The UnTouchable Report (S27 - W9)
Posted: Fri Aug 23, 2013 8:26 am
The UnTouchable Report
Season 27 - Week 9
A rundown of the week's hottest games.
#17 Wake Forest Demon Deacons 5-1 (2-1 ACC) IceMorbid
#18 Miami Hurricane 2-0 (1-0 ACC) sammy33Sammy has been largely AWOL this season but that's not stopping the pollsters from keeping him inside the Top 25 with his 2-0 Miami Hurricanes. Their two recent games include knocking off a struggling Stanford team and barely slipping past North Carolina so it'll be exciting to see how they fare against a massively-surprising 5-1 Wake Forest team. Coach IceMorbid has taken the NDL by storm in his 3rd season and is quickly rising to the elite of the league.
WHAT TO WATCH Miami didn't put up much offense against Stanford, but really exploded in their win against North Carolina last night. It appears the Hurricane have made a switch at running back as Duke Johnson did much of nothing in the first game. Eduardo Clements may have won the starting job after a 125 yard performance against the Tar Heels. QB Stephen Morris fared better in the passing game unlike his first game, but wasn't able to run the ball like he did against the Cardinal. In that game, he rushed for 70 yards on 4 attempts. The Demon Deacons will need to have some non-committal defensive lineman who can contain both the running back and quarterback. QB Tanner Price should receive a lot of the praise in leading this Wake Forest team, but let's not count out HB Josh Harris who is averaging over 5 yards a carry (and over 100 per game) and has found the endzone 7 times this season. The Demon Deacons rank in the top 10 in the league in time of possession which really shows they control the tempo of their games. This has definitely contributed to their success this season.
THE UNTOUCHABLE PREDICTION The Demon Deacons have been playing solid football with their only loss on a fluke play. Even though this one's in Miami, I pick Wake Forest to come in and take care of business.
45 | 31
| 31
#15 UCLA Bruins 4-0 (2-0 Pac-12) UclaMac
#20 Oregon Ducks 4-1 (2-0 Pac-12) 6ftdeepMac is headed in the right direction yet again with his unbeaten Bruins. They have yet to be tested, however, and a game in Eugene will be their first big matchup of the year. The Ducks are also off to a good start, but falling to their only tough game of the season so far though, against Ole Miss. With a fairly easy schedule on the horizon, Oregon seems like a lock to win the Pac-12 North. But with all the talent in the South, UCLA has some work to do if they want to see some good postseason action.
WHAT TO WATCH This game has the potential to be a barn-burner as these two high-powered, fast-paced offenses both rank in the Top 20 in scoring. The Bruins are 2nd in the conference in points for but 1st in points against and it's this disparity that has made it so difficult for opponents to keep it even close this season. QB Brett Hundley is not the most efficient quarterback, but does like to spread the love as he's hit 9 different receivers this year. The Achilles Heel for this Bruins team is the offensive line, which has given up 12 sacks already. Hundley isn't apt to take too many more hits without some type of injury. As for the Ducks, their quick-tempo offense allows them to put up nearly 400 yards of offense per game. QB Marcus Mariota is super accurate and has only thrown 1 pick to 10 touchdowns so far. Factor in HB DeAnthony Thomas with blazing fast speed and Oregon has a backfield threat scary to all defenses. The Ducks rank 1st in the conference and 5th in the league in turnovers and will need to continue this trend against a Bruin defense that is forcing 2 per game.
THE UNTOUCHABLE PREDICTION Both coaches are solid and both teams have speed. But the Ducks are averaging over 3 sacks per game and against this fledgling Bruin offensive line, Hundley will hardly have time to get the ball out of his hands.
13 | 35
| 35***UPSET ALERT***
Colorado State Rams 2-0 (0-0 MWC) shel311
#23 Hawaii Warriors 5-1 (2-1 MWC) dolemitesooner-- Shel is one of the most prolific coaches in NDL history. Unfortunately for dolemitesooner, this is likely the end of a rare Top 25 appearance.
(good job Thab33t)