Jacksonville State revels in upset of Rebels

NCAA Football Betting Lines

09/04/2010 - Oxford, MS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jacksonville State didn't have to go for a 2- point conversion, and the win, in the second overtime against Mississippi on Saturday.

It's a good thing JSU coach head coach Jack Crowe didn't believe his defense could go back onto the field again if the Gamecocks tied the game with a kick.

He was kidding, of course, but there was no denying his defense was exhausted.

And it also was obvious his Football Championship Subdivision program came to win against their larger-school Southeastern Conference opponent. When the Gamecocks had a chance to topple Ole Miss, they seized the moment with a Coty Blanchard-to-Calvin Middleton 2-point conversion for a 49-48, double-overtime stunner in the season opener for both teams.

On a final crazy play, Middleton hauled in the pass from Blanchard in a crowd of players to end the Gamecocks' first win over a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent in nearly nine years.

Just moments earlier, Blanchard threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Kevyn Cooper on 4th-and-15 to pull JSU within 48-47.

"The coaches called a shovel pass," Middleton said of the 2-point conversion. "I don't even know if (Blanchard) saw me, but I knew if I could catch it I was deep enough in the end zone to score."

JSU, which would have won the Ohio Valley Conference title last year if it was not ineligible because of academic progress rate penalties, overcame a 31-10 deficit at halftime by outscoring Ole Miss 21-3 in the fourth quarter.

The Gamecocks forced overtime in the final 18.9 seconds. Marques Ivory connected with Alan Bonner for a 19-yard touchdown to pull the visitors with 34-32, then he threw a 2-point conversion to La'Ray Williams to tie the game at 34.

JSU scored on its final six possessions, including touchdowns on the last five, to send Ole Miss to its first loss against an FCS team. It was the largest deficit the Gamecocks had ever overcome for a victory.

While JSU rotated QBs, Blanchard and Ivory both threw for 126 yards and two touchdowns. Middleton rushed for 67 yards and the Gamecocks didn't commit a turnover.

Wwwslotszone NCAA Football Betting News

<< Redskins release 21, including three ex-Steelers
Ashburn, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Redskins released 21 players from their roster as part of Saturday's "cut-down day" maneuvers, including three who won Super Bowl rings with the Pittsburgh Steelers back in 2008. Running back Wil

<< Revolution top Sounders at Gillette Stadium
Foxborough, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New England Revolution kept their slim Major League Soccer playoff aspirations alive with a 3-1 win over Seattle Sounders FC at Gillette Stadium on Saturday night. Goals by Chris Tierney, Marko

<< Federer, Djokovic, Soderling reach fourth round in Flushing
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Five-time champion Roger Federer, 2007 U.S. Open finalist Novak Djokovic and two-time French Open runner-up Robin Soderling were easy third-round winners Saturday at the U.S. Open. The secon

<< Jurrjens, Braves shut down Marlins
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jair Jurrjens and two relievers combined on a four-hitter as Atlanta stifled Florida, 2-0, in the middle meeting of a three-game set at Sun Life Stadium. Jurrjens (7-4) allowed three hits, while he w

<< Chiefs release 13, including Morgan; Leggett and Urban to IR
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Safety DaJuan Morgan was among the most prominent players released by the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday, as the team reduced its roster to the 53-player maximum. Morgan played in 28 games as a Chief after

Razorbacks roll to season-opening win >>
Fayetteville, AR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Mallett tossed three touchdown passes to lead 17th-ranked Arkansas to a 44-3 rout of Tennessee Tech in the opener for both schools. Mallett went 21-for-24 for 301 yards along with a pick for t

Goalkeeper gaffe gives Columbus win at United >>
Washington, D.C. (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Guillermo Barros Schelotto scored the lone goal after a mistake by D.C. United rookie goalie Bill Hamid and the Columbus Crew won 1-0 on Saturday night in Major League Soccer at RFK Stadium. Columbus (13-

Cornhuskers clobber WKU >>
Lincoln, NE (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Freshman quarterback Taylor Martinez ran for three touchdowns and accounted for 263 of Nebraska's 536 yards of offense, as the eighth-ranked Cornhuskers walloped Western Kentucky, 49-10, at Memorial Stadium

Engram, Jennings, McDonald among Browns' final cuts >>
Berea, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wide receiver Bobby Engram, running back Chris Jennings and cornerback Brandon McDonald were among the notables released by the Cleveland Browns on Saturday, as the team reduced its roster to 53 players. Engram,

Jackson powers Tigers past Royals >>
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Austin Jackson went 3-for-4 and singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning, leading the Detroit Tigers to a 6-4 win over the Kansas City Royals in the middle test of a three-game series. Jackson als

Chiefs' Treen Green out for Sunday's game

How long Trent Green will remain sidelined is unknown. Coach Herm Edwards said Monday he will miss a second straight start Sunday when the Chiefs host the San Francisco 49ers.

A two-time Pro Bowler, Green was going into a feet-first hook slide when he was knocked unconscious by a thunderous, head-snapping hit from Cincinnati's Robert Geathers.

Oddsmakers at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com currently have the Chiefs listed as 7-point favorites versus the 49ers.

The 49ers got beat by Philadelphia 38-24 as a 6.5-point underdog last week. The combined score went OVER the posted over/under total (42.5).

Alex Smith completed 27-of-46 passes for 293 yards with a touchdown. Michael Robinson rushed for 29 yards and a pair of touchdowns on five carries.

The Chiefs lost 9-6 to Denver last week as an 11-point underdog. The combined score was well UNDER the posted over/under total (38).

Larry Johnson rushed for 126 yards on 27 carries. Damon Huard completed 17-of-23 passes for 133 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.

To visit this online sports book got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.

Horse Betting

(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).

The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.

"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."

Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.

"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."

When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:

CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.

DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.

PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.

You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.

"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."

Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.

(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)

Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."

But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."

Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."

Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."

All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.

In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.

"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."

To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.