Colorado at West Virginia
By Christian Alexander
After four weeks of ACC & SEC action, we finally get a little taste of the rest of the college football world this Thursday night when the Colorado Buffaloes of the Big 12 travel across the country to visit the West Virginia Mountaineers of the Big East.
Anyone with a little bit of college football knowledge will recognize that these are two tradition-rich programs who have produced some great players and outstanding seasons.
In fact, at halftime of this game former Mountaineer All-America quarterback Major Harris will be honored for his selection into the National Football Foundation's College Hall of Fame. Harris, arguably the greatest West Virginia football player of all-time, led the school to their first-ever undefeated regular season as a sophomore (1988) and went up against No. 1-ranked Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl for the national championship, a game they would lose 34-21.
Just a few years later, another dynamic quarterback would lead Colorado to a bowl game with national championship implications. An option QB, Darian Hagan was the starter for the Buffaloes in 1990 when Colorado won a share of the national championship after beating Notre Dame 10-9 in the Orange Bowl Game. Hagan is currently the running backs coach for the Buffaloes.
I just wanted to give that quick history lesson in case anyone out there wasn’t that excited for this game. Actually, if you’ve seen Colorado lately, you’ve got plenty of reason to be skeptical.
When Dan Hawkins left Boise State for Colorado in 2005 after coaching the Broncos to a 53-11 record, many thought the Buffaloes would soon return to their glory of the early 90’s. To say that hasn’t happened would be an understatement.
In Hawkins’ first three years in Boulder, the Buffaloes have gone 13-24 and 2009 is not off to a much better start. In their first two games of the season, Colorado allowed 77 points and 1,000 yards in losses to arch-rival Colorado State and Toledo. Those two ugly L’s quickly put Hawkins on a very hot seat.
The Buffaloes righted the ship the following week with a 24-0 drubbing of Wyoming but the season stats are still pitiful: Last in the Big 12 in total offense (342.7 ypg), last in the Big 12 in total defense (410 ypg), last in the Big 12 in scoring defense (25.7 ppg), and last in the Big 12 in rushing defense (183 ypg).
One of the few bright spots over the past year was in 2008 when Colorado held on to beat West Virginia in overtime on a 25-yard field goal by Aric Goodman. In that game, the Buffaloes scored two touchdowns in the first five minutes, and then held on for a 17-14 win in extra time. That victory was the last win for Colorado against a ranked opponent.
The biggest key to that win was probably location, as the Buffaloes haven’t been able to do much outside of their home turf. In fact, Colorado hasn't won on an opponent's home field since the 2007 season, when they took down Baylor (43-23) and Texas Tech (31-26), the only wins outside of Boulder during Hawkins' four-year regime. In total, Colorado is 2-14 on the road record since 2006.
And so now with whispers about his coaching future starting to reach the audible level, Hawkins and the Buffaloes will travel to WVU's Milan Puskar Stadium and the raucous 60,000 fans it seats. Not an ideal scenario to say the least considering that West Virginia is 29-5 at home since the start of the 2004 season.
The Mountaineers season got off to a nice start by beating Liberty and East Carolina and were looking good for win number three on the road at Auburn when they took a 14-0 lead early. Unfortunately for coach Bill Stewart, six turnovers – including a fumble and four interceptions by QB Jarrett Brown – doomed the Mountaineers and they ended up on the wrong side of a 41-30 final.
Turnovers have been an issue for West Virginia all season as the team has turned the ball over 10 times in their last two games to rank last in the Big East in that category. Still, the rest of the stat sheet for West Virginia, particularly on offense, looks pretty impressive. The team is averaging 37.5 points per game and is first in the Big East in total offense (485.3 ypg).
With Rich Rodriguez long gone to Michigan, West Virginia has retooled its offense under Stewart. During the Pat White/Steve Slaton era, the Mountaineers would run, run and run some more. In fact, when White passed for 332 yards against North Carolina in last year's Meineke Car Care Bowl it represented the first time WVU had passed for over 300 yards since a win over Mississippi in the 2000 Music City Bowl.
