09/05/2008 - Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jared Hawkins rushed for 84 yards and a touchdown and Chris Nickson threw a touchdown and ran for another, as Vanderbilt knocked off 24th-ranked South Carolina, 24-17, in the SEC opener for both schools.
Hawkins' and Nickson's parents likely weren't around to see the last time Vanderbilt knocked off a team as highly ranked as the Gamecocks (1-1, 0-1 SEC), which occurred back in 1937.
On Thursday, Nickson managed the game with 90 yards through the air on 8-of-13 passing and he sneaked into the end zone from one yard out in the third quarter to give Vanderbilt (2-0, 1-0 SEC) the lead.
Chris Smelley completed 23-of-39 passes for 233 yards and two touchdowns, but his two interceptions kept the momentum in Vanderbilt's favor. Mike Davis galloped for 80 yards and Jared Cook led all receivers with eight catches for 111 yards.
South Carolina got on the scoreboard first with a 19-yard connection between Smelley and Kenny McKinley. The touchdown drive was a short one spurred by Darian Stewart's fumble.
The Commodores cut the deficit to 7-3 on Bryant Hahnfeldt's 19-yard chip shot with 4:32 remaining in the first half. The Gamecocks responded with a 41-yard boot from Ryan Succop as the half expired.
Vanderbilt fired up its home crowd with an offensive explosion in the third quarter. A fumbled punt led to a one-play strike from Nickson to Brandon Barden for a 31-yard touchdown and a 10-10 game. Nickson's one-yard sneak with 3:53 left in the third gave Vanderbilt its first lead of the game.
Succop misfired from 48 yards away early in the fourth, and again Vanderbilt grabbed the momentum with an eight-play, 68-yard touchdown drive. Hawkins finished it off with a 13-yard TD jaunt for a 24-10 lead.
The Gamecocks tried to make the game interesting later in the fourth. A five- play, 55-yard march was capped by Smelley's five-yard strike to Freddie Brown with 7:39 to go.
Vanderbilt immediately punted and South Carolina moved the football to the Commodores 34-yard line before Smelley was sacked twice in succession -- four times overall on the night -- to force a punt.
The Commodores ran out the clock from there.
Game Notes
South Carolina outgained Vanderbilt, 325-225...The Commodores won the game despite converting just 2-of-10 third-down chances...Vanderbilt entered the contest with just a 4-21 mark in SEC openers...South Carolina still owns a 14-4 series edge, but Vandy has won two straight.
<< Report: Penn State suspends three, dismisses another
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Penn State football program has
reportedly suspended three players for Saturday's contest against Oregon State
and dismissed cornerback Willie Harriott from the team.
The Philadelphia Inquirer
<< Federer reaches 18th straight Grand Slam semi, will face Djokovic
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Reigning four-time champion Roger
Federer was a hard-fought quarterfinal winner Thursday at the U.S. Open. The
Swiss superstar will now play in his record 18th straight major semifinal
against
<< Estes leads Padres past Brewers
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Shawn Estes' impressive return to the mound
was backed by a pair of RBI from Nick Hundley and Luis Rodriguez as the San
Diego Padres topped the Milwaukee Brewers 5-2 in the opener of a four-game
series.
<< Giants begin title defense with thumping of Redskins
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Plaxico Burress celebrated his fresh
two-year contract extension with 10 catches for 133 yards, and the
defending-champion New York Giants opened their title defense with a 16-7
victory
Winton's four TDs lift DSU to OT win >>
Dover, DE (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The performance of Delaware State senior
quarterback Vashon Winton at times on Thursday night might have been enough to
frustrate the average signal-caller.
Winton misfired on more passes than he compl
CFL Previews - Week 11 (September 5-7) >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
CALGARY STAMPEDERS (5-4) at EDMONTON ESKIMOS (6-3)
DATE & TIME: Friday, September 5, 9 p.m. (et).
GAME NOTES: Thanks to quarterback Ricky Ray, Edmonton took the first game of
the home-and-home Labo
Cubs' Zambrano has rotator cuff tendinitis >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano was
diagnosed with rotator cuff tendinitis in his right shoulder Thursday.
Already expected to miss his next scheduled start Sunday against Cincinnati,
Zambrano wi
Yankees promote OF Cabrera >>
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Yankees recalled
outfielder Melky Cabrera from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Thursday due to
the injury concerns of Bobby Abreu.
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MySportsbook.com favors Bears, Bengals, Chargers and Colts to remain perfect
LAS VEGAS , Sept. 28 - Two big match-ups of undefeated teams have fans salivating at the Week Four schedule in the NFL. The Chicago Bears stifling defense looks to provide a less than hospitable welcome to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night in a battle of two 3-0 teams in the NFC conference. In the AFC, the San Diego Chargers (2-0) head to Maryland to face the surprising Baltimore Ravens (3-0) as both try to keep pace atop the conference standings. Betting Lines makers at MySportsbook.com, online sportsbook and casino, have set the Bears as 3.5 point favorites while the Chargers are a 2.5 point bet.
Of the three remaining undefeated teams, only one, New Orleans, enters this week's game as an underdog. Despite an emotional and resounding win over Atlanta on Monday night, the Saints are a 7.5 point underdog against the struggling Carolina Panthers. Indianapolis looks to stay perfect when they face the New York Jets as a 9 point road favorite while the Cincinnati Bengals are a 6 point favorite at home to the New England Patriots.
Six teams enter the week still looking for their first win, with a seventh, Tampa Bay, on a bye week. The prospect of dropping another game would not bode well for a potential playoff run. Since 1990, just three teams -- the 1992 Chargers, 1995 Detroit Lions and 1998 Buffalo Bills -- have overcome losing their first three games of the season to earn a postseason berth. And only the Chargers managed to accomplish the feat after starting 0-4.
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Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."
When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules.
The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.
The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.
“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”
The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.
“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”
The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.
“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”
Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.
“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."
So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?
“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.
Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.
Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.
Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.
“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.
Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.
The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.
“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.
Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.
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