St. Petersburg Bowl
December 17, 2009
Gamblers that didn?t get their fill on the first game of the bowl season will not have to wait long for another chance to cash in. They?ll get another shot at wagering when Rutgers (8-4 straight up, 5-5 against the spread) takes on the Knights in the second St. Petersburg Bowl from Tropicana Field.
The Scarlet Knights come into their fifth straight bowl game after a season that many weren?t sure what to expect.
Rutgers was going into the 2009 campaign with nine starters returning on the attack, but were going to be green on the skill positions. Gone from the program are quarterback Mike Teel, along with wide receivers Tiquan Underwood and Kenny Britt. Replacing that trio this season has been Tom Savage under center and Tim Brown and Mohamed Sanu handling the receiving duties.
Given the turner over in those skill positions, we?ve seen a noticeable dip on the aerial strike. In 2008, Rutgers had the 18th ranked passing game in the nation with 270.4 yards per game through the air. We?ve seen Greg Schiano?s program toss the ball for just 183.4 YPG in 2009 to come in 95th nationally.
You?d like to believe that Savage got his act together as the season progressed and fought a good fight. However, much like what Red said in ?The Shawshank Redemption,? prison is no fairy-tale world?or more specific, college football is no fairy-tale world. Savage has completed 43 percent of his passes for 127.3 YPG, 15 sacks with two touchdowns to four interceptions in his last three starts. And numbers like that won?t help keep a shady character like Bogs away.
Luckily for the offense, the stopping unit has been there to pick up the slack. Rutgers has been stifling on defense in 2009 as evidenced by the fact that they have given up just 312.7 YPG, which ranks 19 amongst all Football Bowl Subdivision schools.
The Scarlet Knights will need their defense to hold tight when they face off against Central Florida (8-4 SU, 9-2 ATS) on Saturday night.
George O?Leary?s Knights looked like they were heading towards mediocrity (and maybe a new head coach) when the opened the season with a 3-3 mark. But UCF found its footing on offense to close the season on a 5-1 run and its third bowl game in school history.
Central Florida has been able to make that run thanks to an offense that has been averaging 348.0 yards per game in 2009. To let you know how impressive that is, consider that the Knights were the worst offense in the FBS with average of 229.5 YPG.
So how did the Knights get so much better? The easiest answer is Brett Hodges.
Hodges, a transfer from Wake Forest, has been just what UCF needed under center. The senior signal caller has completed 61 percent of his passes for 2,265 yards with 15 scores to 11 picks. Hodges? last three starts have been fantastic as he?s connected on 70 percent of his passes for 235.0 YPG and five touchdowns.
UCF also has a sturdy defense to keep the opposition at bay. The Knights are 46th nationally in total defense, giving up 348.1 YPG this season. But they are fourth in the country against the run by surrendering a paltry 82.5 YPG on the ground. That stat will be big since Rutgers is more of a run-first team now as they?re picking up 183.4 YPG.
Given how both sides are fairly evenly, it comes as no surprise that the line has been close. Most sportsbooks have posted the Scarlet Knights as 2 ?-point favorites and a total of 44 ?. Gamblers can back Central Florida to win outright at plus-125 (risk $100 to win $125).
There is plenty of reason for the public to be siding with Rutgers since they?re on a 3-0 SU and ATS run in bowl games. Adding fuel to that fire is the fact that the Knights have posted an 0-2 SU and ATS mark in their two postseason matchups.
Something else to consider about Central Florida is the fact that they are 0-13 SU and 2-11 ATS when taking on teams from the Big East. Meanwhile, the Scarlet Knights are just 3-3 SU, but 4-2 ATS against clubs from Conference USA.
Another thing to consider for this matchup is that it almost like a regular season game with Rutgers finishing its schedule on Dec. 5 and the Knights on Nov. 28. The Scarlet Knights are 3-1 SU and ATS when playing after two weeks off. UCF is 1-5 SU and 2-4 ATS in games played with three weeks of rest since 1996.
