Fourth Quarter Covers
By Joe Nelson
Here is a look back at the spread result changing plays and sequences from last weekend's college games from the second weekend of November and the week 10 NFL results. There were several close and controversial finishes last week, particularly in the NFL that left backers on both sides watching intently through the closing seconds.
Miami, OH led Bowling Green 21-7 entering the fourth quarter with dominant yardage and first down edges. Set-up in good field position Bowling Green put together consecutive scoring drives to tie the game. Late in the fourth quarter an interception stalled the comeback attempt and on the final play of the game Miami was able to convert a field foal for the win.
UAB led East Carolina 35-27 entering the fourth quarter as slight home favorites Thursday night. The Pirates scored first in the final frame but UAB immediately answered to keep the eight-point margin. East Carolina took over in the fourth quarter with 20 consecutive points, greatly aided by two big special teams plays, getting a 56-yard punt return and a UAB fumble on a kickoff to set-up two scores.
Virginia led Maryland 23-21 entering the fourth quarter before Maryland scored three unanswered touchdowns to create a misleading final score. Two interceptions in the fourth quarter contributed to poor finish and the ball stayed on the Virginia side of the 50 yards line the entire fourth quarter.
Syracuse and Rutgers were tied 10-10 entering the fourth quarter in a defensive battle. Rutgers closed as a 2.5-point underdog at home and the Knights had two drives into the edge of scoring territory but came away with no points, missing on a long field goal attempt. That miss gave some life to Syracuse who marched down the field with an eleven play try to hit the game winning field goal with just over a minute to go.
Northwestern has lost several games in the fourth quarter this season but they turned the tables last week with a comeback win against Iowa. The Hawkeyes were up ten entering the final frame with most lines closing at -9.5 or -10. After an interception Northwestern cut the margin to just three with just over six minutes to go and then after a strong defensive series the Wildcats went 91 yards in the closing minutes to take the lead with just over a minute to go.
Kentucky led Vanderbilt 24-13 entering the fourth quarter after trailing by three at halftime. Two big plays keyed the narrow cover for the Wildcats with a 55-yard pass play and an 83-yard run in the fourth quarter. Vanderbilt added a late touchdown to get within 18 points, just shy of the closing spread.
Auburn led Georgia just 35-31 entering the fourth quarter, rallying from an early deficit. The Tigers would pull away in fourth quarter to get by the spread as Georgia’s offense stalled on their last two possessions.
Missouri led 31-14 against Kansas State entering the fourth quarter and quickly extended that lead to 24-points with a score early in the final quarter. With Missouri playing soft defense Kansas State would score a touchdown with a two-point conversion to get within 14 points. With just over a minute to go Kansas State scored again, cutting the lead to ten and taking the backdoor spread win.
Penn State led 14-3 at halftime against Ohio State before the Buckeyes rallied. An interception return touchdown gave Ohio State the lead 17-14 and early in the fourth quarter Ohio State connected on a 58-yard pass play to go up ten. On the next possession another interception return touchdown pushed the lead to 17, inching closer to the spread. With less than four minutes to go Ohio State scored again to get by the number and the Penn State offense netted eight total yards in four fourth quarter drives.
South Florida slowly chipped away at an early Louisville lead to get within a single point heading into the fourth quarter. The Bulls connected for a 48-yard pass play early in the fourth quarter and also hit on the two-point conversion to go up by seven. Louisville tied the game late to force overtime as a slight favorite but the Cardinals failed at the goal line, going for it on fourth and one, and allowing South Florida to conservatively set up a game winning field goal.
Louisiana Tech led by just seven against New Mexico State entering the fourth quarter and that was the margin with just five minutes to go in the game. The Bulldogs broke a 62-yard run late to go up 14, still shy of the spread. The ensuing kickoff was fumbled and the Bulldogs were set up in great field position, rushing out the clock but breaking through for a score to earn the spread win with just over a minute to go
NFL:
A low scoring game dramatically changed tunes in the second half as Atlanta took a 13-7 lead into the fourth quarter against Baltimore. Atlanta seemed in control but Baltimore put together back-to-back scoring drives with less than six minutes to go to take the lead 21-10 with most lines closing with Atlanta -1. Getting the ball with just over a minute to go Atlanta marched down the field and eventually connected for 33-yard pass play, getting away with a push on the play.
The Colts led Cincinnati 20-10 entering the fourth quarter after a scoreless third quarter. Indianapolis was kept out of the end zone on a scoring drive with about ten minutes to go in the game, settling for a field goal that would later prove to be a key spread play as the Bengals scored a touchdown with just over two minutes to go to cut the final margin to six points.
The Jaguars and Texans were tied at 17-17 entering the fourth quarter and scoring was slow in the final frame. Jacksonville eventually hit on a 52-yard pass play to go up seven but Houston immediately answered with a scoring drive to tie the game. Near midfield with only time for one play the Jaguars attempted a Hail Mary pass and got the break they needed as the Texans deflected the ball into the hands of Mike Thomas, who scuttled into the end zone with no time on the clock for an improbable win.
While the closing line was just 1.5, the Lions earned another late game cover for backers that played the game earlier in the week. Buffalo led 14-3 entering the fourth quarter seemingly with its first win in hand. A field goal with less than six minutes to go chipped into the margin and with 14 seconds on the clock the Lions connected for a touchdown. Needing the two-point conversion to extend the game QB Shaun Hill’s final attempt flew well over the end zone, leaving a two-point final margin.
Forcing OT with an underdog usually spells a cover but Cleveland backers got a tough break last week. The Jets led 17-13 entering the fourth quarter to narrowly cover most spreads but with less than three minutes to go New York added another field goal to push the lead to seven. Cleveland marched down the field and tied the game with 44 seconds to go on the clock. Both teams had four possessions in overtime with each turning the ball over once and New York missing a field goal. With a tie looming the Jets moved to the edge of field goal range but Santonio Holmes broke through tackles on a short pass play to go 37 yards for the game ending score with just 16 seconds to go. A field goal still would have earned a tie or a win for most Browns backers but the Jets snuck away again.
Tampa Bay led Carolina just 21-16 entering the fourth quarter last week, falling short of the spread. The Buccaneers added ten points in the fourth quarter to put the game away and the Panthers ended the game inside the Tampa Bay 15-yard line. Had Carolina scored and hit the two-point conversion they would have stolen a late push.
St. Louis led San Francisco 17-10 entering the fourth quarter but the 49ers managed to get the lead back with a field goal and a touchdown pass with just over two minutes to go. The Rams drove the ball deep into 49ers territory in the remaining time but were forced to settle for overtime with a tying 33-yard kick. The Rams got the ball first but went no where and San Francisco got close enough to kick the game winner, still falling short of the spread however.