4th Quarter Covers - Week 10
By Joe Nelson
VegasInsider.com
Glancing at the scoreboard won’t tell you the whole story in most games. Here are some of the games that went down to the wire relative to the spread in the fourth quarter last week in the 10th college football weekend to open November.
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.
Ohio (-6½) 45, Miami, OH 28: This Tuesday night MAC East showdown featured a dramatic line move before kickoff as the favorite price on the Bobcats fell from -10 to -6½. There was some speculation that Miami quarterback Gus Ragland might return however the Redhawks were still competitive without him. Miami scored with just over three minutes remaining in the third quarter to knot the score at 28-28. That would be the last time Miami scored however as Ohio scored back-to-back touchdowns and added a late field goal. Miami’s final three drives netted nearly 100 yards but no points, failing going for it on 4th down on three consecutive possessions.
Central Michigan (+4) 35, Western Michigan 28: Playing without quarterback Jon Wassink in rainy conditions Wednesday night the Broncos led 28-14 through three quarters as a slight home favorite despite very little production in the passing game. A fumble sparked the comeback for the Chippewas, scoring a touchdown three plays later to climb within seven and after forcing a quick punt Central Michigan scored again on a short field drive to tie the game with about six minutes remaining. Central Michigan got the ball back immediately after a short kickoff was fumbled but they needed to punt, the defense forced Western Michigan followed suit. Getting the ball back at its own 23-yard-line Central Michigan needed one play to go the distance with a big pass strike, taking the lead for the first time in the game. With still more than two minutes remaining the Broncos were stopped near midfield on 4th-and-19.
Toledo (-7½) 27, Northern Illinois 17: The Big MAC West showdown Thursday night lived up to its billing with a very competitive game. Northern Illinois took a 14-10 lead just after halftime but Toledo quickly answered and then pulled past the favorite spread with a 10-point advantage through three quarters on a spread that dipped from -10 down to -7½ at kickoff. A blocked punt set the Huskies up to get back in the game but Northern Illinois had to settle for a short field goal, getting back within seven early in the fourth quarter. Toledo responded in kind with a 34-yard field goal with nine minutes remaining. Toledo got an interception to thwart the following Huskies drive and with a chance to climb back within the underdog spread Northern Illinois missed a field goal at the 3:46 mark. Northern Illinois got the ball back with just over a minute remaining but time expired as the Huskies reached the Toledo 25-yard-line as the Rockets took command of the division and scored a narrow favorite cover.
Florida Atlantic (-6½) 30, Marshall 25: While the early week spread reached as high as -9½ to support the surging Owls, Florida Atlantic was still ahead of the closing spread of -6½ after a Marshall touchdown with five minutes remaining cut the margin to just seven points. Florida Atlantic punted back to Marshall but going for it on 4th down Chase Litton was intercepted to effectively end the game, or at least that’s what the Owls coaching staff led by Lane Kiffin believed. Florida Atlantic took a knee on the first three downs but miscalculated the remaining time and wound up with 4th down from their own 24-yard-line with still 14 seconds remaining. At that point the Owls opted to have the punter run back to the end zone to take a safety, obviously a critical play for those involved on the pointspread.
Clemson (-9½) 38, NC State 31: Clemson broke an 89-yard touchdown run as the third quarter expired to lead by 10 going into the final frame. That was the margin after trading scores in the fourth quarter until a NC State field goal with just under two minutes remaining made it a 7-point margin, which was briefly the spread on this game early in the week before a steady rise to -9½. Clemson’s next possession ran just 27 seconds off the clock and NC State was a threat to force overtime or consider going for the win as they had a few shots at the end zone in the closing seconds. Ryan Finley’s final pass was intercepted and returned 55 yards to give Clemson backers a moment of hope but the 38-31 final held.
Purdue (-15) 29, Illinois 10: Purdue only led by three at halftime and just 16-10 heading into the fourth quarter. A pair of touchdown drives in the final frame put the Boilermakers past the spread, aided by an interception setting up good field position for the second touchdown. Illinois reached the Purdue 32-yard-line in the final minutes but failed to add points.
Mississippi (+3½) 37, Kentucky 34: The Rebels rallied from a 10-point deficit to tie the game by the end of the third quarter. In the fourth a solid punt return helped the Rebels take a three-point lead with a field goal but with just over two minutes remaining Kentucky completed a 95-yard touchdown drive to lead 34-30, just past the favorite spread. Jordan Ta’amu delivered a fine two-minute-drill for the Rebels eventually getting the go-ahead completion on 3rd down with five seconds remaining for a minor upset.
