The Bum's CFB Week # 5 Best Bets 09/29-10/01

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Sharps knock around Books

September 26, 2011

The fourth week of college football action produced another evenly balanced mix of favorites and underdogs getting the money. The favorites went 24-23 on the week with 10 of the underdogs winning outright. While the public were hit and miss on the games, with LSU beating West Virginia 47-21 as their biggest conquest, it was the Sharps who made the strongest impression of the day.
Their top six plays went 5-1 with Tulsa (+32), Missouri (+22), Ohio State (-15), Wyoming (+24 ½ ), Florida (-17 ½) and Nevada (+20 ½). The Tulsa and Florida moves came early in the week, but the other four came in a major power sweep through every sports book in Las Vegas on Thursday. The brilliance of their Thursday attack was how they helped set the market number by seeding money on the other side in a few of those games with early wagering at the Wynn Resort and similar activity off-shore.

The Wynn opened Texas Tech as a 15 ½-point favorite against Nevada last Sunday night. After a few low limit wagers on Tech moved the spread up the ladder, the number had quickly settled at -20. That was the market price most sports books opened with on Monday morning.

On Thursday morning the number that had been driven to as high as -21 at the South Point and -20 ½ at the Las Vegas Hilton and Wynn with Tech money. The public loved Texas Tech and the risk on the game was mounting on that side.

Then the onslaught came as their plan of attack came to fruition at every sports book in the city at almost the same time with Nevada money. They took the plus-21, the 20 ½, the 19, the 18 until they milked the well dry all the way down to 16 with the Wynn almost being right back where they started.

In the Wynn’s case, they had a strong number that was obviously correct with the Sharps, but were driven off of it with low-limit wagers. Even if the Wynn had taken full limits, it’s still a relatively cheap price to pay for the sharp group to pay when they can force the city into a desired number and then have so many different outs to get their action in at.

In the end, Texas Tech escaped with a 35-34 win over Nevada.

The activity on the Texas Tech side may sound un-ethical, but there is no rule against it. It’s not like there is a Federal Trade Commission that governs this type of betting activity. This Sharp group has the muscle and cash flow to make it possible.

Now the ball is in the sports books court for them to try and detect this type of manipulation. Whether that means holding true to their own numbers and not falling in line so much with the market price, who knows, but you can believe that most sports books are already coming up with their counter-offensive on the matter.

Wyoming was a popular Sharp play at +24 ½ all the way to +21 ½ against Nebraska. Even though the majority of the Wyoming wagers didn’t get the money because Nebraska won 38-14, the sports books had a negative decision because of the public loving Nebraska. Bu the time the public put Nebraska in all their parlays on game day, they got the best of the numbers because of the spread being driven so low.

The sports books escaped with a decent Saturday despite the Sharps doing so well. Pittsburgh covering against Notre Dame was the book's biggest win on the day. The late combination of LSU and Oregon covering was very popular with the public and continued a trend that has been seen all four weeks; the sports books can’t seem to win the late games.

One Step Forward, Two Giant Leaps Backward

One week after drastically changing impressions of our beloved UNLV football Rebels following their dominating win over Hawaii as 18-point underdogs, they came back to earth. In fact, losing 41-16 at home to Southern Utah -- from the Great West conference -- Saturday night puts them on an entirely new planet.

If there was ever a let-down game that not many uncovered, it was this one. The Rebels were 10-point favorites on the extra added games that many sports books offer on Friday evenings. I guess it’s back to the drawing board.

Upsets of the Week

In games that were offered in the regular Nevada rotation, there were two double-digit underdogs that won outright. Florida International was a 17-point home favorite and ended up losing 36-31 to UL-Lafayette.

Kansas State was a 12-point underdog at Miami and pulled off the 28-24 win giving Miami, a team many thought could run the table this year, a 1-2 start to their season.

As big as those upsets were, I still found myself more fascinated with Temple drilling Maryland 38-7 as a nine-point road underdog. Temple is now 3-0 against-the-spread after destroying Akron (41-3), hanging with Penn State in a 14-10 loss and then the Maryland game.

Temple continued to do what they do best against Maryland, which is run. They went for 285 yards and held possession for 41 minutes. It’ll be interesting to see this week how the contrasting styles of Temple fare against the pass-attack of Toledo, a team that comes off tough losses from Syracuse, Boise State and Ohio State. Temple is a 7-point favorite in this one.

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College football odds: Week 5 opening line report

Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema didn’t beat around the bush in his postgame press conference Saturday. He was quick to let everyone know that he and his well-balanced bunch of Badgers have been waiting for Nebraska since the season started.

With no disrespect to UNLV, Oregon State, Northern Illinois and South Dakota, which all ended up in Badgers’ victories, Wisconsin has had Week 5 highlighted for a good long while.

For on Saturday night, the Badgers and Cornhuskers, two Top 10 programs, will collide in Madison, Wis., in Nebraska’s first game as a member of the Big Ten.

So, you can understand that this is a big deal to Bielema. And he’s not afraid to admit it.

“I’m very excited for this week to finally get here. You guys might’ve heard, but we’re playing Nebraska, so there are some fun things to prepare this week,” he said. “It’s a really exciting time for us because you put in all this hard work and effort into getting through the nonconference schedule, playing as clean as you can and get into a Big Ten race. There’s also the opportunity to play at home and at night. It’ll be a great scene, a great environment for college football.”

And it’s a game that will be heavily bet, for sure.

“Nebraska will always be well respected by the books,” Pete Korner, of Esportclub, LLC, in Las Vegas told ***********. “Even when they’re not that good of a team, they draw big money every week. And with this Nebraska team being pretty good, that only adds to it.”

But Korner also realizes the power and precision with which Wisconsin runs things, especially at home. As such, he made the Badgers 7-point favorites.

“It’ll be interesting and entertaining, and it should be high scoring,” Korner said. “Wisconsin is a favorite, but not an overwhelming one. We’ll see how much Nebraska money we get with this line.”

And with that, let’s take a look at some of next week’s other marquee games:

South Florida (+1.5) at Pittsburgh

“South Florida is a good team, very athletic and has a chance to show something to the nation here,” Korner said. “We have respect for Pittsburgh, but the reason they’re the favorites is because of the home field. That’s it. South Florida can definitely win this one.”

Alabama (-3.5) at Florida

“We wanted to make sure we got it over the key number 3, so that’s why we have the half there,” Korner said. “Alabama is just so good right now, we could have gone higher. We were all on Alabama when we first looked at this one. But we’ll see where the line goes.”

Auburn (+10.5) at South Carolina

“Not expecting a close game. We could have gone all the way up to 14.5 on this one for South Carolina,” Korner said. “But that was a little too high for a tough SEC game. Still, South Carolina is better all around.”

Kentucky (+27) at LSU

“We don’t like Kentucky at all,” Korner said. “But we’re hoping they can slow the game down a little. LSU looks very good these days.”

Arkansas (+3) vs. Texas A&M (Arlington, Texas)

“We didn’t have much of an opinion here. These are not great teams, and there’s not a lot there,” Korner said. “No home field, but it is in Texas, so we gave a slight edge to A&M, but not much.”

Michigan State (+3) at Ohio State

“In Big Ten play now, and we expect a really close one here. Both teams are very even,” Korner said. “Purely a home field line here. Ohio State has done nothing for us, and they are just not the kind of team we’re used to seeing there. So, they’ll have to prove something to us.”

Clemson (+7) at Virginia Tech

“Should be a really good, entertaining ACC game with a total in the 50s,” Korner said. “Virginia Tech is tough at home, but Clemson can definitely win here. They’re showing some great signs and may have what it takes.”

Notre Dame (-17) at Purdue

“Not a close one here. The Notre Dame offense should be able dominate, start to finish,” Korner said. “We are expecting an absolute blowout. Notre Dame is at a point in the year where they need to pile up wins, and this is a good place and time to get another one.”

UCLA (+22) at Stanford

“Good chance for Stanford to have a blowout,” Korner said. “We could have easily put this up to 24, as we really expect Stanford to have no mercy here against a team they really don’t like much.”

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Top 5 NCAAF Trends

NEB
WISC WISC are 10-0-1 ATS in their last 11 games overall.

UCLA
STAN STAN are 8-0-1 ATS in their last 9 games overall.

OREST
ARZST Under is 8-0-1 in OREST last 9 games overall.

BUFF
TENN Over is 8-0 in TENN last 8 non-conference games.

NEB
WISC WISC are 7-0-1 ATS in their last 8 home games.

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Texas A&M Favored Over Arkansas Razorbacks

It's not exactly the big showdown it could've been, but Saturday's battle at Cowboys Stadium between the Texas A&M Aggies and Arkansas Razorbacks remains a big piece in the overall BCS puzzle.

If nothing else, it's going to have a real Southeastern Conference feel to it when the Aggies take the field in Arlington, TX against the Hogs. Former rivals from their old Southwest Conference days, the two appear to be future conference rivals again after the SEC formally accepted Texas A&M into its bosom on Sunday.

Now we'll see if the Aggies wind up looking like boobs. Texas A&M will have to "negotiate...an exit fee with the Big 12" ESPN reported on Sunday (Sept. 25). After that the Aggies will officially join the SEC next summer. How the lawyers haggle through that remains to be seen.

