WAC Preview - Week 2 PDF Print E-mail
Written by Erik Lord   
Friday, 11 September 2009 02:13

Erik Lord

RB Daniel Porter
RB Daniel Porter; athlonsports.com

Game of the Week


Louisiana Tech at Navy
Saturday, September 12th (3:30 PM EST, CBSCS)

When Louisiana Tech has the ball: The Bulldogs have a talented offense led by junior QB Ross Jenkins, who was 6-2 as a starter last year. RB Daniel Porter is one of the finest backs in the WAC, and should have some running lanes behind a veteran offensive line that returns all five starters. Navy has terrific linebackers, but lacks size up front. That's good news for the Bulldogs, who average a beefy 306 pounds on the offensive line. If the running game gets going, it will open holes for WR Philip Livas, who has the speed to torch a vulnerable Navy secondary.

When Navy has the ball: Navy was terrific last week as they were a play away from upsetting Ohio State. First year starting QB Ricky Dobbs demonstrated an ability to run with incredible toughness and also exhibited a terrific arm as he finished the game with 239 all-purpose yards and accounted for 4 touchdowns. Also impressive was sophomore RB Marcus Curry, who had two receptions for 101 yards and two touchdowns. Louisiana Tech's strength is their run defense, but they haven't faced a running attack like this. It will be interesting to see if they can hold their ground with all of the misdirection Navy will display.

Intangibles: Navy rebounds extremely well from losses. Since 2003, Navy is 18-6 in games following a loss.

Prediction: Both teams are able to move the ball up and down the field. Louisiana Tech makes some big stops against the Navy option, but the Midshipmen are able to open up the playbook and make some plays through the air. It's tight right until the end, but Navy wins thanks to a key turnover and the advantage of their home crowd.

My pick: Navy

Keep an eye on: Louisiana Tech senior SS Deon Young. In defending the triple option, the play of the strong safety is crucial. Young is very experienced and will have plenty of opportunities to make plays on the outside.

Upset Alert

Hawaii at Washington State

Hawaii is favored in this matchup, and rightfully so. Washington State was absolutely horrible last year (1-11) and doesn't seem to have much more fight in them this season after falling to Stanford last week 39-13. But Hawaii has been decimated by graduation, losing all but two of their defensive starters from 2008. And the WSU Cougars have a few players in their backfield that may be able to establish an all-important running game. If they can manage to play some defense, there's no reason why they can't knock off Hawaii.

About to go Nuclear

WR Phillip Livas
WR Phillip Livas; AP, Rogelio V. Solis

Louisiana Tech WR Philip “Saturday Night” Livas

Livas wasn't able to shine last week against a vicious Auburn defense but this week will be different. Livas will face a Navy team that is vulnerable in pass defense, and doesn't have the speed to keep up with him. And he should also play a huge role kickoff return game. If Navy isn't ready for Livas, they'll be chasing him all day long.

Numerical analysis

49.3

Punting average for Idaho's Bobby Cowan, a redshirt freshman, in the Vandals' 21-6 victory over New Mexico State. For his efforts, Cowan was named WAC Special Teams Player of the Week. For a team that will certainly struggle to finish drives, having a terrific punter can make a huge difference. It seems Cowan is poised to have a solid year.

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