What We Are Watching in College Football: September 5, 2020 Weekend
Each week we will provide a preview of the upcoming college football weekend. This weekend would have been a full kickoff of the season but unfortunately that will not happen. There is a limited slate of games on tap and here is what we are focused on this weekend.
The Games We Will Focus On
SMU at Texas State (Sat 4:30 PM, ESPN)
The game should not be all that close but there’s a limited number of games to pick from. SMU beat Texas State by 30 a year ago and we would expect more of the same this season. It will be interesting to see how good SMU can be this year with some of the changes they have undergone in the offseason.
The SMU offense was awesome in 2019, averaging nearly 42 points per game. Head Coach Sonny Dykes did lose his offensive coordinator, Rhett Lashlee, to Miami but returns starting QB Shane Buechele (#17 QB). Buechele will be without last season’s leading receiver James Proche but does have senior WR Reggie Roberson Jr and senior TE Kylen Granson (#7 TE) at his disposal. Both players are dangerous downfield weapons who will be big play threats for the offense. Dykes is hands on with the offense and is innovative in the passing game, so the team should be dynamic again through the air.
SMU’s new starting running back is sophomore TJ McDaniel who played sparingly in 2019 but did have the highest yards per carry average on the team. He will be running behind an experienced offensive line that has a combined 86 career starts to their credit. The lone starter who does not have double digit career starts is RG Danielson Ike who is a redshirt freshman, but is surrounded by veteran players up front. McDaniel showed flashes of his talent a year ago including a strong performance against Texas State where he had 8 runs for 159 yards. He should be able to get off to a fast star behind an experienced offensive line in 2020.
The Mustangs are one of the best teams in the AAC, we will be tuning in to see just how good they are.
Arkansas State at Memphis (Sat 8:00 PM, ESPN)
Memphis won the AAC in 2019 with Mike Norvell coaching the team, but he has moved on to Florida State. The Tigers hired Ryan Silverfield as their new head coach, hoping to maintain continuity and continue the success they have experienced recently. A new coach will undoubtedly bring some changes and we are interested to see how the Tigers look in 2020.
Despite the change at the top Memphis does return QB Brady White (#13 QB) and WR Damonte Coxie (#24 WR) giving the team a dangerous duo in the passing game. Outside of Coxie there isn’t much production returning at WR so new players will have to emerge for the Tigers offense to continue humming. Star RB Kenneth Gainwell’s decision to opt out of the 2020 season was a major blow to the offense as they are now without one of the best backs in the country and have lost their top three rushers from last season. The offensive line will be have two new starters but does return 56 starts from a year ago and should provide a strong foundation up front.
Arkansas State went 8 – 5 a year ago and finished strong winning five of their last six games. They may not have the talent Memphis has but the Red Wolves will provide some resistance Saturday night. They return their leading passer and rusher from 2019 and have an experienced offensive line as well. If the young secondary can hold up against White and Coxie (a tall task) the Red Wolves could compete in this game.
Much like the SMU game, we are interested to see what Memphis will look like in 2020. This is our first chance to see the reigning AAC champs under their new head coach, so hopefully they make a good first impression.
BYU at Navy (Mon 8:00 PM, ESPN)
This may the best game of the weekend. BYU returns their QB, top three rushers, top tight end, four of five offensive line starters on the offensive side of the ball and 14 of the top 16 tacklers from a year ago on the defensive side. The team brings back a lot of talent but will need to find a new group of receivers to throw to, as the top three receivers from last year are gone, though the team did spread the ball around last year so there is returning production available. QB Zach Wilson will be the key, he showed a lot of promise last year but also had too many interceptions, especially in the big games. If he has progressed and can eliminate some of the turnovers BYU is in a good spot to have success this year.
Meanwhile, Navy loses star QB Malcolm Perry, who ran for over 2,000 yards, and three starters on the offensive line, but returns their three leading running backs, three leading receivers and 7 of the top 8 tacklers from the 2019 team. Replacing Perry will be the key here, he was a perfect fit in Navy’s triple option attack and controlled the game for the Midshipmen. If Navy can find a quarterback to steer the ship they have the talent and scheme to give opponents fits week in and week out.
The triple option is tough to prepare for, especially with an off-season like we just had. One of these two team will kick start their season with a big win Monday night over a quality opponent. We expect BYU to get the win but Navy is a tough out.
In Game Match-ups To Watch
QB Asher O’Hara #10 (M Tenn) vs LB Arik Smith #53 (Army)
O’Hara had a good season in 2019 passing for over 2,000 yards and running for over 1,000 yards on the season. He averaged 7.8 yards per attempt and threw 20 touchdowns against only 8 interceptions. Mike LB Arik Smith is the center piece of the Black Knights defense after recording 83 tackles and 4 tackles for loss as a sophomore last season. O’Hara will look to continue to impact the game with both his arm and his legs in 2019 and Smith will be one of the key components in containing O’Hara on Saturday. O’Hara’s effectiveness will be critical to the Middle Tennessee offense while Smith will be the leader of the Black Knights defense trying to slow O’Hara down.
TE Matt Bushman #89 (BYU) vs Evan Fochtman #11 and Kevin Brennan #7 (Navy)
Bushman was a very productive tight end in 2019, catching 47 passes for 698 yards and 4 touchdowns. He is a 6’5″ weapon in the passing game who is tough to cover down the middle of the field. Navy’s starting safeties were both key components on the Midshipmen defense last season. Both Fochtman and Brennan intercepted two passes on the season and are leaders on the defense. They will be critical in containing the dangerous Bushman on Monday night. Bushman is the primary weapon in BYU’s passing game and provides an excellent go to option for QB Zach Wilson. Navy’s ability to contain Bushman will be critical to their defensive success in the game.
Final Thoughts
Unfortunately, the week is light on games but there will be college football played and that’s a win. Things will pick up over the next few weeks as more conferences begin playing (possibly even the Big Ten and Pac 12). In the mean time it will be nice to have football to watch over Labor Day weekend, it wouldn’t be the same without it. Enjoy college football fans!
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