No. 4 TCU hosts FCS foe Tennessee Tech

NCAA Football Betting Lines

09/08/2010 - Fort Worth, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With one of the toughest games on their schedule already out of the way, the fourth-ranked TCU Horned Frogs now focus their attention on the Golden Eagles of Tennessee Tech in a non-conference showdown at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth.

TCU, which lost to Boise State in the postseason to close out the 2009 campaign, opened up 2010 with a fight against nationally-ranked Oregon State and took care of the Beavers with a 30-21 final at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington last Saturday.

"For us, you've heard me say it, it was a like a blind date," commented TCU head coach Gary Patterson after the hard-fought victory. "You don't know what you're going to get...What a great game to play in. I tell ya, if there's a stadium better to play in than this one, as far as the crowd, and all the things that go along with it, I want to know what it is. Because this was awesome."

As for the Golden Eagles, they too were locked up with a nationally-ranked squad in the first week of the season, but in their case the outcome was much different as they fell hard to Arkansas by a final of 44-3 in Fayetteville. Granted, Tech did score the first points of the game, but from the second quarter on the Razorbacks ripped apart the visitors as expected.

"We're leaving a better team than when we came here," remarked Tech head coach Watson Brown. "When you come and play a team that good, in a hostile atmosphere you can't do anything but get better."

In 2009 the Golden Eagles kicked off with a 51-10 thrashing of Pikeville College, so clearly the team bit off more than it could chew by scheduling back-to-back games against nationally-ranked programs to begin 2010. The only true test the team encountered last year was when Kansas State ripped them apart in a 49-7 final in Manhattan.

This game marks the first-ever meeting between these two schools on the gridiron.

A 27-yard field goal by Matthew Barker in the first quarter of Saturday's game may have given the Golden Eagles some reason to believe they could compete against Arkansas, but that was before the Hogs really dialed up their offense and scored 44 unanswered points between the second and third quarters before calling off the dogs. Tre Lamb converted 6-of-13 passes as the quarterback for Tech, leading to 99 yards, but he was also sacked twice and that took the team's overall rushing total down to a mere 79 yards on 43 attempts. Cass Barnes, who converted his one pass attempt for nine yards, topped the team with 31 rushing yards on eight carries.

Sure, the Tech defense may have been feeling good through the first 15 minutes of action, but that was before the Razorbacks broke through and completely demolished the Eagles with 196 yards and three touchdowns on the ground and another 323 yards and three scores through the air. Sandwiched in between a couple of interceptions made by Richmond Tooley and Dustin Dillehay, the defense allowed five straight touchdowns by the Hogs.

Dillehay played a huge role for the Tennessee Tech defense a year ago when he ranked first on the unit with 78 tackles and was also tied for the team lead with three interceptions, which he returned for a combined 70 yards. Tooley was also a player to be reckoned with in 2009 with his three picks and team- leading 12 passes defended and nine breakups, but most of those numbers came against teams that are far from the caliber of TCU and the rest of the schools at the FBS level.

Last season, Dontay Gay led the Golden Eagles in rushing with 556 yards and scored six times on an even 100 carries, yet the team moved away from him for some reason in the opener this time around and he was credited with a mere 15 yards on seven carries.

"We fought hard the whole game," said quarterback Andy Dalton of TCU's victory over Oregon State in the opener. "We knew all we had to do was win by one. We came out and played really hard. We never got too down and we never got too high. We kept fighting. We do whatever it takes to win."

Dalton, who is now first on the all-time wins list as a starting quarterback for the Horned Frogs with 30, was certainly not going to let his teammates down as he converted 17-of-27 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown, but was also picked off two times and sacked once, which played into the team needing to hang on. With less than a minute to play in the third quarter, Dalton used his feet to get into the end zone on a four-yard bolt to the left side of the end zone. The TD run was the second of the game for Dalton, who is one of the more complete players in the Mountain West Conference again this season.

Running back Ed Wesley also played a significant role in the win as he registered 134 yards and a score on 17 carries, nearly doubling the output of OSU which tallied just 73 yards on the ground.

Finding a replacement for Jerry Hughes, one of the most dominating defenders in the MWC the last couple of years, won't be easy but Wayne Daniels may have already assumed that place on the TCU defense after coming up with two sacks, three total tackles for loss and a forced fumble in the opener.

