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09/05/2010 -
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -Texas spent the offseason loading up a new power running game that was going to get tough yards and first downs when they need it.
The Longhorns still have some work to do.
By the numbers, Texas was able to grind out 197 yards on 46 carries in a steady 34-17 season-opening win over Rice. Tre' Newton, who had lost the starting tailback job to Cody Johnson, punched in three touchdowns on runs of 1, 1 and 2 yards.
Those numbers don't show how a Rice team that went 2-10 last season stuffed Texas on four straight runs inside the Owls' 4-yard line on the first drive, or how they held Texas to 76 yards on 21 carries in the first half.
Another 3rd-and-2 in the third quarter produced only one yard when Texas was trying to get out from deep inside its own half of the field.
That new power rushing attack was pretty punchless at key times in the game.
``I do know that when you run the ball, most of your rushing yards are going to come late in the third and fourth quarter. That happened some tonight, but you have to be patient, even more than I am right now. I need to continue to work on my patience,'' Texas coach Mack Brown said.
Newton led Texas with 61 yards but averaged just 3.4 yards. Johnson, whose 5-foot-11, 250-pound frame had made him Texas' goal-line specialist the previous two seasons, carried the ball four straight times on the goal line on Texas' first drive but couldn't get in the end zone. On fourth down, Texas called a sweep right and Johnson lost four yards.
Johnson finished with 59 yards but didn't score. Fozzy Whittaker added 51 yards on nine carries.
``We got the win, so that is the most important goal,'' Newton said. ``I don't know what kind of grade I would give us.''
Brown said he'd wait to evaluate game film to decide who will start next weekend against Wyoming. The running backs were playing behind a line with three new starters.
``Sometimes you see a great run, and there was a huge hole. We'll want to see who made the yards when things aren't there,'' Brown said. ``All three of them are experienced, and all three of them played well. But I feel like that is something that we'll have to see on film.''
Texas fans have gotten used to watching the Longhorns light up the scoreboard after six seasons of Vince Young and Colt McCoy at quarterback. Saturday's grind-it-out attack limited the throws of new starting quarterback Garrett Gilbert, who went 14 of 24 for 172 yards but no touchdowns.
Unlike McCoy the last four seasons, Gilbert was rarely in the shotgun against the Owls. His longest completion was a 47-yard strike to Malcolm Williams down the middle in the third quarter.
``We did a good job running the ball for the most part, but we've got a long way to go before we're where we want to be as a team,'' Gilbert said.
Texas left a lot of points on the field.
Besides the goal-line stand by Rice in the first quarter, Texas defensive backs Chykie Brown and Aaron Williams both dropped potential interceptions that should have resulted in easy touchdowns, and new kicker Justin Tucker missed field goals of 44 and 54 yards. Tucker also made kicks of 51 and 26 yards.
``We better get a bunch better next week before Wyoming, or we are going to have trouble winning,'' Brown said.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
<< Smyth wins Senior Masters by three
Woburn, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ireland's Des Smyth posted a three-under 69
Sunday to win the Travis Perkins Senior Masters by three strokes.
Smyth finished the event at 10-under-par 206. The victory was Smyth's third on
the European Seni
<< TV ratings for Notre Dame opener up 77 percent
NEW YORK (AP) -The start of the Brian Kelly era attracted a large television audience for Notre Dame.Saturday's preliminary rating was up 77 percent from last year's opener. NBC said Sunday that the Fighting Irish's 23-12 win over Purdue drew a 2.3
<< Slovenia routs Australia to reach quarterfinals
Istanbul, Turkey (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jaka Lakovic scored 19 points in
Slovenia's 87-58 rout of Australia to reach the quarterfinals of the 2010 FIBA
World Championships.
Primoz Brezec added 12 points for Slovenia, which will play
<< 2010 World Basketball Championship update - September 5th
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
Slovenia 87, Australia 58
Turkey vs. France, 2 p.m.
Veteran coach Jack Crowe leads JSU to huge victory >>
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) -Jack Crowe has been coaching football for 40 years, but even he was at a loss to describe how Jacksonville State pulled off the unthinkable with a 49-48 double-overtime victory over Mississippi on Saturday.Not only was it undoubt
Defense comes up big for Mountaineers >>
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) -West Virginia is accustomed to scoring in bunches. What stood out after the season opener was an effort unseen from its defense in quite some time.The Mountaineers earned their first home shutout win in 13 years on Saturday,
Clijsters, Venus roll into quarterfinals in New York >>
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Defending champion Kim Clijsters
and Venus Williams each recorded straight-set victories in fourth-round play
Sunday at the 2010 U.S. Open.
Clijsters needed just 59 minutes to post a 6-2 ,6-1
Verdasco moves on to fourth round at U.S. Open >>
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fernando Verdasco was a third-round
winner Sunday at the U.S. Open.
The eighth-seeded Spaniard dispatched Argentina's David Nalbandian 6-2, 3-6,
6-3, 6-2. Verdasco was a quarter-finalist here l
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Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?
I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.
Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.
There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.
Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.
For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.
A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.
The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.
Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.
So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.
Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.
“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.
Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.
“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.
It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.
Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.
The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.
“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.
“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”
Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.
The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.
“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”
Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?
“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.
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