LOCAL GAMES No. 11 Virginia Tech at East Carolina
When » Saturday, 3:30 p.m.
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Where » Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium,
Greenville, N.C.
TV » CSN
Radio » 106.7 FM
East Carolina (0-1) led at No. 12 South Carolina last week by 10 points at the half before the Gamecocks rallied for a 56-37 victory. ECU, led by former Boston College QB Dominique Davis, was doomed by four lost fumbles. The Pirates upset Virginia Tech 27-22 in 2008. The Hokies (1-0) are coming off a 66-13 win over Appalachian State in which junior RB David Wilson carried 16 times for 162 yards and three touchdowns.
Navy at Western Kentucky
When » Saturday, 7 p.m.
Where » Smith Stadium,
Bowling Green, Ky.
Radio » 1500 AM
For the second straight game, the mission of Navy (1-0) is to contain a 1,600-yard back. In a 40-17 win over Delaware, the Mids did a decent job against Andrew Pierce (20 carries, 119 yards). Their focus Saturday is 2010 Sun Belt player of the year Bobby Rainey. After 12 straight winning seasons, Western Kentucky (0-1) has gone 4-33 with 16 straight losses at home. The Mids depend on QB Kriss Proctor, who rushed for 176 yards last week.
Virginia at Indiana
When » Saturday, 7 p.m.
Where » Memorial Stadium,
Bloomington, Ind.
TV » Big Ten Network
Radio » 570 AM
In a game that features the Phillips brothers of Georgetown Prep — junior TE Colter Phillips (Virginia) and freshman TE Paul Phillips (Indiana) — the Cavaliers (1-0) face a team in transition. The Hoosiers (0-1) lost last week to Ball State 27-20 in the debut of former Oklahoma offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson and the first start for sophomore QB Edward Wright-Baker in the Indiana spread offense.
Central Connecticut St. at James Madison
When » Saturday, 6 p.m.
Where » Bridgeforth Stadium,
Harrisonburg, Va.
More than 23,000 tickets have been sold, guaranteeing James Madison a home attendance record in its first game at renovated Bridgeforth Stadium, which now includes an upper deck with luxury suites. The Dukes (0-1) are coming off a 42-10 loss at North Carolina in which junior QB Justin Thorpe (11-for-15, 152 yards) returned after a year out with a knee injury. Central Connecticut State (1-0) was last year’s co-champion in the Northeast Conference.
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Connecticut at Vanderbilt »
With Cincinnati playing at Tennessee and Rutgers at North Carolina, the Big East will have a difficult time remaining undefeated after going 8-0 last week. Another problematic game for the Big East is this one, which could be dubbed the Kevin Anderson Bowl. The Maryland athletic director scuttled coach-in-waiting James Franklin, who’s now at Vanderbilt, and then hired former UConn coach Randy Edsall. (Saturday, 7:30 p.m.)
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No. 16 Mississippi State at Auburn » How long has it been since a defending national champ started 1-0 and wasn’t ranked? That’s an indicator of how much talent departed Auburn, especially on a defense that yielded 38 points last week to Utah State. Mississippi State (1-0) has a complete offense with run-pass threat QB Chris Relf and RB Vick Ballard, who had 166 yards in a Week ?1 romp over Memphis. (Saturday, 12:20 p.m., SEC Network)
3
Notre Dame at Michigan »
The heat in South Bend appears to be getting to second-year coach Brian Kelly. Last week when the Irish were losing to South Florida 23-20, Kelly was caught on camera in full meltdown, dropping F-bombs on his players. On Saturday in Ann Arbor against new Michigan coach Brady Hoke and elusive QB Denard Robinson, this has the potential to be another earmuff game for the Irish. (Saturday, 8 p.m., ESPN)
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No. 12 South Carolina at Georgia » Speaking of coaches on the hot seat, how about Georgia’s Mark Richt? He has a 53-27 record in SEC play, but a second straight losing year would be tough to survive. Dressing his players like Power Rangers didn’t work last week against Boise State, so it will be interesting to see what costume the Bulldogs will don for the Border Bash. (Saturday, 4:30 ?p.m., ESPN)
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No. 3 Alabama at No. 23 Penn State » Last September when the teams met for the first time in 20 years, RB Trent Richardson (144 yards rushing) and the Alabama defense dominated a 24-3 verdict that fell far short of the pregame hype. This time it’s the Crimson Tide’s turn to travel north to Happy Valley. Penn State hopes to return the favor. (Saturday, 3:30 p.m., ABC)
