4th Quarter Covers - Week 4
By Joe Nelson
VegasInsider.com
Glancing at the scoreboard won’t tell you the whole story in most games. Here are the games that went down to the wire relative to the spread in the fourth quarter last week in the fourth college football weekend. Each week there are several teams that cover despite not necessarily deserving it, as well as other teams that played much better than the final score shows, get the details in this weekly column.
Auburn (-7) 20, Kansas State 14: Thursday night featured one of the biggest games of the week and while it was a very competitive game it was not a pretty sight with sloppy play and both teams really struggling on offense most of the way. Kansas State took a 7-3 lead late in the second quarter after missing a few scoring chances early but Auburn was able to answer before the half with a 40-yard pass play for a touchdown to lead 10-7 at the break. With no scoring in the third quarter the underdog cover looked promising on a spread that dropped substantially Thursday. Early in the fourth Auburn completed a 15-play 80-yard drive to go up by 10 and an interception allowed the Tigers to add a field goal to go up 20-7 with less than seven minutes to go. Kansas State was able to punch in a touchdown quickly to get back into the game and within the spread but the Wildcats did not get the ball back with Auburn successfully running out the clock and ending the game in Kansas State territory after the Wildcats exhausted their timeouts.
Iowa (+6½) 24, Pittsburgh 20: Pittsburgh led 17-7 at the half with Iowa left for dead with an anemic offense so far this season. To start the third quarter Iowa delivered a 94-yard touchdown drive to get back in the game and then the Iowa defense held Pittsburgh to a short field goal to stay within six-points and within the underdog spread. Iowa connected on a 52-yard field goal to cut that margin in half in the final minute of the third quarter. Despite Pittsburgh having a substantial yardage edge for the game it was Iowa that connected for the go-ahead touchdown with about seven minutes to go in the game. Pittsburgh twice got into the Iowa territory in on the final two drives but the Hawkeyes held on defense for a minor upset.
Toledo (-14) 34, Ball State 23: The Rockets were in control most of the way in this game, up 20-3 after the first quarter but Ball State would climb back under the two-touchdown spread. Entering the fourth quarter Toledo led by just 11 but they went up by 18 with a touchdown with 10 minutes to go. Ball State answered to get back within 11 with six minutes to go for the backdoor cover and Toledo took a knee in the final seconds from the Ball State five-yard line with those on the Rockets shaking their heads.
Ohio (-10½) 36, Idaho 24: The middle was there for the taking on this game as Ohio dropped from a 14-point favorite down to just -10½ at kickoff in this non-conference clash Saturday night. It looked like the rout was on early with the Bobcats storming out to a 17-0 lead but by the start of the fourth quarter the Vandals had closed the deficit to just three points. With a field goal and a touchdown Ohio went up 29-17 but then failed going for two after scoring on a five-yard drive after a turnover, leaving the unusual 12-point margin. Idaho answered with a big pass play just a minute later to get within five but Ohio burned much of the remaining time on the clock with a nine-play drive resulting in a touchdown and Idaho’s final possession did not go anywhere.
Kansas (-5) 24, Central Michigan 10: The final score looks like a relatively comfortable win for Kansas but Central Michigan put up a strong fight and the game was tied 10-10 entering the fourth quarter as the Chippewas looked for their second major conference win of the season. With limited offensive success all night for both teams Kansas finally connected on a big play with a 60-yard touchdown pass to take a 17-10 lead early in the final frame and Central Michigan had three straight punts as the Kansas defense held. With less than two minutes on the clock Kansas connected for another touchdown pass of 30 yards to put the game away.
Duke (-16½) 47, Tulane 13: The Blue Devils were in control against Tulane but Duke led just 26-13 late in the third quarter before turnovers really started to burn the Wave. On Tulane’s next drive they were down to the Duke 24 yard line but came up a yard short going for it on 4th and 8. Tulane forced a Duke punt to get the ball back but the returner fumbled the ball to hand Duke great field position that got even better after a 1st down facemask penalty. Duke punched in a touchdown in the final seconds of the third quarter to take a 20-point lead into the fourth, just past the spread. With Duke down to the Tulane 12-yard line early in the fourth quarter, Tulane backers seemed to get the break they needed with a Duke fumble but four plays later the Blue Devils were in the end zone with an interception returned for a touchdown. The next Tulane drive ended with the same result with another pick-6 as Duke pulled away in a game in which the yardage was pretty even and Tulane had a 28-23 edge in first downs.