Now the West Virginia attack is much more balanced and Brown is thriving with consecutive 300 yard+ games and a total 798 passing yards, the most ever for a West Virginia quarterback through the first three games of the season. WR Jock Sanders is clearly Brown’s favorite target and is coming off a monster game against Auburn in which he hauled in 12 passes for 115 yards.
But don’t forget, this is very much still a West Virginia team that can burn you on the ground. RB Noel Devine might be smaller than Avon Cobourne, Amos Zereoue and Slaton, but he also might be faster than any of the great West Virginia tailbacks that dot their record book. Brown and Devine aren’t quite at the production level of White & Slaton but they can burn a defense in multiple ways and can pile up the yards and points.
To keep pace Colorado must get a good game from QB Cody Hawkins and a pair of running backs in Rodney Stewart and RB Darrell Scott. If that group can’t at the very least put together some sustained drives, it will likely be a very long night for Hawkins and the Buffaloes.
Game Notes:
Both Colorado & West Virginia enter this game off a bye week
The West Virginia defense should welcome back starting MLB Reed Williams (foot) however; DT Scooter Berry (shoulder) is likely a game-time decision
Colorado is 1-2 against the spread in 2009 while West Virginia is 1-1 ATS
West Virginia has won 15 of its last 17 night games at Milan Puskar Stadium, including a 6-0 record at home during Thursday night ESPN games
Since 2007, the Colorado defense has given up an average of 45 points per game on the road
VegasInsider.com
What bettors need to know: Colorado at West Virginia
By Matt Fargo
Colorado Buffaloes at West Virginia Mountaineers (-17, 54.5)
Line movement
West Virginia opened as a 17-point favorite and the number has not moved at all with the exception of a half-point in a couple shops. The juice will probably be the only thing that moves since we’re sitting on a key number.
Like the pointspread, the total has not moved since opening at 54.5.
Injuries
Starting defensive lineman Scooter Berry is out for West Virginia, but linebacker Reed Williams is expected to rejoin the starting lineup after sitting out the team’s last game.
“He is our defense,” Mountaineers coach Bill Stewart told the Charleston Gazette of Williams. “You take a guy like Reed Williams and J.T. Thomas and Scooter and Chris Neild. These guys are anchors, and not just in their play, but their mentality.”
The Mountaineers starting quarterback Jarrett Brown made the injury report, but he’ll start and should be fine.
He hurt his non-throwing shoulder during a loss against Auburn on Sept. 19.
Weather
The recent bad weather in the northeast will not affect this game come Thursday. The forecast calls for party cloudy skies with a temperature of 58 degrees and virtually no wind.
Colorado’s road woes
The Buffaloes have hit the road only once this season and were blasted in Toledo against the Rockets from the MAC. They were outgained by 173 total yards including 210 yards on the ground (305-95). That rushing differential is not something the Buffaloes want to continue against Noel Devine and the Mountaineers.
Losing on the road has become commonplace for the Boulder Boys. They’re on a seven-game road losing steak and are just 2-13 in 15 road dates under head coach Dan Hawkins. Both wins came in 2007 and one of those was against a horrible Baylor team where Colorado was favored by nine points.
Those 13 losses have come by an average of 18.5 points, which is right around the amount of points they are getting Thursday night. On the positive side, five of those losses were by single digits.
Thursday home dominance continues
Thursday night last season was a cash cow for the home teams that were featured on ESPN. Of the 15 weeks during the regular season, the home team went 12-3 straight up and 12-3 against the spread. The public made a killing taking the home teams.
This season, the home team is 4-1 straight up and 3-2 against the number, so the trend is keeping up again in 2009. One of those wins was South Carolina last week over Mississippi as an underdog so the home favorites are 3-1 outright and 2-2 ATS.
Red zone perfection
Colorado is tied for the nation's lead in red zone offense, scoring at a 100 percent clip in 12 opportunities.
