This week in college football, conference games start and teams are starting to feel out what type of season they plan to have as we move along. With only 4 teams making the first ever playoff, every game counts and teams cannot just glide through a week. They must show their best each and every week. Below are the 5 games to watch for Week 3 of the season.
Saturday, September 13th, 2014
East Carolina Pirates (1-1) at #17 Virginia Tech Hokies (2-0)
12 p.m. ESPN
Coming off a huge, statement win in the “Horseshoe”, the Hokies look to keep the ball rolling against the East Carolina Pirates. East Carolina is coming off a hard fought battle at South Carolina. The Hokie defense will have to bring their “A” game again against QB Shane Carden. Carden is coming off a great season and has fared well in the two games this season. Bud Fosters’s Lunch Pail Defense is up to the task with one of the best secondary’s in the nation and two stout defensive tackles in Luther Maddy and Dadi Nicolas. Should be a good matchup in this one.
QB Shane Carden East Carolina Pirates
Carden returns for his senior season, a prototypical QB with good size at 6’ 2” and 221 pounds, in hopes to make a run to be one of the top quarterbacks taken in the next draft. So far this season, he has completed 58 / 83 passes for 604 yards, 4 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. He has also added 20 yards on the ground. Carden will have a chance to show himself this week in a hostile environment against the 27th ranked defense in the nation.
S Kyshoen Jarrett Virginia Tech Hokies
Jarrett is the senior leader of the Hokie secondary. He ensures his young teammates are lined up in the right positions. This season he has compiled 9 tackles, with 2 interceptions, one in each game. Jarrett will need to be on his game against Shane Carden, who has the ability to pick apart any defense.
Saturday, September 13th, 2014
#6 Georgia Bulldogs @ #24 South Carolina Gamecocks
3:30 p.m. CBS
The game of the week can be found in the SEC. South Carolina got blown out at home in their opener by Texas A&M, then won a battle against East Carolina. With their third straight home game, they welcome the Bulldogs of Georgia to town. Georgia coming off a bye week after a solid beating of the Clemson Tigers at the Georgia Dome, faces the Gamecocks who have struggled in the early going this season. This is their chance to turn things around, but Georgia is waiting to add another notch to their resume. This will be another great SEC battle with NFL talent all over the field. This is a must see.
RB Todd Gurley Georgia Bulldogs
Gurley put his name at the top of a few Heisman ballots with his performance in the season opener versus the Clemson Tigers. Against the top rank Tigers, He amassed 198 yards on the ground, 3 touchdowns, with a 100-yard kick off return touchdown to boot. Gurley should be the first running back taken in this year’s draft and should also break the streak of no running backs in the first round.
RB Mike Davis South Carolina Gamecocks
Mike Davis has fought through banged up ribs early this year to compile 116 yards rushing, 29 yards receiving and 2 touchdowns. Davis was all but invisible in the opener versus Texas A&M. Lets hope he comes back healthy and this battle of top running backs can commence.
Saturday, September 13th, 2014
Tennessee Volunteers (2-0) at #4 Oklahoma Sooners (2-0)
8 p.m. ABC
Tennessee will be given the opportunity to prove they are here to stay in Norman, Oklahoma this weekend. The unranked Volunteers have many unproven starters, but have faced to decent non-power conference foes this season in Utah St and Arkansas St. This week they take on the #4 Sooners in primetime and look to capitalize on the spotlight. The Sooners look to pad their resume for a playoff run this fall.
LB AJ Johnson Tennessee Volunteers
The bon-a-fide leader of the Volunteer defense and a top linebacker in the stacked SEC, Johnson will be playing on Sundays next season. He has recorded 18 tackles and intercepted one pass this season. In a primetime showdown, he can catapult this stock and solidify his spot among the top defenders in this draft.
LB Eric Striker Oklahoma Sooners
Striker has battled some injuries early this season, but he is 100% coming into this matchup. He has only recorded 1 tackle and .5 sack so far. When healthy Striker can be a force in the run game and as a pass rusher. If he can stay healthy, multiple NFL teams will be looking for his this spring.
Saturday, September 13th, 2014
Penn St Nittany Lions (2-0) at Rutgers Scarlett Knights (2-0)
8 p.m. Big Ten Network
Welcome to the Big Ten, Rutgers. They will host their first conference game against a natural rival in the Penn St Nittany Lions. Christian Hackenberg and new coach James Franklin will usher in the newest member. Rutgers has had two close games and Penn St has been to Ireland. Both teams are coming in 2-0. Just announced this week, Penn St can immediately compete for a bowl game this season. That changes the outlook on their season completely.
LB Mike Hull Penn State Nittany Lions
The next man from Linebacker U, Hull has battled some injuries but has been the man this season. Hull has compiled 22 tackles, 1 sack and a pass defended in the two games this season. This week he will be in a battle across the line of scrimmage with QB Gary Nova.
LG Kaleb Johnson Rutgers Scarlett Knights
Kaleb Johnson has been a main stay on the Rutgers offensive line since his freshman year. He has not missed a start and is the veteran of this year’s group. In the season opener at Washington State, he helped the team rush for over 200 yards. This week he faces a always tough Penn St defense, which should be a good test for scouts to take a look at.
Saturday, September 13th, 2014
Nevada Wolfpack (2-0) at Arizona Wildcats (2-0)
11 p.m. Pac 12 Network
Wrapping up the third week of the college football season, Nevada travels to Tucson, Arizona to take on the Wildcats. Both teams come in undefeated, early in the season. Arizona barely escaped defeat on the road against a pesky UTSA team last week, while Nevada beat Pac-12 member Washington State at home. This should be a great game to tune into late in the evening. Both teams have ability to put up points and will be looking for a solid win to add to their resume.
QB Cody Fajardo Nevada Wolfpack
A dual threat quarterback, Fajardo has had a mediocre start to the season. In games versus Southern Utah and Washington State, he has completed 42 / 62 passes for 413 yards 1 touchdown and 1 interception. He has added 168 yards on the ground. This week he should have a chance to pad those stats against the 43rd ranked defense in the nation.
LT Mickey Baucus
Baucus is a HUGE man, measuring in at 6’ 8” and tipping the scales at 293 pounds, he has the size scouts are looking for. He also has the durability, with no missed starts since the 2011 season. Mickey Baucus should hear his name on draft day. He is a part of an offensive line that last year only allowed 1.31 sacks per game.
