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09/04/2010 - Athens, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aaron Murray threw for three touchdowns and ran for another, as the 23rd-ranked Georgia Bulldogs trounced the Louisiana Ragin Cajuns', 55-7, at Sanford Stadium.
Murray, a redshirt freshman making his first collegiate start, completed 17- of-26 tosses for 160 yards with one pick. He also added 42 rushing yards for Georgia (1-0), which finished 8-5 last season, the program's lowest win total under head coach Mark Richt since he debuted in 2001. Kris Durham benefited from Murray's big day, catching five passes for 83 yards and a touchdown.
The Bulldogs played the game shorthanded, as their top receiver and rusher from a year ago in A.J. Green and Washaun Ealey were missing from the lineup. Green, the team's leading receiver with 53 catches and 808 receiving yards, was held out as the NCAA investigates his alleged improper interaction with an agent. Ealey, meanwhile, paced the squad with 717 rushing yards, but was suspended after being charged in late August with hit and run and driving on a suspended license.
Chris Masson started the game at quarterback for Louisiana (0-1) and threw for 77 yards with one touchdown and an interception for the Cajuns (0-1), who were coming off a 6-6 finish for the second straight season. Ladarius Green was his main target, pulling in four balls for 87 yards and a score.
The Bulldogs started off the scoring with three minutes left in the opening quarter, as Caleb King's 20-yard touchdown run on third-and-short capped an 11-play, 76-yard drive.
Georgia's defense made its impact felt on the ensuing possession, with corner Brandon Boykin picking off a Masson pass at Louisiana's 28-yard line. The Bulldogs capitalized on the turnover with a three-yard touchdown pass from Murray to Durham just seconds into the second quarter.
A 52-yard field goal by Blair Walsh a few minutes later extended Georgia's advantage to 17-0.
Late in the first half, the Bulldogs added to their lead with an 11-yard scoring strike from Murray to Shaun Chapas.
The Cajuns, though, showed some life with under two minutes remaining. On the very next play following an interception, Masson hit a wide open Green on a 60-yard touchdown pass to put the Cajuns on the board. Louisiana had just six yards of total offense prior to the play.
Unfortunately, Louisiana's defense let down and Georgia took advantage with a 16-yard touchdown run by Murray as time expired. Murray, who snuck the ball just across the goalline as he went out of bounds, was given a second chance after Louisiana's Lance Kelly dropped a sure interception in the back of the end zone a couple players earlier.
The Bulldogs picked up right where they left off after the break, as Walsh connected on a 48-yard field goal just minutes into the second half for a 34-7 Georgia advantage.
The onslaught continued when a one-yard touchdown pass from Murray to a wide open Fred Munzenmaier completed a 10-play, 53-yard drive with 4:25 left in the third.
Hutson Mason then replaced Murray under center and the true freshman threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Logan Gray on his very first collegiate snap.
Things only got worse for the Cajuns, as backup quarterback Blaine Gautier was intercepted early in the fourth quarter by Jakar Hamilton, who returned the pick 17 yards for a score and a 55-7 advantage.
Game Notes
The Bulldogs have won 13 of their last 14 season openers, including a 9-1 mark under Richt...Georgia is 39-4 versus non-conference opponents under Richt...The 55 points was the most for Georgia since a 62-17 win over Kentucky in 2004...The Bulldogs outgained the Cajuns 377-128 and were 8-of-17 on third downs compared to a 3-of-16 showing by Louisiana...This was the first-ever meeting between Georgia and Louisiana on the gridiron...The Cajuns have dropped 13 straight games to ranked opponents since defeating Texas A&M in 1996.
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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.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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