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This kid is the best.

Allen Norton, a 4-year-old Louisville fanatic who was born with Down syndrome and a heart defect, will be leading the Cardinal marching band onto the field during halftime of U of L’s Saturday game against reigning national champion Clemson.

The kid is the absolute best.

Regardless of what the score is, you’re not going to want to miss halftime on Saturday afternoon.

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How are the Tar Heel Blog writers feeling about UNC’s chances this week?

Last week was fairly hit or miss for our Tar Heel Blog prognosticators. Carolina may have been on a bye, but the ACC was still full of surprises. Those surprises mainly came in the form of Miami upsetting Virginia and Louisville and Wake Forest playing a shootout that ultimately resulted in a Cardinals victory.

One soothsayer, Chad Floyd, accurately predicted all six outcomes. That extended his lead over the field by three games. Evan and Quinton are second with 49 correct predictions each. Akil, Jake, and yours truly are not far behind with 48.

Let’s dig into this week’s picks.

Unfortunately there won’t be a lot of ways to make up ground this week. The Tar Heel Blog staff feels pretty strongly about most of the games at hand. Three games on the slate are unanimous with all our writers picking UNC to beat Virginia Tech, Clemson to beat Louisville, and Miami to beat Georgia Tech.

Outside of those games there is definitely a bit more disagreement. A lot of people feel very strongly about Wake Forest despite their loss to Louisville, but Douglas and Bryson are taking the Seminoles in that matchup. Our staff narrowly believes in State over Boston College, but it’s really close. Most believe that Pitt will emerge victorious, but five still believe in Syracuse.

Agree with our predictions? Think we’re off base? Let us know in the comments below.

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The Wolverines will have their hands full with one of the best receivers in the country

The Michigan Wolverines are set to take on one of the top teams in the country this Saturday, the No. 7 ranked Penn State Nittany Lions.

Every year Penn State seems to have one guy that carries the load of their offense. In 2017 it was Saquon Barkley, a man who has become a legend in Happy Valley, and a superstar in the NFL. Last year it was Miles Sanders, another back who has begun to make strides with the Philadelphia Eagles, and is likely their running back of the future.

This year, a wide receiver has taken that role, KJ Hamler. The Nittany Lions find a way to implement this guy into their offense every single week. He has over 60 receiving yards in 5 of the 6 games Penn State has played this season, and has surpassed the century mark twice in that span.

In total, Hamler has 26 receptions, 455 yards, and 5 touchdowns on the season with an average of 17.5 yards per reception. When the ball gets into his hands, very good things happen for the Nittany Lions offense. He is a vertical threat, but can also make defenders look silly off of quick slants and screens, while having the speed to breakaway from nearly any defender.

The goal for the Michigan defense will be to contain Penn State’s most explosive weapon. The way that this game gets out of hand is by allowing the Nittany Lion’s offense to have big plays via the hands of Hamler. He has had a 20+ yard reception in every game this season, and has had three receptions of 45 yards or more.

Michigan, of course, runs a man-to-man defense. I’d hope that Don Brown would be wise enough to not just expect one guy to be able to contain him, but we have seen more ludicrous things from him in the past.

Having senior safety Josh Metellus in coverage over the top could certainly help any corner who may cover him, but I will be really interested to see what the Michigan defense does when they move him into the slot. We have already seen Brown put guys like Jordan Glasgow in coverage in those situations, but that is a recipe for disaster in a game like this. I expect Khaleke Hudson to help out a bit more in coverage in that situation.

When Hamler is lined up on the outside, I’d love to see the Wolverines throw a couple different corners at him. Ambry Thomas may be the best of the bunch as we speak, but Lavert Hill has the experience and veteran leadership, even though he isn’t having as great of a season this year. Heck, Vincent Gray has even showed flashes of being a strong corner throughout the season.

No matter who it is, someone has to slow down KJ Hamler in this ballgame, because if he runs free the Wolverines could be in big trouble. No one has been able to fully shut down this kid yet in 2019 and it would be extremely interesting to see where the James Franklin and his offense turns if they cannot target their biggest playmaker.

The Wolverines take the field on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET in Happy Valley to take on Penn State in what could be the game that defines the direction of the remainder of the season.

The Boilermakers are onto backup QB Jack Plummer. Can the Hawkeyes get pressure on him and create turnovers Saturday? | Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images

The Hawkeyes are looking to right the ship Saturday against Purdue. We get the inside scoop from our most hated rivals at Hammer & Rails.

This football season, as in years past, we’ll be going behind enemy lines each week to ask some of the tough questions, the really hard-hitting ones. Sometimes, we may even go over the line.

We’d also like to know what you’re interested in learning about each opponent. So hit us on social media with some questions you’d like us to ask each upcoming opponent. Slide in the DMs, @ us or use the hashtag #overthelinebhgp and we’ll ask our weekly guests your questions.

