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.
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Oregon vs. Cal Betting Odds and Preview2010-11-12Sportsbook.com Oregon vs. Cal Betting Lines: Oregon -20, Total: 58.5
The Oregon Ducks gun for their 10th win of the season against a Cal team undefeated at home. The Ducks have been kind to their loyal bettors this season, having covered six out of 9 point spreads.
The Ducks continue to lead the nation in scoring (54.7 PPG), yardage (569 YPG) and scoring margin (37.0 PPG) led by LaMichael James’ nation-best 166 rush YPG. The Bears also have a great running back in Shane Vereen averaging 118 all-purpose yards with 15 touchdowns this year. Oregon won last year’s meeting 42-3, but has lost three straight at Cal. The Bears will once again start Brock Mansion at QB with Kevin Riley out with a knee injury.
Oregon also has a quarterback out with a knee injury. Backup Nate Costa will miss the rest of the season after injuring himself in last week’s game. That leaves freshman Bryan Bennett as the No. 2 QB behind Darron Thomas. Fortunately for Thomas, he receives great pass protection from his offensive line. Oregon ranks ninth in the nation for fewest sacks allowed (0.6 per game). The sophomore James continues to be a monster with five straight games of 120+ rushing yards and 2+ TD. He has 15 touchdowns in six Pac-10 games this year. He also rushed for 118 yards and a touchdown in last year’s blowout win over Cal.
The early bettors at Sportsbook.com are expecting another Oregon romp as 93 percent of the Oregon vs. Cal point spread bettors are backing the Ducks.
Cal has demolished its opponents at home this year, outscoring them by an average of 47 to 9 and out-gaining them by an average of 408 to 175. However, Oregon is a huge step up from UC-Davis, Colorado, UCLA or Arizona State.
The Bears barely beat conference doormat Washington State last week 20-13, but they did run the ball well, gaining 212 yards on 42 carries. That was quite an improvement from the 69 rushing YPG average in the previous three contests. However, Mansion did not play well in his first career start last week, completing just half his passes (12-for-24) for 171 yards and two interceptions. Considering Oregon has 15 interceptions this year and is tied for fifth in the nation in turnover margin (1.22 per game), it is imperative for Mansion to make smart decisions throwing the football. Vereen, who is averaging 98.4 rushing YPG this year, hasn’t done much in two career games against Oregon, rushing for just 89 yards on 27 carries (3.3 YPC).
Oregon is 10-5 (SU and ATS) in the past 15 series meetings, but this college football betting trend suggests Cal will keep this game closer than 20 points.
Play On - Underdogs of 10.5 to 21 points (CALIFORNIA) - after failing to cover the spread in 3 out of their last 4 games against opponent after covering the spread in 2 out of their last 3 games. (106-52 over the last 10 seasons.) (67.1%, +48.8 units. Rating = 3*).
Seven of the past eight series meetings have finished Under the Total, but these highly-rated betting trends expect the game to finish Over the 58.5 points Sportsbook.com has listed.
CALIFORNIA is 16-2 OVER (+13.8 Units) after scoring 7 points or less in the first half in 2 straight games since 1992. The average score was CALIFORNIA 25.6, OPPONENT 27.3 - (Rating = 4*).
OREGON is 12-2 OVER (+9.8 Units) after scoring 42 points or more last game over the last 2 seasons. The average score was OREGON 47.3, OPPONENT 22.7 - (Rating = 3*).
Now that you have the key numbers for Saturday’s Pac 10 game, head over to Sportsbook.com and get your bets in.