Previews for Ball State, New Mexico State, Rice, Southern Miss, Marshall, and Ohio

Previews for 5 more week 2 matchups:

• Ball State versus USF—Ball State is coming off of a big neutral site win over Indiana at Lucas Oil field in Indianapolis 27-20. The Cardinals had a balanced attack with 173 yards passing and 210 yards rushing including 3 players that rushed for over 60 yards in the 2011 debut. The defense gave up 375 yards but played a bend, don’t break defense that came up big in some 3^rd down situations allowing the offense to take control. USF is coming off of a rain delayed opening win over Notre Dame. The Bulls struggled at the start but a 96 yard fumble return for a touchdown sparked a defensive performance that forced 5 turnovers including 3 inside the 5 yard line denying scoring opportunities. The Bulls have more talent and it should show in the second half as they take control of the game. USF 27-13.
• New Mexico State versus Minnesota—New Mexico State is coming off of a week one loss to 2010 bowl team Ohio 44-24. The offense was able to get 368 yards of total offense including 362 in the air. They managed a paltry 6 yards rushing in the week one loss. The defense gave up 452 yards with 211 coming in the air and 241 coming on the ground. Minnesota had many chances to pull off a week one upset in their trip to LA to face the USC Trojans. The offense accumulated 302 yards but only 110 on the ground with a 3.2 yards per carry average. The defense gave up 371 yards but only 68 on the ground dominating the line of scrimmage. Minnesota should be able to easily handle this New Mexico State squad and prepare for a tough matchup with Miami of Ohio in week three. Minnesota 36-12.
• Rice versus Purdue—Rice opened their 2011 season with a loss to in state rivals Texas 34-9. The Owls were unable to get things moving on offense with 224 total yards of offense including less than 100 in the air. The defense gave up over 500 yards to the Longhorns with 229 on the ground. The Owls stayed in the game until giving up a 356 yard touchdown pass with 5:32 left in the 3^rd quarter. Purdue struggled all day versus Sun Belt opponent MTSU before coming away with a hard fought 27-24 win. The Boilermakers put of 460 yards of offense with 219 in the air and 201 on the ground. The defense could not stop the MTSU passing attack giving up 330 in the air of a total of 460 given up. Purdue should have enough offensive firepower to overcome Rice and win this week two matchup. Purdue 34-13.
• Southern Mississippi versus Marshall—Southern Miss struggled more than expected in a 19-17 win over Louisiana Tech. The offense gained yards getting 379 total including 229 in the air. The defense only gave up 244 yards with a paltry 68 coming on the ground versus all-conference back Lennon Creer. The Golden Eagles had to settle for 4 field goals and it took a 49 yarder with 2:32 left to secure the win. Marshall lost a wet and lightning filled game to West Virginia that had to be called early in the 4^th quarter due to weather. The offense was anemic gaining fewer than 200 yards of total offense including 72 yards on 23 carries for a 3.1 yards per carry average. The defense was strong against the run holding West Virginia to only 42 yards rushing on 26 carries. Quarterback Geno Smith’s 2 touchdown passes were the difference for the Thundering Herd. Southern Miss is the better team and should learn from last week’s near debacle and finish drives. Southern Miss 35-14.
• Gardner-Webb versus Ohio—Gardner-Webb is coming off of a week one win over something called Brevard College34-17. The Runnin’ Bulldogs dominated the game accumulating 437 yards of offense while only giving up 263. Ohio had more trouble with New Mexico State than expected in a 44-24 win in week one. The Bobcats had 452 yards of total offense but gave up over 350 yards to the Aggies. The bright spot defensively was a rush defense that gave up only 6 total yards on the ground. Ohio should have no problem winning this matchup and give them some real confidence going into a week three matchup versus Marshall. Ohio 47-7.