After back-to-back losses to ranked opponents, the Hawkeyes get another home game this week as they play host to the Purdue Boilermakers for homecoming. While that might sound like a nice “get right” game, Kirk Ferentz has never beaten Jeff Brohm and Purdue has won the last two meetings in frustrating fashion.

As we look to this week’s matchup, we go behind enemy lines with our friends most hated rivals at Hammer & Rails as Site Manager Travis Miller was kind enough to give us the inside scoop on the Boilermakers.

BHGP: Purdue has really had Iowa’s number under Jeff Brohm having won the last two meetings, how does this year’s team compare to what we’ve seen in years past?

H&R: I think it is a little more talented, but extremely young. Hazell’s recruiting classes were in the low 70s/high 60s, but Brohm brought in the first top 25 national recruiting class Purdue has had in more than 15 years last year. His previous class was top 50 as well, and 2020 is looking like a top 25 class too. The talent has drastically improved.

That said, injuries and a lack of upperclassmen means we’re playing a lot of freshmen. When the year started we only had 20 scholarship players that were juniors or seniors eligibility-wise. Now many of them are injured, so we were playing freshmen and those injuries had to force us to play even more. We have a freshman QB, freshman RB, and multiple freshman receivers playing as well as three new offensive linemen. It looks great for 2020 and beyond, but there are definite struggles this year.

BHGP: It sounds like the Boilermakers have been bitten by the injury bug with starting QB Elijah Sindelar and all-world WR Rondale Moore both missing time. What’s their status for Saturday and are there other injuries of note?

H&R: Both of them are out. Sindelar broke his collarbone against Minnesota and is out for at least a few more weeks. Moore had a hamstring injury on the same play and might be returning to practice this week, but it seems likely he won’t be playing Saturday. We’ve also lost our top linebacker in Markus Bailey (knee) for the season and our top defensive lineman (Lorenzo Neal) has yet to play after tearing his ACL against Indiana last year. That’s just the top two players on each side of the ball out right now.

There have been some other injuries too. Our starting center, multiple receivers, a promising freshman safety, and more. This week’s depth chart has five freshmen starting on offense and four on defense, and that’s just the starters.

BHGP: Purdue is averaging just over 27 points a game this year, which seems low for the Boilermakers. How should Hawkeye fans expect them to attack this Iowa defense that’s been very stout to-date?

H&R: The passing game is the best in the Big Ten even with Jack Plummer taking over for Sindelar. Plummer had to start against TCU and definitely looked like a freshman, but he has looked much better of late. Penn State held Purdue in check, but Plummer threw for 420 yards last week and spread the ball around really well. He is going to be very good for us going forward.

The running game has struggled for most of the year. King Doerue has done well for a true freshman, but we’re averaging a Big Ten worst 62 yards or so on the ground. Combined with an offensive line that has struggled (10 sacks given up to Penn State) it has made things difficult at time. Against Maryland we used more quick hitters to TEs and underneath with a lot of success. Plummer has shown that if given time he can do some pretty good things, but the line needs to hold up.

BHGP: In contrast, the Iowa offense has really struggled the last two weeks against defenses that were tough against the run and got pressure on Nate Stanley. Purdue has 14 sacks on the year but have given up more than 165 rushing yards per game. Should Iowa fans get their hopes up about the offense getting right, or do you think this Purdue defense matches up well with the Hawkeyes?

H&R: Purdue’s pass defense has been pretty bad and it got torched by Minnesota. It was better last week against Maryland, but it still struggled to defend the big play. I hate to say it for you guys, but the Purdue defense is built more to defend a conservative, Ferentz-style offense. I was pleased with how it buckled down and played the last three quarters against Penn State after giving up 28 points in the first 16 minutes. We have had some moments of stout defense, but TCU also just ran all over us.

It should be interesting. I think we’re improving quite a bit and Maryland had the athletes to exploit us, but only got lose for two big touchdowns. That encourages me.

BHGP: We already touched on the injuries to Sindelar and Moore, and Hawkeye fans are well aware of leading receiver David Bell (we’d gladly trade you a pair of offensive linemen and a 2021 first round pick for Iowa’s biggest WR recruiting target last cycle), who’s the one other player they should know about on the offensive side of the ball?

H&R: I mentioned Doerue, who broke out with a 3 TD game against Minnesota. He has come on more and more as the season goes on and looks like a pretty good running back. Tight end Brycen Hopkins had an excellent game against Maryland and is an NFL prospect to be sure. Jackson Anthrop is the scrappy slot receiver that is getting more time now that Rondale is out and he is doing what Anthrops do for Purdue by overachieving. His brother Dru was a basketball walk-on that eventually started some games and Danny was a four-year contributor at wide receiver, so it is no surprise that Jackson continues to deliver.

