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.
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
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
Teams that should be in: Michigan State, Indiana
Work left to do: Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Iowa
Behind the big two, the pecking order might be in a bit of flux. Has Michigan State passed Indiana after handling the Hoosiers in East Lansing? Where is Illinois in that mix? What looked like a four-big league last week could be morphing into five -- and even six is not unthinkable at this point if everything breaks right.
Should be in:
Michigan State [21-8 (8-6), RPI: 20, SOS: 15] The Spartans made it four-for-four on the homestand, a gigantic accomplishment that leaves them in extremely good shape. MSU is only 1-6 on the road and is at Michigan and at Wisconsin to close things out, meaning the date with the Wolverines on Tuesday looms very, very large. Beating Texas early will hold up well, as will the rout of Bradley and the win over BYU, but will 8-8 be enough? It very well could be, as the computer numbers are good, but why chance it?
Indiana [18-9 (8-6), RPI: 24, SOS: 32] Hmm ... good thing the last two are at Northwestern and home to Penn State, because IU might want to get both to feel completely safe after dropping its third in the last four, fading after halftime at Michigan State. Who knew the best nonconference win would be over Southern Illinois, which is a gift that keeps on giving for the Hoosiers. The win over Wisconsin also looks good on the mantel.
Work left to do:
Illinois [21-9 (9-6), RPI: 31, SOS: 25] A good performance at Penn State leaves the Illini in pretty good shape. Can they go to Iowa and take care of business to really look on their way? That's a huge game, as there is a possible cluster of teams that will end at 9-7. Illinois beat Bradley, but has lost to Xavier. A 9-7 mark and a semifinals trip in Chicago could be enough with the computer profile hanging in there, but it would be better not to mess around, clinching at least a tie for third.
Purdue [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 47, SOS: 28] Couldn't get it done at Iowa, but did win at Northwestern to put 9-7 squarely in sight. Where does that leave the Boilermakers, though? Even if they beat Minnesota and Northwestern at home, that won't help the computer numbers. Nonconference wins over Virginia, DePaul and Oklahoma are solid, but not spectacular. The Boilers very well might need an upset in the B10 quarters to have a legit claim.
Michigan [19-10 (7-7), RPI: 55, SOS: 53] Well, Michigan did what it needed to do, winning at Minnesota to take control of its fate. The Wolverines have Michigan State and an already-wrapped-up-the-league Ohio State at home to close, so the chances are there. Win both and we can talk. There is no marquee win yet in the profile, and the Wolverines were splattered in several games against name opponents. A mediocre computer profile fueled by a lack of road wins isn't helping, either.
Iowa [16-12 (8-6), RPI: 80, SOS: 64] For the sake of being complete, we'll add Iowa, this season's Stanford. It's plausible that the Hawkeyes could get to 10-6 (at Penn State, vs. Illinois left), but where does that leave them after a gruesome nonconference performance where the best win was over ... Toledo? Iowa State? Cornell?? If they get to 10-6, we can start to look at what they need to do in the B10 tourney, although my gut sense is that they would need to make the final and have knocked off Ohio State or Wisconsin on the way to have any real claim.
For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com
Additional sports lines can be found at: www.Sportsbooks.com
To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards.