11/19/2008 - Fort Worth, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With the possibility of earning a share of the Mountain West Conference regular-season title, the 15th-ranked TCU Horned Frogs hit the field in Fort Worth this weekend against the Air Force Falcons.
TCU, which needs a BYU win over Utah this weekend in order to be able to vie for the league title, is shooting for another 10-win season, which would be its the third in the last four years. The Frogs enter this week tied with the Cougars for second place in the MWC standings with a record of 6-1 after the team fell to Utah back on November 6th by a final of 13-10 in Salt Lake City. The setback snapped a five-game win streak by TCU, with the only other loss this season coming against second-ranked Oklahoma on the road at the end of September.
As for the Falcons, they too have had a very successful season with eight wins in 11 opportunities already. Like the Horned Frogs, Air Force also had a five- game win streak halted in its last game, a 38-24 defeat at the hands of 16th- ranked BYU. Despite the loss, the academy is still a solid 5-2 in league play and is more than qualified to continue the season after this meeting with the Horned Frogs.
Last year, TCU was tripped up by the Falcons in the team's conference opener in early September by a score of 20-17. However, even with the setback the Frogs are still ahead in the series by a count of 4-2-1.
The Falcons fell behind by 10 points early in the second quarter and never recovered against BYU last week. Tim Jefferson deferred to the running game as it produced 323 yards and three touchdowns on 51 attempts, with the signal- caller converting 12-of-20 passes for 98 yards and an interception in the losing effort. Once again the Falcons had a different leader atop the rushing list as Todd Newell took the honors with his 116 yards and one touchdown on 21 carries.
Jefferson, who has stepped in for Shea Smith at the quarterback position, has completed almost 60 percent of his passes for five touchdowns and just three interceptions. But as well as Jefferson has played this season, the fact remains that this is a one-dimensional offense with a rushing attack that is averaging 279.7 ypg, ranking them fourth in the entire nation this week. Because of the triple-option opponents have had trouble catching Jefferson in the backfield, which means the team's 0.18 sacks allowed per game is the top mark in all of college football.
Like so many teams that have faced the Cougars this season, Air Force could not keep both Harvey Unga and Max Hall under control. The running back gained 88 yards and scored on a pair of runs, while Hall completed 28-of-37 passes for 354 yards and two scores. While the Falcons did manage to sack Hall three times and intercept him once, it wasn't nearly enough to derail the BYU scoring machine for a meaningful amount of time. Although, Chris Thomas tried his best to make it happen by posting a game-high 17 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack and a fumble recovery.
Thomas, who is second on the team in total tackles overall with his 81 stops, is one of four players on the defense with at least three sacks in 2008. Atop the list is Jake Paulson who not only leads the academy with 8.5 sacks in 11 games, he also paces the group overall with his 14 TFLs and has a safety to show for his strong push at the point of attack. As a group the Falcons are ranked second in the conference and 20th in the nation this week with 2.64 sacks per game, a number that figures heavily into how and why the squad ranks 22nd in scoring defense with 19.2 ppg allowed.
A candidate for the Bear Bryant Award as the top head coach in college football, Gary Patterson is well aware of what this game means to the program at TCU. "It's a big game for our seniors, this university and my staff. Everybody involved with this team owes them a lot. We need to understand that these guys have won a lot of football games." It has been a team effort in every sense of the word for the Frogs who have been dazzling in the running game this season.
Like the Falcons, TCU has a wealth of players able to take the ball, which is why the numbers are spread across so many of them. Joseph Turner may lead the program with his 444 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground, but that's only a part of the team's 2,405 yards and 33 TDs rushing in 2008. Quarterback Andy Dalton has been the field director for much of the campaign and when needed has come up with strong numbers in the passing game as well. Dalton is averaging 191.6 ypg and has nine TDs in order to keep defenses honest.
"For a team that people say runs the triple option, they have thrown for nine touchdowns," coach Patterson said of the Air Force offense. "You've got to be very careful in how you handle them and what you do." The coach is certainly giving the Falcons a load of credit for how they've tried to adapt their offense, but one has to remember that as much as the academy has changed under new leadership, the Horned Frogs are still a squad that have a huge successful defense that can make plays one snap after another.
Take away the Oklahoma game and no opponent has scored more than two touchdowns against this group and seven of them have been held to a touchdown or less. With that in mind, it shouldn't come as a surprise that the Horned Frogs are first in the nation in run defense (39.5 ypg), first in total defense (220.0 ypg) and third in scoring defense (11.0 ppg). The unit is first in the country in sacks (3.64) and eighth in TFLs (8.09) per game, thanks in large part to Jerry Hughes who is first in the nation with 14 total sacks and has been named to the Hendricks Award Watch List as a result.
<< State bragging rights on line as Wolfpack visit Tar Heels
Chapel Hill, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - ACC foes and state rivals will collide in
Chapel Hill on Saturday, as the 25th-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels take on
the NC State Wolfpack.
The goal for NC State is simply, win the final two regular seaso
<< Rebels and Tigers mix it up in SEC action
Baton Rouge, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - SEC foes will collide in Baton Rouge this
weekend, as the 18th-ranked LSU Tigers welcome the Ole Miss Rebels to town.
Both teams are 3-3 in league play and figure to produce a highly competitive
ball game.
<< Spartans battle Nittany Lions with Big Ten title at stake
University Park, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A trip to the Rose Bowl is on the line
for the seventh-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions, as they play host to the
17th-ranked Michigan State Spartans in what figures to be a highly competitive
Big Ten battl
<< Lacking luster, Michigan visits Ohio State
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - College football's most storied rivalry will
add another chapter this weekend, as the 10th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes host
the Michigan Wolverines. In the past, this showdown has often determined the
Big Ten titl
ACC foes collide in Atlanta as Miami takes on Georgia Tech >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In a crucial ACC Coastal Division battle, the
23rd-ranked Miami-Florida Hurricanes square off against the Georgia Tech
Yellow Jackets at Bobby Dodd Stadium this Thursday.
After starting the season just 2-3, the
Beavers continue quest for Pac-10 title with trip to Arizona >>
Tucson, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 21st-ranked Oregon State Beavers will try
continue their remarkable run and move one step closer to capturing the Pac-10
title, as they take on the Arizona Wildcats in Tucson this weekend.
After losing to St
Top-20 showdown in Big East pits Panthers against Bearcats >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of Top 20 programs with Big East
title aspirations clash at Nippert Stadium this weekend, as the 20th-ranked
Pittsburgh Panthers square off against the 19th-ranked Cincinnati Bearcats.
The Bearcats en
Surging Bruins welcome Sabres to Beantown >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Bruins will aim for their seventh victory in
eight games when they welcome the Buffalo Sabres for tonight's Northeast
Division clash at TD Banknorth Garden.
Boston, which leads the Northeast with 26 points, had
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“You play to win the game!”
Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.
The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.
The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.
Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?
Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.
Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.
Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.
Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.
The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.
Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.
Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.
This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.
First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”
The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason.
Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.
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