Sixteen teams in the country are perfect inside the red zone, but the Buffaloes are tied with Georgia for the fifth most trips without being shutout.
West Virginia has been less than stout on defense this season so Colorado has a chance to keep the streak alive. The Mountaineers are 35th in total defense but 83rd in scoring defense. Opponents have gotten into the red zone only nine times but they have come away with points in eight of those trips including six touchdowns.
Road Woes
By SportsPic
Cody Hawkins and the Buffaloes try to avoid a seven game highway losing streak when they visit Mountaineers on Thursday. These cash draining Buffaloes 3-9 against-the-number the past twelve games overall simply don't travel well having lost 17 of their last 20 on the road destroying betting accounts with a 6-14 mark against the oddsmaker. Adding insult to injury, Buffaloes are playing into revenge having handed Mountaineers a 17-14 loss in their first meeting last year in Boulder. Mountaineers winners of 15 of their last 17 at Mountaineer Field have opened a whopping -17 point favorites for Thursday's ESPN clash. A somewhat dangerous spot, Mountaineers were just 6-9 ATS in fifteen of those home lined games, 4-6 laying double digits.
Colorado (1-2 SU and ATS) at West Virginia (2-1, 1-1 ATS)
Colorado looks to notch its second straight win when it travels to Morgantown, W.Va., for a non-conference clash with the Mountaineers, who will try to avenge last year’s disappointing loss in Boulder.
After suffering consecutive embarrassing losses to start the season – 23-17 to Colorado State at home; 54-38 at Toledo – the Buffaloes finally got in the win column with a 24-0 rout of Wyoming as a seven-point home chalk on Sept. 19. Colorado managed just 326 yards in the win, but it held Wyoming to 230 as it snapped a four-game SU losing skid that dated to last season.
On the same day Colorado ended its slide, West Virginia had its four-game winning streak halted in a 41-30 loss at Auburn as a seven-point underdog. The Mountaineers had a whopping 509-400 edge in total offense, but they committed six turnovers, including five interceptions (four of which were thrown by starting QB Jarrett Brown). West Virginia has committed 10 turnovers in its last two games.
The Buffaloes stole a 17-14 overtime victory over West Virginia last year on a Thursday night, cashing as a 2½-point home underdog. The Mountaineers rushed for 311 yards, but QB Pat White passed for just 43 yards (10-for-14) and West Virginia’s offense went a combined 3-for-15 on third and fourth downs. Colorado RB Rodney Stewart rushed for 166 yards in the victory, but he has just 165 yards on 38 carries (2 TDs) this season.
Colorado’s pedestrian offense is managing just 26.3 points and 342.7 yards per game (91.7 rushing ypg), with QB Cody Hawkins – son of coach Dan Hawkins – connecting on a meager 53 percent of his passes for 753 yards with five TDs offset by four INTs. Meanwhile the defense is yielding 25.7 points but 410 yards per outing (183 rushing ypg). Prior to the win over Wyoming, the Buffs had been outgained by more than 115 yards in four straight contests (all losses).
The Mountaineers, who have scored between 30-35 points in four straight games going back to a bowl victory over North Carolina last December, are averaging 32.7 points and 485.3 yards this season (192.3 rushing ypg, 5.2 yards per carry). The multidimensional Brown has thrown as many picks (five) as touchdowns, but he’s completing 68.5 percent of his throws for 789 yards, and he also has 208 rushing yards (5.5 ypc) and one TD on the ground. Defensively, West Virginia is yielding 27 points and 312 yards per outing, including just 83.7 rushing ypg (2.7 ypc).
Despite easily cashing against Wyoming, Colorado is still on a slew of ATS slides, including 3-9 overall, 1-5 on the road, 8-20 as a ‘dog, 2-11 as a road underdog, 0-4 in October and 2-6 against winning teams. West Virginia has failed to cover in four of five overall, nine of 13 against teams with a losing record and five of seven when laying double digits.
