Thursday
7:30 PM ET ESPN: South Florida 3-2 @ #25 West Virginia 4-1 (-10.5) - After upsetting the Mountaineers three times in the last four years, South Florida will again be looking to cause trouble for West Virginia Thursday night. Sophomore QB Geno Smith leads the conference in completion percentage (66.4|PERCENT|), passing TDs (12), and is third in passing ypg (227.8). WRs Tavon Austin (73.2 ypg 2 TDs) and Jock Sanders (57.2 ygp 2 TDs) lead the team in catches and receiving yards. Senior RB Noel Devine is the star of the offense. He averages 95 ypg rushing with 4 TDs and is also the team's 4th leading receiver (22.6 ypg). The defense has been great so far, ranking 9th nationally against the run (86.8 ypg 1 TD) and 19th against the pass (167.8 ypg, 6 TD, 5 INT). Opponents are converting just 25.4|PERCENT| of their 3rd downs, which is the 4th lowest conversion rate in the nation. For the Bulls, it's been a rough transition under new coach Skip Holtz. Sophomore QB B.J. Daniels is 98th in the nation in completion percentage (52.6), 96th in passing ypg (136.8), and 95th in passer rating (112.27), so to say the team hasn't been getting good QB play is an understatement. RBs Demetris Murray (63.25 ypg 1 TD) and Moise Plancher (57.8 ypg, 4 TDs) lead the team in rushing yards and TDs. They rank 57th against the run (147.2 ypg 3 TDs) and 12th against the pass (155 ypg, 6 TDs, 7 INTs). Opposing QBs rank 30th in completion percentage (55.5|PERCENT|) and 18th in passer rating (107.22). The home team has won 3 straight in this series.
7:30 PM ET FSN: Kansas State 4-1 (-3) @ Kansas 2-3 - This is the 108th meeting between the Wildcats and Jayhawks in the Sunflower Showdown. K-State is led by senior RB Daniel Thomas, who is 7th in the nation in rushing ypg (138.2), 2nd in rushing attempts per game (25.4), and 4th in the Big 12 in rushing TDs (6). Thomas allows senior QB Carson Coffman to manage the game as best he can. He's 11th in pass attempts in the Big 12 with 146 ypg, 6 TDs, and 3 INTs. The WR corps is led by senior Aubrey Quarles, who has 44.2 ypg receiving with 2 TDs. The defense ranks 116th against the run (246.6 ypg 8 TDs) and 8th against the pass (150.2 ypg, 5 TDs, 4 INTs). Those numbers are so lopsided because of the Nebraska game, where they gave up 451 yards rushing and 136 yards passing. One stat that lends credence to the idea that their pass defense might be really good is that they're allowing opposing QBs to complete only 46.8|PERCENT| of their passes, the 2nd lowest rate in the nation. For the Jawhawks, the best way to describe them is young and inexperienced. Frosh QB Jordan Webb averages 159.2 ypg with 6 TDs and 3 INTs. He became the full-time starter after he led the team to a 28-25 victory over Georgia Tech in week two. His 60.3|PERCENT| completion rate is right behind Coffman's for 9th in the Big 12. Fellow frosh, RB James Sims averages 82.3 ypg with 3 TDs. Junior WR Daymond Patterson leads the team with 51.8 ypg receiving and 2 TDs. The defense ranks 95th against the run (187.6 ypg 7 TDs) and 41st against the pass (189.6 ypg, 7 TDs, 2 INTs). They hadn't really been tested until they faced Baylor two weeks ago and gave up 434 yards passing and 4 TDs. In general, both K-State and Kansas are defensively giving up 5.9 yards per play. Kansas has won 4 of the last 6 against Kansas State.