December 17, 2009
Gamblers that didn?t get their fill on the first game of the bowl season will not have to wait long for another chance to cash in. They?ll get another shot at wagering when Rutgers (8-4 straight up, 5-5 against the spread) takes on the Knights in the second St. Petersburg Bowl from Tropicana Field.
The Scarlet Knights come into their fifth straight bowl game after a season that many weren?t sure what to expect.
Rutgers was going into the 2009 campaign with nine starters returning on the attack, but were going to be green on the skill positions. Gone from the program are quarterback Mike Teel, along with wide receivers Tiquan Underwood and Kenny Britt. Replacing that trio this season has been Tom Savage under center and Tim Brown and Mohamed Sanu handling the receiving duties.
Given the turner over in those skill positions, we?ve seen a noticeable dip on the aerial strike. In 2008, Rutgers had the 18th ranked passing game in the nation with 270.4 yards per game through the air. We?ve seen Greg Schiano?s program toss the ball for just 183.4 YPG in 2009 to come in 95th nationally.
You?d like to believe that Savage got his act together as the season progressed and fought a good fight. However, much like what Red said in ?The Shawshank Redemption,? prison is no fairy-tale world?or more specific, college football is no fairy-tale world. Savage has completed 43 percent of his passes for 127.3 YPG, 15 sacks with two touchdowns to four interceptions in his last three starts. And numbers like that won?t help keep a shady character like Bogs away.
Luckily for the offense, the stopping unit has been there to pick up the slack. Rutgers has been stifling on defense in 2009 as evidenced by the fact that they have given up just 312.7 YPG, which ranks 19 amongst all Football Bowl Subdivision schools.
The Scarlet Knights will need their defense to hold tight when they face off against Central Florida (8-4 SU, 9-2 ATS) on Saturday night.
George O?Leary?s Knights looked like they were heading towards mediocrity (and maybe a new head coach) when the opened the season with a 3-3 mark. But UCF found its footing on offense to close the season on a 5-1 run and its third bowl game in school history.
Central Florida has been able to make that run thanks to an offense that has been averaging 348.0 yards per game in 2009. To let you know how impressive that is, consider that the Knights were the worst offense in the FBS with average of 229.5 YPG.
So how did the Knights get so much better? The easiest answer is Brett Hodges.
Hodges, a transfer from Wake Forest, has been just what UCF needed under center. The senior signal caller has completed 61 percent of his passes for 2,265 yards with 15 scores to 11 picks. Hodges? last three starts have been fantastic as he?s connected on 70 percent of his passes for 235.0 YPG and five touchdowns.
UCF also has a sturdy defense to keep the opposition at bay. The Knights are 46th nationally in total defense, giving up 348.1 YPG this season. But they are fourth in the country against the run by surrendering a paltry 82.5 YPG on the ground. That stat will be big since Rutgers is more of a run-first team now as they?re picking up 183.4 YPG.
Given how both sides are fairly evenly, it comes as no surprise that the line has been close. Most sportsbooks have posted the Scarlet Knights as 2 ?-point favorites and a total of 44 ?. Gamblers can back Central Florida to win outright at plus-125 (risk $100 to win $125).
There is plenty of reason for the public to be siding with Rutgers since they?re on a 3-0 SU and ATS run in bowl games. Adding fuel to that fire is the fact that the Knights have posted an 0-2 SU and ATS mark in their two postseason matchups.
Something else to consider about Central Florida is the fact that they are 0-13 SU and 2-11 ATS when taking on teams from the Big East. Meanwhile, the Scarlet Knights are just 3-3 SU, but 4-2 ATS against clubs from Conference USA.
Another thing to consider for this matchup is that it almost like a regular season game with Rutgers finishing its schedule on Dec. 5 and the Knights on Nov. 28. The Scarlet Knights are 3-1 SU and ATS when playing after two weeks off. UCF is 1-5 SU and 2-4 ATS in games played with three weeks of rest since 1996.
