09/05/2008 - Dover, DE (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The performance of Delaware State senior quarterback Vashon Winton at times on Thursday night might have been enough to frustrate the average signal-caller.
Winton misfired on more passes than he completed in the first half and threw two costly interceptions as an upstart Florida A&M squad pushed the Hornets to overtime.
But Winton persevered to help Delaware State (1-0) to a 35-28 victory by rushing for four touchdowns and throwing another. His final score, a six-yard bootleg run gave the Hornets the lead in overtime and free safety Jerome Strums' second interception of the night on FAMU's first offensive play of the extra session ended a wild MEAC opener.
"I just try to find a way to win, by any means necessary," said Winton, who is trying to lead the Hornets to their second straight MEAC championship. "We just go out and play."
DSU coach Al Lavan wasn't surprised by the way Winton held things together.
"That's been Vashon's history since he's been here," said Lavan. "He knows how to manage an offense, he is a winner."
Winton also had plenty of help from tailback Chris Strother, playing in place of injured starter Kareem Jones (sprained foot). Strother had 32 carries for 144 yards.
It didn't look like there would be much need for heroics when the Hornets jumped to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter against a youthful Rattler squad (1-1).
Winton gave DSU a 7-0 lead with a bootleg from the one at the six-minute mark and then hit Eddie Brown on a crossing route for 16 yards and another touchdown. The second score was set up when Stanley Banks forced a fumble by FAMU's LeRoy Vann that was recovered by B.J. Conley at the Rattler 19.
Winton's third touchdown from four yards out gave the Hornets a 21-7 advantage, but FAMU tied the game on a pair of Kevin Elliott TD catches from 10 and 34 yards, respectively.
Elliott's second TD with two minutes left in the third period came on a flea flicker from Kentucky transfer Curtis Pulley (3-of-6 for 57 yards passing and 7-87 rushing).
"We all did a good job of settling down after they jumped on us 14-0," Pulley said. "We kept battling and almost won."
The teams traded fourth quarter scores, with Winton getting into the end zone again on the read option from four yards out, and Vann electrifying the Rattler bench with an 80-yard kickoff return for a touchdown that made it 28- all with 8:07 remaining.
Winton and the offense got the Hornets into position for a 47-yard field goal attempt on the final play of regulation with a 10-play drive in the last 4:23, but Riley Flickinger's effort fell just short of the crossbar.
In overtime, it took Delaware State only three plays to hit the end zone as Winton completed passes to Zacharri Charles and Derrick McNeil and then darted in on another bootleg to make it 35-28.
It took just one play for the Hornet defense to end the game. With defensive end Akiel Russell pressuring Pulley on a bootleg pass, the FAMU quarterback appeared to be trying to throw the ball away. But Strums made a diving interception near the 15 to clinch the win for DSU.
"Our expectations are very high," said Lavan. "We just encourage our guys to play as hard as they can, as long as they can."
Florida A&M also came out of the game with some positives.
"It was a gallant effort, taking the defending (MEAC) champions to overtime," said Joe Taylor, who has moved to FAMU after 16 years at Hampton. "I'm so proud of them going on the road, before a TV audience and playing like this. I saw enough tonight to know we're going to be all right."
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MySportsbook.com : Fortune Favors Favorites in March Madness betting?
Just like Day 1 of the “Sweet 16”, Friday’s games are chock full of some of the nation’s elite. Unlike Thursday’s games, there is a little bit more of a “Cinderella” feel as #7 seed UNLV and #6 seed Vanderbilt will attempt to move on to the Elite Eight. With powerhouses Florida, UNC and Georgetown looking to continue their momentum against lesser known teams, it isn’t surprising that once again the “betting public” is backing most of the favorites. As the early coin rolls in, 56% of Sportsbook.com bettors prefer Georgetown (-7.5) as they take on Vanderbilt; 84% of the early money is backing Oregon (-3) as they square off against UNLV; and a slight majority (52%) of the early cash is on Florida (-10.5) against Butler as the Gators continue their quest for another National Title. The only favorite the public don’t seem confident in is UNC, as 59% of the cash is backing the underdog Trojans (+8).
