Florida Feeling Effects Of Flu Epidemic

The University of Florida campus has been hit hard this fall by the H1N1 virus, more commonly known as swine flu. Now it may have stricken the most high profile student on campus. Sources report that quarterback Tim Tebow and two other players have been suffering from an unspecified respiratory illness and traveled separate from their teammate for precautionary reasons.

University of Florida officials wouldn’t confirm or even intimate that Tebow, cornerback Joe Haden and safety Major Wright were suffering from the flu. University sources have officially termed it a respiratory illness while a source more familiar with the matter wasnt much more disclosing, calling it euphemistically a respiratory condition involving congestion. The source also indicated that Tebow was pretty weak on Friday morning but feeling better than he had earlier in the week.

Head coach Urban Meyer confirmed earlier in the week that the team had suffered approximately 35 cases of the flu in the past few weeks. This week, however, all of the players on the teams travel roster made the trip. Receivers coach Billy Gonzalez was also in the traveling party after missing a few days of practice earlier in the week. He returned to practice on Thursday, wearing gloves and a mask.

Meyer also shot down suggestions that he might rest the sick players:

“That’d be one of the major errors in coaching history to go do that, because you’d go lose. No. Absolutely not. We’re going to bring everything and go as hard as we can. That gets you out of the profession, those kind of thoughts. You go as hard as you can. The good thing is I’ve got a mature group. Not a whole lot of cheerleading going on this week. Got to get better and go play.”

Florida defeated Tennessee last weekend by a final score of 23-13, and many Gators supporters were unhappy with the relative closeness of the game. The war of words between the two schools continued after the game, as Meyer suggested that his teams lackluster performance and conservative game play was due to the flu. Vols’ coach Lane Kiffin countered that Meyer was using the spate of illnesses as an excuse to explain away a substandard performance.

The Gators will face the University of Kentucky on the road on Saturday. Florida is a -20 road favorite with the total set at 53. The first half line on the game is Florida -12 with the total posted at 27. After this game, the Gators will have a bye week to help their recuperation before they play a big game at Baton Rouge, Louisiana against LSU on October 10th.

Ross Everett is a respected freelance writer specializing in travel, casino gambling and NFL football handicapping. He is a consulting handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, falconry and deep sea diving. He lives in Las Vegas with four dogs and a pet coyote.

Boise State Blitzes Bowling Green

Bowling Green played Boise State tough on their home field this weekend–at least for one quarter. Things looked good for the host Falcons at the end of the first quarter, as they’d held the #6 ranked Broncos scoreless and were right in the thick of things in a scoreless game. It was all downhill from that point for Bowling Green, as Boise State exploded for 29 unanswered second quarter points. The Broncos would eventually win 49-14, improving to 4-0 on the season.

The Broncos easily covered as -16 road favorites. The 63 combined points went OVER the posted total of 51. Boise State needed four plays or less on their first six scoring drives, and amassed a season high 529 yards of total offense. Their defense also forced the Falcons into three costly turnovers.

Boise State coach Chris Petersen had insisted on more quick strike scoring drives in preparing his team for the Bowling Green game. They most definitely delivered, and the coach commented to their performance after the contest:

“On offense, that’s always the name of the game. It makes it a lot easier when you don’t have those 15- and 17-play drives.”

Broncos quarterback Kellen Moore threw 17 completions in 21 pass attempts for a total of 247 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. After the game, Moore indicated that his team wasnt resting on their impressive season to date performance:

“There’s a lot of football to go and a lot of things to work on.

Coach Petersen concurred with his quarterbacks comment:

“These guys are a fairly mature bunch and if not, we have a staff of mature coaches to keep them focused.

Bowling Green head coach Dave Clawson sounded somewhat in awe of the Broncos ‘quick strike’ scoring ability:

“That’s what they do. When they have 500 yards of offense, it will always be 10 to 12 plays where half their offense came from.”

The Broncos, who are enjoying their highest regular season ranking in school history, looked sharp all around on offense despite the absence of second leading rusher DJ Harper. Harper is likely out for the year after a knee injury.

Bowling Green will take a step down in class of opposition next weekend as they host the Ohio Bobcats. Theyll play on the road the next two weeks, traveling to Kent State and Ball State. Boise will return home for a game against FCS opponent UC Davis next Saturday. Theyll play on the road at Tulsa the following weekend, before enjoying a bye week. Theyll be back in action on October 25 as they make the long trip to play the University of Hawaii.

Ross Everett is a widely published freelance sports writer and respected authority on World Cup betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.

