Week 7 Rewind, Part I
By Brian Edwards
Michigan State scored 23 unanswered points in the second half to overcome a 6-3 halftime deficit to Illinois and stay unbeaten. The Spartans took the cash as seven-point home favorites in the 26-6 victory. The 32 combined points easily stayed ‘under’ the 49-point total.
Kirk Cousins found B.J. Cunningham for a 48-yard scoring strike to untie the game in the third quarter and give MSU a 13-6 advantage. A pair of Dan Conroy field goals put the Spartans ahead of the number and Larry Caper put the game on ice with a 15-yard touchdown run.
Mark Dantonio’s squad improved to 7-0 straight up and covered the number for the third straight week. Meanwhile, the Illini fell to 3-3 with back-to-back home games against Indiana and Purdue looming.
Florida St. won its fifth straight game but had to so in come-from-behind fashion. Boston College took a 19-17 lead on a field goal with 12:49 remaining, but the Seminoles responded with a quick scoring drive capped by Bert Reed’s 42-yard touchdown run. Nevertheless, the Eagles hooked up their backers as 22-point underdogs.
Jimbo Fisher’s team has an open date before playing at North Carolina St. on a Thursday night. The first-year head coach will be expecting better play from his senior QB Christian Ponder, who threw three interceptions against BC.
Some have suggested that Missouri is the weakest of the remaining unbeatens. However, that didn’t appear to be the case in College Station at Kyle Field in Week 7, when the Tigers trounced Texas A&M by a 30-9 count as 3 ½-point underdogs. Gary Pinkel’s team was a winner for money-line wagers that netted a plus-150 payout.
Mizzou faces a daunting three-week stretch, starting with a home game versus Oklahoma next week. The Tigers then have consecutive road games at Nebraska and at Texas Tech.
Since losing four in a row, Georgia has bounced back with two straight wins in blowout fashion. The Dawgs spanked Tennessee 41-14 last week and then dealt out similar treatment Saturday in a 43-0 win over Vandy. They covered the number as 14-point home favorites.
The maturation of redshirt freshman QB Aaron Murray continued, as the Tampa Plant High School product threw for 287 yards and two touchdowns without being intercepted. Washaun Ealey ran for 123 yards and one TD on just 17 carries.
Mark Richt’s team is now 3-4 and his job status remains in doubt. UGA’s last five games look like this: at Kentucky, vs. Florida (in Jacksonville), vs. Idaho St., at Auburn and vs. Ga. Tech. That looks like 6-6 to me most likely. Will that be enough for Richt to dodge his pink slip? That’s a tough one. The only thing I think I know for sure is that another blowout loss to the Gators would seal Richt’s fate in the wrong way.
East Carolina was the live underdog of Saturday’s early games, beating North Carolina State 33-27 in overtime. The Pirates won outright as 7 ½-point home ‘dogs, hooking up money-line backers with a generous plus-250 payout (paid $250 on $100 wagers).
Dominique Davis polished off the Wolfpack with a one-yard TD run in the extra session. Davis was the star of the game, not the signal caller (Russell Wilson) on the other sidelines who has garnered more accolades in 2010. Davis threw for 376 yards and two TDs without getting picked off.
On the other hand, Wilson was intercepted three times. N.C. St. fell to 5-2 going into the FSU game two Thursdays from now.
Clemson got back to .500 and avenged several surprising losses to Maryland in recent years by thumping the Terps, 31-7. The Tigers sent their backers to the counter with smiles and an easy cover laying 14 points. The 38 combined points fell ‘under’ the 47 ½-point tally.
Pittsburgh has been of the nation’s biggest disappointments, while Syracuse has been one of the bigger surprises. But on Saturday at the Carrier Dome, perhaps the Panthers got their season back on track. They dominated the Orange in a 45-14 win as 2 ½-point favorites.
Tino Sunseri completed 17-of-24 passes for 280 yards and four touchdowns without an interception. The Panthers, who are 3-3 SU and 1-0 in Big East play, will host Rutgers next week before welcoming Louisville to the Steel City.
Miami got back into the win column at Duke, but it really let down its backers by allowing the Blue Devils to post a backdoor cover. UM captured a 28-13 win in Durham as a favorite in the 16-18 range. The ‘Canes had a 28-10 lead to at least have its backers looking at a push (if not a win), but Duke got a field goal in the latter stages of the fourth quarter to cover as a double-digit ‘dog.