What should be seen in the game is Texas A&M eager to make a good first impression on an old/future rival, and Arkansas wanting to give the Aggies a true 'Southern welcome' into the SEC family.

It's the third year running for this series that has seen Arkansas, 11th in the latest Don Best Linemakers poll, take the previous two. Texas A&M, ranked 10th, opened as a 3-point favorite in the contest, with some early movement sending that number down to 2½ at some college football betting shops.

Kenny White set his initial total for the game at 61.

Mike Sherman probably doesn't care that much which conference his team is playing in. One would guess, however, that he's happy the odds his Aggies will have to face Oklahoma State and Arkansas back-to-back again are slim. The Cowboys and Razorbacks have sent the Ags to defeat in consecutive weeks the past two seasons, and A&M is coming off a very depressing loss to Oklahoma St.

Trust me, I've sat through my share of Aggie losses. You can often feel the train coming down the track long before you actually hear it.

When the Aggies had the 20-3 lead over the Cowboys going into the third quarter last Saturday, the tracks were already shaking so violently that the Aggie defense couldn't get off the field. It was like that old vibrating football game from the 60s when my guys would only spin in circles and the other team would just shake up and down the field.

The outcome at Kyle Field was a repeat of last year's meeting in so many ways, starting with Mike Gundy's group outscoring A&M 21-0 in the third quarter of the last two clashes.

Texas A&M blew it, plain and simple. You don't cough up 17-point leads over conference opponents as 4½-5 point home favorites and expect to have success regardless of your conference affiliation.

Arkansas is the lesser team – on paper – coming into this game, but the Razorbacks have one big advantage. They weren't expected to go into Tuscaloosa and beat Alabama last week, and therefore aren't coming off the emotional letdown A&M suffered.

The Crimson Tide toyed with the Hogs in the first quarter before cutting loose on the way to a 38-14 triumph as 11-point favorites.

Bobby Petrino's offense was choked off by an Alabama defense that limited the Razorbacks to 226 total yards. Sixty-three of those yards came on one scoring drive in the first quarter. Starting QB Tyler Wilson combined with Brandon Mitchell to complete 24 of their 40 passes, each tossing a pick, one of those returned for a 'Bama TD in the second quarter.

Meanwhile, Arkansas never got a thing going on the ground where the Hogs gained just 17 yards on 19 carries.

Texas A&M dominated both sides of the ball in the first half last week before being dominated in the final two quarters. All four turnovers came in the final 30 minutes, and more than half of Aggies' offense in the second half came on one 80-yard drive in the fourth quarter when the Cowboys played a bit soft after taking a 10-point lead.

Petrino no doubt has watched the pressure that A&M's defense put on Brandon Weeden and Oklahoma State in the first half, and the Razorbacks will be out to copy the Cowboys' second-half performance that negated that pressure.

The Aggies simply have to play 60 full minutes if they want to have a chance against Jerry Jones' alma mater.

Kickoff is set for noon (ET) with ESPN providing the telecast. Sunny skies and an afternoon high of 88 is the current forecast.

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BYU Cougars Seek Revenge Vs Utah State Aggies

The BYU Cougars play host in the prime-time Friday night matchup for the second straight week when they take on the Utah State Aggies.

The Don Best odds screen currently lists BYU as a 7½-point home favorite. ESPN will pick up the broadcast for Friday’s only game, which is set to kick off at 8:00 p.m. (ET).

Last season, this in-state rivalry was kicked up a few notches when Utah State beat BYU outright as a 4½-point underdog at home. Dating back to 1996, BYU had won nine straight over the Aggies, but last season Utah State finally broke their long losing streak.

BYU hopes to retake command of the series at home in LaVell Edwards Stadium.

Utah State (1-2) got some national attention after pushing defending champion Auburn to the limit as 23-point road 'dogs in their season opener. They followed that game up with a blowout win over FCS Weber State, and a tough loss in overtime to Colorado State last week.

Despite the loss, running back Robert Turbin had a big game, bringing his season total to eight rushing touchdowns over three games with a four-touchdown effort. Along with freshman dual-threat quarterback Chuckie Keeton, Turbin adds to a solid Aggies backfield.

BYU (2-2) bounced back nicely from an embarrassing 54-10 loss to Utah two weeks ago, beating Central Florida 24-17 last week as a 1½-point favorite. The win and cover brought the Cougars' spread record to 2-2.

The win also served as a bit of proof that the Utah blowout may have been a bit of an anomaly. In their three other games, the Cougars have surrendered 17 points or less, suggesting that they have a strong defensive unit.

They’ll need one against this Utah State attack that is averaging 42 points per game.

While BYU holds the clear 9-1 SU edge over the last 10 meetings between these two teams, Utah State has had a habit of covering spreads with a 5-1 ATS advantage over the last six games.

The location of this one may make all the difference though, as Utah State is an abysmal 2-18 SU in the last 20 games away from home. BYU has won six of its last seven games at home.

Four of the last five meetings between Utah State and BYU have gone ‘under’ the posted total. Check back for the total in this one a bit later in the week.

Both the total and the ATS result could simply come down to which team can control the tempo of the game. BYU would be more comfortable with a defensive game, while Utah State would be happier shooting out and lighting up the scoreboard.

Clear skies are in the Provo forecast for Friday when afternoon highs are expected to climb into the mid-80s.

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Alabama Wrestles Florida Gators At The Swamp

The Alabama Crimson Tide play their second top-15 opponent in a row when they visit the resurgent Florida Gators on Saturday night.

This SEC slugfest between undefeated teams has Alabama as between four and 4 ½-point favorites with 45 for the opening total from Don Best's Kenny White. Kickoff from ‘The Swamp’ will be at 8:00 p.m. (ET) on CBS.

Alabama (4-0 straight up, 3-1 against the spread) had a big win last week over Arkansas, 38-14 as 11-point home favorites. The Don Best Linemakers Poll had Arkansas ranked No. 12 and 'Bama No. 1 before the game, with the latter still top-ranked in the new poll.

The Razorbacks came into that game averaging 517.3 yards of total offense, but only managed 226 off coach Nick Saban’s stingy unit. Holding quarterback Tyler Wilson (185 passing yards) and the aerial attack in check was the key.

Alabama’s quarterback AJ McCarron was a very efficient 15-of-20 last week for 200 yards. The sophomore wasn’t even a shoo-in to be the starter this year, but he hasn’t thrown an interception in three games and is doing well as a ‘game manager.’

The Tide are throwing for just 225.3 YPG, ranked 64th in the country. However, when they last won the national title in 2009, they threw for just 179.1 YPG with quarterback Greg McElroy, relying mostly on the running game and defense.

The rushing attack this year ranks 19th nationally (230.8 YPG), with Trent Richardson and Eddie Lacy almost making everyone forget departed Heisman winner Mark Ingram. The duo is averaging a whopping 7.5 yards per carry.

The defense is also conjuring up memories of 2009, allowing a measly eight PPG (second nationally). That includes holding the Penn State Nittany Lions to 11 in their place. The one downside is that sophomore middle linebacker C.J. Mosley hurt his elbow last game and is questionable at best.

Lacy (toe) also got banged up last week, but should be fine according to Saban.

The Crimson Tide’s only road game this year was the 27-11 win at Penn State as 10-point favorites. They’re 11-5 ATS in their last 16 road games overall.

The Gators (4-0 SU, 3-0-1 ATS) have rebounded nicely after a disappointing 8-5 SU (7-6 ATS) season last year. They’re ranked No. 12 at Don Best after last week’s 48-10 blowout win at Kentucky as 17 ½-point favorites.

Coach Will Muschamp has taken the reigns from the legendary Urban Meyer and met the big expectations so far. However, this will be the first ranked opponent and Gators fans are expecting a victory.

Quarterback John Brantley was the other big question mark this season. He struggled last year with nine TDs versus 10 interceptions and a 116.4 quarterback rating. The senior has four TDs against two picks this year with a 148.1 rating.

New offensive coordinator Charlie Weis may have been a failure as Notre Dame’s head coach, but his resume at developing quarterbacks can’t be questioned at the college or pro level. The new pro-style attack has led to a solid 8.7 yards per attempt for Brantley (17th among signal callers).

Running back Chris Rainey has been the big gun both rushing (411 yards) and receiving (214 yards). No other player has more than 93 receiving yards. Alabama will try to cut off his underneath routes, but that will be much harder if the outstanding cover linebacker (Mosley) is out.

Jeff Demps is another speedster at running back, amassing 320 yards at 9.4 per carry. He also has nine receptions for 70 yards. The Crimson Tide need to shut those guys down and force Brantley and the receivers to beat them downfield.

On defense, Florida is top-5 nationally in points (9.0 PPG), run defense (56.5 YPG) and total defense (231.8 YPG). That’s impressive with just three returning starters. Slowing down Richardson and the running attack would put the first real pressure on McCarron.

Florida’s one significant injury listed is sophomore tight end Jordan Reed (hamstring). He’s missed the last two games and is questionable for this matchup.

Alabama had decisive wins the last two years (31-6, 32-13) and is 7-1 ATS in the last eight meetings overall. Florida did win (28-13 as 16 ½-point favorites) the last game in Gainesville in 2006. That was with Chris Leak at quarterback.