BHGP: How about on defense?

H&R: We really, really love freshman George Karlaftis. He went to West Lafayette HS and is one of the highest rated recruits we have ever had. He has not disappointed, either with four sacks, an interception, and he is second on the team in tackles. He is going to be an incredible player in a year or two. Cory Trice also had a breakout game last week with six tackles, two interceptions, and a touchdown on defense. He is a big corner that is also really promising and a freshman.

BHGP: What’s the one matchup you think Purdue can really exploit this year (and know that if you say a WR running fades against one of Iowa’s CBs you may send an entire fan base into a panic)?

H&R: Well, we can only do that if the line protects Plummer, but we do have multiple receivers that can do that. Bell has been fantastic so far and Marvin Grant had his first career TD last week on a 59-yard similar play. Honestly, that is the best way I see Purdue winning this game: by protecting the ball, hitting a couple big plays, having 1-2 good drives, and waiting out the Ferentzfense like it did two years ago. Bell and Grant are great on the outside and while Anthrop is no Moore, he has done well in the slot. With Hopkins being a mismatch at TE, it is a matter of protecting Plummer, really.

BHGP: On the flip side, any make you particularly nervous?

H&R: Iowa has a great defense. If they can get after Plummer and keep us one-dimensional the offense will go nowhere in a hurry. Just look at the Penn State game. They lived in Plummer’s lap all day and the offense did virtually nothing. Purdue needs to score early and play from ahead.

BHGP: Alright, prediction time. This one opened up at Iowa -15. I’ve seen it grow to as wide as Iowa -18.5. Iowa hasn’t managed to score more than 15 points in the last two games combined. Who do you see winning this one and does Iowa have a shot to cover that absurdly wrong spread?

H&R: I think Purdue keeps it close. If it wins, it will be in a game extremely similar to 2017 and not like last year’s shootout. I know Iowa has struggled offensively and while we’re not Michigan or Penn State defensively, we’re improving. How much will Iowa try to pressure us offensively? The Hawkeyes should win, but I do agree that 18.5 is an absurd spread.

So there you have it, the Hawkeyes are getting back on the right side of things. Suffice it to say I’m still not assured of anything other than the fact an 18.5 point line is easy money.

Special thanks to Travis for taking the time. You can follow him @JusTMill. I encourage doing so for all things Purdue, but also to get some outside perspective as he’ll be in Iowa City this weekend to take in the game.

Also be sure to check out Hammer & Rails. Sure they have really similar school colors and sure we hate them, but they’re doing some great stuff over there. You can conveniently find all their Iowa content from this week in one location here. You can also follow them @HammerAndRails.

Go Hawks!

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Nicholas Petit-Frere could get his first start for OSU.

As the No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes prepare for the unusual Friday night game in Evanston, Ill. against the Northwestern Wildcats, Ohio State released their depth chart and availability report a day earlier than normal on Thursday morning.

The report showed that Buckeye middle linebacker Baron Browning will miss the rematch of the 2018 Big Ten Championship game; as is standard operating procedure, no reason for the unavailability was provided.

While Tuf Borland has still been considered the starter at the Mike position, Browning has actually been getting the majority of the snaps, as he provides more of an athletic option in the middle of the defense.

In addition, OSU will be without the services of some-time starting offensive tackle Joshua Alabi, wide receiver Kamryn Babb, defensive tackle Noah Donald, receiver Elijah Gardiner, tight end Jake Hausmann, safety Ronnie Hickman, and DT Taron Vincent.

This week’s game-time decisions will be linebacker Teradja Mitchell, offensive tackle Thayer Munford, and H-back C.J. Saunders. If Munford is unable to go against the Wildcats, redshirt freshman Nicholas Petit-Frere will likely get his first start as a Buckeye, as he is listed as the co-starter at LT. When Baranden Bowen has dealt with injuries earlier in the season, Alabi has been the back-up called upon to fill the spot.

With Browning out, sophomore Dallas Gant has been moved up to the second middle linebacker position behind Borland. However, it is also possible that Mitchell (if he plays) or K’Vaughan Pope could fill in at Mike as well.

Check out the complete Ohio State depth chart:

Why will UGA beat Kentucky this Saturday:

Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images

Dawson Downing’s 54-yard rushing touchdown Saturday, the first of his career, might be the defining play in what has the potential to be a breakout 2019 season.

The past few seasons, Missouri football has deployed a running back unit that featured at least three backs who could produce big numbers.

In 2017, Larry Rountree III joined Ish Witter and Damarea Crockett as the featured backs, and Rountree took on an even larger role when Crockett went down with a shoulder injury to finish with the third-highest rushing total for a freshman in Tigers history.