Northwestern (+1½) 31, Nebraska 24: Nebraska led 24-17 heading into the fourth quarter after settling for a short field goal. Nebraska had scored earlier in the third quarter on an interception return but in the fourth quarter a red zone interception cost the Huskers a chance to make it a two-score game. Northwestern followed the turnover with a 13-play 84-yard touchdown drive to tie the game. Nebraska reached the Northwestern 40-yard-line but opted to punt with a minute remaining. The Wildcats also crossed midfield in the final seconds but overtime was needed to decide the result with this line flipping back-and-forth during the week. In the first session Northwestern went for it on 4th-and-1 after failing on three goal line attempts and the Wildcats got through for a seven-point edge. On defense Northwestern then held Nebraska on four downs with a big 2nd down sack to seal a second-straight overtime win.
West Virginia (-3½) 20, Iowa State 16: West Virginia scored the first 20 points in this contest but Iowa State took over in the second half. Down seven halfway through the fourth quarter the Cyclones opted for a 24-yard field goal which wasn’t quite enough to get within the underdog spread. The defense gave Iowa State another shot with an interception for a touchback as the Mountaineers weren’t able to put the game away. The final possession for Iowa State came up empty however, stopped on downs short of midfield.
Rutgers (+5) 31, Maryland 24: Maryland led 24-17 heading into the fourth quarter but on the first play of the final frame Rutgers completed a 77-yard touchdown drive to tie the game. The Scarlet Knights held Maryland to a 3-and-out and again completed a touchdown drive for a 31-24 edge more than halfway through the fourth quarter. Needing a touchdown to tie, Maryland went for it on 4th-and-10 from the Rutgers 15-yard-line in the final minute with an incomplete pass the result.
New Mexico State (-9) 45, Texas State 35: The Aggies led just 31-28 heading into the fourth quarter and still led by just three after an exchange of touchdowns. Getting the ball back with about six minutes to go New Mexico State delivered a touchdown with just over two minutes remaining to slip past the closing road favorite spread though some had play the Aggies at -10 or even -10½ early in the week.
Georgia State (-5½) 21, Georgia Southern 17: Georgia Southern had a 17-7 lead before Georgia State put together a 75-yard scoring drive in just three plays late in the third quarter. The Panthers had an interception and a missed field goal in the fourth quarter but the Eagles had back-to-back fumbles with the second turnover handing Georgia State the ball at the Georgia Southern 31-yard-line. With just over two minutes remaining Georgia State found the end zone to lead by four. Georgia Southern went 61 yards in the final two minutes but couldn’t come through with the go-ahead touchdown, failing to end the winless start to the season. Georgia State opened at just -3½ and -4 was available for much of the week before a climb on Saturday.
Auburn (-16) 42, Texas A&M 27: Texas A&M saw an early lead disappear before halftime as Auburn scored two touchdowns in the final two minutes of the second quarter on a 53-yard pass play and a blocked punt return to lead by eight at the half. Auburn would pull away with a 35-13 edge in the third quarter and after a touchdown with five minutes remaining in the game Auburn led 42-20. The Aggies didn’t quit and wound up in the red zone, eventually scoring on 4th-and-7 to close to within 15, enough for many to score the cover on the underdog, though Auburn opened at just -14 and -15 was a common number.
Wisconsin (-11) 45, Indiana 17: Indiana looked like an upset threat with an early 10-0 advantage and still trailed just 24-17 into the fourth quarter. Wisconsin added three touchdowns in the fourth on drives of just 27, 33, and 16 yards following a pair of interceptions and Indiana needing to go for it on 4th down deep in their own territory to deliver a convincing final score as once again the Hoosiers played better than the final score indicated only to fall apart late.
Vanderbilt (-13) 31, Western Kentucky 17: Vanderbilt was just past the spread with a 14-point edge in the fourth quarter but had to survive two late chances for the Hiltoppers. Western Kentucky opted to go for it on 4th-and-13 from the Vanderbilt 20-yard line, coming up empty. In the final minute Vanderbilt intercepted back-up quarterback Drew Eckels just outside of the end zone on a deep pass as the Commodores held on.
Kansas State (+3½) 42, Texas Tech 35: The Red Raiders dominated the numbers and led 35-24 in the fourth quarter despite allowing a defensive score. Kansas State stayed in the game with a 30-yard field goal and then watched Texas Tech miss a kick from just 31 yards. In the final minute Kansas State completed an 80-yard touchdown drive and hit the two-point conversion to force overtime. With momentum Kansas State went first and scored a touchdown in overtime and then stopped the Red Raiders with an incomplete pass on 4th-and-goal.
