Week 1 Recap, Pt. II (Idaho-Michigan)

Idaho @ Michigan State
My Prediction: Michigan State
Final Score: Michigan State 27, Idaho 17
Thoughts: Inconsistency, thy name is Sparty. MSU QB Drew Stanton had a good game (16/25 for 224 and a TD), and the rushing game produced 176 yards and 2 TD. Still, Idaho stayed in this one, thanks to the short passing of QB Steve Wichman (18/23, 162, 1/1 TD/INT) and RB Jayson Bird (86 yards and a TD). MSU managed to look good (400 total yards!) and not good (Come on, it's Idaho!) at the same time, keeping their stock about steady, while Idaho may use the momentum of staying in this one to make some noise in the lower tiers of the WAC.

Eastern Illinois @ Illinois
My Prediction: Illinois
Final Score: Illinois 42, Eastern Illinois 17
Thoughts: Illinois lost 3 fumbles, but this was all the running game. Pierre Thomas had 126 yards and 2 TD, E.B. Halsey 84 and a TD, and Rashard Mendenhall 75 yards and 2 scores. The high point of the season unless they get that big win against Indiana.

Western Michigan @ Indiana
My Prediction: Indiana
Final Score: Indiana 39, Western Michigan 20
Thoughts: Bad game for WMU QB Ryan Cubit, who went 17/23 for 163 yards, but 2 picks, one of which was returned for a TD. No real exciting lines for Indiana; QB Blake Powers had a decent performance of 16/28 for 187 yards and a 1/1 TD/INT, and star WR James Hardy had 85 yards on 4 catches, but no TDs. WMU's stock takes a hit with a bad loss and a bad performance from their star QB, Indiana remains a bad Big Ten team that may or may not beat Ball State next week.

Montana @ #16 Iowa
My Prediction: Iowa
Final Score: Iowa 41, Montana 7
Thoughts: The expected beating. QB Drew Tate looked good (15/28 for 225 and 3 scores), as did RB Albert Young (91 yards and a TD rushing, 55 yards and a TD receiving). Iowa did nothing to hurt themselves.

Toledo @ Iowa State
My Prediction: Iowa State
Final Score: Iowa State 45, Toledo 43 (3 OT)
Thoughts: Great game for both QBs. ISU's Bret Meyer, the...best QB in the Big 12? went 17/24 for 238 yards and 2 TDs passing, and rushed for 68 yards and 3 scores. So, yes, he was directly responsible for 5 of Toledo's 6 touchdowns. Meanwhile, another year, another Toledo QB with big numbers. Clint Cochran went 39/49 for 370 yards with a 3/1 TD/INT, and added a rushing touchdown of his own. Oddly, only one receiver on each team caught their TD passes: Chris Hopkins for Toledo (13 catches for 148 yards and 3 TD) and Iowa State's Todd Blythe (5 catches for 94 yards and 2 scores). Iowa State already seems to have proven they're better than everyone but Nebraska in the Big 12 North, and Cochran's performance has to give Toledo fans optimism. Still, a running game would be nice for the Rockets, as they only had 40 team yards rushing.

Northwestern State @ Kansas
My Prediction: Kansas
Final Score: Kansas 49, Northwestern State 18
Thoughts: SPECIAL TEAMSTASTIC! Kansas had TDs off of a punt return and a punt block. New KU QB Kerry Meier had a decent night, with 8/16 passing for 126 yards and a 2/1 TD/INT. RB Jon Cornish was the offensive star as expected, with 140 yards and a TD.

Illinois State @ Kansas State
My Prediction: Kansas State
Final Score: Kansas State 24, Illinois State 23
Thoughts: Kansas State was EXTREMELY lucky to win this one, scoring their only TDs off a punt return and an ISU fumble during a kickoff. KSU QB Dylan Meier was 15/26 for 163 yards and an abysmal 2 INTs, and the team only had 49 rushing yards. Illinois State mostly dominated the game, outgaining KSU 329-202 and only losing after deciding to go for a 2 point conversion on their comeback scoring drive. Any claims of the Big 12 North being decent seem to have been greatly exaggerated.

Minnesota @ Kent State
My Prediction: Minnesota
Final Score: Minnesota 44, Kent State 0
Thoughts: Domination. Minnesota forced 6 turnovers and scored on 7 of their first 8 drives. The running game looked fine, with Alex Daniels rushing for 155 yards and 3 TDs, and Amir Pinnix adding 117 and a score. QB Bryan Cupito had a decent performance, going 8/13 for 144 yards and a TD. Kent State...plays Army next week, at least.

Kentucky @ #11 Louisville
My Prediction: Louisville
Final Score: Louisville 59, Kentucky 28
Thoughts: Well, the big news is my Heisman darkhorse, UL RB Michael Bush, broke his leg and is out for the year. He still managed to score 3 TDs on 128 yards, before breaking his leg of course. The rushing game still had 363 yards total, however, and QB Brian Brohm had a pretty good 19/31, 242 yard, 1 TD performance. However, the loss of Bush turns their games against Miami and WVU from 50/50 propositions to games they merely have a chance to win. On the other side, star Kentucky RB Rafael Little was held to only 25 yards, but Kentucky does, in fact, have a quarterback, as Andre' Woodson threw for 3 TDs and 231 yards, even if it was on 9/24 passing.

