Thursday, September 23, 1999 - The Michigan Daily - 13A Saturday's matchups - Powder puffs to play powerhouses By Rohit Bhave For the Daily No. I FLORIDA STATE (3-0) AT NORTH CAROLINA (1-1): The minoles face another ACC pre- tender in the Tar Heels. While the Heels lack an established running game, they do possess a multi-threat quarterback in Ronald Curry, who is also their leading rusher. Although Curry has shown the ability to make big plays outside the pocket, the 'Notes' fierce pass rush, led by defensive end Jamal Reynolds, should tee off on the one-dimension- 1 orth Carolina offense. 'WTravis Minor will shred the depleted, young linebackmg crew of North Carolina, as Peter Warrick and Chris Weinke burn the inexperienced secondary. Look for the.'Noles to chop away by halftime in this ACC yawner. FLORIDA STATE 42, NORTH CAROLINA 10. NDIANA (1-2) Ai No. 2 PENN SWE (4-0) (ESPN 12 P.M.): The Hoosiers have lost both their games :his season, despite topping 30 points in each contest. Their sieve- ike defense has allowed a combined 951 yards of total offense, and 86 >oints in their losses to North Carolina and Kentucky. Indiana :oach Cam Cameron has been grum- >ling about his team's inability to ackle effectively. That will cost when they face the Nittany Ltns. Wideout Chafie Fields and the rest if Penn State's skill players have hown a remarkable ability to break >g plays this year. An underlying seakness though, has been an inabil- ty to mount a consistent running ttack. They won't need a consistent unning game if Fields, Eddie )rummond, and Eric McCoo can get *the open field. The Hoosiers are dangerous on ffense with Antwaan Randle-El at uarterback. Randle-El is a pass-run hreat, but Penn State's athletic line- acking trio of Mac Morrison, LaVar krrington, and Brandon Short hould corral him if he breaks out- ide. If they can't, the Hoosiers night take the Lions deep into the ame. My guess is that they won't. *NN STATE 28, INDIANA 17 No. 3 FLORIDA (3-0) AT ENTUCKY (2-1) (ESPN 7:30): Dusty Bonner and the pass-happy Wildcats lit up Indiana last weekend, but they're going to face a much quicker defense in the Gators this week. Look for Kentucky coach Hal Mumme to use running back Anthony White (5.5 yards per carry) on draws and traps out of the shot- gun, as well as throw quick-outs and slants to slow down a fierce Florida pass-rush, led by quick defensive end Alex Brown (five sacks against Tennessee). Kentucky may move the ball, but its defense will not be able to handle Florida's outside speed, or Doug Johnson's rocket arm. Look for Steve Spurrier to use gamebreaker Bo Carroll at wideout, running back, and kick returner. This game should resemble a track meet for a while, but look for the faster, deeper Gators to pull away after half- time. FLORIDA 42, KENTUCKY 21. SOUTHERN Miss (2-1) AT No. 6 TEXAS A&M (2-0): The Golden Eagles played tough against Nebraska's once-hallowed option last week (41 carries, 119 yds rushing) but their offense squandered the valiant effort by committing six turnovers. This week they face the Wrecking Crew, led by linebackers Roylin Bradley and Cornelius Anthony. Fortunately for the Eagles, the Aggies rely on their ground game to set up their play-action passing game If they can stuff the elusive Dante flail and battering-ram Jamar Toombs, look for a tight defensive struggle. Texas A&M had better come to play against the gutsy Eagles, or they may be on the wrong side of the scoreboard. TEXAS A&M 20, SOUTHERN MISsIssIPPI 17. No. 14 ARKANSAS (2-0) AT ALABAMA (2-1): The heart-broken Crimson Tide must regroup after giv- ing up a last-second game-winning, fourth-and-28 touchdown pass to Louisiana Tech. leisman Trophy contending running back Shaun Alexander will try to carry an ane- mic and mistake-prone offense on his shoulders, but the passing game must improve from last week. The Tide defense must contend with the Razorbacks' vertical pass- ing (quarterback Clint Stoerner aver- ages 9.2 yards per attempt), and the Ilogs' running back rotation of Chrys Chukwuma and Cedric Cobbs. Look for Anthony Lucas and Michael 'Williams to burn Alabama's shell- shocked secondary en route to