Lady D’s College Football Game of the Week
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Background info: Saturday night (September 1, 2007 at 8:00 ET on ABC) the University of Tennessee Volunteers will be at the University of California to take on the Bears. This is the only game of the opening weekend featuring 2 teams with top 25 rankings. Both of these teams are out to prove that they are worthy of their high rankings. Last year Tennessee beat Cal 35-18, but don’t expect the matchup to be so lopsided this year.
Why you should cheer for Tennessee: Cal’s defense lost some stars last year and may not be able to stop Tennessee’s offense. Tennessee may not have the recognizable names that give other teams star power, but they are still a quality SEC team with plenty of high caliber players. QB Eric Ainge will be implementing UT’s new no-huddle offense with should keep Cal’s defense on edge. Cal has a young defense with weaknesses on the line and in the backfield, so there should be plenty of options for UT’s passing game and lots of running room for UT’s Arian Foster. Plus, who doesn’t love that bright orange?
Why you should cheer for Cal: Cal has some studs at wide receivers and Tennessee has some newbies who will be defending them. That sounds good for Cal and their big QB Nate Longshore. Last year, Cal got burned by UT’s star receivers, but it seems this year the roles are reversed. One, in particular, of Cal’s defensive backs Syd’Quan Thompson was especially embarrassed last year, but this year he’s a leader of the defensive and will be on a mission to shut down Tennessee’s receivers.
Something random and interesting to watch for: UT has one of the best punters of college football, Britton Colquitt, and Cal has one of the best punt returners of college football DeSean Jackson. So that should make for an interesting matchup to watch for, if Tennessee punts the ball (which might not happen much, since it sounds like this will be a high scoring game).
by Lady D from www.ladydsports.com (the sports site for women)