Early weather predictions are clear and in the 70s.

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Pitt Panthers Home 'Dogs To South Florida Bulls

The South Florida Bulls (4-0) and Pittsburgh Panthers (2-2) open up their 2011 Big East schedules and handicappers will likely examine their numbers closely against a common opponent during non-conference play.

Kickoff from Heinz Field in Pittsburgh is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. (ET) on Thursday and will be nationally televised on ESPN.

Both teams have played Notre Dame and came away with different results. South Florida opened the season with a 23-20 win as 10 ½-point road underdogs, while Pittsburgh dropped a 15-12 home decision this past week when getting a touchdown.

Bettors have certainly taken those results into consideration, moving the Bulls from a pick’ em in this contest to solid 2 ½-point road favorites.

South Florida just slipped into the top 30 of this week's Don Best Linemakers Poll at No. 28 after producing a perfect mark through four weeks. Offensively, the Bulls have produced 122 points over the past two games, which has resulted in scoring over 50 points in back-to-back games for the first time in school history.

The running game did most of the damage in a 52-24 win over the UTEP Miners as 30-point home favorites last week, gaining 373 yards, which fell four yards short of setting a single-game record for the program.

Quarterback B.J. Daniels shouldn’t be forgotten in this matchup, throwing for 1,071 passing yards in the first four weeks of the season. It’s likely that those numbers will not be reached in playing Thursday’s conference opponent, as South Florida has been outscored by a 58-24 margin in the last two meetings in this series.

The Bulls will be favored for the first time in the last three meetings against Pitt. South Florida failed to cover the last two contests when playing as underdogs of three and 6 ½ points.

Pittsburgh is looking to snap a two-game losing streak and will be making its 17th Thursday night ESPN appearance, posting a 1-4 record in the last five such contests. The Panthers lead this series, 5-3, splitting four games when playing as host.

First-year head coach Todd Graham took over a young program in the Steel City that had only two seniors starting offensively, both on the offensive line. That group lost guard Chris Jacobson for the season last week with a knee injury.

Despite the injury, Pittsburgh is likely to still feature its running game, as junior Ray Graham leads the conference and ranks eight nationally in rushing for 127 yards a contest.

For bettors looking for an early score, the program has yet to allow a single point in the first 15 minutes of action this season, outscoring opponents by a 29-0 margin in the first quarter.

Expect the Panthers defense to try and disrupt Daniels in the passing game, as the unit is averaging 2.75 sacks per game, which is tied for 23rd in the nation. That's slightly above last year’s pace of registering 2.62 sacks a contest.

The program has shown great ability in bouncing back, coming into this prime-time event with a 10-1 ATS mark after suffering a straight-up loss.

Early weather forecasts suggest showery conditions and temperatures in the upper-50s in the Pittsburgh area.

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Pittsburgh looks to hand USF its first loss Thursday

SOUTH FLORIDA BULLS (4-0)
at PITTSBURGH PANTHERS (2-2)

Kickoff: Thursday, 8:00 p.m. EDT
Line: South Florida -3

No. 16 South Florida brings its high-powered offense north to face a desperate Pitt team eager to stop a two-game losing skid.

The Panthers are a surprising home underdog against a team they have beaten three straight times, holding the Bulls to 15.0 PPG in those contests. Bulls QB B.J. Daniels has 5.0 YPA, 0 TD and 3 INT in his career in the series, while Pitt QB Tino Sunseri has 8.0 YPA, 2 TD and 0 INT against USF. In the past three-plus seasons, South Florida is 2-6 ATS as a road favorite, while Pittsburgh is 10-3 ATS after a SU defeat (5-1 ATS versus Big East). The Bulls have been very fortunate this year with a +8 turnover margin and allowed 110 more yards to common opponent Notre Dame than the Panthers did last week. All of these factors point to a PITTSBURGH victory.

This FoxSheets coaching trend also sides with the Panthers:

Todd Graham is 7-0 ATS (+7.0 Units) as a home underdog of 7 points or less in all games he has coached since 1992. The average score was Graham 35.9, OPPONENT 27.4 - (Rating = 1*).

South Florida ranks in the top-10 in the nation in both scoring (45.5 PPG) and total offense (523 YPG). Bulls QB B.J. Daniels has 748 total yards and eight total TD in the past two weeks, but the last time he played in Pittsburgh, he was 4-for-8 for 54 yards and two interceptions. The emergence of RB Darrell Scott over the past three weeks will be a key to this game. Scott has 413 total yards and six touchdowns in these three contests. Defensively, the Bulls have been pretty sound, but giving up 24 points to a weak UTEP team last week was nothing to feel good about. They rank 15th in the nation in rushing defense (82 YPG), but are a subpar 75th against the pass (231 YPG). USF has done a great job creating turnovers with 13 takeaways in four games.

The Panthers have won the past three meetings with USF including a 41-14 pounding when they last met in Pittsburgh. Ray Graham rushed for 88 yards on 11 carries that day, as the Panthers outgained the Bulls 486 to 212. Although Graham, who is currently sixth in the nation in rushing yards (508), was limited to 44 yards on 10 carries in last year’s meeting, a 17-10 Pittsburgh win.

The Panthers could certainly be undefeated heading into Thursday night, but they have blown two straight fourth-quarter leads, including a 17-point advantage in a loss at Iowa two weeks ago. Pitt has allowed 19 sacks (tied for most in FBS), which is a big reason Sunseri has four interceptions in just 82 pass attempts. Last year he was only picked off nine times in 346 attempts. The Panthers also need to improve on the defensive side of the ball. They have allowed 412 YPG, which ranks 97th in the country. This includes the sixth-worst pass defense among FBS schools (306 YPG).

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USU looks to snap 15-game losing skid at BYU

UTAH STATE AGGIES (1-2)
at BYU COUGARS (2-2)

Kickoff: Friday, 8:00 p.m. EDT
Line: BYU -8.5

BYU looks to get the upper hand back in the series with Utah State when the in-state rivals meet for a Friday night game in Provo. The Aggies won last year’s meeting, but haven’t beaten the Cougars in their home stadium since 1978, a streak of 15 straight defeats.

BYU had beaten Utah State 10 straight times overall before the Aggies turned the tables and rolled the Cougars 31-16 last year. USU led 31-3 late in the third quarter of that victory and outgained BYU 242-65 on the ground. The Cougars offense has been atrocious this year, ranked 111th in yards (291 YPG) and 109th in points (16.0 PPG), but they have played four quality opponents (Ole Miss, Texas, Utah and UCF). Utah State could be 3-0, but blew double-digit leads at Auburn and at home to Colorado State. Since 2007, the Aggies are a stellar 18-7 ATS (72%) when tabbed as a road underdog. With a superior ground game, the pick here is UTAH STATE to cover.

This FoxSheets trend also backs the Aggies:

Play On - Road underdogs of 3.5 to 10 points (UTAH ST) - after outgaining opp. by 125 or more total yards in their previous game, game between two teams with 5 or less defensive starters returning. (56-25 since 1992.) (69.1%, +28.5 units. Rating = 2*).

Utah State has not beaten the Cougars in consecutive seasons since 1973 and 1974, but it has the rushing attack to pull off the upset Friday night. USU ranks fifth in the nation with 316 rushing YPG and its 6.2 yards-per-carry average ranks sixth in the nation. Junior Robert Turbin has 365 rushing yards and eight touchdowns in the first three games. The Aggies rolled up 281 yards on the ground last week against Colorado State, but lost the game in overtime because of four lost fumbles. Freshman QB Chuckie Keeton had two of those fumbles, but he has thrown the ball very well this year, completing 40-of-60 passes for 465 yards, 2 TD and 0 INT. Although the Aggies have allowed 31.3 PPG (97th in nation), they have the 12th-best total defense in the land, holding opponents to 270 YPG. If the offense stops turning the ball over, the points allowed should surely drop.

The Cougars aren’t known for running the football, but they gained 168 rushing YPG last year, which ranked 42nd in the nation. In 2011, they have the fifth-worst ground game in the land at 68 rushing YPG. Senior JJ Di Luigi averaged 71 rushing YPG on 5.2 YPC last year, but his numbers have plummeted to 41 rushing YPG on 4.1 YPC in 2011. Sophomore QB Jake Heaps has also struggled against this season’s higher-quality opponents, completing just 55.6% of his passes and throwing 3 TD and 5 INT. In last year’s loss to USU, Heaps was 27-of-54 for 270 yards, but had no touchdowns and two picks. On the defensive side of the ball, BYU’s front four needs to do a better job getting into the backfield. The Cougars have just four total sacks in four games and rank 98th in the nation in Tackles For Loss (4.5 per game).

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Pac 12 Notebook

September 27, 2011

Week Four Rewind

The Pac 12 was filled with a mix of blowouts and exciting games this past weekend.

Oregon took care of Arizona by 25 points but give the Wildcats credit for not giving up. Trailing 35-3, Arizona cut the deficit to 11 points the third quarter before the Ducks pulled away. Anyone that watched the game saw a very undisciplined Wildcats team and one that could not tackle as they allowed 415 yards rushing on 47 carries (8.8 YPC).