Randy Shannon’s 4-2 squad will try to end of a three-game losing streak to North Carolina when it hosts the Tar Heels next week.
**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**
BC running back Montel Harris gave his team a chance as a huge underdog Saturday at Doak Campbell Stadium. He ran for 139 yards on his first five carries, helping his team go ahead 6-0 with a pair of field goals. Harris finished with 191 rushing yards on 26 attempts against the Seminoles.
FSU is 4-0 in the ACC for the first time since 2004.
Week 7 started with UCF cruising to a 35-14 win at Marshall that saw the 49 combined points jump ‘over’ the total. On Thursday, Kansas St. destroyed KU 59-7 as a three-point road favorite. Also, West Virginia dropped USF by a 20-6 score as a 10-point favorite. The Bulls’ offense continued to look putrid and the ‘under’ cashed easily.
Cincinnati captured a 35-27 win over Louisville as a three-point road favorite in Friday’s showcase game. Zach Collaros was the catalyst with five touchdown passes for the Bearcats.
Best Week 8 Games:
1-Oklahoma at Missouri
2-Nebraska at Oklahoma State
3-Wisconsin at Iowa
4-UCLA at Oregon
5-Michigan State at Northwestern
Coaches on the Hot Seat:
1-Mike Locksley (New Mexico)
2-Paul Wulff (Washington State)
3-Mike Sherman (Texas A&M)
4-Dan Hawkins (Colorado)
(tie)5-Rich Rodriguez (Michigan)
(tie)5-Tim Brewster (Minnesota) UPDATE: Fired Sunday morning.
(tie)5-Mark Richt (Georgia)
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Week 7 Rewind, Part II
By Brian Edwards
Wisconsin stole the show in Week 7, knocking off top-ranked Ohio State 31-18 as a live four-point underdog. The Badgers raced out to a 14-0 lead in the first few minutes of the game and never looked back, cashing money-line tickets in the plus-150 range (paid $150 on $100 bets).
As you can see in my rankings from last week, I wasn’t buying the Buckeyes as a No. 1 team in any way whatsoever. They fall to 6-1 with a road game at Iowa looming on Nov. 20.
Wisconsin’s trip to Iowa City comes this Saturday. As of early this morning, most books had installed the Hawkeyes as 5 ½-point home favorites.
Kirk Ferentz’s team went into the Big House and emerged with a 38-28 win over Michigan as a 3 ½-point road favorite. Ricky Stanzi threw for 248 yards and three touchdowns without being intercepted. Adam Robinson rushed 31 times for 143 yards and two TDs.
Texas went into its open date following back-to-back losses to UCLA and Oklahoma. Whatever Mack Brown said to his squad in the week leading up to its trip to Nebraska, it worked. The Longhorns punched the Cornhuskers in the mouth early, jumping out to a 17-3 lead at halftime. They hung on for a 20-13 win as 9 ½-point underdogs. Bettors backing Texas on the money line brought home a generous plus-300 payout (paid $300 on $100 wagers).
The ‘Horns return to Austin for consecutive home games against Iowa St. and Baylor. Meanwhile, Nebraska will face unbeaten Oklahoma St. in Stillwater. As of early this morning, most betting shops had the Cornhuskers favored by six over the Cowboys.
For the first time since 1988, Florida has lost three in a row during the regular season. In 1999, the Gators lost three straight but that included a bowl game loss to Michigan St. Mississippi St. took the honors Saturday night at The Swamp, winning a 10-7 decision when Chas Henry’s last-second field goal sailed wide.
The Bulldogs won outright as nine-point underdogs, collecting their first win at Florida Field since 1965. The 17 combined points provided ‘under’ backers with an easy winner. MSU head coach Dan Mullen, who was the offensive coordinator at UF before bolting for Starkville, told the Associated Press afterwards, “This is not an upset. Our team expected to win.”
UF’s Meyer told the AP, “We’re just not very good right now.”
South Carolina scored four touchdowns on six first-half possessions to take a 28-10 lead at Kentucky. At that point, it seemed as if the Gamecocks were going to avoid the letdown situation and take a commanding lead in the SEC East.
