Week 5 Preview

Week 4 brought plenty of excitement, highlighted by Colorado State and UNLV each winning its first game of the year. With a couple of rivalry games on the schedule, what will week 5 bring?

Game of the Week
Air Force hosts Navy in a battle of triple-option attacks. The winner of this game has the inside track to win the coveted Commander-In-Chief Trophy.

Navy enters this game with a 2-1 record. The defense has played well this season, limiting opponents to just 262 yards per game. QB Ricky Dobbs leads a powerful triple-option offense that averages 273 yards per contest. The Midshipmen can also throw the ball when teams put eight or nine men in the box, throwing for 219 yards against Louisiana Tech last week.

Air Force moved into a first place tie with Utah after defeating Wyoming last week. The Falcons lead the nation in rushing with HB Asher Clark, FB Jared Tew, and QB Tim Jefferson leading the charge. CB�s Reggie Rembert and Anthony Wright lead a unit that ranks in the Top 25 nationally against the pass.

Both teams will do what they do best, and run the triple option. With each offense operating efficiently, the team that makes the most plays on defense will win the game. Air Force has the better defense, so they will win this game, and move within one game of regaining the Commander-in-Chief Trophy.

Conference game of the Week
TCU visits Colorado State in the only conference game this week.

Colorado State earned its first victory of the season last week, winning 36-34 over Idaho. The offense finally clicked, with Raymond Carter rushing for over 100 yards, and QB Pete Thomas throwing for 386 yards and 3 TD�s. Defensively, the Rams continue to show improvement, producing 3 sacks, and making timely stops in the 4th quarter.

TCU closed out its non-conference schedule by defeating Conference USA favorite SMU 41-24. The Horned Frog defense held SMU QB Kyle Padron to 14 of 35 passing, and returned an interception for a touchdown. Heisman Trophy Candidate Andy Dalton rallied the offense for three straight touchdowns after TCU fell behind in the third quarter.

Colorado State does not have the athletes to play with TCU. While they can try to contain Dalton, the Horned Frogs have a plethora of playmakers with TB�s Ed Wesley and Matthew Tucker, and WR Jeremy Kerley. TCU wins big, handing CSU its first conference loss.

Non-conference games
BYU travels to in-state rival Utah State on Friday, seeking to stop a three-game losing streak. Despite the Cougars well-documented struggles on offense, the defense has been their Achilles heel, allowing 433 yards per game. To counter this weakness, BYU will move to a ball-control offense, running the clock and keeping the defense off the field. The Cougars win convincingly.

New Mexico hosts UTEP this weekend, hoping to earn its first victory of the season. Not much has gone right this year for the Lobos, losing by an average score of 56-10. New Mexico did strike first last week on a TD pass from Tarean Austin to Bryant Williams, but everything went downhill from there. Things will not improve this week, as electric Miner QB Trevor Vittatoe will light up the Lobo secondary. UTEP wins by two touchdowns.

Wyoming heads to the Midwest to play an improved Toledo team. The Cowboys dropped to 1-3 with a 20-14 loss to Air Force, despite turning in their best rushing performance of the season. Wyoming must continue to run the ball effectively, but must mix in some pass plays to take advantage of the Rockets� frequent blitzes. The Cowboys will win a tight game, as QB Austyn Carta-Samuels outplays Toledo�s Austin Dantin.

UNLV welcomes in-state rival Nevada. The Rebels earned their first victory of the season last week, crushing New Mexico 45-10. QB Omar Clayton led a balanced attack with 194 yards passing, and the defense chipped in by producing three turnovers. In order to beat the Wolfpack, the Rebels will need to stick to this same game plan. Nevada QB Colin Kaepernick will make the difference in this game, making plays with his arm and his feet. Nevada wins this game by three touchdowns.

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