"We have a lot more to prove," said Daniels after the victory. "We can be a little bit better than we were tonight. We just have to keep working and getting better."

Coach Patterson isn't about to let the Horned Frogs relax and feel good about their win in the opener because the team ran the table in 2009 and ended up getting beaten by a determined Boise State squad in the postseason. The defense will be asked to make big things happen for TCU, just as it did last year when it ranked first among all 120 teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision with a mere 239.7 ypg allowed. The group may not have been the best at stopping plays in the backfield last season, placing 31st in sacks (2.46 per game) and 50th in TFLs (5.92), but rarely did opponents gain huge yardage because there was always someone there to greet them.

Dalton may not bet the most productive passer in the MWC, but at least he can hit his marks when called upon. Better still, Dalton's ability to gain yards on his own means opponents have to plan for such action and rarely do they make the right decisions on coverage with a group that placed fifth in the nation last season with almost 240 ypg on the ground. There may be a few new faces coming out of the backfield on offense for the Frogs, but they are all cut from the same cloth and will cause opponents like Tennessee Tech to be stretched to their limits.

Wwwtreasuredome NCAA Football Betting News

<< Sooners and Seminoles meet in Top-25 showdown
Norman, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two teams with a lot to prove square off in a tiop-25 showdown in Norman this weekend, as the 10th-ranked Oklahoma Sooners play host to the 17th-ranked Florida State Seminoles. The Seminoles got the Jimbo Fisher

<< Yellow Jackets and Jayhawks square off in Lawrence
Lawrence, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 15th-ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets take their act on the road for the first time this season, as they invade Lawrence this weekend, for a showdown with the Kansas Jayhawks in an ACC/Big XII non-conferenc

<< Fireworks likely in showdown between Ducks and Volunteers
Knoxville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Coming off perhaps the most impressive performance in week one of the 2010 college football season, the seventh- ranked Oregon Ducks take to the road, as they invade SEC Country to battle the Tennessee Volunteer

<< 13th-ranked Hokies seek quick turnaround against Dukes
Blacksburg, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Coming off a heart-breaking loss, the 13th- ranked Virginia Tech Hokies now set their sights on the James Madison Dukes this weekend at Lane Stadium. In the most anticipated game of the opening week, it was

<< Instate rivals clash as ninth-ranked Hawkeyes take on Cyclones
Iowa City, IA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bitter rivals clash at Kinnick Stadium this weekend, as the ninth-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes do battle with the Iowa State Cyclones. The Hawkeyes took care of business in their opener last weekend, as they tallied

Utes open Mountain West slate against visiting Rebels >>
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Vaulting into the AP poll at the 20th position, the Utah Utes are at home again this week as they kick off their Mountain West Conference schedule against the UNLV Rebels at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake

Sunshine State showdown pits Bulls against Gators >>
Gainesville, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The eighth-ranked Florida Gators struggled a bit in their season opener, and they are undoubtedly eager to get back on the field this weekend against the South Florida Bulls in a non-conference affair from The

Hogs host Warhawks in non-conference action >>
Little Rock, AR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 14th-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks of the SEC will attempt to knock off the UL-Monroe Warhawks, a team from the Sun Belt Conference set to open its season. In December, ULM announced Todd Berry as the prog

Cavaliers travel across country to tangle with Trojans >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Virginia Cavaliers will play their first-ever game in the state of California on Saturday night, as they take on the 16th-ranked USC Trojans in a non-conference affair. Last weekend's opener against Ric

Bragging rights on line as West Virginia visits Marshall >>
Huntington, WV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - State rivals will square off in Huntington on Friday night, as the Marshall Thundering Herd welcome the 23rd-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers to town. On opening weekend, West Virginia cruised past Coastal

MySportsbook.com: NFL draft - The NFC South


In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South.  Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC.  The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game.  For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft.  Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.

1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign?  New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1.  Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT.  Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.

Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami

2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season.  With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round.  LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems.  If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.

Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU

3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season.  The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach.  The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub.  High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career.  With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson. 

Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season.  The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age.  It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot.  This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.

Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas

It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season.  On the clock: the NFC North

Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2    

Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1

Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1

To visit this sportsbook get to MySportsbook.com for all your online sportsbook needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.