USC outgained Arizona State 402-392 but a minus-4 margin in turnovers did the Trojans in. They trailed 21-9 at halftime but took the lead in the third quarter by a point before the Sun Devils scored the final 22 points to run away with it. USC didn't help itself by committing 10 penalties while going a paltry 1-9 on third down.

Washington and UCLA won their respective games by eight points.

UCLA nearly blew a 21-3 lead against Oregon State but it was able to hold on and save head coach Rick Neuheisel's job for at least one more week. Had the Bruins lost, he may have lost his job that night. The Beavers won the yardage battle 375-357 but they failed on two fourth down conversions in the fourth quarter at the UCLA 34 and 22-yard line.

The Huskies jumped ahead 21-10 but they could not hold their lead either as California stormed back to take the lead. Washington scored the game's final 10 points including a 70-yard touchdown pass with 12:13 left. The Golden Bears had a chance to tie and send the game into overtime but were stopped at the two-yard line with 21 seconds remaining.

In the only non-conference game, Colorado was no match for Ohio State, losing 37-17. The Buffaloes were outgained by only 22 total yards but 125 of their yards came in garbage time. Eight of Colorado's 12 drives consisted of three plays or fewer while the defense allowed just one three and out, the Buckeyes first possession of the game.

Heisman Hopeful Again?

No we are not talking about Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck who was off this past weekend. We are referring to Oregon running back LaMichael James who pretty much dropped out of the Heisman race after two games but has since reinserted himself.

After totaling 121 yards rushing against LSU and Nevada, James broke out with 204 yards on 12 carries against Missouri State. While that may not seem overly impressive since it was against a FCS school, he followed that up 288 yards on 23 carries against Arizona.

That impressive total was a school record and on the season, James is rushing for an unheard of 9.4 yards per carry.

"Defensively, we’re just not playing anywhere close to good enough to win against a good football team," Arizona head coach Mike Stoops said. "We can’t commit any more guys to the line of scrimmage and stop the run. I don’t know what else to say." That is not exactly confidence building coach speak.

Oregon is off this week.

Quarterback Conference

While the Pac 12 has the fifth fewest ranked teams of the six BCS conferences, one thing it does possess is a slew of solid quarterbacks.

Eight conference quarterbacks are ranked among the top 40 in the nation in passing efficiency. You would think Andrew Luck is leading the way but it is two quarterbacks from The Evergreen State.

Washington State's Marshall Lobbestael, who took over as the starter after Jeff Tuel was hurt, is sixth in the country as he has thrown for 959 yards with 10 touchdowns and two interceptions while completing 62.4 percent of his passes.

Meanwhile Washington's Keith Price is not far behind at ninth as he has thrown for 983 yards on 67 percent completions to go along with 14 touchdowns and three picks. He is tied with Matt Schilz of Bowling Green for best in the nation with those 14 scoring strikes.

Good quarterbacking usually leads to a lot of offense and as a conference, the ‘over’ is now a profitable 17-12 on the season.

Game of the Week

Washington at Utah. It may not seem like game of the week material and quite frankly, it really isn't. However it is the only game in the Pac 12 this week that features two teams above .500. It is safe to say that ESPN's College Gameday will not be making the trip to Rice-Eccles Stadium.

However, this is Utah's first ever Pac 12 home game and a win here will setup a showdown with Arizona St. next week. The winner of that game will have the upper hand in the Pac 12 South.

[StarDust Bum]

Games to Watch - Week 5

September 27, 2011

Saturday - Texas A&M at Arkansas (ABC/ESPN, 3:30 p.m. ET)

Matchup Skinny

This is the third game of a 10-year contract for these team to meet in Arlington. Why, you ask? Well, for starters, Jerry Jones is Arkansas' most famous alum and the school's biggest alumni base outside of the state is in Dallas. The Hogs have won the first two games by scores of 47-19 as 1 ½-point favorites in 2009 and 24-17 as five-point 'chalk' last year. As of Tuesday, most books had the Aggies installed as three-point favorites with a total of 62 ½. Mike Sherman's squad is hoping to bounce back from a 30-29 home loss to Oklahoma St. last week, as A&M allowed a 20-3 advantage at intermission to get away. Arkansas is also in bounce-back mode after suffering its first loss of the year at Alabama by a 38-14 count. On the injury front, the Razorbacks lost junior DE Tenarius Wright to a broken arm (4-6 weeks), but they might get back senior DE Jake Bequette, who has missed back-to-back games with a hamstring injury. Both teams have quality QBs and their play could very well be the difference in the game. Texas A&M senior Ryan Tannehill has a 6/4 TD-INT ratio, while Arkansas junior Tyler Wilson has seven TD passes compared to just three picks. The Hogs are 11-9 in 20 games as underdogs on Bobby Petrino's watch. As for A&M, it owns a 9-7 spread record as a home favorite under Sherman (1-2 ATS this season).




Saturday - Clemson at Virginia Tech (ESPN2, 6:00 p.m. ET)

Matchup Skinny

Clemson (4-0 straight up, 3-1 against the spread) is set to go on the road for the first time this year after collecting four straight win at home. The Tigers ended Auburn's 17-game winning streak in Week 3 and then took command of the ACC Atlantic with last week's 35-30 triumph over FSU as 2 ½-point favorites. Sammy Watkins, a true freshman wide receiver, is a candidate for ACC Player of the Year honors after snaring eight receptions for 141 yards and a pair of touchdowns against the Seminoles. Tajh Boyd, a sophomore QB, is playing like a seasoned veteran with 13 TD passes compared to only two interceptions. Frank Beamer's team is off to a 4-0 start but it has failed to cover the number in three consecutive games. QB Logan Thomas, who has a 4/4 touchdown-to-interception ratio, is 'probable' with a sore shoulder. Dating back to 1998, the Hokies have won five in a row over Clemson both SU and ATS. The 'under' is on a 9-2 run in Va. Tech's last 11 games, but the 'over' is on a 5-0 surge for Clemson. As of Tuesday, most books were listing the Hokies as seven-point favorites with a total of 49. Gamblers can take Clemson on the money line for a plus-240 return (risk $100 to win $240).


Other Games to Watch

Matchup Skinny

Michigan State at Ohio State - As of Tuesday, most books had Ohio St. (3-1 SU, 2-2 ATS) listed as a three-point favorite with a total of 44. The Buckeyes have won seven in a row over the Spartans, going 5-1-1 ATS in the process. They won a 45-7 decision as 3 ½-point road favorites in East Lansing last year. Michigan St. (3-1 SU, 2-2 ATS) responded to its first loss (31-13 at Notre Dame in Week 3) by hammering Central Michigan 45-7 last Saturday. Le'Veon Bell ran for three TDs and the MSU defense limited CMU to merely 112 yards of total offense. During Mark Dantonio's tenure at MSU, the Spartans are 5-5 ATS as road underdogs. Both Big Ten rivals have seen the 'under' go 3-1 this year. Dating back to last season, the Buckeyes have watched the 'under' cash at a lucrative 6-1 clip.

Baylor at Kansas State - Baylor (3-0 SU, 2-0 ATS) will bring its Heisman Trophy candidate and an unbeaten record to Manhattan this Saturday for a key Big 12 matchup. Robert Griffin III is enjoying an amazing year to date, throwing for 962 yards and rushing for 167 yards. The junior signal caller has completed 85.4 percent of his passes with 13 TD passes without an interception. Griffin also has one rushing TD. He has more TD passes than incomplete passes. His favorite target is Kendall Wright, who has 31 catches for 420 yards and four TD grabs. Wright also has a TD pass. However, the Bears still leave a lot to be desired on the other side of the ball, giving up 48 points to TCU and 31 to Rice. Kansas St. (3-0 SU, 2-1 ATS) is coming off a huge win, going to Miami and emerging with a 28-24 win as a 12 ½-point underdog. K-St. is 5-2 both SU and ATS in its last seven games against Baylor, but the Bears won a 47-42 shoot-out last year in Waco. The 'over' has been a big money maker for both programs recently. The 'over' is on a 9-2 run in Baylor's last 11 outings, while the 'over' is 9-3 in the Wildcats' last 12 contests. On Tuesday, most books had Baylor favored by 3 ½ with a total of 63 ½.

Texas at Iowa State - Texas (3-0 SU, 2-1 ATS) had an open date following its 49-20 blowout win at UCLA that exacted a nice measure of revenge. The Longhorns finally got their offense going thanks to two TD passes from Case McCoy and a pair of TD runs from Foswhitt Whittaker. Texas freshman RB Malcolm Brown rushed 22 times for 110 yards and a score. Iowa St. (3-0 SU, 2-1 ATS) also enjoyed an open date after winning 24-20 at UConn. The Cyclones beat arch-rival Iowa 44-41 the previous week in a thrilling triple-overtime slugfest. As of Tuesday, most books had Texas favored by 9 1/2 with a total of 48. The 'under' is 4-1 in the last five head-to-head meetings between these Big 12 adversaries. Also, the 'under' is 2-1 for both teams through three games this season.

