Thursday News and Notes

Thursday, November 9, 2006

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CFB

Buffalo-Akron

Tonawanda News

Senior quarterback Tony Paoli will make his second start Thursday, UB head coach Turner Gill said. Paoli led the Bulls to their first victory over a winning team in the program’s Division I-A history on Saturday, a 41-14 triumph over Kent State.
Paoli’s opportunity arose when sophomore Drew Willy, who started UB’s first eight games, dislocated his throwing thumb in practice last week. Gill classified Willy’s injury status as day-to-day. Asked if Willy will regain his starting position once healthy, Gill said: “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.” Senior linebacker Ramon Guzman (knee) is probable for Thursday’s game, Gill said. Sophomore linebacker David Hubbard (neck) will return after missing two games. Gill declined to say whether Kareem Byrom will return to safety Thursday, or stay at linebacker where he’s started the last two games. MasterLockLine.com has the top plays from the top sports service in their highest ranked sports.    

 

Buffalo News

More than a few people pinned some of the blame on the University at Buffalo’s seven-game losing streak on the offensive line. But after Saturday’s 27-point win against Kent State, there’s been nothing but praise. The unit was one of the main reasons why the Bulls piled up season highs in points (41) and rushing yards (176). The offensive line created holes for tailback James Starks to rush for a career-high 162 yards and three touchdowns and enough time for Tony Paoli to pass for 193 yards and a touchdown. The offensive line - which starts only one senior - will attempt to put together another solid game Thursday at Akron (4-5, 2-3 Mid-American Conference). The Zips run the unconventional 3-3-5 defense led by 6-foot-2, 300-pound senior nose guard Kiki Gonzalez, who is generally regarded as one of the top 20 defensive tackles in the country. Gonzalez and the rest of the Akron defense present a tremendous test for an offensive line that starts a freshman and two sophomores. Get advanced news and notes days ahead of time at JoeDuffy.net

Louisville-Rutgers

NY Times

As Louisville prepares to visit Rutgers tomorrow night in a battle of 8-0 teams, the Cardinals’ offense is still among the nation’s best, ranking second behind Ohio State in total yards a game, 492.6, and fourth in scoring offense at 39.4 points a game.

But the Knights may be much better at stopping the Cardinals this time. In scoring defense, Rutgers ranks second, at 9.1 points a game, behind Ohio State’s 7.6. In total defense, Rutgers ranks second, allowing 227.4 yards a game, behind Louisiana State (215.7). In pass defense, the Knights are second at 135.3 yards, behind Virginia Tech (131). Joe Duffy’s sports betting selections are at www.GodsTips.com

 

Courier-Journal

The University of Louisville football team is about to understand how West Virginia felt last week. The Mountaineers were ranked third in the country when they walked into an amped-up Thursday night road game billed as the biggest in their opponent’s history. Now it’s the Cardinals’ turn. After moving up to No. 3 in The Associated Press Top 25 yesterday, they’ll defend their new status Thursday night at No. 15 Rutgers.

“This is definitely the biggest game in our history,” said Rutgers deputy athletic director Kevin MacConnell, who has worked at the school for 20 years. “I’ve never seen it like this around here.” This game has been sold out for more than a month, and tickets are being brokered for hundreds of dollars. The school has added temporary bleachers to accommodate 2,500 extra fans at Rutgers Stadium, which normally holds 41,500. Students also will be allowed to sit on the hill behind the stadium’s open end zone. The atmosphere actually may serve as an advantage to the visitors. Louisville has grown used to playing in big games, including last year’s Gator Bowl loss to Virginia Tech and this season’s meetings with West Virginia and Miami. Rutgers has far less big-game experience; the Scarlet Knights advanced to just the second bowl game in program history last season and haven’t beaten a ranked team since 1988. Ray Rice suffered a bruised left ankle in Rutgers’ last game, a 24-13 victory over Connecticut on Oct. 29, but he returned to practice yesterday and reported no problems. He leads the conference and is third in NCAA Division I-A with 150.4 rushing yards per game. Rutgers boasts the nation’s second-ranked defense, allowing just 227.4 yards and 9.1 points a game. U of L has the second-ranked total offense at 492.6 yards a game and the No. 4 scoring attack at 39.4 points a game. The Cards never have beaten ranked teams in consecutive weeks, however, and it’s safe to say they never have played two straight “biggest in school history” contests either. But that’s the challenge now.  Approved sportsbooks are at www.linetrackers.com   

Wyoming-BYU

Star-Telegram

What is known is the game will pit the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the Mountain West, the No. 1 total offense vs. the No. 1 total defense in the league and the No. 1 pass offense against the No. 1 pass defense in the conference in BYU and Wyoming, respectively.

BYU (7-2, 5-0 in MWC) and its high-powered offense is led by quarterback John Beck, who has 2,358 passing yards this season. The Cougars are averaging 440.8 yards per game, which includes 297.7 yards through the air. Wyoming (5-5, 4-2) and its stout defense is allowing only 248.0 yards per game, and that includes just 140.1 passing yards per game. Stevie Vincent’s BetOnSports360.com is pioneer in forensic handicapping and part of OffshoreInsiders.com