Tar Heels Upset Hokies In College Football

The University of North Carolina used a 21 yard field goal on the final play of the game to pull a big college football upset over #13 Virginia Tech on Thursday night, winning by a final score of 20-17. The Tar Heels\’ #8 ranked defense proved as tenacious as their high national status would suggest, and gave the Hokies fits throughout. North Carolina led for most of the game, but withstood a late game Virginia Tech comeback bid to take the win. Both teams are now 5-3 on the college football season.

College football betting enthusiasts who took North Carolina as +16\’ road underdogs were never in serious doubt about the eventual payday they\’d receive as the Tar Heels never trailed by more than three points. The Tar Heels improved to 3-4 against the college football pointspread, while the Hokies dropped to 3-5 versus the money.

Tar Heels\’ QB T.J. Yates was in a state of disbelief after the narrow road victory:

\”I\’ve never really had this feeling before. Kicking it at the last second? It just sends chills down your spine.\”

Running back Shaun Draughn spoke of the team\’s priority to bounce back quickly after they blew a big lead in a loss to Florida State last week:

\”We knew we had to get back to the drawing board. To come back and play the way we did definitely speaks volumes about our team.\”

In the Hokies\’ locker room, linebacker Cody Grimm spoke of his team\’s need to regain their focus:

\”I think the motivation is to come out here so you don\’t feel like this again. Ten wins is one thing, but I don\’t want to feel like this any more and the only way to do that is to win.\”

Running back Ryan Williams felt doubly bad about the loss, as his late game fumble cemented the victory for North Carolina:

\”As of right now, there probably isn\’t really anything they can say to lift me up because regardless of what anybody says, personally I feel like I kind of took the game away from us today. It was on the line, it was in my hands and I fumbled.\”

The Hokies will play against next Thursday night, heading to Greenville, NC to face the Skip Holtz coached East Carolina Pirates. They\’ll play at Maryland on Saturday, November 15 before returning home a week later to host North Carolina State. North Carolina plays their next two at home, starting a week from Saturday against Duke. Miami will come in the following week before the Tar Heels hit the road to play at Boston College on November 21.

Ross Everett is a widely published freelance sports writer and highly respected authority on sports betting odds comparison. He writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and betting odds portal sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.

Visiting Tigers Shock Hurricanes In Overtime

The Clemson Tigers used a touchdown pass on their first possession of overtime to upset the Miami Hurricanes 40-37 on Saturday night to cap a back and forth game. Miami kicked a field goal on their first possession of overtime to take the lead, but Clemson responded with a seldom used play on third and 11 to get the victory as quarterback Kyle Parker completed a 27 yard touchdown pass to Jacoby Ford. Clemson improved to 4-3 with the win while Miami slipped to 5-2.

College football betting devotees who backed Clemson as +4 road underdogs eventually cashed their tickets, but they definitely earned their money in a game that saw twelve lead changes and two ties. Clemson improved to 5-2 against the spread with the cover, while Miami dropped to 4-3 against the money. The 77 combined points sailed OVER the posted total of 43.

After the game, Jacoby Ford explained the logic for the surprise play:

\”We knew this game was going to come down to who made more plays. And we did.\”

Miami has a history of winning when their offense is clicking-this loss was only the second in 115 games when the Hurricanes score 37 or more points dating back to\’85.

For his part, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney is glad this one is over:

\”I have a birthday next month and I think I\’m going to turn 50 instead of 40. We had to put on Superman capes. We made plenty of mistakes that could have lost us the game, but they played with poise and confidence. We just kept battling.\”

CJ Spiller was also a big factor for the Tigers as he set a school record with 310 all purpose yards including a 90 yard kickoff return for a touchdown. He also added 81 yards rushing and 104 yards receiving with a 56 yard touchdown catch.

Clemson QB Parker suggested that last week\’s win over Wake Forrest was a turning point for his team:

\”I think last week we realized that we could be really good and this week we acted on it. I thought we really got some explosive plays and we played well.\”

Miami\’s quarterback Jason Harris sounded a different tone in his postgame comments:

\”This has to be my toughest loss here. We fought so hard throughout the game as a team and didn\’t come out with the victory. We let Clemson outwork us, we turned the ball over too much — little things that made us get to this point.\”

Clemson will host FCS foe Coastal Carolina next Saturday before resuming ACC play the following week at home against Florida State. They\’ll travel to North Carolina State on November–. Miami plays two of their next three on the road, starting next weekend at Wake Forest.