Auburn at South Carolina - This is a double-revenge game for the 4-0 Gamecocks, who let a double-digit lead get away in a 35-27 loss at Auburn last year. Then in the SEC Championship Game, the Tigers thumped South Carolina by a 56-17 count. But Auburn no longer has QB Cam Newton or DT Nick Fairley and that's why it was a 10-point underdog as of Tuesday. Steve Spurrier yanked QB Stephen Garcia in the fourth quarter of last year's loss on The Plains after he committed a pair of fourth-quarter turnovers. Might Garcia take the same treatment this week? He's off an awful four-interception performance in last week's 21-3 home win over Vandy. As of Tuesday, most books had South Carolina listed as a 10-point favorite with a total of 59 ½. Gamblers should check the status of AU tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen, who missed last week's 30-14 win over FAU with an ankle injury.

[StarDust Bum]

News & Notes - Week 5

September 27, 2011

Week 5

Iowa used the hurry up offense to make a big comeback vs Pitt the previous week overcoming a 17 pt 4Q deficit. They stayed in the hurry up vs Louisiana Monroe. UI scored TD's on their first 2 drives and ULM went on a 57/14pl drive in between but settled for a 43 yd FG. Later ULM was SOD at the UI20 on a 4&4 dropped pass with 4:10 left in the half trailing 21-3 and UI marched 80/8pl getting a TD with 2:07 left in the half. That gave them a 28-3 lead with a 294-134 yd edge. ULM scored TD's on their opening two 3Q drives to make it 35-17 but UI scored a TD and a 32 yd FG on their next 2 drives to ice it...

Michigan State bounced back off the Notre Dame loss taking advantage of 4 Central Michigan turnovers. They led 7-0 after 1Q when CM was int'd on their next 3 poss. The 2nd of the int's, MSU ret'd directly for a 37 yd TD and they converted on the other two into a TD and a FG to lead 24-0. At the half MSU was up 31-0 and did have a 256-47 yd edge. CM had beaten MSU 29-27 on a last second FG when they last met in 2009. This time MSU finished with a 481-112 yd edge and ended the game at the CM26 taking a knee in the 45-7 win...

Memphis suffered another demoralizing defeat with the stadium half empty for Homecoming. They were mauled by SMU 42-0. UM got into the RZ once which was late 1H when they got to the 10 yd line but their 4th down pass fell incomplete. Taylor Reed started and hit 17-32-153. SMU scored TD's on their first 2 poss, fmbl'd at the UM37 then actually punted twice before going 47 (after 33 yd PR) and 44 yards for TD's to lead 28-0. They also got to the 20 and were int'd in the EZ and had a 302-117 yd edge at the half. SMU did only lead 28-0 after fumbling at the UM5 in the 3Q but went 88/15pl and got a 3&14 TD pass with 7:51 left then after a fmbl went 13/3pl for another TD to lead 42-0 with 6:10 left...

Quarterback Denard Robinson rushed for a season high 200 yds vs San Diego State but did hit just 8-17-93 yds passing. SDSt actually had a 20-18 FD edge and Michigan only a 413-376 yd edge. SDSt had won their first 3 games for the first time since 1981 but were matched up vs their former HC who knew them inside and out. UM led 21-0 at the half. In the 1H, SDSt fumbled at the UM39, was SOD on 4&3 at the UM29, had a FD to the UM18 called back on a hold and ended up punting. UM was int'd on their first two 3Q poss and missed a 40 yd FG then fmbl'd at their own 38 setting up the Aztecs only TD, 21-7 after 3Q's. SDSt was SOD on 4&2 at the UM43 and UM went 57/4pl for a TD with 6:29 left. The Aztecs fumbled at the UM33 and on 4&10 from the UM13 had the pass dropped at the 1 at the end...

Bernard Pierce set a school record with 5 rushing TD's as Temple, which gave Penn St a good fight the previous week, absolutely throttled Maryland leading 31-0 at the half and 38-0 before MD got a TD with 4:31 left to avoid a shutout. MD wore "wounded warrior" jerseys (black, yellow and red) and the profits from an action are donated to a wounded warrior project. QB O'Brien was sk'd for the first 3 times on the year. TU drove 74, 78, 7 (after punt blk), 93 and 66 yards for 4 TD's and a FG on their five 1H drives while MD punted on their first 4 poss and were SOD at the TU10 on their last. MD got an 80/8pl drive for a TD with 4:31 left to avoid the shutout and TU even finished with a 1st & gl at the 2 taking a knee...

Mohamed Sanu set a Rutgers school record with 16 rec's but for just 176 yards. Tyler Tettleton threw for 339 yards for Ohio while Rutgers only had a 410-404 yd edge they turned three 1H TO's into TD's for a 21-7 lead. Ohio fumbled at their own 29 setting up a 5pl drive for a TD and OU drove 26 yds for a TD after an int. OU fmbl'd at the RU37 with 5:43 left in the half trailing 14-7 and after RU got 1 FD & punted, OU not only fumbled the punt, but RU fell on it in the EZ for a TD and a 21-7 lead with 2:30 left in the half. OU pulled within 28-20 and had the ball at their 46 but fmbl'd again setting up a RU FG and RU then went 80/13pl with a substitution infraction on 4&1 giving RU a FD at the OU11 and they got an 11 yd TD pass on the next play to put it away 38-20 with 5:00 left. OU went 88/12pl getting a TD with 1:39 left...

Teams off losses have been pummelling their FCS opponents and Boston College did just that to Massachusetts, even though they only finished with a 389-313 yd edge. Kellen Pagel is the UMass QB and he is ex-NFL QB Mike Pagel's son. On his first pass on the first play of the game he was int'd and BC drove 47 yds for a TD. BC was up 17-0 when UM got a 100 yd KR TD to get within 17-7 but at the half BC had a 213-103 yd edge and led 24-7. BC got an 18 yd FR TD to go up 38-10 with 1:17 left in the 3Q and UM went 76/13pl. On 3&gl from the 1, Pagel was int'd and LB Pierre-Louis ret'd it 96 yds for a TD to make it 45-10 with 12:28 left. UMass gained 93 of their yards after that on their final 3 drives incl a 69/6pl garbage TD...

Ball State dominated as in the 1H they had a 333-101 yd edge. It was 7-0 when Army drove 48/12pl and missed a 32 yd FG. BS then went 80/6pl, 7/11pl, 17/6pl (after int) for TD's and went 56/11pl settling for a 21 yd FG on the final play of the half to lead 31-0. It was 45-7 after 3Q's and Army drove 80/10pl for a TD with 12:49 left and each team would get a TD in the final 3:00...

Toledo lost RB Adonis Thomas in the 1Q and was missing 4 starters on defense. UT appeared in control early leading 10-0 after 1Q but Syracuse took a 30-27 lead on a score and a missed xp which somehow was called good by the Big East officiating crew and was not overturned via replay with 2:22 left. UT's opening drive was 75/22pl and they settled for a 20 yd FG and later UT was SOD at the Syr 31. The game was tied at 13 and 20 and UT got a TD with 10:54 left to take a 27-23 lead. Syr punted but then took over with 6:51 left and went 71/10pl for a TD and the lead. UT, after a PF face mask, had a 1st & gl at the 9 threatening for the win but settled for the tying FG and OT and was int'd in OT while SU got a FG. The BE issued a formal statement 2 hours after the game admitting the officials erred on the xp call...

Georgia dominated Mississippi more than the final as they had 25-8 FD and 475-183 yd edges. UGA was int'd at the UM41 but still led 17-0 when QB Rebs Mackey lined up at WR and threw a 38 yd TD pass on a reverse. With just 1:26 left in the half, UGA was up comfortably, 24-7 when UM ran a reverse on the PR and went 81 yds for a TD to make it 24-13. In the 3Q UGA missed a 48, 48 and 35 yd FG's and Blair Walsh had 15 misses on 73 career FG's and had 3 misses here. UM was SOD on 4&10 at their own 33 and Walsh finally hit a 43 yd FG with 4:16 left for the 27-13 final margin...

The Irish had a 398-268 yd edge but only led at the half 7-6 because of a 79 yd Gray TD run. Notre Dame was int'd at the Pittsburgh 5 and missed a 39 yd FG on the 1H. They had a 258-143 yd edge. Pitt had its opening 3Q poss kept alive by roughing the P and they got a TD for a 12-7 lead. The next 4 poss were punts. The Irish took over with 11:28 left and went 85/11pl getting a TD and 2 pt conv with 6:48 left. Pitt got to the ND40 but on 4&25 fired incomplete with 2:24 left...

It was unusual to see that Miami, Ohio and Bowling Green combined for 60 points yet BG only had a 310-308 yd edge. BG got an 18 yd TD drive after a fumble and UM got a 6 yd IR TD in the 1H. BG blk'd a punt and rec'd at the 1 setting up a TD and led 20-17 at the half. BG opened it to 20-17 when UM got a TD with 11:03 left but BG fumbled the KO at their own 3 and faced a 2nd & 9 when Anthon Samuel set a school record with a 96 yd TD run. The TD was also a stadium record to put it away. UM's last shot ended on an int in the EZ with 2:20 left...