But star freshman running back Marcus Lattimore, who was in the midst of a monster performance, sustained a sprained ankle early in the third quarter. From there, SC’s offense went silent and UK rallied.
With 1:15 remaining, Kentucky senior QB Mike Hartline capped a career night by finding Randall Cobb for a 24-yard scoring strike and a 31-28 advantage. Steve Spurrier’s team drove into field-goal range in the final seconds but with one play left before trying a kick, Spurrier had QB Stephen Garcia take a shot at the end zone. His pass was deflected and intercepted, giving UK the stirring comeback win.
Hartline completed 32-of-42 passes for 348 yards and four touchdowns without an interception. And remember, he was playing without RB Derrick Locke, who sat out with a shoulder injury. As of early Monday morning, most books had Georgia as a three-point road favorite for its Week 8 game at Kentucky.
South Carolina isn’t sure if it’ll have Lattimore for this week’s trip to Vanderbilt. With Lattimore considered “questionable,” most books had the Gamecocks favored by 12 ½ over the Commodores early Monday morning.
Alabama got back into the win column Saturday night at Bryant-Denny Stadium, but it failed to hook up its supporters in a 23-10 win over Ole Miss. The Rebels comfortably covered the number as 20 ½-point road underdogs.
The Tide needed Trent Richardson to turn a short screen pass into an 85-yard touchdown and an interception with about five minutes left to seal the deal. For the most part, Ole Miss stymied the ‘Bama offense, limiting Mark Ingram to 60 yards on the ground.
Auburn is still unbeaten after beating Arkansas in controversial fashion. The Tigers got a pair of touchdowns on plays that probably should’ve been overturned. In the end, Gene Chizik’s team won 65-43 and emerged as a legitimate national-title contender.
Cam Newton looks like a serious Heisman Trophy contender. He went off again with 188 rushing yards and three TD runs against the Razorbacks. Newton also completed 10-of-14 throws for 140 yards and one touchdown.
Auburn has issues on defense, but it might be able to keep outscoring teams if defenses can’t find any answers for Newton.
Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett had to leave the game with a concussion in the second quarter. I had heard nothing but great things about Mallett’s back-up, Tyler Wilson, going on more than two years now.
Anxious to see him play, Wilson didn’t disappoint me. He came out firing, connecting on 15 of his first 17 passes for 270 yards and four TDs without an interception. The fourth TD pass gave the Hogs a 43-37 lead late in the third quarter.
Nevada got knocked from the unbeaten ranks in a 27-21 loss at Hawaii. The Warriors, who improved to 5-2 with their fourth straight win, are 5-1 ATS after winning outright as 6 ½-point home underdogs.
Greg McMackin will take his team to Utah St. in Week 8, followed by a home game versus Idaho. Then Hawaii, 3-0 in the WAC so far, will get its chance at taking down Boise St. on the smurf turf Nov. 6.
Without star WR James Rodgers, who is out for the year, Oregon St. went to Washington as a short two-point underdog. Playing their third road game in four weeks, the Beavers fell behind 21-0 to the Huskies, only to rally and force overtime.
But Oregon St.’s two-point conversion attempt in the second OT failed. Nevertheless, the Beavers covered in a 35-34 loss, their first in Pac-10 play.
Jake Locker threw for a career-high five TD passes for the Huskies, who are 3-3 going into Arizona this week. OSU has an open date before hosting California.
**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**
--Before he was injured, Lattimore’s stat line looked like this for the Gamecocks: 15 rushes, 79 yards and two TDs; four receptions, 133 yards and one TD.
Dating back to his days at Arkansas, Houston Nutt’s teams have now taken the money in eight straight games as double-digit underdogs.
Spurrier is now 17-1 against Kentucky. He was 12-0 vs. UK at Florida and had led South Carolina to wins over the ‘Cats in his first five years in Columbia.
Boise St. dealt out woodshed treatment again, throttling San Jose St. 48-0 as a 40 ½-point road favorite.
My Top Ten
1-Oregon
2-Boise State
3-Oklahoma
4-Alabama
5-Auburn
6-TCU
7-Iowa
8-LSU
9-Va. Tech
10-Wisconsin
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