No. 21 Cincinnati Bearcats (2-0) 1-0 ATS, 1-0 O/U at No. 24 Oregon State Beavers (2-0) 0-1 ATS, 0-1 O/U Saturday September 18, 2009 Reser Stadium, Corvallis, Oregon
by Wilson of Predictem.com
Point Spread: Pick’em
Over/Under: 56.5
The Oregon State Beavers enter the third week of the 2009 college football season with a perfect record; barely. The Beavers escaped the Las Vegas desert by avoiding an upset at UNLV. The Beavers held on to beat the Rebels 23-21.
Justin Kahut, the Oregon State Beavers place kicker, booted a 33-yard field goal with just seven seconds left to save the Beavers from crapin-out in Vegas. It was Kahuts way of making up for the first half blunders as he missed a 47 yard FG attempt and an extra point.
The Beavers have plenty of familiar weapons on offense with the most notable being the Rodgers brothers. Jacquizz Rodgers rushed for 166 yards and one touchdown on 26 carries, and he also had ten catches for 65 yards. James Rodgers had 109 total yards and one TD reception as well to boost the Beaver attack.
OSU QB Sean Canfield threw for 198 yards on 25 of 31 and two TDs. Oregon State had 20 first downs and 382 yards of total offense which was a balanced effort both on the ground and through the air. The Beavers defense gave up some big moment plays as they watched their 20-7 lead turn into a 21-20 UNLV advantage late in the fourth quarter. OSU will need to address the defensive pressure they lacked in the UNLV game if they want to knock off No.21 Cincinnati this weekend.
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The positive notes for the Beavers are that they never turned the ball over to the Rebels, and they had the advantage in the time of possession. If the Beavers play the way they are capable of playing while avoiding turnovers they should be 3-0 after Saturday.
Lets start with the Cincinnati Bearcats stats after their first two games; the Bearcats have outscored their opponents 117-18. They beat Rutgers 47-15 and rolled over Southeast Missouri State 70-3! I think these guys are a little bitter over not being ranked in the top 25 before the regular season started, so now they appear to be on a serious mission to destroy all foes in their path.
Bearcats QB Tony Pike threw for 229 yards and three touchdowns on 17 of 23 passing. Wide receiver Marshawn Gilyard was sensational as he had 6 receptions for 111 yards and four touchdowns. Cincinnati is 2-0 for the first time since 2004 and they hope to keep the wins coming.
Cincinnati is the real deal and a very dangerous team now ranked in the top 25 where they deserve to be housed. Perhaps the Bearcats most valuable weapon is Marshawn Gilyard who is an exceptional athlete who can play nearly every playmaker position. Shoot, he can even throw the ball if they called on him.
This game should be a battle of two potent offenses that can both light up a scoreboard in a Cincinnati is 7-1 O/U in their last 8 games in September. The under is 9-3 at OSU in last 12 non-conference games.
Both QBs are completing more than 70 percent of their passes and averaging over 8 yards per pass attempt. I see this game going to the final possession. Maybe the Beavers will have a bit of home field favor but the Bearcats are definitely for real this season.
Wilsons Pick: Oregon State 27, Cincinnati 35! I like the Bearcats to steal one on the road and cover as well. Luck to ya.