Florida State was off their big game vs Oklahoma which they had looked forward to for 9 months and also was starting backup QB Clint Trickett who looked pretty good. Trickett hit 24-38-336 yds in his first start. He led FSU 67/8pl for a 32 yd FG. Clemson went 80/7pl for a TD then roughing the P gave them a FD and they went 77/8pl for a TD. They were up 21-10 at the half with a 227-168 yd edge. FSU got a 25 yd IR TD on the 4th play of the 3Q to get back in it 21-17. After a punt CU went 70/12pl for a TD, 28-17 but FSU went 80/7pl to make it 28-23. CU got a 62 yd TD pass, 35-23 (13:06 4Q). FSU went 78/4pl for a TD, 35-30 (7:21). CU was SOD on 4&1 at the FSU24 (2:49). FSU got to the 37 but on 4&9 Trickett was sk'd with 1:37 left...

Oregon State fell to 0-3 for the first time since 1996. OSU did have an 85 yd PR TD just before the half to get back in this one. It was the 2nd longest PR in school history. OSU finished with 375-357 yd and 22-17 FD edges. They went on an 82/17pl drive to open but settled for a 25 yd FG. UCLA went 80/3pl for a TD then after an int went 46/7pl for a TD and after a fumble went 4 yards for a TD and led 21-3 with :32 left in the half UCLA punted and OSU got an 85 yd PR TD. At the half UCLA had a 209-138 yd edge and led 21-10. OSU pulled within to 21-19 but missed the 2 pt conv on the final play of the 3Q. UCLA got a TD with 6:15 left but the xp was blk'd leaving OSU within 8. They were SOD on 4&8 at the LA22 with 2:12 left and UCLA got 2 FD's and ran out the clock...

Tulane did not force Duke to punt until the 4Q and Duke finished with a 484-318 yd edge despite the fact TU drove 77/8 and 96/11 for TD's in the final 10:37 while Duke gained just 29 yards in that span after leading 48-13. TU was off an upset as a DD underdog on the road and wilted for the 2nd straight time in that situation...

Trent Richardson rushed for 126 yds and added 85 yds in rec plus 24 KR yds. Alabama had a 210-89 yd edge at the half over Arkansas but only led 17-7 but Maze got an 83 yd PR TD, Richardson took a screen pass 61 yds for a TD and Bama rolled to a 38-14 lead after 3Q's before playing conservative in the 4Q...

Houston rolled to a 56-0 rout of Georgia State. They had a 732-241 yd edge...

The UAB-East Carolina game was very interesting. EC turned it over 7 times but still managed a 28-23 win. UAB also had 3 TO's incl an int in the EZ in the 2Q. EC led 14-10 at the half when they gave up a 35 yd IR TD. The Pirates still appeared poised for the cover. They drove 62/6pl and 80/6pl for TD's, 28-17. UAB QB Ellis was ? coming in and was taken off on a backboard and backup QB Perry fumbled. EC took over at the 50 and drove 50/7pl but going in for the spread covering TD with 13:29 left, Dobson fumbled into the EZ for a TB. Perry led UAB 80/6pl incl a 51 yd pass and the TD made it 28-23 with 10:58 left. EC35 was driving for the clinching score and was at the UAB15 on 2&5 when they were int'd at the 9. UAB9 took over with 7:02 left at their own 9 and went 73/17pl. Looking for the game winning TD on 4&8 from the 18, they fired incomplete in the EZ with 2:22 left and EC got 1 FD and ran out the clock. EC did have a 542-400 yd edge...

Louisiana Tech had a costly int in the 4Q or would have upset Mississippi State. MSU had 10 pts via spec tms as they got their first PR TD S/'07. It was a 72 yd punt that Bumphis ret'd 82 yds for a TD in the 1Q. LT led 10-7 but MSU rallied to lead 17-10 at the half. MSU took a gamble in the 3Q going for it on 4&1 at their own 34 and was SOD and LT got a TD 6pl later to tie it but then LT fumbled a punt on their own 25 setting up a MSU FG and trailed 20-17. With 8:42 left, LT got a 28 yd FG to tie. They took over at their 20 with 6:50 left and got 3 FD's to the MSU20. On 3&5 from the 20, Isham floated a pass in the corner of the EZ which was int'd for a TB and the game went to OT. Isham tossed another int on the 2nd play of OT and MSU on 2&2 got a 17 yd TD pass to Perkins to pull out the win. LT had a 359-340 yd edge...

Western Michigan settled for too many FG's in the 1H. They had a 227-200 1H yd edge but missed a 44 yd FG, went on an 18pl drive and missed a wide open rec on 1st & gl settling for a 26 yd FG, missed another FG, this one from 49 yds and went on a 13pl drive and settled for a 24 yd FG. At the half they only led 13-10. Illinois battled back to lead 20-13 but WM tied it with 13:58 left. UI got a 21 yd FG with 8:14 left for the lead. WM punted with 5:59 left and IU did a good job getting 3 FD's before being SOD with 1:05 left and WM having no time-outs left. WM got 2 FD's but too many of the plays were in bounds and they ran out of time at the IU41...

Troy won its 6th straight vs Middle Tennessee despite being outgained 582-479 and not taking their first lead until 1:11 was left in the 3Q. They named the field at Veterans Memorial Stadium Larry Blakeney Field. MTSU led 28-24 when they settled for a 42 yd FG and missed it. Troy got a 75 yd TD pass on the next play and they forced 2 MTSU punts while scoring a TD and Troy led 38-28. MTSU got a TD with 3:18 left then forced a punt and got it back with 2:53 left and got to the Troy 35 but on 4&5 were int'd at the 17...

Kansas State delivered a big win with their outright upset over Miami, Florida. The Wildcats QB Collin Klein was very impressive hitting 12-18-133 while rushing for 93 incl a crucial 26 yd run on 2&29 pinned at their own 3. K-St led 14-3 at the half and missed a 46 yd FG to open the 3Q. They still led 21-10 but UM got some big plays like a 59 yd TD run by Miller and a 34 yd TD pass to Benjamin and took a 24-21 lead. KSU answered with an 80/8pl drive for a TD. Each team punted but KSU only got off a 20 yd punt with 3:52 left and UM was able to get down to the 2 yd line. On 4&gl from the 1 Harris took off to the left and was clearly down and it didn't even look like the ball ever crossed the goal line but he was awarded a TD. Replays marked the ball at the 1.5 yd line and KSU held on for the outright upset...

For the 3rd straight year Oklahoma State came back from a half time deficit. Brandon Weeden threw for a school record 438 yds and 2 scores. Texas A&M appeared in complete control scoring on 4 of their 1H poss while OSU had 3 punts. OSU scored TD's on their first 3 poss of the 3Q while A&M punted, fumbled at the OSU44, was int'd at their own 23, int'd at their own 34, and punted on their first 5 poss. They trailed 30-20 when they drove 80/15pl for a TD with 2:20 left. They forced a punt with 1:47 left but turned it over again on an int on 2nd & 9. On the last play of the game OSU with :05 left opted for Blackmon to race 39 yds into the EZ for a safety which skewed the rushing stats a little as they lost 55 yds on the final 4pl and made the final 30-29...

Unfortunately, Nevada could not hold on to a 28-13 lead mid3Q. Texas Tech on 4&4 with :36 left got a 4 yd TD pass to pull out the 1 pt win. Doege looked stymie as he took the snap on the final score, back peddled to the 17, scanned for an open rec, nobody to the middle, right looked left and found the TD. Nev alternated QB's Cody Fajardo and Tyler Lantrip but Fajardo's 139 yds rushing were a spark. TT was without top WR Moore for most of the game (inj'd ankle 1Q). The key to the game was that Nev went on an 83/12pl, 63/11pl and 78/12pl drives that resulted in 3 FG's of 31, 25 and 21 yds. Not only did they settle for those FG's, the missed the 13 yarder and lost by a point as TT on 4&gl from the 4 had the QB scramble back to the 17 before hitting a TD pass with :36 left and TT pulled out the win...

All week Tulsa QB GJ Kinne was doubtful to play and while he did play, he hit just 14-24-123 yards. TU did not cross midfield in the first 38:30 of the game. Boise State had a 307-90 yd edge at the half leading 27-0 and scored a TD to open the 3Q to lead 34-0. Kellen Moore's day was done and the backups played the rest where TU got 3 TD's after that including a 59/8pl drive for a garbage TD with 3:19 left making the game appear closer than it really was...

Baylor punted on their first poss vs Rice but scored TD's on the next 5 poss. They did have 2 short fields with a 28 yd PR setting up a 43 yd TD and a fumbled KR setting up a 21 yd TD drive. It was 35-17 when RJ3 fmbl'd at the end of a 26 yd run at the Rice4 with :36 left. BU had a 381-211 yd edge at the half and 673-416 yd edge for the game.

[StarDust Bum]

College Notebook

September 27, 2011

Arizona State...Injuries have been piling up since the beginning of fall camp for the ASU defense, with starting DE Junior Onyeali (knee) the latest to miss action, although the Sun Devil "D" bucked up and forced four TOs in Saturday's rousing 43-22 win over Southern Cal, ASU's first over the Trojans since 1999.