a romp. After sustaining a shoulder separation last week, Stoerner should be ready to start under center for the Hogs. ARKANSAS 28, ALABAMA 10. No. 18 UCLA (2-1) AT STANFORD (2-1): Somebody please stand up for the woeful Pac-10. The Cardinal, coming off a 50-21 smacking of pre- tender Arizona, will try to continue their surge. UCLA's diversified offense featuring big wide receivers Brian Poli-Dixon and Danny Farmer, scatback Jermaine Lewis, and future star Deshaun Foster should light up the vulnerable Stanford defense. But the explosive Cardinal offense, led by wide receiver Troy Walters (30 consecutive points against Arizona) should match the Bruins. The defense that makes the most big plays should win this Pac- 10 shootout. UCLA 38, STANFORD 31. COLORADO (2-1) AT WASHINGTON (0-2): Rarely has there ever been a game so marked with hatred between coaches. Rick Neuheisel's departure from Boulder has embittered many of his former players, as well as cur- rent Colorado head coach Gary Barnett. When kickoff finally comes though, this game will eventually come down to whether Huskies' multi-threat quarterback Marques Tuiasosopo can consistently make plays, as he did in the second half against Brigham Young two weeks ago. He needs to be effective to com- bat the Colorado passing game. Look for Gary Barnett to take some pressure off of ailing quarter- back Mike Moschetti (sprained knee) and opt to run the ball early, then throw downfield to speedster wide receiver Marcus Stiggers (20.1 yards per catch) against the soft Washington defense. Colorado should be able to control the ball and grind out the Huskies' defense, especially late when the emotion wears off and Washington's lack of depth becomes a factor. COLORADO 24, WASHINGTON 14 No. 21 MICHIGAN STATE (3-0) AT ItI NOts (3-0): The Spartans' dynamic passing attack, coupled with emerging running back Lloyd Clemons, should run through. the Illini defense. Illinois won't be walked over, as Kurt Kittner's offense (422 yards per game) will compete. Give Illinois coach Ron Turner credit though, for making a remark- able turnaround from last year. Their 3-0 record cannot-be overlooked, but their competition doesn't compare in caliber to battle-toughened State. The Spartans should come away with another road win as they look down the barrel at a potential unde- feated showdown in East Lansing with the Wolverines. MICHIGAN STATE 27, ILLINOIS 10. NORTHWESTERN (2-1) AT No. 11 PURDUE (3-0) (ESPN2 12 P.M.): Joe Tiller's spread offense should shred the inexperienced Northwestern sec- ondary, a unit that hasn't faced a decent passing threat this year. The Mildcat offense won't be much of a threat to Purdue, as Drew Brees will fling the ball around to the likes of Randall Lane, Chris Daniels, and A.T. Simpson. Boilers will steam by the 'Cats, then look ahead to Big Blue in the following week. PURDUE 42, NORTHWESTERN 14. CINCINNATI (2-1) AT No. 10 OHito STATE (2-1): Two Big Ten powers in consecutive weeks? Nalt The Buckeyes' newly found pass- ing game should hit its strtde against Cincinnati's porous defense that gave up 425 yards to Wisconsin. Look for Buckeyes' starter Steve Bellisari to find speedster Ken-Yon Rambo down the sideline, while Michael Wiley powers the running game. Cincinnati running back Robert Cooper will try to duplicate his effort against Wisconsin (143 yards on 20 carries), but Ohio State's front seven should stifle him enough to expose the Bearcats' passing game. Linebacker Na'il Diggs sharply crit- icized the front seven for being knocked around against previous competition, most notably Miami. He pointed to the ominous fact that free safety Gary Berry has led the team in tackles. The Ohio State front should respond, at least in this one. Cincinnati will try to grind out first downs and control the clock, but eventually the big-play Ohio State offense should break the game open in the second half. OHIO STATE 40, CINCINNATI 20. 4V Eddie Drummond and Penn State passed their nonconference ;tests, but now must do battle with speedy Antwaan Randle- El and 1-2 Indiana to kick off the Big Ten season. 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