Big win doesn't alter Moore's '1 game' focus
NCAA Football Betting Lines
09/09/2010 -
BOISE, Idaho (AP) -If the impact of Boise State's big victory over Virginia Tech ever sinks in to Kellen Moore's brain, don't expect the soft-spoken quarterback to veer from the team's modesty mantra.
Like his coach and teammates, Moore simply refuses to use the latest win as leverage or proof the No. 3 Broncos should be taken seriously in any national title conversation.
As fans, sports writers and college football analysts stoked the debate in the wake of Boise State's thrilling victory Monday night, Moore stuck to an all-too-familiar script around Idaho's capitol city: Focus only on the things you can control on the field.
``It was one game, one week and we still have a lot of football to deal with,'' said Moore, who threw three touchdown passes, including a late game-winner, in Monday night's 33-30 victory at FedEx Field in Landover, Md.
``We can't even be thinking about a bowl game right now. We just aren't going to be talking about that for a long, long time,'' he said.
It's as if Moore was reciting from a memo passed out by coach Chris Petersen on the plane trip back to Idaho.
During the last two years, as the Broncos pursued back-to-back undefeated regular seasons and BCS respectability, Petersen has refused to engage in 'what-if' postseason scenarios or speculation his team deserved to play on college football's biggest stages.
This year, Petersen has altered his tone slightly, suggesting the Broncos have an opportunity to prove themselves as legitimate title contenders.
But he refuses to take the bait when asked if Boise State deserves a shot at the title or if the system is skewed against schools from conferences without an automatic BCS bid.
He still refers to his team as a bunch of underdogs.
``I just don't think you can worry about all of that right now,'' Moore said. ``We still need to play like we've got a chip on our shoulder. We still need to have that edge ... and the feeling like we're never going to satisfy everyone until we reach our goals at the end of the season.''
His caution could also be tied to the miscues and mistakes that nearly cost the Broncos on Monday night.
Despite his poise and decision-making down the stretch, Moore knows his performance was far from perfect. He overshot a few open receivers, forced a handful of throws in tight coverage and failed to spot some open receivers downfield.
It's also a safe bet the coaching staff will preach ball security and penalties. The Broncos have plenty of time to focus on those fundamentals: Their next game is a week away, a Sept. 18 visit to Wyoming.
Against Virginia Tech, the Broncos lost two fumbles and were penalized 11 times for 105 yards, including a running-into-the-kicker infraction late in the third quarter that gave the Hokies new life. On the ensuing play, Virginia Tech coaches decided to go for it on fourth down. The Hokies capitalized when quarterback Tyrod Taylor fired a 28-yard TD pass to give the Hokies a 27-26 lead.
Moore knows his team needs to avoid those kinds of flubs.
``There are obviously a lot of things for us to clean up,'' Moore said. ``A lot of it is just execution. Mechanically, I was a bit off.
``But the important thing is we were able to execute down the stretch in a critical situation. But that's football, the game changes, there are lots of momentum changes. In a game like that, it's all about how you respond,'' he said.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
Hilversum, Netherlands (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Belgium's Nicolas Colsaerts birdied his last three holes on Thursday en route to an eight-under 62 and the first- round lead of the KLM Open. Kenneth Ferrie and Shiv Kapur both posted rounds of si
<< King, Shvedova reach Open doubles final
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - American Vania King and Kazakhstan's
Yaroslava Shvedova reached Sunday's women's doubles final at the 2010 U.S.
Open.
The sixth-seeded duo of King-Shvedova topped a ninth-seeded pairing o
<< Blue Jackets sign top pick Johansen
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Columbus Blue Jackets signed center Ryan
Johansen, the fourth overall pick in the 2010 draft, to a three-year entry
level contract on Thursday.
The 18-year-old Johansen scored 25 goals to go with
<< Fla St visit stirs memories of Sooners' 2000 title
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) -As No. 17 Florida State travels to face No. 10 Oklahoma this week, the Sooners are firmly entrenched as a national powerhouse.It wasn't that way a decade ago when the programs last met.The Sooners had averaged only six wins per s
<< Coaches bring different styles to Iowa, Iowa St
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) -Iowa State's Paul Rhoads is loud, charismatic and upfront about his passion for the Cyclones.Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz likes to keep as much as he can in-house.The two coaches have different ways of doing business but they are wi
DETROIT (AP) - Mike Modano grew up dreaming of skating at Joe Louis Arena as a member of the Detroit Red Wings. He actually did it Thursday morning.The 40-year-old center, who signed a one-year, free agent deal with the Red Wings worth $1.25 million
Bills' Mitchell considered doubtful for opener >>
Orchard Park, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Buffalo Bills linebacker Kawika Mitchell
missed practice Thursday and appears unlikely to play in Sunday's opener
against the Miami Dolphins.
Bills head coach Chan Gailey said Mitchell hurt hi
Women's Open semis on tap for Friday >>
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The combatants for the 2010
women's final at the U.S. Open will be decided on Friday, when top-seeded
Caroline Wozniacki meets No. 7 seed Vera Zvonareva and second-seeded Kim
Clijste
NCAA Tournament's First Four to be played in Dayton >>
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The University of Dayton has been selected
as the host for the NCAA Tournament's new "First Four" games.
In April, the NCAA announced an expansion of the men's basketball tournament
to 68 teams for 201
Kuchar takes early lead at BMW Championship >>
Lemont, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Kuchar fired a seven-under 64 on Thursday
to take the early first-round lead at the BMW Championship.
The FedEx Cup leader scorched Cog Hill for an eagle, six birdies and a bogey,
building a one-shot lead o
Betting Football
NFL Football Betting OnlineIs there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?
I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.
Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.
There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.
Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.
For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.
A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.
The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.
Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.
So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.
Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.
“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.
Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.
“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.
It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.
Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.
The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.
“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.
“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”
Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.
The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.
“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”
Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?
“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.