NCAAF: Week 3 Rewind
By Brian Edwards
Arkansas did its part to set up a crucial SEC West showdown next week by staying unbeaten with a 31-24 win at Georgia. The Razorbacks appeared to be en route to an easy victory, leading 24-10 going into the final stanza.
However, the offense suddenly went from prolific to inept, while the Dawgs scored back-to-back touchdowns to tie the game at 24-24. UGA even got the ball back with a chance to win after forcing Arkansas into another three and out, but a promising drive stalled with more than a minute left.
That’s all the time Ryan Mallett would need when the Hogs got the ball back. He quickly raced his offense down the field and threw his third touchdown pass of the day, a 40-yard strike to Joe Childs with 15 ticks remaining. Bobby Petrino’s team hooked up its backers as a one-point underdog, while the 55 combined points jumped ‘over’ the 53 ½-point total.
The Dawgs fell to 1-2 with a trip to Starkville without All-American WR A.J. Green on deck. They play at Colorado the following week and still have games looming against the likes of Florida, Auburn and Ga. Tech.
Still playing without 12 suspended players, North Carolina remained winless when it dropped a 30-24 decision to Ga. Tech as a three-point home favorite. Josh Nesbitt ran for a touchdown and also threw a TD pass for the Yellow Jackets, who improved to 2-1 after losing at Kansas last week. They host undefeated N.C. St. next week on The Flats.
Vanderbilt delivered new head coach Robbie Caldwell his first career win in Oxford, beating Ole Miss 28-14 as a 12-point underdog. Bettors backing the Commodores to win outright brought home a lucrative plus-375 payout (paid $375 on $100 wagers). The Rebels, who fell to 1-2, have to bounce back quickly because Fresno St. will come to The Grove thinking upset next week, too.
West Virginia raced out to a 28-0 lead against previously-undefeated Maryland and appeared on its way to an easy victory. But the Terrapins responded by scoring 17 unanswered points and made the game a nail-biter for our purposes. WVU was just one point ahead of the number as a 10-point favorite, but it added a late field goal and eventually won by a 31-17 count.
Alabama went on the road for the first time and took no prisoners in a 62-13 beatdown of Duke as a 24-point road favorite. I rarely lay a big number like this, especially on road teams, but I loved the Crimson Tide all week. After giving up 27 to Elon and 54 to Wake, you knew Duke’s defense had zero shot at containing ‘Bama’s potent offense that had Mark Ingram making his season debut. On his first carry, the reigning Heisman winner gained 48 yards.
I also backed Hawaii catching double digits with my thinking being that I felt the Warriors had an excellent chance to win outright. In that sort of instance, I’m all about a team as a healthy underdog. As it turned out, the Warriors jumped out to a 10-0 lead at Colorado by intermission.
However, the Buffs outscored Hawaii 31-3 in the second half to capture a 31-13 win and cover the spread as 13 ½-point favorites.
Another play I was on that looked great at halftime was the ‘under’ (46) for Florida at Tennessee. The Gators led 7-3 at halftime and ‘under’ backers had to be feeling good. But the second half was an entirely different story.
After UF got an early field goal, UT hit a big play to tie the game at 10-10. The Gators would answer with back-to-back touchdowns to go up 24-10 at the end of the third quarter. The Vols wouldn’t go away, though, pulling to within 24-17 after Matt Simms connected with Justin Hunter for a 35-yard TD pass.
The game went ‘over’ when Florida got its last score on a three-yard run by Trey Burton. The Gators would hold on for a 31-17 win that gave some bettors a push. A lot of books actually moved the number down to 13 ½ or even 13 Saturday morning, so a lot of Florida backers cashed tickets. UF also covered the number for second-half bets as a seven-point ‘chalk’ when leading by four (equating to -11 for the game).
UF will host Kentucky next week, while the Vols get UAB at home in a non-conference game. Speaking of UK, the 'Cats are 3-0 both SU and ATS following another blowout win. Joker Phillips' bunch trounced Akron by a 47-10 count as a 24 1/2-point favorite. Senior QB Mike Hartline is playing the best football of his career with a 5/0 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
Nebraska might’ve been the most impressive team of Week 3, going to Washington and spanking the Huskies 56-21 as a three-point road favorite. Taylor Martinez ran for 137 yards and three touchdowns and also threw for 150 yards and one TD without being intercepted.
Bo Pelini’s nasty defense forced Jake Locker into a miserable performance. Locker completed just 4-of-20 passes for 71 yards, one TD and two interceptions. The Cornhuskers have South Dakota St. on deck in Lincoln. Next, they have an open date before venturing to Kansas St. In other words, they should be 5-0 going into an Oct. 16 home date vs. Texas.
TCU stayed unbeaten by destroying Baylor 45-10 as a 21-point home favorite. Andy Dalton connected on 21-of-23 throws for 267 yards and two TDs without being picked off. The Horned Frogs have a short week of preparation before playing at SMU on Friday.
Oklahoma fell into a letdown situation and was unable to hook up its backers in a 27-24 win over Air Force. In fact, the Sooners had to pick up a couple of first downs to bleed out the clock after the Falcons trimmed their deficit to three late in the fourth quarter. They took the money as 17-point road underdogs.
Wisconsin remained unscathed, albeit barely, by edging Arizona St. 20-19 at Camp Randall. The Sun Devils appeared poised to tie the game but missed an extra point in the final stanza. Nevertheless, Dennis Erickson’s team covered the spread easily as a 12 ½-point road underdog.
The national media, especially those on the East coast, might not be taking note of Stanford, but gamblers and this space sure as hell are! The Cardinal hasn't exactly faced foes that would fall into the murderer's row category, but it is dealing out some serious beatdowns and earning style points galore in the process.
Wake Forest was this week's victim, taking a 68-24 shellacking in Palo Alto. Andrew Luck was nothing short of sensational, connecting on 17-of-23 passes for 207 yards and four touchdowns without throwing an interception. Luck also had three rushes for 69 yards and one TD.
**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**
With UF and UT tied at 10-10, Urban Meyer called for a fake punt on fourth and six. The fake worked as Omarius Hines busted off a 36-yard run that would lead to a go-ahead touchdown. During Meyer’s six-year tenure at Florida, the Gators have now converted all eight fake-punt attempts that he’s called.
FSU bounced back from its road loss at Oklahoma last week to beat up on BYU, 34-10. The Seminoles broke open a close game in the third quarter and took the money as 10 ½-point home favorites. They are now 2-1 with Wake Forest coming to Tallahassee next week. The Deacs have won by a combined score of 42-3 in their last two trips to Doak Campbell Stadium.
Virginia Tech finally got its first win of the year, pulling away from East Carolina late to cover the number in a 49-27 win as a 20 ½-point home favorite. The Pirates had the lead for much of the first 30 minutes and change, but the Hokies dominated down the stretch.
Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio suffered a heart attack last night, but his prognosis is good and a full recovery is expected. Best wishes to him and his family.
vegasinsider.com