The Randy Moss era in Nashville begins. Newly acquired wide receiver Randy Moss will make his Titans debut Sunday against the 4-4 Miami Dolphins. The entire buzz in Nashville this week is all about Moss. This article should be called “Randy Moss’s debut” and not “Titans vs. Dolphins”.

            Anyways, let’s talk about the actual game itself. The Titans are coming off their bye week. Tennessee is looking to catch fire again just as they did last season, 8-2 after the bye. For the season, this year, the Titans rank 26^th in passing (187.6 yards a game) and 10^th in rushing yards (123 yards per game). The low passing rank is understandable; having quarterbacks Vince Young and Kerry Collins share time this season with the injuries to Young. Young is listed as a game- time decision Sunday with an ankle injury. Collins will be the starter as of now unless Vince can go. Chris Johnson will still be the go to guy, even with Randy Moss on the field. The Titans will have to get Johnson going early if the Titans want to have a balanced offense in this game. If Johnson gets some big runs early in the game, this will force Miami to put more men in the box, which could open up big plays for Moss and the passing game. Another quick injury note, WR Kenny Britt is out for this game with a hamstring injury. This should make things a little easier on the Dolphins, having only one big-time receiver to worry about. The factor, in my mind, that will affect this game is the defensive line of the Titans. Often called the “no-name defense”, is 14^th in the league against the rush. They can also put pressure on the quarterback very well.

            The Dolphins are coming off a loss against the Baltimore Ravens 26-10. The Dolphins passing offense was horrible as QB Chad Henne threw 3 interceptions and had a passer rating of 47.5. This week, Coach Tony Sparano announced that the starter for the upcoming week would be 11-year veteran Chad Pennington. Pennington will make his first start of the season, and will try to turn this offense into a more balanced attack. WR Brandon Marshall has been quiet this season, having only caught one touchdown pass. Pennington and the Dolphins will look to Marshall more, and try to pick apart the NFL’s 23^rd best secondary. While the Dolphins have a threat in Marshall outside, you can’t forget about the dynamic duo of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. Both have a combined 3 TDs on the year and average 4.3 yards a carry. Look for the Dolphins to go back to more of the wildcat formation with Ronnie Brown looking to make plays in the shotgun. Defensively, Miami ranks 12^th in opponents passing yards (213.9), and 16^th against the run (107.1 yards). Stopping Chris Johnson will be the primary task in this game. Look for linebackers Channing Crowder and Karlos Dansby to blitz more to try and stop Johnson. Starting cornerback Vontae Davis better be ready to cover the over-sized Moss. Miami also has one of the best kickers in the league, Dan Carpenter, who is 19/22 on the season. If the game comes down to field goals, the Dolphins trust their guy to win it for them.

            After examining all of the news and factors in this game, I have my prediction made. I’m going to take the Tennessee Titans in this one. Forget about all of the Randy Moss stuff. I think Jeff Fisher will have his team ready to play Sunday coming off the bye. The Titans are 3-1 on the road, and can handle the South Beach crowd. The Dolphins haven’t even won a game at home this season, and I don’t think they will get their first this week. If the Titans can stop the running game of the Dolphins, then they shouldn’t have much of a problem in this one with Pennington making his first start. Look for a lot of pressure in his face, and Chris Johnson with a big day to keep Tennessee’s lead in the AFC South.

Prediction: Titans 27, Dolphins 16

Nate Marquardt (30-8-2) vs. Yushin Okami (24-5)

            In the main event of the evening, Nate “The Great” Marquardt will face off against Yushin Okami to determine who will be the #1 contender in the middleweight division. Back in February, Nate was defeated by Chael Sonnen, where it seemed he over-looked Sonnen. Ever since then, Marquardt has been focused, working his way back up the middleweight ladder. He will get his chance to get where he wants to be if he beats Okami. But Okami is no push-over. Coming off a split decision victory over a talented Mark Munoz, Okami is looking to get himself a title shot. In this one, I believe these two will be as focused as ever, but in the end, I don’t think Marquardt will lose this fight. I’m taking Nate with a 2^nd round TKO.

 Alessio Sakara (15-7) vs. Jorge Rivera (18-6)

            In the Co-Main Event, Alessio Sakara will be put up against Jorge Rivera. Sakara is coming off three wins in a row, including a first round knockout of James Irvin. “Legionarius’, as Sakara is often called, is always looking for the knockout (9 of his 15 wins are by KO). Rivera is also coming off three straight wins, and defeated Nate Quarry in March. Most of Rivera’s wins are also by knockout (11), so I believe this one will be a slugfest. I would love to see an all-out war in this one and end in a decision. I’ll take Sakara, split decision. With a win, Sakara could become a guy to be feared by in the middleweight division.