The Buffaloes are on “under” runs of 12-4 in non-conference play, 4-1 as an underdog, 5-1 in October and 5-2 when playing on artificial turf. The under is also 4-1 in West Virginia’s last five October contests, but otherwise the Mountaineers are on “over” streaks of 7-2 overall, 6-2 as a favorite, 7-2 after a bye week and 6-2 on Thursday.
ATS ADVANTAGE: WEST VIRGINIA
Southern Miss (3-1, 1-2 ATS) at UAB (1-3 SU and ATS)
Five days after seeing its eight-game winning streak end with a loss at Kansas, Southern Miss hits the road again, this time traveling to Birmingham, Ala., for a Conference USA clash with UAB.
The Golden Eagles played 20th-ranked Kansas tough all day long Saturday, but still came up short 35-28, covering as a 13-point road underdog. Southern Miss gave up the winning touchdown 45 seconds into the fourth quarter and couldn’t find the end zone thereafter. The Eagles put up 28 points and 395 yards (331 passing) despite having the ball for less than 24 minutes.
Southern Miss will be without two key offensive components, as RB Damion Fletcher and WR DeAndre Brown won’t play because of injury.
Since routing Rice 44-24 as a six-point home favorite in its season opener on Sept. 5, UAB has dropped three in a row SU and ATS. The Blazers’ worst performance during the slump came Saturday at Texas A&M, where they got pummeled 56-19 as a 14-point road underdog, getting outgained 544-303.
These teams have met every year this decade, and the Golden Eagles are a perfect 9-0 SU and 5-4 ATS, cashing in five of the last six meetings. Last year, Southern Miss crushed the Blazers 70-7 as a 7½-point home favorite, and they’ve won the last two meetings by the combined score of 107-21, outgaining UAB by 599 combined yards.
QB Austin Davis (28-for-42, 331 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT at Kansas) has eight TD passes against just the one interception, and he leads an explosive Southern Miss offense that nets 35.8 points and 444.8 total yards per game (236.8 passing, 208 rushing). The Eagles have scored at least 26 points in six straight games. However, the defense, after yielding a total of 19 points in the first two contests, has surrendered 34 and 35 points in the last two outings.
UAB is averaging 27.5 points and 388 yards per game, but almost all of the production has come on the ground (230.5 rushing ypg, 6.4 ypc). QB Joe Webb is completing just 54.7 percent of his passes for an average of 155.3 yards per game with five TDs and five INTs. The Blazers’ defense has been awful, allowing 35.5 points and 480.8 yards per effort (327.2 passing ypg).
Southern Miss is on ATS rolls of 6-2 overall, 9-2 on the road, 9-2 as a road favorite and 4-1 in Conference USA action, but the Eagles have come up short against the number in five straight October contests and five of seven on Thursday. UAB is 3-9-2 ATS in its last 14 October contests, but otherwise is on ATS runs of 4-1 in conference action and 5-2 versus teams with a winning record.
The over is 4-0 in the Eagles’ last four on Thursday, 4-1 in their last five after an outright loss and 5-2-1 in UAB’s last eight on artificial turf. However, the under is on runs of 4-0 for Southern Miss in Conference USA games and 7-1 for UAB in October. Finally, three of the last four in this series have topped the posted total.
ATS ADVANTAGE: SOUTHERN MISS
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Southern Miss Golden Eagles vs. UAB Blazers
CUSA East Division action heats up on Thursday night when the Southern Miss Golden Eagles invade Birmingham to take on the UAB Blazers.
CUSA gets to showcase two of its members programs when the Southern Miss Golden Eagles (3-1, 1-2 ATS) and UAB Blazers (1-3, 1-3 ATS) collide at Legion Field. The Golden Eagles almost pulled off a shocker in Lawrence last week against the Kansas Jayhawks, but eventually bowed out by a 35-28 final count. UAB got its clock cleaned for the second week in a row when it fell to the Texas A&M Aggies 56-19 as 14.5-point road underdogs. S. Miss has dominated tonight’s divisional opponent winning all nine of their CUSA confrontations.
