Happy Tuesday morning to you Cougar fans.
Are all of you back inside safely away from the ledge and other sharp objects? Good grief Saturday was nothing short of an epic disappointment. Nothing was more symbolic of the Paul Wulff Era than the opening play where Tuel forgot to stick the ball in Monty’s gut, and three plays later we were down 7-0. I loved to see the defense force those back to back three-and-outs and the offense get back in the game at 17-10, but from there it was straight down hill.
I have adamently defended Wulff in cyberspace, but if we play like this at SMU, his seat might become more than just a little hot. And there are a couple of Mike’s out there who would probably love to get a crack at our program (one of whom Bill Moos worked with in Eugene, the other a quirky pirate who used to Coach in Lubbock?).
Bad news all around on the injury front as well; Rickey Galvin is lost for the year with the broken wrist, Jared Byers likely won’t return and will be replaced by Marcus Richmond, Jared Karstetter will likely sit out after suffering a consussion, and lastly Gino Simone is still bothered by the hammy he tweaked during Fall camp.
Now here are some bright spots that I noticed: Marquess Wilson and John Fullington both lived up to their pre-season billing, Nico Grasu nailed a 56 yarder and had some nice distance on his kick-offs although he wasn’t too consistent in the latter. It would be great if Grasu could keep that up and we could redshirt Andrew Furney. Did anybody else notice Chantz Staden looked like our best all around back? He flew to the hole and averaged 13 + YPC on three touches. Lastly, what would a Cougar football game be without some fantastic punting by Reid Forrest!
Moving on, let’s take a look at this week’s feature, as we examine some of the most interesting lines for Week Two in College Football….
Houston -19.5 vs UTEP: Casey Keenum and the high powered Houston Cougar offense get after it with former WSU Coach Mike Price. Price had a few good years in El Paso, but I would have to imagine the sun is starting to fade on this ride and he will be retired at this time next year living the dream on his south Lake Couer D’Alene house. This is easy money – Houston minus 19.5.
Georgia +2.5 at South Carolina: Steve Spurrier had his Gamecocks looking solid in their debut on Thursday against Southern Mississippi. But I think Mark Richt had his Bulldogs looking the best they have in a few years on Saturday. The Dawg defense wins it for them, so take Georgia getting 2.5.
Nebraska -28.5 vs Idaho: The Vandals posted their first shutout in 13 years last week against North Dakota. Our own Longball was at the Kibbie Dome and says the final score is a bit deceiving,as the Vandal O-Line is very suspect. The only thing I see holding the Cornhuskers back is if they’re looking past Idaho to the Mutts next week?
Oklahoma State -12 vs Troy: Anybody who watched last week’s game against the Cougs understands that the only explanation necessary for this pick are the words “Kendall” and “Hunter.”
Oregon -13.5 at Tennessee: The Ducks hung 56 points on New Mexico in the first half and finished the route at 72-0. Last week I said the Ducks look to have their best defense in years, and that appears to be true. Neyland Stadium is a tough place to play but I have to imagine the Ducks win by at least two TDs. Oregon covers the 13.5.
Texas Tech -24.5 vs New Mexico: Tech won a gritty battle on Sunday against a fairly decent SMU squad, and we all know what the Lobos did last week (72-0!). Look for this spread to be covered by halftime, and Tech cruises in the second half.
One last thing – last week Sportsbook.com actually released lines for FBS/FCS matchups, so I would imagine they do so for our game with Montana State. My early guess is the Cougs are favored by 17 or more?
I hope you’re enjoying this new addition to the site, as we look at some of the more interesting Vegas lines of the week! That’s all for now.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
