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| South Florida will need to keep Ball State RB Jahwan Edwards out of the end zone to avoid the upset Saturday on the road. (US Presswire) |
South Florida (2-1, 0-1 Big East) at Ball State (2-1, 1-0 MAC)
Kickoff: Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET (ESPN3)
Spread: South Florida by 10
Watchability: If nothing else, the novelty of a BCS conference team playing at a MAC team's stadium presents at least a modicum of allure. Plus, this Ball State team upset Indiana in Bloomington last week.
Shining stars: South Florida: WR Andre Davis. The sophomore came out of nowhere in a record-breaking performance a few weeks ago during a thrilling Bulls win over Nevada. Davis is the team's leading receiver -- by far -- and his success is obviously tethered to quarterback B.J. Daniels, whose output rarely matches his talent level. Ball State: RB Jahwan Edwards. In the Cardinals' opener against Eastern Michigan, Edwards rushed 20 times for 200 yards and three touchdowns. His production dropped significantly in his next two games -- a loss to Clemson and the upset over Indiana -- but for Ball State to win Saturday, he'll again need to be effective.
Who could steal the show: South Florida: RB Demetris Murray. Perhas the most consistent offensive threat for USF thus far, Murray has the potential for a breakout game against a not-so-stout Ball State defense. The Cardinals have given up an average of just over 156 yards a game this year. Ball State: QB Keith Wenning. With two weapons at wide receiver -- Willie Snead and Jamill Smith -- Wenning has plenty of options. Wenning also showed poise last week against IU, driving 44 yards in less than a minute to set up the game-winning field goal.
You going? Ranking the road trip: Well, it's Muncie. Odds are long that there will be a lot of Bulls fans making the trip from Tampa, but Scheumann Stadium should be rocking.
Magic number for South Florida: 374.7. That's how many yards, on average, South Florida has given up in its first three games. Nevada skewed that stat a bit, but the Bulls still gave up more than 400 yards to a barely potent Rutgers offense.
Magic number for Ball State: 117. The Cardinals have given up a ton of points -- 117, to be exact -- in their first three games. They have been weak defending the pass -- something that certainly has B.J. Daniels' eyes wide.
The game comes down to: Composure. If South Florida can go on the road, put last week behind it, and take care of business -- easy win. If they can't, they may end up as another notch in BSU's belt.
Prediction: South Florida 35, Ball State 20
For more up-to-the minute news and analysis on the Big East, follow bloggers Evan Hilbert and Matt Rybaltowski @CBSBigEast.