Louisiana-Lafayette @ #8 LSU
My Prediction: LSU
Final Score: LSU 45, Louisiana-Lafayette 3
Thoughts: Despite 2 lost fumbles, LSU still looked good, outgaining the Ragin' Cajuns 456-171. QB JaMarcus Russell also had a big game, going 13/17 for 255 yards and 3 TD. There's not much for ULL to be happy about however, as their two star players, QB Jerry Babb (6/16 for 65 yards and 2 INT) and RB Tyrell Fenroy (50 rushing yards) were both silenced.

Alcorn State @ Louisiana-Monroe
My Prediction: Louisiana-Monroe
Final Score: Louisiana-Monroe 24, Alcorn State 6
Thoughts: ULM was outgained in the air 165-131, but more than made up for it in the rushing game (182-40). New ULM QB Kinsmon Lancaster had the best line, with 8/17 passing for 100 and a TD, and 62 rushing yards with a TD on the ground.

Louisiana Tech @ #22 Nebraska
My Prediction: Nebraska
Final Score: Nebraska 49, Louisiana Tech 10
Thoughts: Looks like the pass offense took, as Huskers QB Zac Taylor threw for 289 yards on 22/33 passing, with a 3/1 TD/INT. The rushing game also did well with 252 yards, led by Cody Glenn (88 yds, TD) and Marlon Lucky (77, TD). LA Tech only had 66 rushing yards, but had a decent passing night, mostly to WR Johnathan Holland (139 yards and a TD on 7 catches).

Marshall @ #13 West Virginia
My Prediction: West Virginia
Final Score: West Virginia 42, Marshall 10
Thoughts: WVU QB Pat White (10/14, 167 yards, 2 TD) can actually pass! God help us all. RB Steve Slaton also had a scary night, with 201 yards and 2 TD. Marshall had a decent game statistically (147 rushing yards, 168 passing), but WVU surprisingly outclassed them. This dominance combined with Michael Bush's injury is making me re-evaluate my Big East favorite...

William & Mary @ Maryland
My Prediction: Maryland
Final Score: Maryland 27, William & Mary 14
Thoughts: The running game bailed UMD out here, led by Keon Lattimore (92 yards, TD) and Lance Ball (84 yards, 2 TD). QB Sam Hollenbach was an unspectacular 9/15 for 148 yards, and W&M actually outgained Maryland through the air 213-148. The Terps fumbled it away 3 times but still prevented the worst-case upset; whether or not that is something to be optimistic about is up to you.

Memphis @ Mississippi
My Prediction: Mississippi
Final Score: Mississippi 28, Memphis 25
Thoughts: Saw parts of this and both teams impressed me. I figured the Memphis secondary would be fine with S Wesley Smith, but the offense was most impressive. New QB Martin Hankins had a great game (21/27, 213 yards, 2 TD), and RB Joseph Doss amicably filled DeAngelo Williams's shoes with a 109 yard rushing night. New Ole Miss QB Brent Schaeffer had a disappointing showing of 7/16 for 99 yards (and a rushing TD), some of which can probably be attributed to Smith. However, 6 of Schaeffer's completions were to true frosh WR Dexter McCluster, who had 88 receiving yards, as well as 61 rushing yards and a TD on the ground. The star of the Ole Miss offense, however, was Indiana transfer RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis, who steamrolled his way to 127 yards and 2 TDs. Memphis has as good a chance as anyone in the wide open C-USA, and Mississippi, with both existing talent and Ed Orgeron's top recruiting classes, has a chance to be a power in a few years. Of course, so did Virginia.

Northwestern @ Miami of Ohio
My Prediction: Northwestern
Final Score: Northwestern 21, Miami of Ohio 3
Thoughts: NW RB Tyrell Sutton was surprisingly quiet on the ground, with only 64 rushing yards, but had a receiving TD. New QB Mike Kafka accounted for 197 of Northwestern's 301 total yards of offense, with 104 through the air (including that TD) and 93 on the ground. With Kafka and Sutton, Northwestern could bounce back as soon as next year. Miami OH didn't do much on the ground (73 team yards), but QB Mike Kokal passed for 182 yards, 143 of which was accounted for by WR Ryne Robinson's 9 receptions.

Vanderbilt @ #10 Michigan
My Prediction: Michigan
Final Score: Michigan 27, Vanderbilt 7
Thoughts: This was close early, but only due to a Vanderbilt trick play and Michigan's receivers being unable to catch anything. The Michigan D dominated, holding Vandy to only 144 total yards, but new Commodore QB Chris Nickson exhibited some talent in between fumbling (twice) on exciting runs and getting sacked (5 times). Michigan QB Chad Henne had 2 TDs, but only 136 yards on 11/23 passing, again mostly due to his receivers. But the key, as usual, is the Michigan running game, and RB Mike Hart came through with 146 yards while Kevin Grady added 30 yards and a TD. As long as Hart stays healthy, with that defense Michigan could challenge for a national title...if they played Notre Dame at home.

Pt. III cometh!