BoDog Sportsbook currently has the visiting Golden Eagles tagged as 10-point road favorites over the host Blazers with a game ‘total’ of 59-points.
Head Coach Larry Fedora’s squad took everything KU could dish out last week and still almost left Lawrence with the outright victory. With a number of their playmakers going down to injury, Southern Miss made no excuses and continued to battle till the game’s final moments. They were outgained 433-395, got stopped twice on 4th down, and turned the ball over twice yet still managed to stay within the closing 11.5-point closing spread to send their backers to the betting window to cash their tickets. QB Austin Davis had a monster game completing 28 of 42 passes for 331 yards and 3 TDs, but the ground game never got off with RB Damion Fletcher being held in check. Most impressive was the clubs resolve that saw it battle back from a 14-point deficit in the 3rd quarter to tie it up. Though they lost, S. Miss has plenty of positives to take away from the effort.
After the Blazers throttled Rice in their season opener back on September 5th, many were quick to back them at home against SMU as double-digit home favorites the following week. They went on to lose to the Mustangs 35-33 though they outgained the Ponies by 11 overall yards (448/437); turnovers played a role in the two-point defeat as they lost the battle 5/4. The offense has struggled to get anything done each of the L/2 weeks against Troy State and Texas A&M, while the defense has allowed over 1100 yards combined. Not a recipe for success; especially in this conference! QB Joe Webb has been a one man show offensively, and the defense has been ripped apart through the air overall (327.2 YPG). If nobody else steps up on the offensive side of the ball and the defense doesn’t step up in front of its home fans, the Golden Eagles will improve to 10-0 all-time against the Blazers with ease.
S. Miss will be without studs RB Damion Fletcher and WR DeAndre Brown for tonight’s contest. The Golden Eagles are 7-6 SU & 9-4 ATS their L/13 road games, and 4-1 ATS their L/5 CUSA tilts. Though they’ve failed to scratch out a single victory SU, the Blazers are a perfect 4-0 ATS the L/4 times they’ve opposed a +.500 opponent.
Colorado Buffaloes vs. West Virginia Mountaineers
Non-conference CFB betting action takes center stage on ESPN Thursday night when the Big 12 rep Colorado Buffaloes storm Morgantown looking to take out the heavily favored Mountaineers.
Week 5 of the college football betting season commences Thursday night on ESPN when Colorado (1-2, 1-1 ATS) and West Virginia (2-1, 1-1 ATS) get it on from Mountaineer Field. Both programs had their byes last week to lick their wounds and rest up for tonight’s battle. Colorado finally tasted victory in ’09 its last time out against Wyoming after blanking the Cowboys 24-0 as seven-point home favorites. WV was defeated by Auburn 41-30 to lose both SU and ATS for the first time this year. Colorado scored a 17-14 OT victory in the programs first ever meeting last season.
JustBet.com currently has the host Mountaineers installed as gargantuan 17-point chalks with the game ‘total’ set at 54 for tonight’s battle under the lights.
The Dan Hawkins era just hasn’t gone as planned since he left Boise State for greener pastures. The program just hasn’t matured under his watch as the Buffaloes stand 14-26 SU and 15-23 ATS with him at the helm. They did put forth their most complete effort of the ’09 season against Wyoming though, as the offense churned out 326 overall yards (151 rushing yards) in the 24-0 shutout. QB Cody Hawkins completed 17 of 31 passes for 175 yards but failed to throw a TD pass; he’s thrown for 753 yards and a 5/4 TD/INT ratio on the year. For Colorado to be successful offensively, the running game has to step up. It did just that vs. Wyoming with the return of RB Rodney Stewart who went for 127 yards and a pair of scores. The offense doesn’t stand a chance to do anything against the Mounties if the ground game is held in check as Hawkins is by no means one of the better passing QB’s at this level. If the defense can play the way it did vs. Wyoming, tonight’s game could actually become interesting.
