming off an incredible win over Marshall last Friday but they have said that game was gone from memory on Monday. The Bobcats will be ending another disappointing season after what was thought to be a good start. Victories over Buffalo and Kentucky were frauds and their 3 total wins over 1-A opponents have come against teams with a combined 2-25 record. They should have easily taken care of UCF last weekend but escaped with a one-point win.

During their four-game winning streak, Akron has averaged 34.0 ppg and 387.7 total ypg. During that same period the Zips are rushing for 152.9 ypg, which is well above their season average of 106.4 ypg. The Zips rank 9th in offense and 11th in defense in the conference yet they have defeated the conference's 1st (Marshall) and 2nd (Kent St.) defensive teams. The tough early schedule has a lot to do with their rankings and they are the type of team that can win against a good defense, just not an explosive offense. The only top five offensive team Akron has played was No. 2 Northern Illinois, the Zips' only MAC loss. They don’t have to worry about a good offense this week with Ohio, who comes in 103rd in the country in total offense and 12th in the conference. The Akron defense has allowed 402 ypg in their last four games compared to 469 ypg over their first five. “At times, we are improving a lot,” Zips head coach J.D. Brookhart said. “We are so close in a lot of areas but not making a lot of the plays we should be making. Our defense is accountable in what they are doing but we have to be more accountable on the field.” The Ohio over Central Florida last Saturday win snapped a four-game slide and improved Ohio to 4-6 overall and 2-5 in league play. They won on a missed PAT. The Bobcats have failed to get any type of ground attack going, producing just 105.2 rushing ypg on only 2.9 ypc. In its last outing, Ohio managed just 259 total yards, the third time in their last four games that they have failed to reach 300 yards of offense. The offense has scored 17 or less points in all five of their previous games, putting up a total of 75 points. Akron meanwhile has more than doubled that output in their last 3 games and they have put up 155 points during that same five game span. Brookhart said his team has grown so football savvy, the offense can start plays with different snap counts, something that requires tremendous concentration. He said he could never do that when he was coaching previously at Pitt. Quarterback Charlie Frye is 5th in the conference in total offense and he is third in the MAC in completion percentage at 63.7%. Running back Brett Biggs is 4th in the conference in rushing and 3rd in ypc at 5.1 for backs with more than 500 rushing yards. Practice and focus has been good his week according to Brookhart. “I think our guys totally understand that the Marshall win won't mean anything if we're not focused for this game,” he said.

Mountain West Conference Game of the Year

Utah Utes at Wyoming Cowboys 2:00 PM ET

Wyoming Cowboys +23 –110 (2 Units)

Everybody sees the amount of offense that Utah is putting up but what they seem to be overlooking is the defense that has allowed 87 points over their last 3 games. The offense was able to overcome that with 177 points but they will see a challenge from the Cowboys who have been a very impressive team in Laramie. Wyoming is 5-0 at home this season and they are allowing only 17 ppg on 363 ypg of offense. Granted, the teams are not of the same caliber as the Utes but taking a look at two teams, San Diego St. and Air Force, they allowed a total of 36 points. In Utah’s two games against those teams, they gave up 63 points. This is the final road game for Utah before they square off against their rival BYU next week, which could decide the MWC Championship, win or lose this week to Wyoming. Utah’s two lowest offensive outputs on the season, 23 and 28 points, both came on the road and this will be just their second time out of Utah since October 1st.

Wyoming enters this game with a ton of confidence as they snapped a 17-game road conference-losing streak with a thrilling 53-45 triple-overtime victory over UNLV. With the win, the Cowboys accomplished a lot that had not been done in quite some time. The Cowboys clinched their first winning season since 1999, won on the road in league play for the first time since 1999 and became bowl eligible for the first time since 1999. "We're going home and everybody knows what we do at home," receiver Jovon Bouknight said. "It's a big game, and I expect a lot of big things." Out of 300 minutes, the Cowboys have trailed for only 14 minutes, 44 seconds - which is 4.9 percent of the total game time. This has been a big play offense for Wyoming as they have 24 plays of 30 yards or more. There was concern in the beginning of the week about the quarterback position but that has since been settled. Starter Corey Bramlet took all the snaps with the first-team offense during Wednesday's practice. "I feel 100 percent," he said after Wednesday's practice. "I was able to rest it and rehab over the weekend, and I definitely feel like I will be able to go." Head coach Joe Glenn said if Bramlet can't go, senior J.J. Raterink will get the start. Last week he completed 22 of 36 passes for 227 yards with four touchdowns and one interception after he replaced Bramlet after one series. The defense has taken advantage of the opportunities given to them. Wyoming has forced 23 turnovers this season and 18 in its six victories. In its three losses, they have committed 11 turnovers. The Cowboys have forced at least three turnovers in five of their nine games, and are 5-0 when they win the turnover battle in a game. The defense has 13 interceptions, which is tops in the MWC and 11th nationally. They will need a big effort against Alex Smith and the potent Utah attack. When asked if Wyoming feared Utah, Cowboys senior defensive tackle Zach Morris said: "They're a good team and they really put it on us in the second half last year. But we played with them in the first half in Utah. We think we can step up at home and get a win." The Cowboys played excellent last season for a half in Utah and that is the effort they are expecting this Saturday but this time for the full 60 minutes. Wyoming has covered their last 5 games at home when getting double digits, and those were teams much inferior to the Cowboys of today.