College Football Flashback: Florida State Spoils BYU Home Opener

BYU’s BCS hopes went down hard on Saturday, as the Cougars were no match for the superior team speed of Florida State. Looking nothing like the team that had struggled against FCS Jacksonville State the week before, the Seminoles used 23 second quarter points to blow open the game and went on to defeat BYU 54-28. The opportunistic Florida State defense forced BYU into committing 5 turnovers, and Seminoles QB Christian Ponder threw for two touchdowns and ran for another in the blowout victory on the Cougars home field. Usually dependable BYU QB Max Hall was forced into a number of mistakes by the tenacious–and fast–Seminole pass rush.

College football betting devotees who backed the Seminoles as a +8 road underdog were counting their winnings by halftime, as BYU never led in the game. The Cougars dropped to 11-16 ATS over the past three years, while Florida State improved to 3-4 as an underdog in that same timeframe. The 82 combined points went well OVER the posted total of 54.

After a season opening loss to Miami-FL and a sloppy victory over Jacksonville State, the Seminoles were firing on all cylinders in Orem, Utah on Saturday. FSU QB Ponder said that his team was finally on the same page and playing up to their abilities:

“It shows us what we can do. It’s the first time in a while we played as a whole team. The defense played great. The offense played incredible.”

Seminoles offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher praised the toughness and skills of his quarterback:

“He can beat you with his arm, his legs and his mind. And then he can also beat you with how competitive and tough he is.”

Venerable FSU coach Bobby Bowden was nonplussed by the victory despite many considering it an upset:

“I’ve been through this thing so many times, I knew we had an advantage. We went out there and made some plays, which we hadn’t done lately, and we also forced some crucial turnovers.”

BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall praised his opponent’s superior preparation:

“I think Florida State was more prepared in general than we were tonight, really from beginning to end. I think their preparation exceeded ours and it showed — especially on third down.”

Cougars running back Harvey Unga was classy in defeat as FSU broke BYUs 18 game home winning streak:

“Any loss is devastating, regardless of if you’re ranked. Hats off to those guys. They came here ready to play.”

Florida State will return home to face South Florida next weekend. Theyll hit the road the following Saturday, heading to the northeast to take on Boston College. Theyll be back in Florida for a game against Georgia Tech on October 10th. BYU will try to get back on the winning track next weekend as they host Colorado State. Theyll play Utah State on their home field the following week, and then head to Southern Nevada for a game against UNLV on October 10th.

Ross Everett is a widely published freelance writer and respected authority on World Cup betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas, Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.

College Football Flashback: USC Finds A Way To Beat Ohio State

While not a vintage performance by their lofty standards, the University of Southern California Trojans overcame a number of mistakes to make big plays when they counted to prevail in a come from behind victory over Ohio State. Stafon Johnson capped a late game drive by scoring the game winning touchdown with just over a minute remaining as the Trojans won by a final score of 18-15. It was the first time the Trojans held the lead since early in the first quarter.

Ohio State did cash tickets for college football bettors, however, covering the spread as a +7 home underdog. USC won and covered last year, but the pointspread setback this year dropped the Trojans to a still impressive 13-5 ATS against the Big Ten conference since 1992. It was also only the second non-cover by a USC team in a non conference game in their last ten opportunities. The 33 combined points went UNDER the posted total of 45. Last years game also failed to exceed the total, and USC continued a strong UNDER tendency of late.

19 year old freshman Matt Barkley engineered the game changing comeback drive good for 14 plays and 86 yards. After the game, he spoke of the Trojan tradition of victory:

“We’re Trojans. That’s what we do. This is what we dreamed of, coming back like this. Doesn’t matter where we are in the score. We found a way. I love this.”

Tailback Joe McKnight sarcastically dismissed suggestions that Barkley was rattled by a Buckeye defense that had shut the potent Trojan offense down for the entire game:

“He was scared, really. No, he came in with the same composure he had the whole game. He was calm. He made plays.”

USC coach Pete Carroll commended Barkleys composure in such an intense and challenging environment:

“He’s not 19. He’s our quarterback. I’m not worried about how old he is. Numbers mean nothing.”

Ohio State linebacker Greg Rolle said his defense couldnt have played better”until the final drive:

“It’s very frustrating, but we knew eventually they’d make plays. The last drive was heartbreaking. Give McKnight lots of credit on that last drive, he was good. The last drive was definitely, you go back and you think about, and you think about how close you came to winning.