Ross Everett is a freelance writer specializing in boxing, NHL hockey and NHL hockey and NBA basketball betting. He serves as a consulting handicapper for Sports-1 Sportsbook and is a noted authority on Internet sportsbook betting of all forms. He lives in Southern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and several pet iguanas.

categories: college football,sports,recreation,entertainment

2008 SEC Championship: Gators Top Tide

The Florida Gators rampage through the SEC reached its culmination with a 31-20 victory over #1 ranked Alabama in the conference championship game. The Gators scored– 4th quarter points to secure victory in a contest that was an epic struggle for three quarters with five lead changes and two ties. This victory set the stage for the Gators\’ appearance in the National Championship Game.

The Gators struck first, taking a 7-0 lead on a three yard Tim Tebow TD pass to Carl Moore. The Crimson Tide quickly counterpunched, tying the score on an eighteen yard run by Glen Coffee and taking their first lead of the game at 10-7 several minutes later on a 30 yard FG by Leigh Tiffin. Florida responded in the second quarter, tying the game on a Jonathan Phillips\’ yard FG and taking a 17-10 lead into the halftime break on another Tebow TD pass, this one to David Nelson from five yards out. Alabama regained the momentum in the third quarter, tying the score on a 2 yard Mark Ingram touchdown run and then regaining the lead at 20-17 in the final seconds of the period on another Tiffin field goal. Florida put them down for the count in the fourth, however, on a 1 yard Jeffrey Demps TD run followed by Tebows third touchdown strike of the day.

As was the case more often than not during Floridas run to the BCS title game, Tim Tebow was the big star for the Gators. The junior QB had 216 yards passing with 3 TDs and no interceptions plus fifty seven yards on the ground. Florida head coach Urban Meyer wasnt hesitant about praising Tebow effusively in his post game comments:

\”I\’ve had some great players, and I\’ve got some great players on this team. But I\’ve never had one like this. Tim\’s got something special inside him. I\’m not talking about throwing. I\’m not talking about running. I\’m talking about making everyone around him better. That fourth quarter was vintage Tim Tebow.

Alabama coach Nick Saban concurred:

\”He\’s a great competitor. He takes his teammates on his shoulders a lot. They have a lot of confidence he\’s going to make plays, and they play that way. They scored two touchdowns where we had them covered about as well as we could cover them.\”

According to cornerback Joe Haden the football world underestimated the Gators\’ toughness:

\”Our team is a tough team. The only reason they look past our toughness is our speed. They said we were a speed team and they were a tough team. We\’re just as tough. We can still be pretty and fast and tough at the same time.\”

Even in defeat, it was impossible to overlook the remarkable resurgance of Alabama football. In only two years at the helm, Nick Saban has amassed a\’-7 record at Alabama with no signs of slowing down.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and respected authority on sports betting odds comparison. He writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and betting odds portal 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.

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South Florida Upends #21 West Virginia

Redshirt freshman quarterback B.J. Daniels threw for three touchdowns and the South Florida Bulls used a tenacious defensive effort to upset visiting West Virginia 30-19 on Friday night. Daniels threw for 232 yards and rushed for 104, compiling more yardage individually than West Virginia amassed as a team. Both teams are now 6-2 on the season.

College football betting aficionados who took the Bulls as +3 home underdogs cashed their tickets with the outright victory. Despite their 6-2 record, West Virginia dropped to 2-5 against the spread in their lined games this season while South Florida evened their college football pointspread record at 3-3 in their lined contests. The 49 combined points barely managed to go OVER the posted total of 47′.

Daniels had this rebuke for his team’s doubters after the victory:

“I guess a lot of people doubted us and thought we were going to go down the same patch we did the last two years. That was a lot of garbage that our team didn’t listen to.”

The Bulls’ defense limited West Virginia running back Noel Devine to just 42 yards-well under his-0 per game average. South Florida coach Jim Leavitt talked about his team’s priority of stopping Devine:

“We talked a lot about him. We didn’t want to let him get outside — we wanted to keep him hemmed up inside. … He’s such a great back. If he gets out, he’s gone.”

