Vanderbilt wants to spoil Tennessee's bowl hopes
2014-11-28
And as the old saying goes, misery loves company.
The Commodores' best hope is beating an SEC team once and avoiding becoming the first team in this league to lose all eight conference games by double digits. In-state rival Tennessee needs a win Saturday to become bowl eligible for the first time since 2010, while a loss would mean the fifth straight losing season - the first in school history.
Senior defensive tackle Vince Taylor said winning the state championship would bring the Commodores (3-8, 0-7) great satisfaction, especially with their streak of three straight bowls snapped.
''It'd be good for us both to be here watching a bowl game,'' Taylor said.
The Vols (5-6, 2-5) have lost two straight to Vanderbilt, something that hadn't happened since 1925-26. That's brought some life to a rivalry that had featured tight games over the years with Tennessee winning 28 of the last 31 games, and Mason added his own chapter by referring to the Vols as the ''team out East'' earlier this week.
Patton Robinette scored with 16 seconds left helping Vandy pull out a 14-10 win in Neyland Stadium, and the Commodores said they were pelted with water bottles after that victory. Robinette left last week's 51-0 loss at Mississippi State in a walking boot, but the sophomore quarterback who grew up 15 miles from Tennessee's campus said he'd have to be drugged not to play.
''It's time this week to go out and make new memories,'' Robinette said.
Tennessee coach Butch Jones said a win in Nashville gives his Vols a chance to build momentum. A win not only makes the Vols eligible for a bowl, they would notch their first winning record in November since going 4-0 in 2010.
''We are fighting for bowl eligibility,'' Jones said. ''It is an instate rivalry game. So there is a lot on the line.''
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Here are a few things to know about the SEC's fourth-oldest rivalry:
VANDERBILT'S STRUGGLES: The Commodores have lost each SEC game by at least 10 points this season, and their last loss was the worst since 1994 when the Vols thumped them 65-0. Tennessee is a 17-point favorite Saturday, and a loss by double digits would make the Commodores the first Football Bowl Subdivision team to lose every conference game by 10 points or more in a season since Washington State in 2009, according to STATS Inc.
YOUNG TEAMS: Vanderbilt has played the most true and redshirt freshmen in the country this season with 31, and no team has played more first-time starters than the Commodores with 26. Tennessee can top Vanderbilt having played 22 true freshmen compared to 12 for the Commodores, and the Vols started seven true freshmen in last week's 29-21 loss to then-No. 19 Missouri. All that youthfulness means not some of the young Vols aren't caught up on this rivalry. ''A lot of players haven't played against Vanderbilt,'' Vols linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin said. ''Really, we're just trying to get the win. All that comes with it, but we're just focused on getting this win No. 6.''
PROTECTING DOBBS: With center Mack Crowder out with a sprained knee and ankle last week, Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs was sacked six times. Getting to the quarterback hasn't been easy for Vanderbilt with only which has only 15 sacks this season.
WHICH QB: Jones said he expects Robinette to be Vanderbilt's quarterback, while Mason has said Johnny McCrary will start. That would be McCrary's fifth straight start, though Robinette is expected to come off the bench.
SENIOR NIGHT: This is the final game for one of the winningest senior classes in Vanderbilt history. A total of 21 seniors have gone 27-23, topping last year's seniors by one win, while their three straight bowl berths are the first in school history.
Sportsbook.com Pitt vs. UConn Betting Odds: Pittsburgh -6, Total: 47.5
Pittsburgh goes for its fourth straight win when it travels to East Hartford, CT on Thursday night. The Panthers are unbeaten in Big East play and have won their five games this year by an average of 23.4 PPG. UConn forced four turnovers in a 16-13 upset win over West Virginia last Friday. The Huskies are a perfect 4-0 at home (SU and ATS) this year thanks to 15 takeaways and only six giveaways. That isn’t deterring the football betting crowd at Sportsbook.com from betting the visitors as 77 percent of the point spread bettors are on Pitt.