Ohio State will travel to Toledo for a non-conference game before starting their Big 10 schedule at home against Illinois. USC now faces three straight Pac 10 games, starting next weekend on the road at the University of Washington. Theyll return home the following weekend for a game against Washington State before heading to Northern California the next Saturday for a tough challenge against the University of California.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and highly respected authority on World Cup betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.

Virginia Tech Survives Tough Challenge From Duke

Duke University is far from being a national college football powerhouse, but they’re no longer a team you can take lightly either. #6 ranked Virginia Tech found that out on Saturday, and what they expected to be an easy afternoon became a tightly contested affair. In the end, Virginia Tech prevailed for a 34-26 road victory but not without some anxious moments.

Despite the straight up loss, Duke won where it counted as they rewarded sports players who bet on college football with the ATS victory as +17 home underdogs. Duke evened their mark at 2-2 in their lined games, while the Hokies dropped to 2-3 against the spread. The 60 combined points scored went well OVER the posted total of 48.

The Hokies were saved by the career day posted by their quarterback, Tyrod Taylor. After the game, Taylor modestly downplayed his own impact on the outcome of the game:

“I know we have a lot of talent on the offensive side of the ball. It’s just my job to get the ball to them.”

Venerable Tech coach Frank Beamer saw his team defeat Duke for the ninth straight time, but noted:

“I don’t think that’s the old Duke football team.

Blue Devils coach David Cuttcliffe said his team is reaching the point where moral victories don’t provide enough satisfaction:

“We got close enough in the fourth quarter to go beat a great team. Once you taste that, you like it. I wouldn’t say we spit it out — it wasn’t a choke — but we just didn’t finish.”

Despite getting the win, Hokies coach Beamer was critical of his teams performance:

“Too many penalties and too many long plays. We weren’t as sharp as we would like, but I don’t think it was lack of effort. Part of it was Duke, and part of it was us. … Sometimes I think you’ve just got to win some games that’s not real pretty on the road, and this is probably one of those.”

Still, he praised his team for doing what they needed to do to preserve the victory:

“When we needed to run the football, and we did, and got points, that was critical to this ball game. They were going to take the run away, so you’ve got to be able to throw the ball.”

Virginia Tech will host Boston College next Saturday before traveling to Atlanta the following weekend for a game against Georgia Tech. Theyll enjoy a bye week before a nationally televised Thursday night game at home against North Carolina on October 29th. Duke will play at North Carolina State next Saturday before a bye week. Theyll return to action at home on October 24th against the University of Maryland and play on the road at Virginia the following week.

Ross Everett is a widely published widely published freelance sports writer and highly respected authority on World Cup soccer betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and betting odds sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.

Top Ranked Florida Dismantles Troy State

The 2009 college football season is already two weeks old and so far its looked almost too easy for defending national champions Florida. That was expected last week, as they destroyed overmatched FCS opponent Charleston Southern 62-3, but it wasn’t much harder today against a better class of opposition. QB Tim Tebow threw for four touchdowns and ran for a fifth as the Gators demolished Troy State 56-6.

Despite a generous head start from the pointspread, Troy State lost against the money as well. Florida covered as -37 home favorites”their third straight ATS cover as a favorite of 31 or more. The Gators also won and covered the last time the two teams met, cashing tickets for college football betting enthusiasts as a -26 favorite in 2007. The 65 points scored just barely made it OVER the generous total of 61.

After the contest, Florida coach Urban Meyer gave most of the praise to a defense that limited Troy to 139 yards of total offense and took the ball away three times:

“Defense is the name of the game today, and that defense was dominating.

Troy State played tough against Ohio State in 2008, but this time coach Larry Blakney was just glad the game was over:

“We just close our eyes and pretend we never came here. But hopefully since we’ve seen the biggest, seen the best, we will learn from this experience.”

The Gators now turn their attention to their SEC opener next week against Tennessee. As if the rebuilding Vols didnt have enough problems facing the best team in college football next week, they lost to UCLA this weekend 19-15. And to make matters worse, theyve gone and made Florida mad. Specifically, a quote by new Vols coach Lane Kiffin which was is now taped to the Gators locker room wall. In the incendiary quote, Kiffin talked about Tennessee tradition as follows:

“I’m really looking forward to embracing some of the great traditions at the University of Tennessee, for instance the Vol Walk, running through the T, singing Rocky Top all night long after we beat Florida next year. It will be a blast.”

So having losing badly in the previous two meetings between the teams, the Vols have managed to make it personal.

After hosting Tennessee next weekend in The Swamp, Florida will hit the SEC road the following week against the University of Kentucky. Theyll be back on the road for a tough contest against LSU on October 10th. Troy State will host UAB next weekend and play at Arkansas State on Saturday, September 26.