In 2018, Crockett and Rountree combined for 1,925 rushing yards, and they were followed close behind by freshman Tyler Badie. His skillset allowed offensive coordinator Derek Dooley to use him more in the passing game, and he ended the season with 567 combined passing and rushing yards.

At one point or another over the past few seasons, a third running had broken out to seemingly create a three-headed monster at the position for Missouri.

“Last year we had Crockett and ‘Tree’ (Rountree) kind of banging around, and then Badie would come in and do his thing,” Dooley said. “You need three backs. I’ve always felt that way in this league. You need three. It’s a physical league. One guy can’t do it, and even two it gets hard.”

Up until last Saturday’s win over Ole Miss, it felt like the Tigers would be mostly rolling with Rountree and Badie as a 1-2 punch.

But now, Missouri might once again be building that three-headed monster.

Dawson Downing, a redshirt junior from Mission, Kansas, had been solid for the Tigers prior to Saturday, producing 111 yards on 20 carries (10 of which came Week 2 against West Virginia) while also playing fullback on short-yardage plays. However, he had yet to have a play to define his possible breakout into a main piece for the rushing attack.

That is, until the third quarter against the Rebels.

Downing took a handoff from quarterback Kelly Bryant on an inside zone, ran between his blockers in receiver Jonathan Nance and tight end Albert Okwuegbunam and streaked 54 yards to the end zone for the first touchdown of his college career. For some added dramatic effect, Ole Miss defensive back Jaylon Jones caught Downing just inside the 15-yard line and attempted to drag him down, only for Downing to stiff-arm him with his left and just barely stretch his right arm over the goal line for the score.

After that play, Downing might’ve forced himself into the No. 3 spot at running back.

“I mean, there’s no drop off when Dawson’s in the game,” Bryant said. “He can run, he can catch, he can pass-block. Smart player. So there’s no drop off. That’s the biggest thing.”

Downing — whose father, Ken, was an all-conference corner for Missouri in the mid-’70s — turned down other Division-I offers in order to attend MU. He walked on to the team in 2016 but redshirted that season. He saw action in five games in 2017 and then, after receiving a scholarship shortly before the 2018 season, primarily saw time on special teams the next year.

His role has changed throughout his time in Columbia, but the work ethic that’s gotten him to this point hasn’t.

“It’s amazing to see that. You know, I’ve had a chance to watch Dawson since I first came here, and every single season he grows into something real special,” left tackle Yasir Durant said.

As of now, there isn’t officially a player who has taken on Badie’s role from last season or Rountree’s from the season before.

All of the backup running backs, which includes Downing in addition to Anthony Watkins, Simi Bakare and Jerney Jones, have received playing time in various games throughout the current season. Bakare’s late-2018 uptick in playing time seemed to signal that he could be next in line, and Watkins had a strong preseason.

But Downing, who running backs coach Cornell Ford said had the best offseason of anyone in the unit, looks to be ready to break away from the pack.

“In the SEC, you’ve got some big guys out there, guys that’ll be playing on Sundays,” Downing said. “So you need a bunch of fresh bodies back there, and guys that you can trust to put the ball in their hands.”

If he doesn’t become that clear-cut No. 3 running back, no worries.

His coaches know he’ll still be the same hard-working player who just wanted to earn his spot three years ago.

“He always accepts the role that he has, he takes coaching,” head coach Barry Odom said, “and every time his number is called, he tries to do it to the best of his ability. He’s a very, very selfless person, cares about this program and cares about his teammates.”

Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports

As a guy who has been around awhile, hammering Florida State is a gift that will never stop giving. It doesn’t take me long to think back to 1993 or 96 or 98 or 2000 or 2013 when hints of sympathy creep into my mind. Feel the pain FSU, feel the pain! We also saw scorched Earth Dabo emerge, ready for the fight, and the results were predictable.

Now the page turns to Louisville. I must say that I feel happy for the players in their program who had to endure one of the worst human beings in the history of coaching, Bobby Petrino. For all of Petrino’s X and O talents, which were significant, his total lack of character finally caught up to him completely as the 2018 Cardinals imploded into perhaps the worst team in the power 5 last year. Personally, Louisville has been my favorite of the later additions to the ACC because they have some football pedigree and some fans who care about it. I wouldn’t mind seeing them reach their potential and be a 10 win type program and offer some of the hype to our matchups the way the 2016 game did. Folks should remember how electric that atmosphere was, and it quite frankly has been lacking with conference matchups these last two years as a whole.

Scott Satterfield was a great hire, even though he wasn’t top choice for Louisville when Petrino was fired. He is very much of the Dabo mold, building his program on the right things and caring about his players beyond just their performance on the field. You could tell from the first quarter of the Notre Dame game how much the team had improved from 2018. This is not a program devoid of talent, especially on offense, and we have seen it operate much more to its potential this season. While the Cards shouldn’t be ready to fully challenge Clemson, they have some of the ingredients to make a game of it Saturday for sure. If nothing else, I look forward to this game becoming what the 2016 game showed it can be in future seasons as Satterfield builds it.