West Virginia coach Bill Stewart didn’t fault his team’s effort in the loss:

“There’s some young hurting guys in there, both physically and mentally. And they should be. That was a hard-fought game. I cannot fault our effort.”

West Virginia safety Robert Sands suggested that no one that the team had faced this season prepared them for the fast and athletic Daniels:

“We haven’t seen a guy like that this year, but at the same time that’s no excuse for our defense. We’ve still got to go out there and make plays. He broke contain too many times, and he burned us.”

South Florida will now have a bye week before playing at Rutgers on Thursday, November 12. They’ll return home to host Louisville and Miami the following two Saturdays. West Virginia will host Louisville next Saturday.

Ross Everett is a freelance writer and highly respected authority on sports betting odds comparison. He writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and betting odds portal sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.

categories: college football,football,sports,gambling,recreation,hobbies

Florida State Comes From Behind To Upend North Carolina

Florida State won their first ACC college football game of the year on Thursday, though it certainly wasn’t easy. The Seminoles were down 24-6 midway through the third quarter before mounting a furious comeback to defeat North Carolina 30-27. FSU quarterback Christian Ponder threw for a career high 395 with three touchdowns and no interceptions to pace his team. The Seminoles improved their overall record to 3-4 while North Carolina dropped to 4-3.

College football betting enthusiasts who overlooked the Seminoles dismal record against the spread were rewarded by Florida State’s outright win as +2′ road underdogs. FSU covered for only the second time this season, upping their record against the college football pointspread to 2-5. The Tar Heels haven’t been a very good investment either, and the loss left their ATS tally at 2-4.

With the uncharacteristically slow start by Florida State, there has been a good deal of speculation that the venerable coach should step away from the program. He expressed some relief in his postgame comments:

“The talk that we’ve had down there, there’s only one thing that solves it. Winning. Play close and fight your guts out? Who cares? You’ve got to win.”

Winning QB Ponder suggests that the comeback win demonstrates the heart of this Seminoles team:

“This proves how good we can be, and I’m just proud of the way we fought back. Down what, 24-6? And we could have given up and we didn’t. That’s just the character of the guys on this team.”

The game was supposed to be a showcase for North Carolina, which entered the game with the nation’s #3 ranked total defense. Tar Heels’ coach Butch Davis observed that rankings are irrelevant once the game begins:

“It’s a little bit of a wake-up call for the defense. Reputations and rankings and stats and all that stuff is somewhat insignificant. You’ve got to play.”

Tar Heels’ cornerback Kendric Burnley added:

“It’s too frustrating. I don’t know what to say or how to explain anything right now. It tears you apart.”

Florida State can get back to .500 next weekend with a home game against another team looking for their first ACC win of the season, North Carolina State. That’ll be followed by two tough games on the road at Clemson and Wake Forest. The Tar Heels, meanwhile, must regroup in time for another nationally televised Thursday night game at Virginia Tech next week. After that, they’ll return home to take on Duke and Miami in successive weeks.

Ross Everett is a freelance 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 Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.

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

Gators Turn Back Tough Challenge From Bulldogs

Despite a subpar game from quarterback Tim Tebow and a determined effort from the host Mississippi State Bulldogs, the Florida Gators remained undefeated by scrapping out a 29-19 victory. Florida led by only 3 points at halftime before pulling away in the fourth quarter. The usually efficient and accurate Tebow had two touchdowns returned for interceptions and passed for only 127 yards with no touchdowns. The usually accommodating Tebow left the stadium without speaking to reporters, clearly upset with his performance.

College football betting enthusiasts who took the +22\’ with Mississippi State as a home underdog enjoyed an easy pointspread cover. The Bulldogs improved their ATS record to 4-3 with the cover, while Florida evened their college football pointspread record to 3-3. The 48 combined points scored just managed to stay UNDER the posted total of 50. Florida has gone UNDER in five of six lined games this season while Mississippi State has gone UNDER in 4 of their seven games.