Ross Everett is a widely published freelance writer experienced in travel, poker and sports handicapping. He is a consulting handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily free sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, fencing and deep sea diving. He lives in Southern Nevada with four dogs and a pet coyote.

categories: college football,football,college sports

Gamecocks Beat Wolfpack As College Football Season Gets Underway

The South Carolina Gamecocks offense didn’t look particularly sharp in their season opening contest at North Carolina State. Of course with the way their defense was playing, they didn’t have to be. Brian Maddox scored on a one yard run in the first quarter for the only touchdown of the game as the Gamecock defense completely shut down the Wolfpack offense en route to a 7-3 South Carolina victory. The win gave the Gamecocks their second straight season opening victory over North Carolina State–South Carolina won 34-0 in Columbia to start the 2008 football season.

College football betting enthusiasts who backed South Carolina cashed their tickets as the Gamecocks won outright as +5 road underdogs.

The Gamecock defense held NC State to 11 first downs and just 133 yards of total offense. Nothing worked for the Wolfpack who were equally as inept running the football (59 yards) as they were passing (74 yards). After the game, South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier gave credit for the victory to the effort of his defense:

Our defensive guys played their hearts out. Played good, solid football.

Spurrier has only lost once in his last twenty opening games (19-1). It marked the first time a South Carolina team had won a game while scoring less than 10 points since a 7-3 win over Memphis State in 1971. The Gamecocks defense shined in last years season opening win over the Wolfpack, earning a shutout with an uncannily similar statistical performance (10 first downs, 138 total yards).

North Carolina State head coach Tom OBrian pointed to the teams poor pass protection as the biggest liability, which allowed the Gamecocks to sack Wolfpack QB Russell Wilson 6 times:

We couldnt get anything going. And with our pass protection, we had Russell Wilson running around too much.

South Carolinas Stephen Garcia didnt put up stellar numbers himself, passing for 148 yards on 13 of 22 with an interception. Still, he picked up important first downs at the right time which enabled the Gamecocks to preserve the victory. Despite their offensive woes, the Wolfpack had a chance to go ahead late but a final drive stalled at the South Carolina 32 yardline.

Next up for South Carolina is a big game at Athens, GA against their hated SEC rivals the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday, September 12th. North Carolina State will have a good chance at getting on the winning track next weekend as they host FCS/1-AA Murray State.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and respected authority on World Cup betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Southern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.

Gators Subdue Bayou Bengals In Tebow’s Return To Action

Florida quarterback Tim Tebow shook off the effects of a concussion suffered against Kentucky two weeks ago and returned to lead the #1 ranked Gators to a hard fought 13-3 victory over #4 ranked LSU. Tebow got a good deal of help from a nasty Florida defense, and the largest crowd in LSU history (93,129) left disappointed as the Bayou Bengals offense was almost completely shut down.

College football betting enthusiasts who backed Florida as a -9 road favorite weren’t able to breathe easy until the final whistle, but eventually enjoyed a payday with the narrowest of pointspread covers. The Gators improved their ATS record over the past three years to a glossy 22-7 and they’ve covered 8 of their last 9 on the road.

After the game, Tebow characteristically explained that he tried to play smart but without fear:

“I tried to play smart. I told him, I said, when we were talking to Coach [Urban] Meyer, I said, ‘I’m not going to go out there and play tentative or scared. That’s not me.’ I did try to play smart but I wasn’t scared or timid at all.”

Tebow was also not the least bit intimidated by the huge crowd of LSU partisans:

“This place is one of my favorite stadiums to play in. It just gets your adrenaline going, then to play against a great defense like that.”

Tebow returned to practice earlier this week, but wasn’t medically cleared to play until a few hours before gametime. Even then, he was listed as a game time decision. Coach Urban Meyer talked about the difficult decision he had to make:

“It was a tough deal and I kept saying, ‘Would I play my son?’ You know Tim,” Meyer said. “It was, ‘Let me play. Let me play.’ Nonstop.”

Gators safety Will Hill said that the defense knew that they’d have to play well regardless of their quarterbacks status:

We knew Tim would suit up but we didn’t know if he would play, but we didn’t care. The defense knew what we had to do to come out and win this game.”

LSU receiver Brandon LaFell blamed his teams mistakes for the loss:

Those guys have a pretty good defense. We had a ton of chances, then we would get a mistake … Too many mistakes.”