Clemson offense vs. Louisville defense: Clemson should enjoy a serious advantage on this side of the ball. The Cardinals are better on defense than last year, but that isn’t saying much considering just how bad the Brian VanGorder-led squad was. Petrino was an offensive coach and any effort he put into recruiting was usually invested on that side of the ball. The strong defensive holdovers from the Charlie Strong era are gone, as well as the handful of transfers that Todd Grantham helped lure to town during his run as DC. It will take a few cycles for the new staff to get the coffers replenished defensively. In the meantime, they just look to play hard, try to be in position, and protect the defense with the offense as much as possible.

Clemson got back to featuring Travis Etienne like I had hoped last week, and he responded with over 100 yards rushing. We saw a lot more variety in the run game calls early in the first half as well. We all know that the Clemson offense is an elite unit that simply needs to execute the fundamentals to look that way. The coaching staff just has to prepare for and react to the extreme measures the opposing defenses usually have to employ to hope to stop it. Teams must not be allowed to think they can get away with 2 high safety looks or “daring” the Tigers to run the ball. This is a team built to run the ball at a very high level, especially behind the left side of the offensive line. Mix in a pulling Cervenka or Bockhorst, and you have some serious power to run behind. Trevor Lawrence continues to show that if you overload or overreact to the play side, he will pull the ball and burn you with his legs as well.

Louisville doesn’t have much hope to stop Clemson if the Tigers don’t hurt themselves with missed assignments or penalties or turnovers. They will pick their poison, likely trying first to play a shell coverage scheme before ramping down against the run if they are getting gashed. Their formula will be similar to the one they had last week against Wake Forest, which is try to rush out to a lead and hold on for dear life.

Clemson defense vs. Louisville offense: This Louisville offense will present a challenge to Clemson. The Cards have many of the things that UNC had. They are probably better on the OL across the board than UNC and better at WR, while not as deep at running back. They will no doubt look to force Clemson into 4-3 fronts and control the clock to protect their defense. Louisville’s top 3 WR’s, Dawkins, Fitzpatrick, and Atwell, are good players and can win one on one. The Tigers probably haven’t seen a group this good since the Texas A&M game. Clemson was able to stay in 5 and 6 DB packages almost all game against the Aggies, and that allowed the defense to control the Aggies’ passing attack until garbage time. The same will be the case Saturday unless Louisville can prove its run game can beat the 5 man box looks. While the ACC as a whole isn’t ready to challenge Clemson, teams like Louisville have strength on one side of the ball to keep the Tigers from going through the motions.

Louisville’s attack features a lot of option principles and makes you account for the quarterback in the run game. This doesn’t change no matter which quarterback takes the snaps. Initial starter Juwan Pass is now out for the year, but Cunningham was the bigger running threat anyway and freshman Evan Conley also showed good running ability against Wake last week. Both quarterbacks averaged over 10 yards a rush against the Deacon defense, and that balance set up explosive plays in the passing game. While neither Cunningham nor Conley offer the size and arm combination that Pass does, both are dangerous if the run game is effective. Louisville doesn’t want to throw the ball more than around 25 times in a game. If that number gets above that, it will likely indicate a big Clemson win. Satterfield might keep running the ball even if they get down big to try to mitigate the damage and protect his quarterbacks.

One matchup to watch is mammoth Louisville LT Mekhi Becton against Clemson’s ends Logan Rudolph and Justin Foster. Both Rudolph and Foster struggled against UNC’s Charlie Heck, and Clemson’s most dynamic end Xavier Thomas plays over the right tackle. This year’s Tiger defense doesn’t rely on the traditional pass rush nearly as much as last year, but this is an area to watch all the same.

Meanwhile, I wish they could put Doc Walker in the booth just one more time for a Clemson game. The hyperbole for Isaiah Simmons would be worth the price of admission, so to speak. Would he be a “werewolf”? Would he be a “cyborg”? Would he be a “werewolf cyborg”? Simmons has been all that and more, roaming the field like an apex predator. He has to be the leader in the clubhouse for ACC defensive player of the year.

Special Teams: If Louisville has any real advantage in this game, this phase might be it. The Cardinals have been explosive in the return game. The Cardinals are top 3 in kick return and punt return in the ACC, and this phase was a major factor in their upset win over Wake Forest last week. Meanwhile, we are still waiting for the Tigers to bust a huge punt return or kick return. It was interesting to see Derion Kendrick take over punt return last week against FSU instead of Amari Rodgers. As usual, we saw a bunch of fair catches though only one punt looked very returnable. The kick return unit doesn’t get a lot of work thanks to the great scoring defense the Tigers have.