Everything looked peachy for the ‘Neers in its road game at Auburn through the first five minutes of play (2 RB Noel Devine TD runs). Then all of a sudden the wheels fell off and WV couldn’t get out of its own way. When it was all said and done, WV found itself on the short end of a 41-30 defeat even though they outgained Auburn 509-400. Six turnovers had much to do with it. The carelessness the Mountaineers have shown with the pigskin currently has them ranked 116th out of 120 teams at -2.33 turnovers per game. That’s simply not going to get it done for HC Bill Stewart’s club. WV clearly has the advantage in terms of overall talent and speed, but if they continue to take holding onto the pill for granted, they could get a bigger challenge from the Buffaloes than the oddsmakers expect.
Col QB Hawkins threw for 179 yards and a pair of TDs in last year’s meeting with the Mountaineers, so he should enter tonight’s contest confident. COL RB Rodney Stewart also had a big game rushing for 166 yards on 28 attempts. The Mountaineers rushed for 311 yards a year ago with RB Noel Devine accounting for 133 of those yards. Colorado’s 5-11 ATS its L/16 as an underdog, but 3-1 ATS after a bye the L/3 seasons.
Who2beton.com
NCAAF
Thursday's games
West Virginia gets chance to avenge LY's 17-14 loss in Boulder when the Buffs gave up 311 rushing yards but still won. WVU scored 30+ points in all three games, but are -8 in turnovers last two games and lost 41-30 at aurubn (+7), getting outscored 21-9 in second half. Colorado is making second eastern trip- they got crushed 54-38 at Toledo, but were playing on short week plus travelling. WVU is 10-14-1 as a home fave. Colorado is 4-8 as a road underdog under Hawkins.
Southern Miss squashed UAB 70-14 LY, running ball for 463 yards with a +5 turnover margin; they've won last nine series games by average of 14 points, covering five of last six. Blazers lost last three games, giving up 35-27-56 points- they were outscored 66-13 in first half of the three games. USM lost tough game at Kansas last week after a wild comeback win over Virginia the week before that. UAB is 10-4-2 as home dog this decade. Southern Miss is 14-4 in last 18 games as road favorite.
Revenge for WVU?
By Brobury Sports
The West Virginia Mountaineers have revenge on their minds as they host the Colorado Buffaloes tonight.
Big East West Virginia is big 17-point home chalk at BroburySports.com with a ‘total’ of 54.5 points. The Mountaineers are 2-1 on the season straight-up (SU) and 1-1 against the spread (ATS).
West Virginia went into Colorado last year as the 21st ranked team in the country and lost 17-14. Pat White was the quarterback for the visitors, but he has since graduated to the NFL (Miami Dolphins).
Running the offense this year is senior quarterback Jarrett Brown. The longtime backup was having a good year until he threw four interceptions (plus a fumble) last week in a 41-30 loss at Auburn.
It will be interesting to see how Brown responds, as the Mountaineers are still ranked 15th in the country in passing yards at 293 YPG. The rushing attack is also solid with Noel Devine, ranking 35th nationally.
The West Virginia defense is also ranked 35th in the nation, and they will be bolstered by the probable return of linebacker Reed Williams. Better defense tonight could help the ‘Under’ which is just 2-7 in WVU’s last nine games.
West Virginia is 13-2 SU in its home games since 2007, but just 6-7 ATS. They are 6-0 SU at home during ESPN Thursday night games.
Colorado a huge underdog for a reason
Big 12 Colorado (1-2 SU, 1-2 ATS) had the worst opening couple of weeks imaginable. First, they lost 23-17 to in-state rival Colorado State as 13-point home favorites. They followed it up with a 54-38 loss to MAC’s Toledo as four-point road chalk.
The Buffaloes were able to bounce-back somewhat last week versus Wyoming. The game was a 24-0 shutout, although Wyoming is not exactly a powerhouse out the Mountain West Conference this year.
