Nate Feken’s Week 15 Preview

Big 12 Championship: Kansas City, Missouri on ABC @ 7 p.m.

 

 

Breakdown:

            This rematch of last year’s Big 12 title game could provide Oklahoma with a ticket to the National Championship game and should provide plenty of excitement for fans.

            However, Oklahoma didn’t make it to this game without a lot of controversy.  After OU finished in a three way tie with Texas and Texas Tech the conference needed to use a fifth tie breaker to determine a South division champion.  Ultimately it was the Sooner’s BCS rating of .9351 over the Longhorn’s mark of .9223 that gave them the slot for the South in the title game. 

            Bob Stoops will look to beat the Tigers for the fourth time in the past three years to claim his sixth conference crown in ten years.  The Sooners beat Missouri twice last year by scores of 41-31 and 38-17 to get to the Fiesta Bowl. 

            On the other hand, Gary Pinkel’s Tigers will look to bounce back from a heartbreaker last week to Kansas on a last second blocked field goal in the very same stadium.  They will have a distraction this week with the news that offensive coordinator Dave Christenson was named the head coach of Wyoming this week.

            Look for Oklahoma to win this ball game and head off to Miami for the national title game.  With the Sooners getting into this game in such exciting fashion, there will be extra distractions for the team this week.  However, OU should be able to handle the distractions.  After all, the Sooners have scored 60+ points in their last four games.  This OU offense has been unstoppable since their loss to Texas and will take the lead early and never let up on the gas.

 

ADVANTAGE – OU 

Oklahoma 45 – Missouri 13

 

Players to Watch:

 

Oklahoma

            QB #14, Sam Bradford: After tearing ligaments in his non throwing hand, he will have his hand in a soft cast, will he be able to shake off the injury? or go under center?, but will find a way to get the job done for the team, set a NCAA record for TDs for first two seasons of a starting quarterback with 82. 

            RB #29, Chris Brown: will look to get the tough yards for the Sooners, helps to open team’s passing game, played well in two games against the Tigers last year with 138 yards and 5 TDs, has 8 TDs in last 3 games. 

            LB #10, Mike Balougan: will be the fourth person to play the middle linebacker position for the Sooners this year, will look to solidify middle against Mizzou’s high powered spread attack, filled in well on Oklahoma State’s last drive in last game, played junior college ball last year so he has some experience, has 6 tackles on the year, will be his first start.

 

Missouri

            QB #10, Chase Daniel: can he shake his 0-3 record against the Sooners and lead his team to a Big 12 title and BCS game? He must limit turnovers to get the win, in 3 games against OU he has 6 INTs v.s. 1 TD

            WR #9, Jeremy Maclin: had two big games against the Sooners last year, must have another for Mizzou to have a legitimate chance, went down with what looked like a hip injury during Kansas game, will he be 100%? had 201 and 189 all purpose yards for 2 TDs in two games with Sooners last year, also had a key INT and lost fumble that led to TD in first game

            LB #12, Sean Weatherspoon: will look to lead the Tiger’s defense, has been a turnover forcing machine for the team this year, will need to force a couple to slow down the Sooners high powered offense, has 126 tackles, 16 tackles for a loss, 4.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 3 INTs with 100 return yards 2 went for TDs

 

 

 

SEC Championship, Atlanta, GA on CBS @ 3 p.m.

 

 

Breakdown:

            This year’s SEC Championship will feature the first matchup of two teams ranked in the top two spots of the AP poll.  More importantly this game is a ticket to the National Championship for the winner. 

            This is a very unique matchup of two complete opposite teams, who have won their respective divisions of the conference in very different ways.  Florida is a team that showcases Urban Meyer’s new look spread offense, while Alabama features a more conventional smash mouth run attack. 

            Florida comes in to this game as one of the hottest teams in the country.  The Gators have scored 40 or more points in each of their past seven games.  The Gators do have experience on their side, after winning 2006 conference title on their way to the National Championship. 

            But the major story line of this ball game will be whether or not Florida’s star athlete Percy Harvin will be able to play in this ball game.  Harvin is currently listed as questionable for this ball game after spraining his ankle in the Florida State game.  Will Urban Meyer and the Gators be able to replace Harvin’s big play capabilities and production in their running and passing game?

            Alabama will put their title hopes and perfect season on the shoulders of head coach Nick Saban, who has won two previous SEC titles in 2001 and 2003.   He has built a powerful Crimson Tide defense that has allowed nine points or less in four out of their last five games.  Will Saban be able to rally his troops to continue running the ball hard and play tough championship caliber defense again?

            In the end, I feel that Florida’s team speed on both sides of the ball will be to much for Alabama to handle in the long run.  Tim Tebow and the Gator running backs should be able to pick up for Harvin’s absence and lead their team to victory.   While defensive coordinator Charlie Strong will be able to get the Gator defense dialed up to shut down Bama’s rushing attack.

 

ADVANTAGE: Florida

Florida 31 – Alabama 7

 

 

Players to Watch:

 

Florida

            RBs #3 & 2, Chris Rainey & Jeff Demps: these running backs will look to replace Percy Harvin’s valuable place in the team’s ground, both are extremely fast and have big play potential, Rainey has 654 yards rushing/8 yards per carry/4 TDs, while Demps has 529 yards/ an INCREDIBLE 9.6 yard per carry/6 TDs, he also has a 9.4 yard per reception, so he basically is a first down every time he touches the ball.

            QB #15, Tim Tebow: will look to lead offense and probably run the ball more as well without Harvin, hasn’t thrown an INT in last 91 pass attempts has 507 rushing yards and a team leading 12 rushing TDs.

            DE #6, Carlos Dunlap: looking to slow down strong Bama rush, look for some big plays from him coming off his edge, provides great speed from DE position and has a nose for the ball, 12 tackles for a loss, 9 sacks for 63 yards lost, 4 qb hits, 1 fumble forced and recovered, and EVEN 2 blocked kicks.

Alabama

            DB #28, Javier Arenas: the cousin of NBA player Gilbert Arenas will try to help the Tide offense by providing valuable field position in his return duties, he is also a playmaker from his position on the defensive side of the ball, 557 punt return yards for 2 TDs with a 14.7 yard average, has 7 pass breakups, a 63 yard INT return for a TD, and 22.6 yard kick return average.

            LB #25, Rolando McClain: will be roaming the field for Bama against UF’s versatile spread attack, leads team in tackles with 82, 11 of which were for a loss, has an INT and 2 recovered fumbles.

            WR #8, Julio Jones: Jones is one of the better looking receivers to come into college football in a while, he provides a physical presence on the outside with his 6-4, 210 lb. frame, he will look to stretch UF’s defense to help open up the Tide’s run game, leads team in all receiving categories with 46 catches for 723 yards with 4 TDs and a 15.7 yard per reception average.

 

Check out this site for an ESPNU preview of the SEC Championsip game: http://alabama.fandome.com/video/106437/SEC-Nuggets-SEC-Championship-Preview/