North Texas (+2) 24, Louisiana Tech 23: The Bulldogs led 20-17 into the fourth quarter but again settled for a field goal early in the final frame to leave the door open with a six-point lead. After trading punts North Texas delivered the go-ahead touchdown drive to lead 24-23 with about six minutes to go. The Bulldogs got in position for a long field goal late but missed from 53 yards.
Notre Dame (-17) 48, Wake Forest 37: Notre Dame had a commanding 48-23 lead in the fourth quarter but Wake Forest delivered a pair of late scores including the spread-saving touchdown coming with just 51 seconds remaining.
Washington State (+2½) 24, Stanford 21: The Cougars had more than twice as many yards as Stanford but a 10-point lead was blown late in the third quarter, allowing a 22-yard scramble for a touchdown and a 52-yard interception return touchdown. Sanford gained just 12 yards combined the next two possessions and pinned Washington State deep. The Cougars picked up a big 3rd-and-14 conversion and went 95 yards for the go-ahead touchdown with about seven minutes remaining. Washington State picked up an interception on Stanford’s last possession to bounce the Cardinal out of first place in the Pac-12 North.
South Florida (-24) 37, Connecticut 20: South Florida scored 17 points in the third quarter to pull away with a 34-7 advantage. Connecticut delivered an early fourth quarter touchdown to sit in position to cover trailing by 20. South Florida would add a long field goal but the Huskies followed with another touchdown for a 17-point deficit, failing going for two. The front door cover looked possible as South Florida reached the Connecticut 11-yard-line but on a rush to about the two-yard-line Darius Tice fumbled to prevent a possible score.
Boise State (-20½) 41, Nevada 14: Nevada held their own against Boise State and led 14-10 early. The Broncos scored twice in the final six minutes of the second quarter to lead 31-14 however with two first half Nevada interceptions leading to 14 points. A third quarter touchdown put Boise State up by 24 and the Broncos made it a 27-point advantage in the fourth quarter with a field goal. Nevada had a serious scoring threat early in the fourth but an interception at the six-yard-line took points off the board and a drive to midfield in the final minutes was also stopped on downs as Nevada failed to cover despite having a rushing edge as a three-touchdown underdog.
Arizona State (-6½) 41, Colorado 30: Colorado led 27-17 heading into the fourth quarter but ran out of gas as Arizona State quickly tied the game. A field goal with seven minutes remaining put Colorado back in front but Arizona State only needed five plays to get back in the end zone, leading by four with a spread that climbed from -3 much of the week all the way to -6½ by kickoff. In the final two minutes Arizona State reached 1st-and-goal at the Colorado 3-yard-line and eventually scored a touchdown to seal the game with 46 seconds remaining to ensure the home favorite cover. A Hail Mary attempt from Colorado as time ran out was intercepted in the end zone for the game’s only turnover.
UNLV (-6½) 31, Hawaii: Three consecutive touchdowns for UNLV in the third quarter put the Rebels up 28-12, well past the favorite spread that bounced around from -8½ to -7½ and back up to -9½ before dropping all the way down to -6½ by kickoff Saturday night. Hawai’i stayed in the game with a fourth quarter touchdown to trail by eight and UNLV had to settle for a field goal with under five minutes to play to lead by just 11. With just over two minutes remaining the Warriors answered with a field goal and were a late threat to force overtime reaching the UNLV 23-yard-line in the final seconds as the eight-point margin held for mixed spread results.
Alabama (-20) 24, LSU 10: Alabama was held to just 299 total yards but with a 21-3 lead late in the third quarter the favorite cover seemed probable. LSU delivered the big play they needed to stay in the game with a 54-yard run from Darrel Williams to set-up a touchdown as LSU trailed by just 11 heading into the fourth quarter. Alabama added a field goal to lead by 14 and with still over two minutes remaining a sack on 4th-and-16 gave the Tide the ball back at the LSU 17-yard-line. A touchdown would have saved the favorite cover but Alabama was able to pick up a first down and took a knee at the 5-yard line.
USC (-6½) 49, Arizona 35: USC was still just past the favorite spread heading into the fourth quarter with a 28-20 edge after Arizona scored back-to-back touchdowns to get back in the game. A pair of early fourth quarter scores kept the margin at eight before Arizona’s defense stepped up to force a 3-and-out. Arizona had a nice punt return and a few minutes later the game was tied as Arizona successfully added a two-point conversion after its touchdown. USC answered with a quick scoring drive to lead by seven with just over five minutes remaining and Khalil Tate was intercepted on 1st down to give the ball right back to the Trojans. USC put the game away with another touchdown with three minutes remaining to effectively seal up the Pac-12 South.