Game 2 of the Night
Previous GotN Prediction/Result: West Chester 28 - Ferris State 27 / Ferris State 46 - West Chester 43
Intro/comments/match-up: What a game to start the season. West Chester had a comfortable 27-17 halftime lead and lead 34-24 after three quarters. Ferris State finally took the lead 38-37 with 5:21 left only to see West Chester come back behind a 50 yard TD pass with 3:56 left. But Ferris State wasn't done and got their own 53 yard pass play that got them a 1st and goal at the three. A dramatic goal line stand ended with Ferris State scoring on their fourth rushing attempt. West Chester then was able to drive down the field to the 27-yard line. With 10 seconds left and facing a 3rd and three and one timeout left, the team bypass the field goal attempt and completed a 10-yard pass as the time ran out. Without knowing the game settings, it is strange no field goal was attempted to tie the game.
With such high standards for future match-ups to strive for, the next group of teams up for the GotN is North Alabama visiting North Carolina Central.
Team: North Alabama
Coach: Fazbear05 # of Seasons: 6
Roster Breakdown:
Seniors: 10
Juniors: 13
Sophomores: 16
Freshmen: 11
Offensive Formations: Notre Dame, Pro-Set
Defensive Formations: 4-3
Key Wins: N/A
Losses: N/A
Comments: After appearing in the national championship game, North Alabama took a step back last season with a second round departure. The offense looks solid with a RS senior QB, two senior RBs, a RS junior WR, two junior TEs, and a combination of six senior/junior OLs. Defense will need to be lead by their three senior LBs, two of which are fifth year players. After one game for what it's worth, team has started the season passing about 2/3 of the time.
Team: North Carolina Central
Coach: Bucki22 # of Seasons: 3
Roster Breakdown:
Seniors: 8
Juniors: 14
Sophomores: 10
Freshmen: 18
Offensive Formations: Pro-set
Defensive Formations: 4-3, Nickel
Key Wins: N/A
Losses: N/A
Comments: Coach Bucki22 will be leading Coach Fazbear05's previous team against his current one. NC Central hasn't been in the playoffs yet during Coach Bucki22's tenure, but the coach has the team improving from 10-4 in his first season to 11-3 in his second season. Improvement this season will be difficult with upcoming games against Texas A&M-Commerce, Bowie State, and Johnson C Smith. Then there would be a possible conference title game against Virginia State. Team roster is in solid shape, but has a big weakness at wide receiver with a junior, a sophomore, and three freshmen.
Tonight's Prediction: An interesting match-up that could swing either way. I like NC Central's defense more than North Alabama, but little depth at wide receiver for NCC scares me. Can NCC run the ball effectively against North Alabama? Possibly since North Alabama's defensive line is their weak spot on defense. When everything gets done, it will be those experienced LBs at North Alabama that will allow North Alabama to win 26-20.