Arizona... Things have gone pear-shaped in Tucson, as the Wildcats lost their eighth straight to a BCS foe last Saturday when Oregon romped 56-31. Of course UA has been in tough the past few weeks (Stanford, Oklahoma State, and Oregon), but the Cats are losing in the same manner, failing to generate much of an infantry diversion, held under 100 YR each of the past three games and unable to complement QB Nick Foles. Some desert observers believe backup Matt Scott, a better runner, might even be more effective than Foles, although HC Mike Stoops would like to redshirt Scott if possible and have him available for one more season at the helm in 2012.

Arkansas State... RS frosh RB Frankie Jackson, Red Wolves top rusher, left early in last week's game vs. Central Arkansas with a knee problem. His absence did not slow ASU in its 53-24 win over the Bears, with the Red Wolves gaining 646 total years. All-name backup RB Sirgregory Thornton chipped in with 120 YR and do-everything QB Ryan Aplin added another 87 YR in ASU's 398-yard ground assault vs. UCA.

Colorado... The Buffs aren't running the ball too well and continuing injuries on the OL aren't helping, with C Ryan Miller and LT Jack Harris both KO'd by ankle injuries for last week's game at Ohio State.

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Duke... RB Desmond Scott, the leading returning Blue Devil rusher with 511 YR in 2010, missed his third straight game with a leg injury. But Duke hardly missed him last Saturday vs. Tulane, dominating the Green Wave and scoring on its first eight possessions en route to a 48-27 win. The Devils amassed 166 YR (very good for them) in the rout.

Florida International... Golden Panthers were dealt a blow when QB Wesley Carroll had to leave last Saturday's game vs. UL-Lafayette with an ankle injury. RS frosh backup Jake Medlock was not too bad in relief, completing 17 of 27 passes for 224 yards, but also tossed a key pick in the final moments of 36-31 upset loss.

Florida State...Starting QB EJ Manuel missed last week’s game at Clemson with a shoulder injury suffered the week before vs. Oklahoma. The ‘Noles lost little in translation to RS frosh backup Clint Trickett, who completed 24 of 38 passes for 336 yards and 3 TDs, although it wasn't enough to prevent a 35-30 loss at Death Valley. FSU also gained only 31 YR vs. the Tigers.

Fresno State... Bulldog OL took some attrition last week at the Kibbbie Dome vs. Idaho when LG Matt Hunt and C Richard Helepiko both went down with ankle injuries. It didn't hurt the offense much vs. the Vandals as FSU scored 48 points and gained 519 yards, but both would be welcomed back for this week's revenge match vs. SEC Ole Miss is they could regain their fitness.

Hawaii... Slotback Jeremiah Ostrowski, who caught 19 passes in the first two games, remains sidelined with a foot injury. Note that QB Bryant Moniz hardly missed Ostrowski last week when tossing 7 TDP in the first half of an eventual 56-14 win over UC Davis.

Kentucky... HC Joker Phillips might be shortening the leash on QB Morgan Newton, completing only 52.6% of his passes while throwing 6 picks and just 5 TDs. Joker had seen enough last week vs. Florida and yanked Newton in the second half of the 48-10 blowout loss to Florida in favor of 6'4 true frosh Maxwell Smith, a California product. No word yet on what Joker might do for this week's game at high-flying LSU.

Louisville...HC Charlie Strong says that the starting QB job will return to junior Will Stein, perhaps as early as this week vs. Marshall, as he recovers from a sprained AC joint in his shoulder. Some Big East sources thought Strong might make the switch to athletic frosh Teddy Bridgewater, who came off the bench and played with his advertised flair in leading the Cards to a 24-17 win at Lexington on Sept. 17.

Memphis... Things are going from bad to worse for the Tigers, 42-0 losers to visiting SMU last week at the Liberty Bowl. Coach Larry Porter's most-explosive runner, Jerrell Rhodes, remains out with a knee injury, and he's now joined in the infirmary by top WR Marcus Rucker, whose 17 catches were by far and away the most on this year's Tiger team through three weeks but KO'd with a knee injury against the Ponies. The previous week, the beleaguered Porter had dismissed d.c. Jay Hopson and replaced him with defensive assistants Mike DuBose (former Bama HC) and Galen Scott, who both planned to "simply" the schemes for the stop unit. It didn't look like it did much good in last week's lopsided loss to the Mustangs.

Ole Miss... The natives are restless in Oxford, with a group of disgruntled Rebel backers taking out full-page ads in six papers in Memphis and Mississippi, expressing their displeasure at HC Houston Nutt. AD Pete Boone is also on record as saying he wants his team to display more "fire" after the recent loss at Vanderbilt. We're not sure he saw much in last week's 27-13 loss to visiting Georgia, a game in which Nutt alternated QBs Zack Stoudt and RS juco Randall Mackey, who fired the TD pass in Ole Miss' only offensive TD from scrimmage vs. the Bulldogs (the other score was on a punt return). Stoudt's recent stats tell the story, as he's completed just 20 of 49 passes with 6 picks over the last two games. SEC sources believe Nutt might simply opt to go with Mackey for this week's game at Fresno State.

North Carolina State... The Wolfpack has been struggling an things are not getting better with injuries piling up defensively. Hardest hit is the front seven, the line in particular, where DE Jeff Rieskamp (shoulder) and DT Brian Slay (ankle) were knocked out for the Kentucky game, joining another starter, MLB Terrell Manning (knee), on the sidelines during last week's 44-14 beating absorbed at Cincy. Each is likely to return within the next two weeks, however.

Nebraska... Star DT Jared Crick, who had started 31 straight games, traveled with the team but did not suit up last week at Wyoming due to an undisclosed injury. Check status for this week's Big Ten showdown at Wisconsin.

Nevada... The Wolf Pack Pistol uncovered a new component in last week's heartbreaking 35-34 loss at Texas Tech. But the defeat was not to be blamed on RS frosh CB Cody Fajardo, who provided a nice change-of-pace from starter Tyler Lantrip when running for 139 yards and passing for 59 more (and a TD) last Saturday at Lubbock. Look for HC Chris Ault to use Fajardo more as the season progresses.

New Mexico... After Saturday's 48-45 OT loss to FCS Sam Houston State, Lobo AD Paul Krebs canned HC Mike Locksley, whose 2+ year record in Albuquerque was 2-26. Also contributing to the ouster was the DWI arrest of a 19-year-old friend of the family who was driving a car registered to Locksley. That was the final straw for Krebs, who had negotiated a reduced buyout deal with the embattled Locksley in the offseason. "I didn't see any good ending to this story," said Krebs, who named d.c. George Barlow as the interim coach for the rest of the campaign. UNM's next game is the in-state battle hosting New Mexico State on Saturday night.

New Mexico State... QB Andrew Manley, who led the Aggies' surprise win at Minnesota Sept. 10, has been lost for the season with an ACL injury. Backup Matt Christian is no greenhorn, however, having started eight games LY. Christian was at the helm last Saturday at San Jose State and completed 16 of 27 passes, although SJSU broke its 13-game win streak at the expense of the Aggies, 34-24.

North Carolina... WE Eric Highsmith, the Heels' second leading receiver with 11 catches, was out of last Saturday's game at Georgia Tech with ankle problems.

Northwestern... QB Dan Persa, recovered from an Achilles tendon injury, is slated to get his first start of the season on Saturday at Illinois.

Ohio... Sr. RB Donte Harden, the leading Bobcat rusher with 214 yards thru the first three weeks, was out of last Saturday's loss at Rutgers due to a groin strain.

Oregon State... WR James Rodgers returned to the lineup for the first time in almost a year for last week's game vs. UCLA. Rodgers, who severely injured his knee in last year's wild win at Arizona, was back on the field vs. the Bruins, but RS frosh RN Andrew Agnew, who gained 223 YR in the opener vs. Sac State, remains out with a strained hamstring. The Beavers are struggling on both sides of the ball, however, including the DL, where both DT Castro Masaniai and DE Dominic Glover are dealing with suspensions.

Stanford... The Cardinal has been hit with a few injuries of note in the past week, with star LB Shayne Skov now done for the season with a knee injury, while WR Chris Owusu (shoulder) and TE Coby Fleener (concussion) are questionable for the game vs. UCLA this week.

TCU... Leading returning Frog rusher Ed Wesley missed his third straight game with shoulder issues last week vs. Portland State. But fear not, as the Frogs have rushed for at least 200 yards in each game of Wesley's absence, with Waymon Jones slamming for 136 yards in Wesley's place in Saturday's 55-13 romp past the Big Sky rep Vikings.

Texas... Junior QB Garrett Gilbert has been ruled out for the season with a shoulder injury, although he had already lost the starting job to RS soph Case McCoy.

Toledo... RB Adonis Thomas, leading Rocket rusher with 227 YR and 6.1 ypc, was KO'd early last Saturday at Syracuse with an arm injury.

Tulane... Leading returning receiver Ryan Grant remains out with a strained groin, and his absence might be starting to negatively impact QB Ryan Griffin, who completed no more than three passes to any pass catcher in last Saturday's 48-27 loss at Duke.

Tulsa... QB G.J. Kinne made a quick recovery from the knee injury he suffered the previous week at Oklahoma State, and was back in the Tulsa lineup for last week's 41-21 loss at Boise State.

