What I Will be watching this Thursday Night
Rutgers hosts Louisville 7:30
The Big East Showdown, it’s as if whoever scheduled the
season saw the future in advance. Rutgers wins they have sole possession of the
division championship, if Louisville
wins? Well then things get interesting. After an upsetting loss to a Pitt
Panther squad that has underachieved all year but is always tough to beat at
Heinz field, RU gets a chance to redeem them selves at home against an all to
familiar foe. Going all the way back to 1976 in their first meeting, Rutgers
leads the all-times series 7-4 and are 4-1 against the Cardinals in Piscataway,
so a cake walk should be the furthest of expectations tonight as both teams
know what it at stake because the pressure is on! As a New Jersey native it’s
no secret who I am rooting for tonight but if Rutgers were to lose and
Cincinnati takes down UConn, there will be a four-way tie (Rutgers, Syracuse,
Louisville and Cincinnati) for the Big East title giving Louisville the edge
for the BCS game due to the tie breakers…with that being said it’s just not
going down like that tonight…..RU!......RU!……..RU!…
Keys to the game: Turnovers- Rutgers must win the
turnover battle, I expect it to be a close game so therefore one or two turnovers
either way could decide the game. Which means it’s crucial that Nova takes care
of the ball.
Ball/Clock Possession- Pound the ball
Jawan Jamison a back who I believe is one of the best in the country ,eat up of
chunks of yards and free up that play action passing game with those big RU
receivers.
Special Teams- This category should
never be forgotten, a punt return, punt block or constantly pinning Louisville deep in their own territory will allow Rutgers to dial up some blitz packages and cause some
potential turnovers and keep their offense stagnant.
And finally WHO WANTS
IT MORE!?? lets enjoy what we have left of the Big East as a BCS birth is
on the line!
Saints at Falcons 8:30
The 5-6 Saints have been playing playoff football for weeks
now after their poor start to the season and a loss tonight against a division
rival could just about put the nail in the coffin. The Falcons are a -3 ½
favorite tonight given the fact that they are undefeated at home this season.
We must not forget though that single blemish on their record came against this
same Saints squad who has seemed to have their number. For some facts, Saints
are 4-0 in ATL in the last four meetings so tonight the Falcons will be tested
once again. It feels like ATL has been in a game that has come down to the wire
in the passed few weeks now, maybe that brings the question of their legitimacy
but you can’t deny the fact that they are winning games. With a win tonight ATL
would all but sure up a NFC South title. Will the Saints keep their hopes alive
tonight? I wouldn’t bet against them, but I’m not a gambling man.
Keys to the Game :
Ground Game- Which team will
be able to establish some form of a run game. The Falcons piled up less then 50
yards rushing in the first meeting against the Saints, on the flip side you
never know what your going to get out of the Saints backfield, that’s not to
say they don’t have the talent at the position. For personal (Fantasy Football)
reasons I hope Jacquizz Rodgers has a big game tonight…I’m just saying though..
Red Zone Efficiency: What team will put
up touchdowns instead of field goals in the red zone? As Explosive as the
Falcons offense has been, this is an area where they tend to struggle at times
giving opposing squads a chance to stay in the game, and against an offense
like the Saints it’s not a healthy diet to give them too many of those chances
off of missed opportunities.
Turnovers/ Special Teams: As I stated
before when speaking about the Rutgers Louisville game this is where most games
are won and lost, key take a-ways, field possession, someone on one of these
units tonight is going to step up and make a game changing play.
One things for sure, the Georgia Dome will be rockin!
Two Great games on Thursday Night Football….Enjoy!...I
definitely will..