Ringneck
Well-known member
Time for another highly detailed and hastily reasoned weekly prediction, sure to go wrong and likely to be criticized.
This week the Griz will take advantage of the Caleb Hill's athleticism and will surprise many people as they out-slug NAU for the win. It appears that NAU's soft underbelly is their run defense. According to those of you who have seen him play, Hill is a more than competent ball carrier. While many inexperienced QBs seem to tuck it and run too soon, I actually think Hill's aptness to do that very thing may work out to our advantage in this game.
I think the Griz rush for 250+ yards and 3 TDs in this one. Nobody goes over 100, but the trio of Calhoun, Lee and Hill will each contribute significantly. I also think JLM will get a lot of action in this one, with Hill opting for short passes over the deep ball much of the time. He'll throw for about 200 yards on 20-25 completions, most of them screens, curls, and slants. I could see JLM, Akem, or Calhoun turning a 2 yard bubble screen into a 70 yard touchdown.
The Griz D will play more disciplined this week, but Strong's absence will hurt for sure. The D will bend lots, and break some, but will outlast the Lumberjacks. Cookus will throw for a million yards and few scores, probably, but I think he'll have to earn all that. He'll face a lot of third-and-long situations and be sacked 4 times.
Anyway, TL/DR, all that to say...
Griz 38
NAU 33
This week the Griz will take advantage of the Caleb Hill's athleticism and will surprise many people as they out-slug NAU for the win. It appears that NAU's soft underbelly is their run defense. According to those of you who have seen him play, Hill is a more than competent ball carrier. While many inexperienced QBs seem to tuck it and run too soon, I actually think Hill's aptness to do that very thing may work out to our advantage in this game.
I think the Griz rush for 250+ yards and 3 TDs in this one. Nobody goes over 100, but the trio of Calhoun, Lee and Hill will each contribute significantly. I also think JLM will get a lot of action in this one, with Hill opting for short passes over the deep ball much of the time. He'll throw for about 200 yards on 20-25 completions, most of them screens, curls, and slants. I could see JLM, Akem, or Calhoun turning a 2 yard bubble screen into a 70 yard touchdown.
The Griz D will play more disciplined this week, but Strong's absence will hurt for sure. The D will bend lots, and break some, but will outlast the Lumberjacks. Cookus will throw for a million yards and few scores, probably, but I think he'll have to earn all that. He'll face a lot of third-and-long situations and be sacked 4 times.
Anyway, TL/DR, all that to say...
Griz 38
NAU 33