Bounce Back Time - Rutgers Preview
Who: The Rutgers Scarlet Knights. After spanking UMass in their opener, Rutgers got blanked at home 30-0 in Week 2. Last week they had a bye and should be well rested and prepared for the Eagles trip to Jersey.
Where: SHI Stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey. SHI Stadium… yikes.
Weather: 70s to 80s and sunny. Good football weather.
When: Saturday, 12PM Eastern, 10AM Mountain Time
What Channel: The Big Ten Network.
Where I'll Be Watching: I’ll be following as best I can while attending a wedding between too great Eagles.
What's the Spread: Eagles are favored by 7.5
What else: This is a big game for BC recruiting. We typically get a good number of players from the Garden State each year. A Rutgers win would help their staff legitimize that they are a “peer” program and keep more local prospects in-state. This game is important long-term for the health of the program.
Most Important Dude(s)
The entire team and coaching staff.
How the team and coaches respond to one of the most embarrassing losses in BC history will tell us a lot about a) how they adjusted their schemes b) how much heart and mental toughness they have.
3 Keys to #SOAR'N
1) Be more physical & disciplined up front – Our inexperienced front seven was one of the biggest question marks going into the season. Well, through three games the concern was absolutely valid. They haven’t generated any pressure on QBs and have been getting shredded on the ground. Not something we’re used to seeing from an Eagle defense. We might not have as much pure talent but that shouldn’t impact our toughness, effort and mental IQ. We can be more physical and keep our assignments and that will do us wonders.
2) No coverage breakdowns, no missed tackles – This falls on the linebackers and the secondary but we’ve had major coverage issues all year and poor tackling this season. Fix the mistakes. Wrap up. Be better.
3) Accurate AB – Anthony Brown was really poor against Kansas. His accuracy and decision-making has never been his calling card but this was really poor for him. We’re such a better team offensively when he’s throwing with confidence and in rhythm. Need him to get some momentum back.
Clip(s) Of The Week - (A movie scene, a song, a TV show moment - something that encapsulates how we're feeling this week.)
Ugh. No I don’t.
Final Prediction
Boston College 35
Rutgers 24
We get back on track with a win.
Giblin's Gambles
This Will Be Where I Make A Few CFB Picks Each Week - Use At Your Own Risk My Season Goal: Over 57%
2019 Record: 14-13-1 51.9%
Bounce back week for the Gambles. Missed the Wazzu/Houston over and Penn State covering vs Pitt and pushed on UVA. Other than that we had six winner$. Let’s have another good week.
1) Friday Night Special – Utah -3.5 at USC – Taking the road favorites on Friday night. Think Utah is for real and is too tough, too disciplined to lose to a schizophrenic Trojans squad.
2) UCF -11 at Pitt – Another road favorite. I know, not usually what you want. Golden Knights rocked Pitt last year and think they’ll be able to do it again this year with the Panthers putting everything into their showdown with Penn State last week.
3) Northwestern +9 vs Michigan State – Sparty shouldn’t be laying more than a TD against any P5 team. Take the points with the home team in what should be a low-scoring, ugly affair.
4) Appalachian State +2.5 at UNC – Gimme the Mountaineers with the 2.5 against the fighting Mack Browns. Think they win this outright. #goacc
5) Texas A&M -3.5 vs Auburn – Auburn’s got a solid defense but I still think that offense is mediocre. Jimbo and Mond do enough to win by at least a TD.
6) Wyoming +3.5 at Tulsa – Wyoming has a strong running game and a decent defense and think they can keep their winning ways going.
7) Colorado +8.5 at Arizona State – Think the Buffalos bounce back after a weird loss vs Air Force.