The only drama, if you want to call it that, from last week was B.T. Potter being late to the field for a short field goal, which he promptly missed. He picked the absolute wrong day with scorched Earth Dabo in the house, who promptly blew him up on the sideline and subsequently demoted him for short field goals and extra points for the rest of the game and this week. We will see how Potter responds to the challenge, but Clemson absolutely has to have a reliable kicker inside of 40 yards. It didn’t matter that much at the time against FSU, but as I mentioned last week, Potter’s miss in the UNC game loomed very large when the Tar Heels lined up for that 2-point conversion attempt.

Overall: Clemson’s first three ACC games with Louisville were absolute dog fights that came down to the final possession. This game should not, but it will serve as one of those comparative games with another potential playoff team in Notre Dame. More than ever, it seems that the media and poll folks favor offensive explosions over defensive dominance. How else can you explain the love for Alabama, Oklahoma, LSU, and Ohio State over Clemson and Wisconsin? While the Tigers have still been very good offensively save the UNC game, they haven’t had some 400 yard plus passing performance with 50 plus points. The media noise, and especially the AP poll, should be ultimately meaningless once the playoff committee begins its rankings, but Clemson’s defense is better than just about every top contender with Ohio State and Wisconsin being the others I would call truly legit defensively. Clemson can go a long way to further proving its mettle defensively by how it handles a pretty darn good Louisville offense. For those of us still concerned about Clemson’s run defense against a strong running game, this game is a great test.

Clemson 52-Louisville 20.

Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

‘Canes host the struggling Yellow Jackets at noon on Saturday

The 30th ranked (per SP+) Miami Hurricanes are 3-3 on the 2019 season and will be hosting the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on Saturday at noon on the ACC Network. The Jackets are struggling with a 1-5 record and are 86th per the SP+.

The Hurricanes have the 50th ranked offense, 24th ranked defense, and 101st ranked kicking game per the SP+. The Jackets have the 106th ranked offense, 51st ranked defense, and 100th ranked kicking game per the same metric.

In their attempt at a complete rebuild, Geoff Collins and the GT staff are in year zero if not year -1. They have gone through a three quarterback system with James Graham, Lucas Johnson, and Tobias Oliver. All three QB’s were really recruited to run the old flexbone triple option and none have NFL size. They’ve combined to throw five touchdowns and six interceptions.

Running back Jordan Mason has looked good but not great, he’s averaged 5.7 yards per carry with five touchdowns. Their biggest deep threat has been Ahmarean Brown who is averaging 22.2 yards per catch with two scores. On defense linebacker Charlie Thomas has eight tackles for loss and two sacks.

The Jackets are obviously a long-term rebuilding project that needs to hit the recruiting trail hard by offering playing time for freshmen and a chance to be a three-year starter in Atlanta. The Jackets want to be a spread-to-run offensive system but need to land a big time quarterback and center in order to make that happen.

Slant-wheel concept

I’m a huge fan of and wheel concepts. They’re really hard to defend, especially when it’s a running back out of the backfield. Here the Jackets use the slant as a pick and the back floats out between the number and sideline to haul in the go-ahead score.

Mike Leach likes using mesh with a wheel tag to his back inside the 20 yard line, too. It’s a great red zone play where it takes less time to get the back down and out in space and a field zone where many defensive coordinators will use man coverage and even cover 0. This allows a running back to trail out and be ignored by linebackers.

Inside Zone Read

This is a look that Miami has to take advantage of, and N’Kosi Perry can do that. Perry back at QB running inside zone read with Deejay Dallas at the running back spot will be deadly against a 2-high safety, 5-in-the-box look. The Jackets aren’t strong enough up front to play a 5-man box against the Blue Devils. Duke’s offensive line isn’t exactly a world beater, either. Their backs are running for 4.6 and 3.7 yards per carry (counting Quentin Harris) while Dallas is averaging 6.7 yards per carry with six scores.

Adding the QB to the run game, plus a pre-snap RPO look at the top of the screen allows Duke to break this run on 2nd and 10. Coach Enos would prefer to go under center and run a slow developing play-action pass, I say go to inside zone read from trips in 10 personnel and spread the Yellow Jackets out. Force their defensive line to be put in a bind and let the Miami bad but not that damn bad offensive line try to use five to block four, and read the defensive end that’s standing up.

Georgia Tech Offense

The Yellow Jackets are an 11 personnel, spread-to-run, NCAA offense team. Dave Patenaude’s offense might be struggling with an FCS-level offensive line and flexbone quarterbacks but he’s made chicken salad from chicken poop before. Once the scheme is really installed and Tech can find three-star players, the Jackets will start competing for the Coastal. Maybe even as soon as next season with how down the Coastal really is.

