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10/31/2007 - Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A couple of programs trying to get back on track meet in Tampa this Saturday, as the Cincinnati Bearcats tangle with the 20th-ranked South Florida Bulls in Big East play at Raymond James Stadium.
After winning six straight games to open the season and earning a spot in the Top 25 rankings in the process, the Bearcats have hit some hard times. The team has dropped each of its last two outings, including a 24-17 setback at Pittsburgh on October 20th. Both losses came in Big East play, where Cincinnati now stands at just 1-2 on the year. On a positive note, the Bearcats have fared well away from home this season, posting a 3-1 ledger on the road.
As for USF, it also started the season with six consecutive victories and that helped the program land the second-ranking in the nation. The Bulls, who had never been ranked prior to this season, had a target on their back though, and they were upended at Rutgers (30-27) and then at Connecticut (22-15) this past weekend. Now at just 1-2 in conference play, USF returns back home, where it has won seven straight contests, including all four this season.
The all-time series between USF and Cincinnati is tied at 2-2, with the Bearcats posting a 23-6 triumph in last season's encounter at Nippert Stadium.
The Bearcats, offensively, have done a solid job this season, averaging 37.6 ppg behind 436.2 total ypg. The team has been effective on the ground (171.5 ypg) and through the air (264.8 ypg), but it has also committed a few too many turnovers (17). In the team's last game, Cincinnati turned the ball over three times and was limited to just 358 total yards in a 24-17 loss to Pittsburgh. Quarterback Ben Mauk put together a solid performance in the loss, as he rushed for a team-high 94 yards and a score on 10 carries, in addition to throwing for 237 yards on 21-of-32 pass attempts. For the year, Mauk has completed 63.4 percent of his tosses for an average of 227.9 passing ypg and he has thrown 15 touchdowns against five interceptions. Marcus Barnett has been one of his favorite targets and he leads the team with 496 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. Against Pittsburgh, Barnett hauled in three balls for a team-best 61 yards in the losing cause. In the backfield, Butler Benton leads the team with 434 rushing yards and Greg Moore follows closely with 328 yards. Neither back is much of a game-breaker, but they both do a nice job complementing the passing attack.
The Bearcats have done a good job creating miscues and keeping teams off the board, as they have forced 26 turnovers (17 interceptions) while holding foes to just 16.0 ppg. Overall, the unit is limiting teams to 364.4 total ypg, including only 108.4 ypg on the ground. In the club's previous outing however, Cincinnati was burned for 260 rushing yards by Pittsburgh, which also threw for 167 yards. The defense recorded just one turnover and a sack and had trouble getting off the field, spending over 34 minutes of the game trying to stop Pittsburgh's attack. Corey Smith posted 11 tackles in the loss, while DeAngelo Smith registered his fourth interception of the year. Mike Mickens also has four picks for Cincinnati this season, and Anthony Hoke is the squad's top pass rusher with five sacks to his name.
For the Bulls, their offense runs through the steady play of quarterback Matt Grothe, who can do it all. The versatile gunslinger has thrown for 1,557 yards and eight touchdowns, and he is just as dangerous with his legs, rushing for a team-best 550 yards and six more scores. In last weekend's loss to UConn, Grothe put forth another solid effort, as he rushed for 146 yards and a score, in addition to passing for 189 yards on 16-of-30 throws. Grothe though, was intercepted twice and that is rather uncharacteristic of him, considering he had been picked off just four times in the previous seven games. As a team, the Bulls rolled up 440 yards of total offense in the loss and that is above their season-average of 395.4 ypg. USF, which is averaging 181.1 rushing ypg on the year, did most of its damage on the ground last weekend, gaining 251 yards on 44 carries.
On the defensive side of the ball is where USF has really played well this season, limiting its opponents to 18.2 ppg and just 307.4 total ypg. The unit has had success against the run (120.9 ypg) as well as the pass (186.5 ypg) and it has recorded 24 sacks and 25 turnovers. Despite the loss last weekend, the Bulls' defense did a solid job in holding UConn to only 353 total yards. The unit gave up just six points in the second half and finished the game with three sacks. George Selvie logged two of those sacks and that is not a surprise, as he leads the nation with 13.5 sacks. Selvie is also tops in the nation in TFLs (23.5) and he is a big reason for this unit's success. Another player worth noting is Ben Moffitt, who is tied for the team-lead in tackles (71) as well as interceptions (three).
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The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.
Thursday, August 21
NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37
NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road
In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.
Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):
* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games
Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.
Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.
Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.
That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.
Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.
CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)
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