Florida will try to keep their 15 game winning streak going next weekend as they host the University of Arkansas. They’ll be on the road at Mississippi State the following weekend before they face Georgia in the game fondly known as The Worlds Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” on October 31. LSU will take a bye weekend before returning to action against Auburn on October 24.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and noted authority on World Cup betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.

categories: college football,college sports,football,sports,recreation

Gamecocks Slap Top Five Ranked Rebels

The South Carolina Gamecocks used a nasty defensive effort, combined with an efficient and mistake free performance from quarterback Steven Garcia to upset #4 Mississippi 16-10 at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, SC. The Gamecocks ended a 22 game losing streak against top 5 ranked teams, while Ole Miss saw their eight game winning streak come to an end. The Rebels dropped their sixth straight SEC opener.

College football betting enthusiasts who took the Gamecocks as +4 home underdogs were financially rewarded with South Carolina’s outright victory. After falling behind 3-0 after the first quarter, South Carolina led 6-3 at halftime and never trailed again.

The last time South Carolina had defeated a top five opponent was back in 1981, when they upended North Carolina. After the game, Gamecocks QB Garcia said that while it may not have been a game full of highlight reel plays, the victory was the important thing:

“It was a pretty ugly win, but a win and we’ll take it every time.”

South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier expressed a similar sentiment:

“It was good to get a win when everybody watches. It was good for all Gamecocks. We thought we could beat them. Thought it was a toss-up game. But the way it turned out, the way our defense played, 16 points was enough.”

In particular, the defense completely shut down highly touted Ole Miss QB Jevan Snead. Snead finished with a mere 107 yards and made no excuses after the game:

“We really hurt ourselves and we continued to do it all throughout the game, into the last series. It’s tough.

Ole Miss entered the game with their highest national ranking since 1970, when Archie Manning prowled the Rebel backfield. Despite that, head coach Houston Nutt didnt sense any undue pressure on his team before the game:

“I never did sense that we were feeling a lot of pressure. Now it is what it is. You’ve lost your first conference game. You’ve got to work hard and win the next conference game.”

Rebel offensive lineman Bradley Sowell, meanwhile, contradicted his coachs observation with his clearly relieved postgame comment:

“I’m glad it’s over with so everyone can just stop talking about it.

The Gamecocks improved their 2009 college football record to 3-1 (1-0 SEC). Theyll host FCS opponent South Carolina State in Columbia next weekend before resuming their SEC schedule the following week against the University of Kentucky. Theyll take to the road on October 17th for what figures to be a tough game against the University of Alabama. Ole Miss is right back into SEC play next week, facing Vanderbilt on the road in Nashville, Tennessee.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and noted authority on World Cup betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas, Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.

Iowa Scores As Time Expires To Beat Michigan State

Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi completed a 7 yard touchdown pass to Marvin McNutt as time expired, allowing the Hawkeyes to take a 15-13 road win over Michigan State University and preserve their undefeated season. Trailing 6-3 at halftime, Iowa mounted a furious drive after Michigan State had scored to take a 13-9 lead with 1:37 remaining in the game. Iowa moved to 8-0 for the first time in school history for the win, and has won twelve straight games overall. Michigan State evened their record at 4-4 with the loss.

When you bet on college football you learn that you can’t count your money until the game was over and such was the case here as Iowa even managed to cover the pointspread as they won outright as +2 road underdogs. Iowa improved to 5-2 against the spread while Michigan State dropped to 3-4 against the number. The 28 combined points went UNDER the posted total of 42′.

Stanzi threw three incomplete passes into the end zone before he hit McNutt with the game winner. There were 2 seconds left on the clock when the play began, Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz commended McNutt on his effort to get open on the play:

“He made a nice break inside, made a great grab.”

Ferentz was also proud of the way his team responded after falling behind late on the road:

“It speaks to our players, the character that they have. They realized they still had time.”

Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio also praised his players for their tough defensive stand at the end of the game:

“When we scored at the end, I thought that we had it. I’m proud — not happy. Proud of the way our football team responded.”

The Hawkeyes became only the second team in Big Ten history to win at Penn State, Michigan State and Wisconsin in the same season. Michigan was the first to accomplish the trifecta when they did it in 1997.

Michigan State will take to the road next weekend for a game at Minnesota. They’ll host Western Michigan the following Saturday before playing away at Purdue on November 14. Iowa will play their next two games at home, starting with Indiana next Saturday. They’ll host Northwestern a week later before a big game on November 14th on the road against Ohio State.

Ross Everett is a freelance writer and highly respected authority on World Cup betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Southern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.

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