What do I really like here to hurt Miami’s defense?

Double Screen

Double screen is one of my favorite plays. The quarterback will first read the defensive end on the running back’s side. If he “blurs” into the picture (if his color goes after the back) the QB will flip back and throw the tunnel to the solo receiver. As you can see, on the RB’s side the receivers are cracking down inside, the offensive tackle is coming down the line for the cornerback, and the guard is coming up to the alley player.

On the back side- the tackle goes for the CB, the guard goes to the alley and the center is wrapping back in case a defensive lineman peels off after the tunnel. It’s a great play and works really well for us where I’m the offensive coordinator and is a staple of the Dana Holgorsen playbook.

Sprint out smash

One of my favorite concepts is sprint out smash. It’s a 2-man concept with a back side “gift” option (ex. if you have a corner 7 yards off an outside leverage, tag your WR on a slant and go for it). It’s a really good concept on 1st and 10, it’s great against an aggressive defense that likes inside pressure, and works well for teams that play cover 2.

If I’m trying to beat Miami I’m trying to go at the inexperience of the safeties who have seemed lost all season. I’m going to get rid of the cornerback with the whip route and hit the corner to Jeff Thomas after an inside out move from Thomas in the slot.

Prediction

The Yellow Jackets just aren’t ready to compete yet and their center being out doesn’t help. I like the talent they have in the wide receiver Brown and their running back Mason. But without a legit offensive line the Hurricanes defensive ends should be able to tee off on the quarterbacks. This should be a huge game for Trevon Hill, Gregory Rousseau and Jonathan Garvin not to mention Nesta Silvera and Jordan Miller. Anyone with speed should out run and out power the Jackets line.

Prediction: Miami by 17.

Chris Dunn-USA TODAY Sports

An unbeaten Penn State squad welcomes Michigan for a White Out under the lights. What else could you possibly ask for?

Penn State seeks back-to-back victories against ranked opponents as they prepare for battle with Michigan under the lights of a Beaver Stadium Whiteout.

(#7) Penn State (6-0, 3-0) vs. (#16) Michigan (5-1, 2-1)

Kickoff: 7:30 p.m., Beaver Stadium, State College, PA

The Betting Line: Penn State -9

TV: ESPN – Chris Fowler (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (analyst), Maria Taylor (sideline)

Weather: A pleasant and sunny day with highs in the low 60s before cooling off into the low-50s, upper-40s for kickoff.

COACHES:

James Franklin:

PENN STATE RECORD: 51-21, 6th Year

OVERALL RECORD: 75-36, 9th Year

VS. MICHIGAN: 1-4

Jim Harbaugh:

MICHIGAN RECORD: 43-15, 5th Season

OVERALL RECORD: 145-61-1, 16th Season

VS. PENN STATE: 3-1

NOW THE FUN PART….

MICHIGAN OFFENSE VS. PENN STATE DEFENSE

Michigan’s philosophy on offense is simple- establish the running game, and then get the ball in the hands of its talented playmakers. Unfortunately for the Wolverines, getting production out of this model has not proved as simple.

The one benefit of playing Iowa and Michigan in consecutive weeks is the defense can prepare for two very similar quarterbacks. Like Nate Stanley, Patterson is an experienced pocket passer who is capable, but not the type to carry the offense. Both have also been able to put together promising numbers against the poorer defenses on the schedule, but have difficulties when faced against one of Penn State’s caliber.

Patterson’s favorite target is sophomore Ronnie Bell, a smaller receiver who uses his speed to get open and can be dangerous in the open field. He has 20 receptions on the season, but has yet to reach the end zone. He’s coming off his most productive performance of the season with 98 receiving yards against Illinois. Junior Tarik Black is a big, physical receiver but has seen his productivity dip with five receptions in the past three games. Junior Donovan Peoples-Jones is dangerous, but defenses have been able to hold him in-check this season with only one game of more than 36 receiving yards. Nico Collins is a playmaker with a 20.7 yard per catch average, but is likely out again after missing last week’s game at Illinois.

Michigan may also be without its top running back after freshman Zach Charbonnet was forced out against Illinois. Before exiting the game, he was enjoying the best performance of his short Wolverines career, rushing for 118 yards and a touchdown against the Illini. However, backup Hassan Haskins outdid him with 125 yards and a score on just 12 carries in relief. It was just the second game where Haskins received more than two carries. The other time resulted in 45 yards on nine carries against Rutgers.

Penn State will stick to its tried-and-true strategy to stop Michigan by not allowing much on the ground and force Patterson to continually drop back and face the wrath of the Wild Dogs. This strategy could often be foiled in the past as long as the opposing quarterback had a satisfactory performance. That’s not as simple against this year’s Penn State defense with the regular, oftentimes constant, pressure they can bring.