UAB...QB Bryan Ellis suffered what appeared to be a serious head or back injury last Saturday at ECU, having to be carted off the Ficklen Stadium pitch on a flat board. Backup Jonathan Perry, a product of Baltimore Dunbar High, relieved Ellis and completed 9 of 16 passes in the process, although it wasn't enough in a 28-23 loss to the Pirates. Perry would seem likely to get the call for this week's game at Troy.

UCLA... HC Rick Neuheisel made the switch at QB prior to last week's game at Oregon State, benching oft-injured starter Kevin Prince in favor of longtime caddy Richard Brehaut, who had nonetheless started eight games over the past season-plus. Brehaut was serviceable at Corvallis vs. the Beavers, but hardly spectacular when completing only 7 passes in the 27-19 win. Some Westwood observers believe it's only a matter of time before Neuhseisel turns the offense over to true frosh Brett Hundley, a ballyhooed recruit from the Phoenix area who has been recuperating from a non-football knee injury suffered in the summer.

UTEP... With starting QB Nick Lamaison still out with a shoulder injury for last week's game at South Florida, HC Mike Price opted to start soph Carson Meger instead of RS frosh Jay Hall, who completed only 9 of 28 passes the previous week at NM State. Meger, the third Miner QB to start a game this season (and it's only September!), fared decently when completing 26 of 40 passes for 240 yards and 2 TDs, although his three picks proved costly in a 52-24 defeat at the hands of the Bulls.

Vanderbilt... The anemic Dore offense could only generate 77 yards in last Saturday's 21-3 loss to South Carolina. Starting QB Larry Smith was nicked in the second half with a minor knee injury and relinquished snaps to RS juco Jordan Rodgers, younger brother of Packer QB Aaron Rodgers, who was slightly more effective than Smith in the 18point loss. Smith completed 13 of 17 passes during his stint, but they only measured a collective 50 yards in an incredible display of "dinksmanship." Some Nashville sources expect Rodgers to supplant Smith as the starter in the near future.

[StarDust Bum]

Nebraska preps for Big Ten debut

September 27, 2011


LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - It is finally Nebraska-Wisconsin week after 13 months of anticipation since the Big Ten released the first football schedule to include the Cornhuskers.

The question is whether Saturday night's game between the two 4-0 teams in Madison, Wis., can live up to the hype.

The seventh-ranked Badgers did what they were supposed to against a soft nonconference schedule. They won by an average score of 49-9 with a defense that ranks in the top 10 in three of the four major categories and boast a rising star in quarterback Russell Wilson.

The No. 8 Huskers have been less impressive. They have won by an average of three touchdowns, but the defense has looked vulnerable and quarterback Taylor Martinez has been up and down.

With some 20,000 Husker fans expected to be in Madison for the game, coaches Bo Pelini of Nebraska and Bret Bielema of Wisconsin are taking different approaches in dealing with the buildup.

Pelini wouldn't bite when asked about the historical significance of Nebraska playing its first game as a Big Ten member against defending conference co-champion Wisconsin.

``None. It's the next game for us,'' he said Monday. ``It's just part of the process for us in what we're trying to accomplish as a team.''

While Pelini was playing a bit of defense against the hype, Bielema was embracing all that comes with the first game in Madison since 1962 to feature two teams ranked in the top 10.

``I told our team yesterday how many times can you as a player or a coach say that you're going to be involved with the start of league play in a new divisional alignment against an opponent the caliber of Nebraska and the tradition and history and everything that they bring with themselves - in addition to just being a really good football team this year?'' he said. ``I think Camp Randall should be rockin'.''

Wish Pelini good luck trying to downplay the game to his players.

Offensive linemen Jeremiah Sirles and Jermarcus Hardrick, and running back Rex Burkhead acknowledged that they've been talking about the trip to Wisconsin since last winter.

``You think about it all the time,'' Burkhead said.

Wisconsin's Wilson said he can feel the buzz in Madison.

``I think the level of excitement is extremely high,'' he said. ``We're definitely excited about it, but at the same time, you don't want to be too high about it.''

Though the Big Ten didn't have coaches fill out a preseason poll, media have tabbed Wisconsin as the heavy favorite to win the Leaders Division and Nebraska is a popular choice to win the Legends.

The form the Huskers have shown so far has made them a 10 1/2-point underdog Saturday. Every aspect of Nebraska's first four games has been nitpicked, all the way down to Martinez's unconventional throwing motion.

``Of course I take that as an insult,'' receiver Brandon Kinnie said. ``No respect. I'll take it and use it as motivation.''

Sirles said both teams are 4-0 and that's all that matters.

``No one at this point of the season has emerged as the greatest team in college football,'' he said. ``All the teams that are trying to be the greatest team in college football are 4-0, and we're 4-0. We're right in the thick of things of trying to get to where we want to be.''

Pelini said he can't shield his players from the hullabaloo surrounding the game, but he doesn't want them caught up in it.

``We have a really, really consistent approach around here. The No. 1 thing we have to do is take care of us. We need to get better,'' he said. ``I know you guys get sick and tired of hearing about it, but there is a process we go through and talk about on a daily basis that has nothing to do with hoopla, historical significance, your opponent, anything else.''

Bielema said the Badgers aren't perfect. Northern Illinois was tied with them late in the first quarter two weeks ago before Wisconsin rolled off 42 straight points, and the Badgers started slow against South Dakota before breaking open the game in the second quarter of a 59-10 win last week.

``Nothing on our schedule to this date will be Nebraska, I get it,'' he said.

Nebraska's Hardrick said the mood on the team changed immediately after it finished last week's 38-14 win at Wyoming.

``Everyone was hollering, `We're in the Big Ten now,''' he said. ``Everything in the nonconference doesn't matter now. Everybody has been ready to get into the Big Ten and make a statement. We've got a big game, the first Big Ten game, so it's a great chance to make a statement.''

[StarDust Bum]

Auburn Tigers In SEC Showdown At Gamecocks

South Carolina has never beaten Auburn since joining the SEC.
If I told you there was a democrat in the White House and America was in the throes of an economic downturn the last time that South Carolina beat the Auburn Tigers on the gridiron, you might think it had happened recently. That's not the case, however, as the Gamecocks look to break a 78-year drought vs. Auburn this Saturday at home.

South Carolina will be looking for its first win in this series since 1933, and first since joining the Southeastern Conference football alignment in the 1992 season. Auburn has won all six battles since then, two coming last season on the way to a BCS title.

The college football odds say this is finally the year the losing skid ends. The Gamecocks opened -11½ with initial Auburn support driving that number down to 10. Saturday's total has risen from an initial 58-point mark to 59½.

Last December's SEC Championship saw the Tigers roll the Gamecocks, 56-17, behind Cam Newton's 6-TD performance. Auburn closed as just a 3½-point favorite in that game, and the shellacking only added insult to South Carolina's regular-season defeat at Auburn. Steve Spurrier's club committed four 4th-quarter turnovers in that contest to blow a 20-7 lead. Newton accounted for all five Tigers scores in the 35-27 win.

The two losses have Sir Big Spur – both the coach and the bird – wanting to turn the tables this time around.

South Carolina comes in 4-0 (2-2 against the spread) after topping Vanderbilt a week ago, 21-3. The Gamecocks covered the 15½ points, thanks entirely to the defense that held the Commodores offense to just 77 total yards. Yes, that's right, 77 yards. It's a tremendous effort regardless of the opponent, but especially noteworthy for an SC defense that had been allowing 372 yards per game in wins over East Carolina, Georgia and Navy.

Turnovers, specifically four interceptions thrown by Stephen Garcia, penalties and the inability to get Marcus Lattimore and the ground game going were the culprits for Spurrier's offense. Lattimore did score twice, once on the ground and the other as a receiver, but was held to just 77 yards rushing as he slipped to second in the nation with a 152.8 per game average.

Gene Chizik's kids come in off a bit of a lackluster performance of their own last week at home. Auburn (3-1 SU, 1-3 ATS) took just a 10-6 lead into intermission over Florida Atlantic who was getting 31 points in the contest. The Tigers failed to cover for a third time in four games this season, but did get the 30-14 victory.

The game was being played on the heels of a 38-24 whipping at Clemson the week before, a loss that broke the school's 17-game win streak. Auburn only topped the Owls by a 315-307 margin on offense and gained 100 yards less on the ground than the week before against Clemson.

Auburn's running game could get healthy this week against a USC defense that is 61st in rushing yards allowed per game (137.7). The Carolina pass defense is letting opposing QB's get out of the game with a rating near 128, so Barrett Trotter's performance could mean the difference in an Auburn cover, if not outright upset.

That is if Chizik's defense doesn't impersonate a sieve like it has so far. Auburn is giving up over 226 yards per game on the ground, 112th in the country, and ranks 90th against the pass (251 YPG). It's no wonder opponents are averaging 31 points each contest.

Garcia ranks dead last out of 100 qualifying college passers with a 110.90 rating, making South Carolina's ability to exploit Auburn's run defense the most crucial aspect of this game for the Gamecocks and their backers. Leaving it in the hands of Garcia and the USC passing attack is likely to extend the losing streak to 79 years.

The two finalists from last year's SEC title tilt kick things off from Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia at 3:30 p.m. (ET) with CBS handling the broadcast.