In this week’s NCAAF “Game of the Week”, No. 1 Alabama travels to Gainesville to take on No. 11 Gators. Despite playing at home, Florida (2-0) is currently listed as a 14-point underdog to the Crimson Tide (also 2-0).
Florida beat Florida Atlantic (35-14) and USF (42-20) to open the year. On the season, Junior quarterback Emory Jones has completed 31 of 49 pass attempts for 264 yards and two touchdowns (four interceptions). Despite the slow start,, Jones has rushed 23 times for 155 yards and an additional TD.
Fellow quarterback (RS) Anthony Richardson leads the team in rushing with 275 yards on 11 carries. Senior RB Malik Davis has rushed 21 times for 126 yards and one TD. Senior RB Dameon Pierce has pitched in 11 carries for 86 yards and three touchdowns. Junior WR Jacob Copeland leads the team in receiving with six catches for 190 yards and two TDs.
Alabama has started the season with back-to-back wins over Miami FL (44-13) and Mercer (48-14). Highly regarded Sophomore QB Bryce Young has completed 46 of 65 passes for 571 yards and seven touchdowns.
In the backfield, Senior RB Brian Robinson Jr has led a balanced rushing attack with 22 carries for 130 yards and one TD. Fellow Sophomores Trey Sanders (15 carries for 71 yards and a touchdown) and Jase McClellan (13 carries for 49 yards and a TD) have also contributed. The following three wide receivers have contributed more than seven catches and over 100 yards receiving on the season:
Florida +14
It’s going to be whiteout conditions down in Happy Valley on Saturday night. No. 22 Auburn (2-0) faces 10th ranked Penn State (2-0) in Primetime. Auburn has gotten off to a fast start this year, but the Tigers haven’t faced the toughest competition in wins over Akron and Alabama State.
Junior quarterback Bo Nix has looked good against lesser competition, completing 74.4 percent of his passes. He’s thrown for 383 yards and five touchdowns to zero interceptions. Star Sophomore running back Tank Bigsby is the catalyst for the Tigers. Bigsby is coming off back-to-back 100-yard rushing efforts and is averaging a stellar ten yards per carry through two games. They will need him to deliver once again on the road Saturday night.
For Penn State, Senior quarterback Sean Clifford is a steady veteran presence. He hasn’t been asked to do a ton, but he’s completed 63 percent of his passes for 477 yards and two touchdowns, to zero interceptions. Clifford has playmakers at the wide receiver position. Jahan Dotson (10/167/2) and Parker Washington (10/104) lead the charge. They will be relied on heavily for the Nittany Lions.
We will find out on Saturday night if Auburn is for real or not. Bo Nix will have to continue his resurgence for the Tigers to win. Both defenses have been excellent so far. Saturday will be the biggest challenge each has faced. The winner of this game is hoping this game is a springboard for making a run at the NCAAF playoffs.
Penn State -5
This NCAAF game had more hype before the season from Indiana’s strong 2020. Indiana played very poorly against Iowa in Week 1 and they have been forgotten about. The Cincinnati hype train is still going with huge margin of victories against Miami of Ohio and Murray State. This is a big game for both teams to gain momentum for the rest of the season.
Cincinnati has scored over 40 points in both games and is about to embark on a crucial two game stretch against Indiana and Notre Dame. Although Indiana has fallen from grace, this is still a Big 10 team that can help them gain respect. Cincinnati is top-30 in the NCAAF in both passing and rushing yards per game, so the Indiana defense will have its hands full.
Michael Pennix did not look sharp in his first game against Iowa coming off a knee injury, and threw two pick-sixes. Indiana was beaten soundly but was only out-gained by 70 yards. Against Idaho, Indiana rebounded and relied on the run game, rushing 50 times. Indiana is 121st in yards per game so they will need to make sure to not get in a track match with Cincinnatti because they will not be able to keep up.
Indiana + 4
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