While Tebow wasn\’t talking, head coach Urban Meyer accepted much of the blame for his team\’s substandard performance:

\”I did not coach well tonight. I put Tim in some tough situations. As an offense, we\’re not well right now. Tim\’s not trying to be a hero. But we might be asking him to do too much.\”

The Gators\’ are 76th in the nation in red zone efficiency, and Meyer took the blame for that fact as well:

\”The problem is they\’ve got a coach that wants to score so damn bad that he\’s pressing them and some of those guys aren\’t ready for that.\”

Defensive end Pernell McPhee gave Tebow fits all night and talked about his team\’s effort after the game:

\”We knew they liked to get the ball to Tebow there. I felt like we frustrated them and made them do some new things they did not usually do tonight. They got in the I formation tonight and that is the first time I have ever seen them do that.\”

Florida led by only 3 points heading into the final quarter but used a Chris Raney 8 yard rush and a Dustin Doe interception return for a touchdown to open up some breathing room. Jonathan Banks cut into the lead for Mississippi State late in the game with an interception return for touchdown of his own.

The Gators face a tough challenge next weekend as they enter into their matchup against University of Georgia-what used to be known as \’The World\’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party\’. Florida is a -16 favorite in the contest. They\’ll face Vanderbilt the next week before heading to Columbia, SC for a game against the University of South Carolina and their longtime coach Steve Spurrier. Mississippi State will play at Kentucky as+3\’ road underdogs next weekend before a bye week. They\’ll return to action on November–th at home against the University of Alabama.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer specializing in casino gambling, entertainment and sports betting. He has appeared on a number of TV and radio programs offering strategies for successful NFL football betting. He lives in Las Vegas, Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a pet llama. He is currently writing a biography of former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf.

categories: college football,sports,recreation,hobbies,entertainment

Oklahoma QB Bradford Looking At Season Ending Surgery

Oklahoma’s junior quarterback Sam Bradford will likely opt for season ending shoulder surgery. The reigning Heisman Trophy winner was to announce his plans at a Wednesday night press conference, but that has been canceled with no official word from Bradford expected before Saturday. Despite the delay, unnamed sources close to the situation indicate that there is “a very good chance” that Bradford will go under the knife in hopes of insuring a better opportunity with a NFL team in the future. There’s always a chance that he could decide to return for his senior season at OU and having surgery now would hopefully have him back to 100% by the time the 2010 college football season begins.

Despite every indication that the decision to undergo surgery to repair an injured AC joint in his throwing shoulder is to eliminate the potential perception that he is ‘damaged goods’ in advance of the NFL draft, University officials stressed that there has been no official decision in this regard. He passed on the NFL draft last year in hopes to win a national championship at Oklahoma.

On Wednesday, Sooners’ coach Bob Stoops addressed the media about Bradford and the canceled press conference:

“He just wasn’t ready to fully answer everything that’ll want to be asked and for sure what he wants to do just yet, until he has a few more people to visit with. That’s it. I won’t say another word about it.”

“Sam’s whole situation, he’ll have something to say when he knows what his path will be, and that isn’t right now. I’m not the one to answer it. He will. And I will once he feels he’s ready to and knows for sure what he wants to do.”

Bradford had hoped to contend for a national title this season, but that is no longer a realistic scenario with Oklahoma’s 3-3 record. OU quarterbacks’ coach Josh Heupeltalked about the conflicting issues that Bradford is currently dealing with as he tries to decide what the best course of action to take is:

“I think it’s extremely difficult for him, coming back for all the right reasons, wanting to have an opportunity to go compete on the football field, compete for championships and then having all those things taken away from you. There’s a lot of hard work that goes into it and when you invest that much, it’s going to be extremely disappointing. It’s not an easy situation for him, certainly.”

Despite their 3-3 record, Oklahoma has played well this year. The losses came to top level opponents BYU, Miami and Texas by a total of five points. Still, there’s no real hope for a return to national championship contention.

Had Bradford opted to go to the NFL last season, he could have been one of the highest players selected in the draft. He had a monumental season last year, throwing for 4,720 yards and 50 touchdowns. With his struggles this season and his injury, his future at the next level has grown somewhat more problematic. He could elect for surgery and opt for the draft this season, realizing that he’d be viewed as something of a ‘risky choice’. Otherwise he could return for his senior season in hopes of improving his stock though that is always a dicey proposition due to the risk of additional injury.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and respected authority on sports betting odds comparison. He writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and World Cup betting 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,sports,recreation,hobbies,celebrities

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