The Huskies still have revenge on their minds from last year’s meeting when they blew a 21-6 lead late in the third quarter and lost 24-21 on a last-second chip-shot field goal. Pittsburgh out-gained UConn 489 to 303 in that game, with RB Dion Lewis (158 rushing yards) and WR Jonathan Baldwin (8 rec., 104 yds, 1 TD) leading the way. But this season has been a different story for these two stars. Lewis was third in the nation with 138 rushing YPG last year, but that number has plummeted to 68 rushing YPG in 2010 with the emergence of Ray Graham (98 rushing YPG). Baldwin ranked 22nd in the nation in receiving yards in 2009 (86 receiving YPG), but that average has dipped to 68 receiving YPG this year. Some of the production drop has to do with sophomore Tino Sunseri starting in his first year at quarterback, but Sunseri has seven touchdowns and just one interception during the three-game win streak.
The key to this game will be whether Pitt’s eighth-ranked run defense (94 rushing YPG) can contain UConn stud RB Jordan Todman who ranks fourth in the nation with 136 rushing YPG. Last season Todman was shut down by the Panthers, gaining just 43 yards on 12 carries and catching three passes for minus-2 yards. If Todman can’t find room to run, it could be a long day for shaky senior QB Zach Frazer. Not only are Frazer’s career stats below average (54% completion rate, 14 TD, 16 INT), but he’s facing a Pittsburgh defense ranked sixth in the nation in sacks. The Panthers have also forced eight turnovers during their three-game win streak. Speaking of turnovers, UConn’s turnover-happy win over WVU marked the third time this season the Huskies have forced four turnovers in a game.
The last four times these Big East rivals squared off, the underdog covered the point spread three times and was 3-1 outright. Here are two more college football betting trends that indicate that the Huskies cover the point spread tonight:
Play On - Underdogs of 3.5 to 10 points (CONNECTICUT) - an average offensive team (21-28 PPG) against a good offensive team (28-34 PPG) after 7+ games, after scoring 3 points or less in the first half last game.
(42-13 since 1992.) (76.4%, +27.7 units. Rating = 3*).
Play Against - A road team (PITTSBURGH) - after 3 or more consecutive wins against the spread, in weeks 10 through 13. (69-31 over the last 5 seasons.) (69%, +34.9 units. Rating = 3*).
If you are interested in betting on the ‘total’, consider this:
Play Under - All teams where the total is between 42.5 and 49 (CONNECTICUT) - average offensive team (4.8 to 5.6 YPP) against a good defense (4.2 to 4.8 YPP) after 7+ games, after being outgained by opp by 125 or more total yards last game.
(34-10 over the last 10 seasons.) (77.3%, +23 units. Rating = 3*).
To see the rest of the Pitt vs. UConn betting odds, or to check out all of this week’s college football betting lines, head over to Sportsbook.com now.
New advertising agency shows its paces
UK football fans can expect an avalanche of new William Hill advertisements this weekend as the company launches its latest football campaign - the first created by its new agency The Bank.
The marketing publication Drum reports that the London-based ad agency was tasked at the beginning of March with reinforcing the brand’s association with football ahead of this year’s World Cup in South Africa, with the campaign target the positioning of William Hill as the ‘home of betting’.
The creative idea will run across all media activity at regional level, handled by both The Bank and the in-house marketing department.
The television element was produced by the agency’s in-house production department and directed by creative founder Ian Cassie.
Kristof Fahy, brand and marketing director at William Hill, told The Drum: “We are trusted – with over 75 years of experience and a huge presence both on the high street and online. Simply put we are the home of betting in the UK and as such, we have a unique place in the minds of the British public.
"This next period of activity will coincide with our continued drive to offer customers an unrivalled experience online, on the phone and on the high street. The Bank showed the kind of strategic insight and clarity of creative thinking we are looking for.”
Cassie added: ”Our task has been to take all the great things that the William Hill brand stands for and re-present it in a creative idea that is unique, flexible and persuasive which can work as effectively in a TV spot as on a betting slip.”