Ducks have covered 8 straight as road ‘chalk’
Published on Tuesday, 9/3/13, at 4:18 p.m. Eastern.
By Brian Edwards
–Oregon has covered the spread in eight consecutive road favorite situations. As of Tuesday, the Ducks were favored by 22-23 points for Saturday’s game at Virginia. The Cavs are 3-6 against the spread in nine games as home underdogs on Mike London’s watch.
–Hugh Freeze pointed out at SEC Media Days how Ole Miss was fortunate to start the same group of offensive linemen in all 13 games last season. Not the case this year, though, as the Rebels’ best o-lineman Aaron Morris was lost for the season in Thursday’s 39-35 spread-covering win at Vandy. Perhaps even worse, LB Denzel Nkemdiche (not his lil’ bro the freshman #1 recruit), the team’s leading returning tackler, was lost for the next 4-6 weeks. The meat of the Rebs’ schedule is over the next 4-6 weeks.
-UGA’s leading returning receiver Malcolm Mitchell is out for the year with a torn ACL suffered in an end-zone celebration during Saturday’s 38-35 loss at Clemson.
–Miss St. QB Tyler Russell is ‘doubtful’ this week, but the Bulldogs have a lay-up game vs. Alcorn St. in Starkville.
–Remember, Stanford star LB Shayne Skov is suspended for the team’s opener vs. San Jose St., which nearly pulled a monster upset in Palo Alto last year.
–For Saturday’s trip to Miami, Florida will get back four starters that were ‘out’ in Saturday’s 24-6 home win over Toledo. RB Matt Jones will start after missing most of August with a viral infection. Three defensive starters – LB Antonio Morrison, DT Darious Cummings and CB Loucheiz Purifoy – will also return after serving one-game suspensions. Most spots have the Gators favored by three. UF is 2-1 ATS as a road favorite during Will Muschamp’s tenure, while UM is 3-0 ATS as a home ‘dog under Al Golden.
–Northwestern is expected to have star RB Venric Mark back after he missed a big chunk of Saturday’s 44-30 win at Cal. However, QB/WR Kain Colter is ‘doubtful’ with a shoulder injury and starting CB Daniel Jones is done for the season with a knee injury.
–Michigan is 8-5 ATS as a home favorite under Brady Hoke, while Notre Dame has gone 4-1 ATS as a road ‘dog with Brian Kelly. As of Tuesday, most books had the Wolverines favored by 3.5.
–Texas is favored by seven for Saturday’s trip to Provo to face BYU. The Cougars are 2-3 ATS as home underdogs during Bronco Mendenhall’s nine-year tenure. The Longhorns have compiled an 11-6 spread record as a road favorite since 2008.
–Two players that really disappointed me in Week 1: Ohio QB Tyler Tettleton and La.-Monroe QB Colton Browning.
–South Carolina, a three-point ‘dog Saturday at Georgia, owns a 14-9-1 spread record as a road ‘dog since Steve Spurrier’s arrival in Columbia in 2005.
–Not that FIU is any good, but I’m starting to think Maryland is going to be a better team in 2013. Obviously, QB C.J. Brown has got to stay healthy. He torched the Golden Panthers by completing 20-of-23 passes for 281 yards and three TDs without being intercepted. Brown also ran for a pair of scores. The Terrapins have an outstanding 1-2 combo of WRs in Stefon Diggs (5 catches for 98 yards & 1 TD) and Deon Long (9 receptions for 110 yards & 1 TD). Kenny White of DonBest.com provided me with the scoop on Long, a juco transfer, at the LVH Seminar in Vegas two weeks ago. NFL scouts are extremely high on both Long and Diggs.
–Here’s a hat tip to Texas Tech’s Baker Mayfield, who became the first player in BCS history to start at QB as a true freshman walk-on. Mayfield led the Red Raiders to a 41-23 win at SMU by throwing for 413 yards and four TDs without committing a turnover. Michael Brewer may have a hard time getting his starting job back now.
–Fresno State’s Derek Carr and Rutgers’s Gary Nova weren’t the only QBs that threw five TD passes in Week 1. They were joined by East Carolina’s Shane Carden, Louisville’s Teddy Bridgewater and Marshall’s Rakeem Cato.
–Other injuries to keep an eye on this week: Cody Hoffman (BYU star WR), Middle Tennessee QB Logan Kilgore (at UNC) & Kent St. RB Dri Archer (vs. Bowling Green).
—I’ve already posted three plays for Saturday with more to follow.