Friday
8:00 PM ET ESPN: Cincinnati 2-3 (-2.5) @ Louisville 3-2 - In the Battle for the Keg of Nails, offense should rule the day. For the Bearcats, this season has been about transition as the team moves from coach Brian Kelly to Butch Jones. Junior QB Zach Collaros is averaging 236 ypg with 12 TDs and 1 INT. Last season in the four games he started, he averaged over 300 ypg with 8 TDs and 1 INT. Overall he completed 75|PERCENT| of his passes with a 195.53 passer rating. This season however, he's completing 63.2|PERCENT| of his passes with a 158.13 passer rating. The great WR corps lost Mardy Gilyard to the NFL, but still has junior D.J. Woods (97.8 ypg 4 TDs) and senior Armon Binns (70 ypg 4 TDs), who are 1st and 4th in the Big East in receiving ypg respectively. Under Jones, they're running the ball more often (10 more attempts per game) and more effectively (40 ypg more). Junior RB Isaiah Pead leads the team in rushing with 100.5 ypg and 1 TD. Last season the offense was averaging 7.0 yards per play which was 2nd in the nation. This season that number is down to 6.2, which is 32nd in the nation. The defense ranks 8th against the run (84.8 ypg 3 TDs) and 111th against the pass (267.6 ypg, 10 TDs, 2 INTs). Opposing QBs are completing 67.2|PERCENT| of their passes, which is simply unacceptable. Senior Cardinals QB Adam Froman is capable of taking advantage of this unit. He averages 235.4 ypg with 9 TDs and 4 INTs. Junior WR Josh Bellamy leads the team in receiving with 53 ypg and 4 TDs. Senior RB Bilal Powell is second in the conference in rushing with 137.8 ypg and 7 TDs. The offense as a whole leads the Big East in yards per play (6.9), which is somewhat surprising considering they finished last (5.1) in this area a season ago. The defense ranks 58th against the run (147.6 ypg 6 TDs) and 32nd against the pass (181.8 ypg, 6 TDs, 4 INTs). After winning 5 in a row in this series from '03-'07, Louisville has lost the last 2 by a margin of 30-69.
Week 6 Leaders
Passing:
1. Taylor Potts (Texas Tech) - 42/59, 462 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT vs Baylor
2. Nick Foles (Arizona) - 35/46, 440 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT vs Oregon State
3. Ryan Katz (Oregon State) - 30/42, 393 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT vs Arizona
4. Matt Barkley (USC) - 28/45, 390 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs vs Stanford
5. Robert Griffin (Baylor) - 31/42, 384 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs vs Texas Tech
6. Kyle Padron (SMU) - 27/40, 381 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT vs Tulsa
7. Bryant Moniz (Hawaii) - 29/49, 376 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT vs Fresno State
8. Brandon Weeden (Oklahoma State) - 29/47, 351 yards, 5 TDs, 2 INTs vs Louisiana-Lafayette
9. Terrelle Pryor (Ohio State) - 24/30, 334 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs vs Indiana
10. Russell Wilson (NC State) - 38/51, 328 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs vs Boston College
Rushing:
1. Taylor Martinez (Nebraska) - 15 carries, 241 yards, 4 TDs vs Kansas State
2. Bilal Powell (Louisville) - 18 carries, 204 yards, 2 TDs vs Memphis
3. Cameron Newton (Auburn) - 28 carries, 198 yards, 4 TDs vs Kentucky
4. Isaiah Pead (Cincinnati) - 10 carries, 197 yards, 1 TD vs Miami (OH)
5. Vai Taua (Nevada) - 16 carries, 196 yards, 3 TDs vs San Jose State
6. Anthony Allen (Georgia Tech) - 25 carries, 195 yards, 3 TDs vs Virginia
7. Chris Thompson (Florida State) - 14 carries, 158 yards, 1 TD vs Miami
8. Alfred Morris (Florida Atlantic) - 30 carries, 153 yards, 2 TDs vs Louisiana-Monroe
9. Shane Vereen (Cal) - 25 carries, 151 yards, 2 TDs vs UCLA
10. Edwin Baker (Michigan State) - 22 carries, 147 yards, 1 TD vs Michigan
Receiving:
1. Robert Woods (USC) - 12 catches, 224 yards, 3 TDs vs Stanford
2. Justin Blackmon (Oklahoma State) - 13 catches, 190 yards, 2 TDs vs Louisiana-Lafayette
3. Juron Criner (Arizona) - 12 catches, 179 yards, 1 TD vs Oregon State
4. Jeff Fuller (Texas A&M) - 8 catches, 154 yards, 1 TD vs Arkansas
5. Greg Salas (Hawaii) - 9 catches, 148 yards, 3 TDs vs Fresno State
6. Kendall Wright (Baylor) - 11 catches, 145 yards, 1 TD vs Texas Tech
7. Kris Adams (UTEP) - 5 catches, 134 yards, 3 TDs vs Rice
8. Kamar Jorden (Bowling Green) - 8 catches, 129 yards, 2 TDs vs Ohio
9. Alshon Jeffery (South Carolina) - 7 catches, 127 yards, 2 TDs vs Alabama
10. DeVonte Christopher (Utah) - 6 catches, 124 yards, 1 TD vs Iowa State