PENN STATE OFFENSE VS. MICHIGAN DEFENSE

As per usual under Jim Harbaugh, the Wolverines have relied on the strength of its defense while the offense often flounders. Things aren’t much different this year, although the unit isn’t quite as dominant as recent years as the Wolverines replace some top-notch talent from 2018.

Michigan is allowing 17 points per game, good for 15th in the nation and just 0.2 points more than Alabama. They have one of top pass defenses in the nation, with the run defense coming in at 33rd nationally.

Lavert Hill, a huge reason why the Wolverines are stingy against the pass, missed the Illinois game and it’s not clear if he will be present on Saturday. If so, he’s one of the top cornerbacks in the nation and is typically avoided. One the other side is Ambry Thomas, another standout with two interceptions on the season.

Khaleke Hudson is in the “Viper” spot, and will line up anywhere on the defense on any specific play. He leads the team in tackles with 58, and makes his presence felt on each play. Jordan Glasgow is another disruptor who makes plays all over the field, and can cause confusion based on where he is lined up prior to the snap. He has four sacks on the season and is second on the team with 47 tackles.

Defensive end Kwity Paye has done an excellent job getting into the backfield as well, with 7.5 TFLs and 4.5 sacks. He also missed the Illinois game after suffering a minor injury against Iowa the previous week. According to Harbaugh, there’s a strong chance he’ll be ready to go on Saturday. Outside linebacker Josh Uche regularly creates pressure off the edge, collecting 3.5 sacks and 5.5 TFLs this year.

Michigan has an overall strong defense throughout, and Penn State will need to earn its points on Saturday. The Nittany Lions offensive did something in the second half against Iowa it hadn’t done in years – controlled the line of scrimmage against a very good front seven. Michigan will provide another test to see if they can do it consistently — not just week-to-week, but for a full four quarters.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Michigan has been using two placekickers this season. Sophomore Jake Moody is five of six with a long of 43 yards. Meanwhile, the infamous Quinn Nordin has missed all three attempts on the season, including one in each of the last two games. It would seem reasonable to believe that Moody will be the choice on Saturday, but perhaps Jim Harbaugh will decide to go with Nordin after noticing Moody eating a chicken sandwich as his pregame meal. Senior Will Hart has done a fantastic job as punter this season, averaging 46.5 yards per punt and has several 60-yard-plus bombs to his name. He will be a huge asset for the Wolverines if the game turns into a defensive slugfest as many are speculating.

Peoples-Jones is a slippery punt return that can do some damage if the punt team doesn’t stay in its lanes. He’s averaging an impressive 11.4 yards per return, while his counterpart Ronnie Bell has an 8.4 yard average. Freshman wide receiver Giles Jackson has done well handling kickoffs with a 22.3 yard average, but does not have a return of longer than 34 yards on the season.

Jackson may not get he chance for a kickoff return as Jordan Stout has regularly taken away the opportunity by putting the ball well out of the end zone. However, he has had a few shorter kickoffs during the last three weeks after being an automatic touchback machine at the start of the season. Kicker Jake Pinegar is five of six on the season and connected on his only attempt last week, a 33-yarder against Iowa. KJ Hamler will usually attempt a punt and kickoff return whenever possible, and is always a threat to go the distance if he can make the first man miss.

PREDICTION

Penn State-27, Michigan-13

If you asked the pundits back in August, most would have expected Michigan to walk out of Beaver Stadium with a victory. Despite an offense that still had many questions to resolve and a huge departure of talent on defense, many viewed Michigan as the Big Ten favorite, a top-5 team, and a strong playoff contender. Not many would have given much of a thought of Penn State being ranked nine spots higher and a nine-point favorite.

While it’s nice to be in this position, Michigan will still be a challenge. It’s defense is capable of slowing down Penn State, and it has playmakers on offense that can make a decisive play if they remain in striking distance. Fortunately, we’ve learned this young and talented Nittany Lions team brings a business-like approach each week. They may still have some things to work out, but they will come out each week and consistently play hard, smart football. They’ll be looking to take care of business once again under the bright lights of Beaver Stadium.

Penn State will feed off the atmosphere and come out with an early score, and hang on to the lead as Michigan remains in striking distance. That will be until (and boy does it feel nice to finally be able to reasonably predict this) the offensive line and Noah Cain take over with a clock-churning drive to put the game away for good midway through the fourth quarter. The defense goes out and does its job to close out a satisfying victory against another ranked team.

Journey Brown joins Cain with a rushing touchdown and Clifford connects with Pat Freiermuth for another. On defense, Lamont Wade leads the way again with 10 tackles, Cam Brown has a momentum-swinging forced fumble and recovery, while Shaka Toney leads the Wild Dogs with two sacks.