Wake Forest (+2½) 24, Army 21: Backing the Knights seemed popular in many circles with the line swinging several points and Army led 21-14 entering the fourth quarter. A Wake Forest offense that had done little all season played a great final quarter with a 15-play 70-yard drive for a field goal and a 11-play 84-yard touchdown drive to take the win. Army had a missed field goal right before halftime and had two second half fumbles to lose despite a huge rushing edge.
Michigan State (-43½) 73, Eastern Michigan 14: Michigan State led by 52 entering the fourth quarter but an interception set the Eagles up for a touchdown, trimming the margin to just 45 points and near the spread that was as high as +46 during the week before dropping late. Those with the courage to rely on the scrubs for the Spartans to put up meaningless points were rewarded with two late touchdowns, a 29-yard drive after the fifth of six Eastern Michigan turnovers and then an 80-yard run from reserve running back Delton Williams.
Memphis (-12) 36, Middle Tennessee State 17: Memphis dominated the rushing yards in this rivalry game but the Tigers had a bit of trouble pulling away. Middle Tennessee State had a field goal late in the third quarter to put the margin right on the closing spread at 12 as this line jumped from -7½ up to -13 before settling back at -12. In the fourth quarter two big plays allowed the Tigers to cover with a 50-yard pass play for a touchdown and a 59-yard fumble return touchdown as a late score from Middle Tennessee State would not be enough.
Southern Mississippi (+3) 21, Appalachian State 20: FBS newcomer Appalachian State had a massive yardage edge and nearly twice as many first downs but the Mountaineers had to dig out of a 14-0 deficit in this game. After the teams went scoreless for the first 24-plus minutes of the second half there were three touchdowns in the final 5:08. Appalachian State tied the game only to have Southern Miss answer with a 31-yard passing touchdown to lead by seven with just over two minutes to go. Appalachian State would manage to find the end zone with just six seconds on the clock but oddly the coaching staff decided not to go for the win and the two-point conversion on the road. The cowardly move was punished as the extra-point attempt was blocked adding to a nightmare day for kicker Zach Matics who went 0-3 on field goals in the game. The spread on this game shifted dramatically as Southern Miss opened as a 4-point favorite before the game eventually featured a full touchdown move. Appalachian State was still the winning side for those that played the game up until Friday night before the Mountaineers became the favorite.
Alabama (-14) 42, Florida 21: This huge SEC clash looked like a close game on the scoreboard most of the way despite Alabama featuring a more than 3:1 yardage edge. It was a tie game at 21-21 early in the fourth quarter but Florida had a defensive touchdown and the two offensive touchdowns came on very short drives after turnovers as well. Alabama scored twice late in the third quarter to pull away though it took a fourth quarter touchdown for the Tide to get past the spread and confirm a deserved cover in a game that they dominated statistically but had 11 penalties and four turnovers for some uncharacteristic sloppy play.
Houston (-20) 47, UNLV 14: Houston only led 30-14 entering the fourth quarter but the Cougars scored three touchdowns in the span of less than five minutes early in the final frame to earn the heavy favorite cover. The final two touchdowns came on a three-play drive and a one-play drive as the statistics were not overwhelming despite the lopsided win for the host.
BYU (-17) 41, Virginia 33: The spread on this game was -14 of -14½ much of the week before a late move right before kickoff. Despite trailing at halftime BYU led 27-16 entering the fourth quarter even though it was Virginia putting up far more yardage. After a 99-yard kickoff return touchdown halfway through the fourth quarter BYU was up by 15 points and past the favorite spread for many but with less than two minutes on the clock Virginia completed a 98-yard scoring drive to assure the underdog win.
Arkansas State (-2½) 21, Utah State 14: Utah State backers have had back-to-back tough beats as the Aggies lost in overtime as an underdog in this non-conference road game despite holding a substantial yardage edge. Utah State led 14-7 well into the fourth quarter but Arkansas State was able to equalize with about five minutes to go. Utah State drove in position for a game winning field goal in the final seconds but the kick was blocked. Arkansas State scored on the first play of overtime and then held on defense to escape with a win in a game where the Red Wolves have four turnovers and also had a missed field goal.
New Mexico (-5) 38, New Mexico State 35: The Aggies had a great opportunity to win in this series as they took a 35-31 lead with less than five minutes left on the clock. New Mexico seemed to stall but the Lobos were bailed out by a big pass interference call to set up the go-ahead touchdown with less than a minute on the clock. New Mexico was favored by just three much of the week before the line climbed late, so many wound up with a push.