Midwest
#1 Florida vs. #5 Butler
The defending National Champs have been on a mission since last April. Joakim Noah and Al Horford turned down millions of dollars for one reason, to REPEAT. After a late season hiccup which saw them lose three out of four, the Gators have won six straight by an average of 20.3 points. More importantly, they covered in five of those six games. Behind their stymie defense that yields only 56.9 PPG, Butler has been a very pleasant surprise this season. As their 20-11 ATS record will indicate, “surprise teams” like Butler are often good bets for gamblers. Playing in an average conference, Butler wasn’t and underdog too often but when they were, they covered (6-0 ATS). Butler’s defense will have its hands full against a Gators offense which averages 80.1 PPG on an amazing 52.9% shooting from the field. With Florida’s tournament experience over the last few years, it isn’t surprising that they are 5-1 ATS this season, 20-4 ATS over the last three seasons and 38-20 since 1997 in tournament action.
#3 Oregon vs. #7 UNLV
As a #7 seed, UNLV is the closest thing to a “Cinderella” we have this year. If you bet on UNLV this season with any regularity, you most likely cashed in. Behind their guard oriented attack, the Rebels are an impressive 20-11 ATS this season. As an underdog they covered in 8 out of their ten games which isn’t surprising since they are 52-30 ATS as a ‘dog since 1997. The Rebels have been a consistent cover during the month of March as well. This March they are 6-0 ATS, 11-3 ATS over the last three seasons and 24-11 since 1997. Their impressive ATS trends don’t end there; versus teams with a winning record they are 15-6 ATS this season and 41-21 over the last three seasons. Although Oregon hasn’t been as generous to gamblers as UNLV this season, they have been covering consistently as of late. There is no question that they are playing their best ball of the season having won their last 8 straight up (SU) by an average of 14.5 points. Not surprising they covered in 7 of those games. It is interesting to note how similar these teams are in regards to scoring and scoring defense. UNLV averages 75 PPG while giving up 66.5 PPG and Oregon scores 75.8 PPG while yielding 65.5 PPG.
East
#6 Vanderbilt vs. #2 Georgetown
“Hoya Paranoia” is officially back! After a decent start, Georgetown has rolled through the second half of the season. Over their last 18 games, they are 17-1 SU. They have definitely improved ATS as the season has progressed as well. After opening the season 1-4-1 ATS, the Hoyas have covered 78.3% of their games. With their great interior play of Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, the Hoyas as a team shoot 50.5% from the field. Like the Georgetown teams from years ago, they also excel on defense. Hoya opponents averaged only 56.8 PPG on 38.2% shooting from the field and an extremely low 30.4% from beyond the arc. The last stat could be of some concern to Vanderbilt considering they shoot 37.7% from long-range. Ranking second to last in the SEC in rebounding margin, Vanderbilt will have its work cut out for them against the Hoya trees. As far as covering is concerned, Vanderbilt has been almost a “sure thing” (7-1 ATS) versus good defensive teams that allow less than 64 PPG.
#1 UNC vs. # 5 USC
The Tar Heels are as talented and as deep as any team in the country. Going ten deep and chock full of HS All-Americans, UNC averages 86.1 PPG and scored 100+ seven times. Led by All-American forward, Tyler Hansbrough (18.6 PPG 7.9 RPG) UNC has a very balanced attack which can kill you on the inside as well as on the perimeter. UNC only real concern is their youth as eight of their rotation players are either sophomores or freshmen. UNC was a reliable cover this season going 20-13 ATS. An intriguing covering trend for the Tar Heels in recent years has been how they fared after non-conference games. This season they are 11-3 ATS after non-conference games and over the last three seasons they are 31-13 ATS. USC is also a pretty deep team which is loaded with swingman types. An match-up to keep an eye on will be freshman forward Taj Gibson (12.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG) as he squares off against the AA Hansbrough. USC has been a covering machine this season achieving a 21-10 record ATS. They have thrived in the underdog role, having covered 10 out of 12. When playing a team with a winning record, the Trojans are an incredible 20-6 ATS. Keep in mind, USC dedicated their season to former star to Ryan Francis who passed away before the season so as they get closer to the ultimate goal, emotion could definitely be on their side.
With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action. Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at this sportsbook “Betting Trends”. By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.
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