Team Adds Bowl In Football

NCAA Football Betting Lines

Shreveport, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - James Franklin ran for two touchdowns and threw for another, leading Missouri to a 41-24 win over North Carolina in Monday's Independence Bowl. Franklin finished with 142 yards on the ground and 132 through the air for the Tigers (8-5), who used 31 straight first-half points to grab a decisive advantage. They recorded four straight wins to close the season, their last in the Big 12 before a move to the SEC.

 

But the Tar Heels, playing their final game under interim coach Everett Withers, failed to maintain the momentum.

 

Franklin capped Missouri's next drive with a two-yard touchdown plunge and Trey Barrow hit a 31-yard field goal early in the second quarter before the Tigers capitalized on a pair of UNC turnovers prior to the break.

 

Giovani Bernard's fumble at the UNC 40 was converted into Franklin's eight- yard TD strike to Jerell Jackson and an interception by Zaviar Gooden resulted in Kendial Lawrence's nine-yard scoring run.

 

The teams traded touchdowns in the third quarter, as Renner hit Boyd for a 44- yard score and Franklin crossed the goal line from two yards out the ensuing drive.

 

Game Notes

 

Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Louisville Cardinals and NC State Wolfpack will collide at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte in the 2011 Belk Bowl. This postseason game was formerly called Continental Tire Bowl (2002-04) and Meineke Car Care Bowl (2005-10). Charlie Strong is in his second season at the helm at Louisville and has his team playing in the postseason for the second straight time, just the third coach in school history to achieve that. The Cardinals began the 2011 season slow with four losses in the first six games, but turned things around over the second half of the season, five wins over the last six outings, including topping Connecticut and USF to close out play and earn a share of the Big East title.

 

The Wolfpack are making their 26th bowl appearance. The team is 13-11-1 all- time in the postseason. The team has won four of its last five bowl games, including a 23-7 decision over West Virginia in last year's Champs Sports Bowl.

 

The Cardinals are a young team, especially on the offensive side of the football and it showed at times this season in terms of consistency. Louisville finished the regular season averaging a modest 21.8 ppg on just 328.2 yards of total offense.

 

The youth movement continues in the receiving corps, highlighted by freshmen Michaelee Harris (37 receptions, 455 yards, two TDs), Eli Rogers (34 receptions, 400 yards, one TD) and DeVante Parker (17 receptions, 276 yards, team-high six TDs).

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Online Sportsbook Football Betting

Colts give the ‘D’ its due

The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.

They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.

"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."

Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.

New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.

Not so sound on the ground

If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.

Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com

“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.

Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.

Brees says bring it on

Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.

Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.

Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.

"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."

SportsBooks ready for a shootout

Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.

“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”

New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.

The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.

“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”

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