New Mexico Lobos at BYU Cougars 3:00 PM ET

New Mexico Lobos +7 –115 (2 Units)

Both teams come in with winning streaks and a win for either team gets them bowl eligible. What separates these two are their respective running games and the Lobos fit into a rushing system this weekend that is hitting at 65%. They also have the better overall defense, allowing over 50 ypg less than what BYU is giving up. The Lobos were off last week and are 7-0 following bye weeks under coach Rocky Long. Dating back to 1996, New Mexico has won 10 straight games after bye weeks. New Mexico has won three straight games and has forced 11 turnovers in those games. Conversely, the Lobos have only one turnover during that span. Winning on the road has not been a problem as New Mexico is 5-1 in their last six conference road games.

The Cougars face the top defense in the conference, a team that runs a scheme very similar to that of BYU. Crowton doubted the parallels would help his offense prepare for New Mexico as much as it might appear. "The offense hasn't practiced against the defense since the beginning of the season," he said. "We've been trying to remember what we learned in spring ball and early in fall camp." New Mexico is the only team in the conference that hasn’t allowed 1,000 yards on the ground. The Cougars offense might be going into this one with a little too much comfort. They were able to wear down the San Diego St. defense last week, gaining 349 of their 526 total yards on the second half. They were not challenged last week against the Aztecs and New Mexico will do something that San Diego St. couldn’t do and that is apply pressure to quarterback John Beck. “This is the first game I didn’t get my shoulder shot up with the numbing stuff,” Beck said. “Some games I hurt after the game and on Sunday. I barely got touched today (Saturday), so I feel good.” A couple hits by the Lobos and his play will be affected. In their 5 conference games, the Cougars have faced the bottom five defensive teams in the MWC, none of which are ranked higher than 56th nationally. New Mexico is 27th in the country and this is with facing Oregon St., Utah and Texas Tech, the last two ranked 2nd and 4th respectively in the country in total offense. They held them to 24 and 28 points, a combined 31 points below their combined season scoring average. The running game will be very important nonetheless for New Mexico so they can keep that offense off the field. If New Mexico’s offense lingers on the field, it will eventually wear down the Cougar line, and open up holes for Dontrelle Moore. After a slow start, the Lobos offense has been getting their points, scoring 23 ppg over their last 4 contests anfter averaging 19.2 ppg in their first 5 games. This looks like déjà vu all over again for BYU. Just like 2002, the Cougars are in a familiar position, needing one win to be bowl eligible with a home game against New Mexico and a road game against Utah left on the schedule. Two years ago in the same scenario, BYU failed to get the one win they needed, as they lost to New Mexico at home for the first time in 31 years, then lost the next week at Utah. A similar outcome is quite possible.

Ohio St. Buckeyes at Purdue Boilermakers 3:30 PM ET

Purdue Boilermakers –4.5 –108 (2 Units)

Purdue has been on the short end of four straight, losing to Wisconsin, Michigan, Northwestern and Iowa by a total of ten points. Kyle Orton was on the bench against the Hawkeyes with a hip problem in the last outing and it’s still unclear where he will be come Saturday against Ohio St. As Purdue prepares for the Buckeyes, Orton's playing status is still very much up in the air. Not knowing whether or not he will go is actually a bigger challenge for the Buckeyes since they need to prepare for two quarterbacks, both of which are completely different. If Orton can't go, Brandon Kirsch will start. He brings more mobility to the position, which may be an asset with Purdue's inability to protect the quarterback in recent weeks. Kirsch is noted for his scrambling/running ability, but head coach Joe Tiller said they didn't, and they won't, scale that part of the offense down. Kirsch's penchant for improvisation has sometimes resulted in costly mistakes, but Tiller is comfortable rolling the dice. ``You are never going to put the handcuffs on Brandon Kirsch,'' Tiller said. ``He's going to take off and run anyways.''

