CFB Week 5: ODU in the record books, Hokies facing a rough week, and the Hoos look for redemption

Man, that QB over at ODU really did some stuff last week. Plus my picks for which games to watch this weekend.

September 27, 2012; 7:30 AM • by Ross Catrow

The big news this week was ODU QB Taylor Heinicke’s record setting performance against New Hampshire. Heinicke went 55/79 for 730 yards and five touchdowns, breaking the NCAA Division I record for single-game passing yards. The all-time record, which stands at 736 yards, was set earlier this year in a Division III game. ODU will join Conference USA for football in 2013. Check out some of Heinicke’s highlights:

Here’s a couple notables from this past weekend that you may have missed:

• Notre Dame beat Michigan 13-6, which isn’t that surprising considering Michigan turned the ball over on six straight posessions (five interceptions and one fumble). I stand by my claim that Notre Dame is not good: with a +4 in turnover margin, they managed only 13 points. But now they’re ranked #10, and we have to hear about how wonderful they are and how Bryan Kelly is a genius. Barf.
• Before Saturday night’s Clemson-FSU matchup, when was the last time you watched a prime-time game between two ranked ACC opponents that actually mattered?¹ It was great hearing Herbstreit and Musburger drool over these two ACC teams–we’re more relevant than the Big East, guys!
• Check out Miami’s leads/deficits in their game against Gerogia Tech by quarter: +19, -3, -14, 0, +6! Crazy! At one point the Canes were down by three scores! Miami’s almost certainly backish!
• Upset: Kansas State over Oklahoma. Bill Snyder is back and making it happen in Manhattan. How weird would it be to play in a stadium named after yourself?

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Virginia Tech vs. Cincinnati

Saturday, September 29th, 3:30 PM; ESPNU

So Virginia Tech won a game and the defense pitched a shutout. Time for celebration, right? Sadly, no. The first quarter against Bowling Green was a barf bag of miscommunications, dropped passes, and ugly mistakes. The running game finally got going behind Tony Gregory and JC Coleman, but mostly out to the perimeter and against a subpar perimeter defense. Athletic defenses (think Clemson, FSU, or even Cincinnati) are going to absolutely crush that sort of thing.

Hokies. I’ve got some bad news: we’re probably not going to win this week against Cincinnati. I just don’t see how this team, which has absolutely no identity on offense, lackluster performance by both the offensive and defensive lines, and some serious chemistry issues among the skill players is going to pick up the W. Plus, the Bearcats had last week off and will have had additional time to prepare for the Hokies. I just don’t see things working out in our favor, but I’ve been wrong before (at least once)!

Virginia vs. Louisiana Tech

Saturday, September 29th, 3:30 PM; ESPN3

Well, we pretty much knew that was going to happen, didn’t we? At least deep in our hearts of hearts? If UVA wants to win football games, they have got to stop turning the ball over–they’re tied for 114th in the country in turnover margin. On Saturday against TCU, QB Rocco threw two interceptions (both on the TCU side of the field), and Coach London eventually put in Alabama transfer Philip Sims early in the 4th quarter. But by then the Horned Frogs were already up 20-0, and it was too late for the Hoos.

If the Hokies have a tough road to hoe against the Bearcats, then at least the Wahoos can put a stop to their two-game losing streak and beat the Bulldogs of Louisiana Tech, right? I dunno! The Bulldogs have one of the best offenses (statistically) in the nation and one of the worst defenses (statistically) in the nation. UVA, on the other hand, has a below average offense and a below average defense. I think things are going to end up in the Hoo’s favor, but watch out if it turns into a shoot-out!

Games worth watching

Thursday, 9:00 PM, ESPN; #8 Stanford at Washington — It is my opinion, after watching that Stanford-USC game, that The Cardinal are the best football team in the Pac-12.² Plus any chance to see Stanford’s nightmarish tree mascot on TV is always worth taking.

12:00 PM, FX; #25 Baylor at #9 West Virginia — This is easily Saturday’s best noon game. How will West Virginia perform in their first Big 12 game? Can Baylor build on last year’s RGIII-driven success? Unfortunately, it’s on FX? I guess they show football games now?

3:30 PM, ABC; #14 Ohio State at #20 Michigan State — This will be Coach Urban Meyer’s first Big Ten test as coach of the Buckeyes. I think many things about OSU and Coach Meyer, but regardless, this should be a good one to watch.

3:30 PM, ESPNU; Virginia Tech vs. Cincinnati — Go Hokies!

3:30 PM, ESPN3; Louisiana Tech at Virginia — Go Hoos!

8:00 PM, ABC; Wisconsin at #22 Nebraska — At Nebraska on the week that god-man Athletic Director Tom Osborne announced his retirement? Not an environment I’d want to walk into if I were a badger wearing a striped turtleneck sweater.

10:00 PM, Pac-12 Network; #18 Oregon State at Arizona — Here’s your chance to watch Oregon dismantle another Pac-12 team! Of course that assumes you have access to the Pac-12 Network, which is probably not the best assumption for those of you living in Virginia.

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September 27, 2012 7:30 AM 5