Despite the shutout, Colorado’s ‘D’ is still ranked 101st in the country. The running game has also been struggling despite a stable of talented runners. They had a respectable 151 rushing yards last week, but it came on 45 carries. That translated into only 3.4 yards per carry.
The Buffaloes must keep trying to run the ball tonight. Colorado quarterback Cody Hawkins (son of the coach) will not win this game on his arm. The younger Hawkins is not very accurate and is also prone to interceptions.
Note that Colorado is 0-6 SU and 1-5 ATS in its last six road games. They are 2-11 ATS in their last 13 games as a road underdog.
Those are two big reasons why this spread is so high.
West Virginia Seeks Revenge
by Matt Severance
It’s certainly not the best Thursday night ESPN game of the season this week between Colorado and West Virginia, but, hey, you can bet on it so that’s reason enough for this preview. Currently the Mountaineers (2-1) are 17-point favorites on BetUS.
If the Buffs (1-2) have any prayer of reaching a bowl game (unlikely), they will need to win on Thursday heading into Big 12 play. CU did beat WVU out in Boulder last year, 17-14, on a field goal in overtime in the schools’ first-ever meeting.
This season, Colorado didn’t look good at all in losing its first two games, to Colorado State and Toledo, allowing more than 1,000 yards of offense in the process. But the CU defense bounced back last week by shutting out Wyoming, 24-0, as the scheme was simplified. Sophomore running back Rodney Stewart returned from a hamstring injury to carry 32 times for 127 yards and two touchdowns against the Cowboys and watch for him on Thursday as he torched WVU for 166 yards on 28 carries last year. Plus CU isn’t throwing the ball well this season, as it ranks 99th nationally in passing efficiency. Cody Hawkins is completing just 52.6 percent of his attempts.
West Virginia’s defense has been even worse than Colorado’s so far, at least points-wise, allowing an average of 27.0 per game. The last time out the Mountaineers were beaten 41-30 by Auburn. The reason for that was six turnovers, including five by QB Jarrett Brown. But when WVU wins the turnover battle it has won 50 of the past 53 games. And the fact that WVU scored 30 points and that loss was a shocker as it is 60-2 since 2000 when scoring 30 or more in a game.
Other than the Auburn game, Brown has been pretty good in place of Pat White. Brown has completed 61-of-89 passes for 798 yards and five TDs while rushing for 208 yards and a TD. That total number of yards is the most through three games in the history of the program. Brown is much bigger than White was and has a better arm. Meanwhile, RB Noel Devine is averaging 6.3 yards per carry; he had 133 yards rushing last year vs. the Buffaloes in the only game of his career where he had more than 19 carries. The Mountaineers have scored at least 30 points in each game this season and rolled up more than 500 yards of offense (207 rushing, 302 passing) against Auburn.
Brown left the Auburn game with an injury to his left (non-throwing) shoulder and sat out the final few minutes, but he has been declared good to go this week by coach Bill Stewart. Starting linebacker Reed Williams will return after missing the Auburn game, but top defensive tackle Scooter Berry is likely to miss a second straight game with a shoulder injury.
For Colorado, tailback and kick returner Darrell Scott, who missed the Wyoming game with a knee injury, is supposed to play.
Colorado hasn’t won a road game since October 2007, while West Virginia is 15-2 in night home games since 2002 and 6-0 in ESPN Thursday night home games.
Tips and Trends
Colorado at West Virginia
Colorado: Colorado coach Dan Hawkins’ summer prediction that his team would win 10 games isn’t looking very good as the Buffaloes are 1-2. Colorado, which plays in the Big 12 Conference, has lost to a Mountain West team (Colorado State 23-17) and to a MAC school (Toledo 54-38). The Buffaloes have yet to display a vertical passing threat and their run-blocking has been poor. Leading rusher, Rodney Stewart, has gained only 175 yards, an average of 58.3 yards per game. Colorado running backs are averaging just 3.1 yards per rush. Junior quarterback Cody Hawkins, the son of the coach, is hitting 52 percent of his passes for 755 yards and five touchdowns with four interceptions. The Buffaloes have failed to cover in eight of their last 11 games. This is Colorado’s final non-conference regular-season game. The Buffaloes are 8-20 against the spread when taking points.