In the first four games, opponents had sacked Purdue's quarterback only three times and the Boilermakers averaged 179 yards rushing. But in the last five games, when opposing defenses were among the best in the Big Ten Conference and the nation, the quarterback has been sacked 18 times and the backs have averaged only 85.8 yards rushing. Tiller did add, however, that the outstanding defensive fronts of some of Purdue's recent opponents have contributed to the lesser play of the line. He pointed out that three of the past four opponents, Wisconsin, Northwestern and Iowa, have featured all-senior defensive fronts. Left tackle Mike Otto made an excellent point about why the offensive line has been weakening late in games. "I don't want to make excuses, and I'll probably get called names for saying this, but I think a little bit of the blame can be put on the fact that we practiced in Mollenkopf every day last week," Owen said of Purdue's indoor facility. "I swear, as an offensive lineman, that turf just takes it out of your legs. That turf in there sucks, and that's the bottom line.” That hasn’t been the case this week meaning the legs will be fresh. Purdue, despite eight new starters, is ranked 30th nationally in total defense and 11th in scoring defense. They have allowed 20 or more points only three time this year and they have allowed a total of 43 points in their 4 home games. The Ohio State offense might have racked up 307 yards of total offense last week against the Spartans, but it's a bit misleading. Ted Ginn was the main man for the big plays while a late Maurice Hall touchdown run came when the Buckeyes were trying to run out the clock. In their 4 games prior to Michigan St., the offense totaled 1,046 yards (261.5 ypg). This is still a good Purdue team with a solid defense that's only allowing 15.3 points per game. Purdue's first three losses were a result of a couple of last-minute fumbles and an 86-yard scoring drive in the final seconds. This one was because of turnovers in the first and fourth quarters. As a result of interceptions and fumbles, the Badgers, Wolverines, Wildcats and Hawkeyes have scored 27 points. On the flip side, Purdue has one field goal against Wisconsin as the result of a takeaway. The Boilermakers are 30-3 at home against unranked teams under coach Joe Tiller. Purdue will try to avoid its first five-game losing streak since losing its final nine games in 1993.

Miami Florida Hurricanes at Virginia Cavaliers 3:30 PM ET

Miami Florida Hurricanes +3 +103 (2 Units)

The Hurricanes have dropped two straight games, both coming on the final drive of each game. While National Title hopes are long gone, the ACC Championship is still within reach as Miami still controls their own destiny. If they win out, they claim their first ACC title plain and simple. The defense didn’t come through against North Carolina two weeks ago and the offense shut down in the second half last week. That being said, there isn’t one thing that is bringing them down so a solid effort on both sides wins this one. Virginia is undefeated at home and they are ranked in the top 10 nationally in both offense and defense. Their schedule however has helped as they have faced only one team ranked higher that 51st in total defense (Florida St.) and one teams ranked higher than 49th in total offense (Florida St.). We know what happened there.

Against the Tar Heels, Miami couldn't make defensive stops. Against Clemson, Miami's offense, which moved the ball with ease in the first half, was forced to punt on all eight second-half possessions. The question is whether this team can pick itself up off the canvas as it did a year ago after suffering similar back-to-back losses. Last season the Hurricanes suffered back-to-back November losses at Virginia Tech and at home to Tennessee but bounced back to win their final three regular-season games. ``We have a lot to play for,” head coach Larry Coker said. “Like I told our team, it's going to test our character, show what we're made of. I think we'll get a Virginia team on an upswing. They need to get a Miami team ready to fight back.'' Even though they lost last week, Miami gave up 371 yards to Clemson, about 125 less than it had allowed the previous three games. "I definitely feel improvements have been made from the past several weeks," defensive lineman Baraka Atkins said. First and foremost, Miami has to stop the run, something they have not done in recent weeks. Defensive coordinator Randy Shannon said Miami's inability to stop the run is at the core of his unit's problems this season, and facing Virginia, the ACC’s top rushing team, the Hurricanes are pulling out all the stops. Defensive ends Thomas Carroll and Bryan Pata are switching sides with Pata, the bigger of the two, manning the side Virginia runners favor. Linebackers coach Vernon Hargreaves said Roger McIntosh's move inside to middle linebacker is no longer an experiment. It's permanent, with Jon Beason taking over at strongside. To compensate for their weaknesses, the Hurricanes again will need to rely on quarterback Brock Berlin. Booed earlier in the season at the Orange Bowl, he has been outstanding during most of the past five games, throwing for 13 touchdowns and one interception. He gets a weapon back as Coker said he expected Ryan Moore, who led the team in receptions last season but has been sidelined by an ankle sprain for over a month, to play against Virginia. Virginia has played one team this year full of next-level athletes, Florida State. In their only test against a ranked opponent this season, the Cavaliers failed miserably in all phases. They couldn't run, they couldn't stop the run. Miami is the only team that compares to that opponent. Florida State’s speed caused major problems for Virginia, and Miami is just as fast, if not faster. Coach Al Groh said Miami’s speed on both sides of the ball is the overriding issue in the game. This game comes down to character for Miami and they certainly don’t want to be on a team that loses three games in a row. "After a certain point, players have to take the initiative and say, 'You know what? We're not going to stand for this anymore. This is ridiculous,'" said defensive tackle Kareem Brown. "I don't want to be on the team that turns UM's legacy and starts a downfall. I don't want to be known for that." He actually called a radio talk show during the week to apologize to the Miami fans. Virginia has yet to play a game decided by fewer than 16 points so how they respond in a close game is anyone’s guess.

Announcement

Mountain West Conference Game of the Year!

Mountain West Conference Game of the Year!

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