 Dennis Siver (16-7) vs. Andre Winner (11-4-1)

            Next up is Germany’s own, Dennis Siver, who will be fighting Andre Winner. Winner appeared in the Ultimate Fighter’s Season 9 where he lost in the finale to teammate Ross Pearson. Winner’s last fight was against Nik Lentz, and was outwrestled for a decision loss. Siver defeated Spencer in June by unanimous decision. In this fight, I think the hands are going to be a huge factor. Winner is a great boxer, and likes to keep things standing. Siver, on the other hand, is a kick boxer, and also has Jiu-Jitsu skills if the fight goes to the ground. I think Winner will keep this one standing, however, and get a KO in the 2^nd round.

 Amir Sadollah (4-1) vs. Peter Sobotta (8-3)

            In the next contest, Ultimate Fighter Season 7 winner Amir Sadollah will take on another German, Peter Sobotta. Sadollah is coming off a loss to Dong Hyun Kin at UFC 114. Amir lost that fight by unanimous decision, and needs a win to stay in the welterweight ranks. Peter Sobotta, whom I don’t know much about, is a German-born fighter who has back-to-back losses to Paul Taylor and James Wilks, both by decision. I have seen all of Amir’s fights, and know that he has a ton of heart. The crowd in Germany will be booing him the entire night, but I believe the Las Vegas native can handle them. Sadollah, 3^rd round submission.

Goran Reljic (8-2) vs. Krzysztof Soszynski (21-10-1)

          I’m torn between these two guys. Reljic is coming off a split decision loss to Kendall Grove in July. Reljic, who has fought at middleweight in his last two fights, is making a move back up to his normal light heavyweight division. Soszynski is coming off a rematch fight against Stephan Bonnar, also in July. Soszynski defeated Bonnar in their first fight, but was knocked out in the 2^nd round in the previous fight. I see this fight being close throughout, but I think Soszynski will pull it out. The cardio of Reljic could be a factor, having changed weight classes. I’m going to take Soszynski, unanimous decision.

If you are familiar with the Big 12, or have even watched a game, then you know there are going to be points, and lots of them! It should be no different on October 16th, as the #20 Oklahoma State Cowboys (5-0) take on the Texas Tech Red Raiders (3-2). A win for Texas Tech here would be huge for them! Tech is currently 2nd to last in the Big 12 South division, and is in need of a conference win. Oklahoma State sits tied for 1st to Oklahoma for the top spot in the South.

Oklahoma State is coming off a win against Louisiana- Lafayette 54-28. The Ragin’ Cajuns gave them a scare, scoring three times in the 2nd quarter, and lead 21-17 at the half. The Cowboys, however, did come back with the help of running back Kendall Hunter and quarterback Brandon Weeden. Hunter ran for 126 yards and a score, while Weeden had 351 yards and 5 touchdown passes.

Texas Tech also pulled out a win last weekend against Big 12 opponent, Baylor. Texas Tech start the game with an onside kick off, which turned out disastrous as it only went 5 yards, and was then picked up by Baylor, who ran it back for six. It was a pretty competitive game, as Baylor gave Tech a scare, but quarterback Taylor Potts lead the way with 462 yards and 4 touchdowns (also one pick).

Now for Week 7, a battle of 2 high-powered offenses. The question is which defense if going to step up and shut down the opponent’s offense? Oklahoma State is 87th in the country in points against, giving up 29.2 a game. Texas Tech is ranked 98th, giving up 31.6 points a game. The key to this game, in my eyes, is going to be, which defensive line can bring more pressure to the quarterback? Make Potts and Weeden work in the pocket to find open receiviers. A huge key to this game is going to be the running game for Oklahoma State. Kendall Hunter averages 6.4 yards a carry and has 9 touchdowns this season. Texas Tech, on the other hand, doesn’t have a big name running back in their backfield. Baron Batch and Eric Stephens, Tech’s leading rushers, have a combined for 473 yards on the ground, while Kendall Hunter has 700 yards by himself. I see Hunter gaining over 120 yards in this game, easily.

In the end, the focus will be on both quarterbacks, Brandon Weeden and Taylor Potts. It may come down to which of these guys plays better. I give the edge to Potts, slightly. Taylor is a team leader and will keep Tech in this game to the end. I see this being close down the stretch, but Oklahoma State will be just a little too tough.

My Prediction: OKST 45 TTU 35  

Corey Adams