The Under is 12-4 in Colorado’s last 16 non-conference games.
The Buffaloes are 2-11 ATS in their last 13 games as a road underdog.
Key Injuries - Running back Darrell Scott (knee) is probable
PROJECTED SCORE: 19 (Side of the Day)
West Virginia (-17, O/U 54.5): Early money has moved the Mountaineers from an opening 15-point favorite up to minus 17. West Virginia has revenge from a 17-14 loss to Colorado last year and wants to rebound from a 41-30 loss to Auburn during its last game when it committed six turnovers. The 2-1 Mountaineers are paced by quarterback Jarret Brown and running back Noel Devine. Brown has completed 68 percent of his throws for 798 yards and five touchdowns with five interceptions. Devine is averaging 6.3 yards per carry. He has rushed for more than 1,600 yards going back to the start of last year. West Virginia is limiting opponents to just 83 yards on the ground per game. The Mountaineers accumulated more than 500 yards of total offense versus Auburn, but were done in by a 6-1 turnover difference. The Mountaineers have committed 10 turnovers in their last two games.
The Mountaineers are 4-9 ATS versus a team with a losing mark.
The Over has cashed in 7 of West Virginia’s last nine games.
Key Injuries - Defensive lineman Scooter Berry (shoulder) is questionable.
PROJECTED SCORE: 36
Southern Mississippi at Alabama-Birmingham
Southern Miss (-10, O/U 60.5): Southern Mississippi is going to be without star running back Damion Fletcher (groin) and wide receiver DeAndre Brown (shoulder). Fletcher has rushed for a team-high 371 yards and scored four touchdowns. Brown is tied for first in team receptions with 13. The Golden Eagles are 3-1 with impressive victories against Virginia and Central Florida. However, they lost last week to Kansas, 35-28, although covering an 11 ½-point road spread. Quarterback Austin Davis is completing 68 percent of his passes for 931 yards. He has an eight-to-one touchdown-to-interception ratio. The Golden Eagles racked up 463 yards rushing and scored a school-record nine touchdowns in walloping Alabama Birmingham, 70-14, at home last season. The Golden Eagles amassed more than 600 yards of offense in that 56-point victory. Southern Mississippi has covered six of the last seven in the series. They have covered the past three times in Birmingham.
The Golden Eagles are 8-1 ATS the past nine times they’ve been road chalk.
Key Injuries - Running back Damion Fletcher (groin) is out.
Wide receiver DeAndre Brown (shoulder) is out.
Wide receiver Johdrick Morris (concussion) is out.
PROJECTED SCORE: 35
Alabama Birmingham: This is a huge revenge spot for the Blazers after their embarrassing lost last year to Southern Mississippi. Alabama Birmingham has lost all nine meetings to Southern Mississippi in the series history. The Blazers are 11-4-1 against the spread in their last 16 games as a home underdog. Alabama Birmingham doesn’t come into this matchup with much momentum, though, having lost and failed to cover three in a row after a 44-24 season-opening victory against Rice. The Blazers’ losses have been to SMU, Troy and Texas A&M on the road last week, 56-19. Those three foes averaged a combined 350 yards passing and more than 500 total yards against the Blazers. Quarterback Joe Webb has accounted for 1,053 of Alabama Birmingham’s 1,552 totals yards of offense. He leads the team in rushing with 432 yards and has accounted for nine touchdowns. He’s been intercepted five times.
The Under is 7-3-1 in the Blazers’ last 11 games as a home ‘dog.
Key Injuries - Wide receiver Mark Ferrell (arm) is doubtful.
Wide receiver Frantrell Forrest (knee) is doubtful.
PROJECTED SCORE: 25 (UNDER - Total of the Day)