Presley, Williams, Cushingberry, Bauman capture FCS weekly awards
NCAA Football Betting Lines
09/06/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Appalachian State quarterback DeAndre Presley, Gardner-Webb linebacker Jeffery Williams, Southern special teams performer Corey Cushingberry and Northern Arizona running back Zach Bauman have been named The Sportsbook Betting Lines/Fathead.com FCS National Players of the Week for the season-opening games which ended Sept. 5.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
DeAndre Presley, Appalachian State, Junior, 5-11, 170, QB, Tampa, FL
Following the legendary Armanti Edwards as Appalachian State's No. 1 quarterback hasn't fazed Presley, who was scintillating in his season debut. He engineered a 42-41 comeback victory over Chattanooga. The third-ranked Mountaineers trailed 28-7 late in the third quarter before Presley guided the offense to 253 yards and five touchdowns in the final 17:29 of the game. Overall, he completed 22-of-29 passes for 340 yards and two touchdowns, rushed for 25 yards and two touchdowns, and was credited with a touchdown reception by picking up wide receiver Matt Cline's fumble and weaving 33 yards for the go-ahead touchdown with 6:05 left
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Jeffery Williams, Gardner-Webb, Senior, 6-0, 222, LB, Frisco City, AL
Injuries limited Williams last season, but the 2008 Big South Conference Defensive Player of the Week demonstrated in Gardner-Webb's season opener against Brevard that he is back at full strength. The hard-hitting linebacker collected 18 tackles, including nine solos, in a 28-14 victory. The Runnin' Bulldogs defense was on the field for 37 minutes, 18 seconds against Brevard's triple-option attack and Williams seemed to be everywhere. He had two tackles for loss, including a half-sack, and intercepted a pass to end a 12-play drive in Gardner-Webb territory. Williams became the eighth player in Big South history to surpass 300 career tackles, upping his total to 304.
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Corey Cushingberry, Southern, R-Senior, 5-9, 175, WR/RS, Baton Rouge, LA
Southern trailed Delaware State throughout the second half of the MEAC/SWAC Challenge until Cushingberry's clutch punt return late in the game. He returned the punt 64 yards for a touchdown to erase Southern's 27-23 deficit. The Jaguars went on to give the SWAC its second win in the sixth annual game between conferences of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Cushingberry finished with 175 all-purpose yards, returning two punts for 71 yards and five kickoffs for 104 yards.
FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Zach Bauman, Northern Arizona, Freshman, 5-10, 200, RB, Chandler, AR
A true freshman, Bauman made it look easy in his first collegiate game, rushing for 167 yards and four touchdowns on 22 carries as Northern Arizona beat Western New Mexico, 48-0. He scored three times in the first half and then raced for a 66-yard touchdown in the third quarter, giving him an FCS- leading 24 points after the first week of action. Most of the preseason focus was on All-America quarterback Michael Herrick, but Bauman's emergence will help keep defenses honest. Bauman played for two state championship teams at Hamilton High in Chandler, Ariz.
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Dolphins have signed linebacker Bobby Carpenter to an undisclosed contract. The former number one draft choice had spent the 2010 training camp with the St. Louis Rams after being acquired
<< Saints ink LB Clark
New Orleans, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Orleans Saints have reportedly
signed linebacker Danny Clark on Monday.
According to the New Orleans Times-Picayune, Clark was signed to add depth to
a linebacker corps that has lost Jonatha
<< Washington fails to clinch playoff spot
Bridgeview, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Freedom failed to clinch the
final playoff spot in Women's Professional Soccer on Sunday as they suffered a
2-1 defeat to the Chicago Red Stars.
The Freedom entered Sunday's game needing a
<< Kuznetsova exits the Open
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former champion Svetlana Kuznetsova
was a fourth-round upset victim Monday at the U.S. Open.
Talented Slovak Dominika Cibulkova cut down the 11th-seeded Kuznetsova 7-5,
7-6 (7-4) at the USTA Billie
<< Rangers promote INF German, designate Cora
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers purchased the contract of
infielder Esteban German from Triple-A Oklahoma City and designated infielder
Alex Cora for assignment on Monday.
The 32-year-old German has been with Oklahoma
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Rockies reinstated pitcher Matt Daley from the 60-day disabled list on Monday. Daley had been on the DL since June 16, retroactive to June 11, with right shoulder inflammation. He was transf
Kuyt sidelined by shoulder injury >>
Rotterdam, Netherlands (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Netherlands striker Dirk Kuyt is
expected to miss the next few weeks after he suffered a shoulder injury in
training, Dutch manager Bert van Marwijk confirmed on Monday.
Kuyt sustained the
Miyazato remains No. 1 in world rankings >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ai Miyazato remained No. 1 in the world
rankings for women's golf for the third week in a row.
Miyazato grabbed the No. 1 ranking from Cristie Kerr following a win on August
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Anelka confirms international retirement >>
Paris, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - France striker Nicolas Anelka confirmed his
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summer'
2010 World Basketball Championship update - September 6th >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
USA 121, Angola 66
Russia 31, New Zealand 27 - Halftime
Betting the NFL preseason
Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."
When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules.
The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.
The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.
“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”
The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.
“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”
The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.
“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”
Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.
“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."
So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?
“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.
Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.
Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.
Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.
“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.
Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.
The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.
“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.
Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.
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Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence
Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.
Work left to do:
Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.
Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.
DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...
West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.
Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.
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