Tuberville's Texas Tech to debut vs. improving SMU

NCAA Football Betting Lines

09/04/2010 -

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) -June Jones knows the order is a tall one for his improving SMU squad.

The Mustangs will open the season Sunday in Lubbock as the first opponent for new Texas Tech coach Tommy Tuberville, who vowed when he took over in January not to dismantle the Red Raiders' dizzyingly successful aerial attack.

Facing a coach - and a program - eager for a win in the post-Mike Leach era, SMU also faces some daunting history. Texas Tech has won the past 13 meetings between the two former Southwest Conference rivals dating to 1989.

Jones, who in his second season last year led SMU to the most wins (8-5) since 1984, said the Mustangs will need to be sharp. After going 1-11 in Jones' first year, SMU's seven-win improvement was the largest for any team in Division I last season.

``We feel like we have to go in there and play our best football game to win,'' Jones said. ``We have our hands full, obviously. I think they are a very talented team.''

Tuberville is hoping so - particularly on defense, long maligned and a stepchild to Leach's passing offense that had most of his quarterbacks leading the nation in passing. Linebacker Bront Bird said the Tech defense is more complicated then in previous years.

``In the past, a lot of guys were satisfied knowing what they were supposed to do, but you are a better player when you understand the whole scheme of what everyone is doing, as far as coverages,'' Bird said.

Jones thinks Texas Tech's offense, behind starting quarterback Taylor Potts, will run more.

``But that doesn't mean they're not going to throw it 60 times a game,'' Jones said. ``It's not going to be just like Mike Leach's offense.''

It's Texas Tech's first game in Lubbock since 1999 without Leach on the sideline. University officials fired Leach Dec. 30, two days after suspending him amid allegations he mistreated a receiver with a concussion. Leach has denied he mistreated the player and has a lawsuit pending against the school.

Tuberville, who is beginning his 15th year as head coach after stints at Auburn and Mississippi, said he thinks the game will answer many questions.

``I wanted everyone to see what this program is about,'' he said. ``We are still here and we are going to be able to throw the football, run it and play defense and play special teams.''

Is he nervous about the game?

``I'm more nervous for the players and what they're doing and if they can get it done,'' Tuberville said. We'll go into this game knowing we've pretty much done everything we can. We'll be a little nervous about execution and how we handle certain situations.''

SMU will rely on quarterback Kyle Padron, who took over at midseason as a freshman last year and went 5-1 as a starter, throwing for a school-record 460 yards and two touchdowns in the 45-10 win over Nevada in the Hawaii Bowl. That game ended a 25-year bowl drought for the program that took years to rebound from the NCAA's so-called death penalty.

``I think his best football is ahead of him, certainly,'' Jones said of Padron. ``We just have to keep getting good around him. I think we have a guy that can take us to the promised land.''

A seasoned offensive line will be protecting him, and Tuberville said a strong pass rush will be ``huge'' for the Red Raiders defense.

``First we have to stop the run,'' he said. ``The quarterback is a young guy, who has had some success. He's a pretty seasoned veteran but hopefully we can give him some problems.''

He doesn't expect much different from Jones, who last week got a contract extension expected to keep him at the school through the 2014 season.

``He's coached in pro and college and he's does the same things,'' Tuberville said. ``He hasn't done anything different. We'll be able to prepare on what he has done.''

In two weeks, Texas Tech hosts No. 5 Texas - a huge Big 12 test for Tuberville, who said he won't hold back anything this week for that game.

``You'll see it all (Sunday). You need to run things to see if you can execute,'' he said. ``We'll always add one or two things. I think we have a good game plan.''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.

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Betting Football

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Is 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.

Kurt Warner to start, Matt Leinart to watch

Despite the debate that's swirling , Kurt Warner will remain the starting quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals, coach Dennis Green said today. The Arizona Cardinals are the +7 point underdog at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com for this Sunday's game.

Green's comment came in a statement released by the team following an ESPN report that Green decided that rookie Matt Leinart would replace Warner as starter for Sunday's game at Atlanta.

"Generally talking about the starting lineup is not something we do," Green told the AP. "However, given the speculation that was out there we want to make it clear. We're disappointed after last week, but we still expect to be a playoff football team and we fully expect Kurt Warner to be the quarterback that leads us. That has not changed."

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs.