Arkansas sharp in opener, but far from perfect

NCAA Football Betting Lines

09/06/2010 -

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) -If this was Ryan Mallett's idea of a so-so performance, then No. 17 Arkansas has high expectations indeed.

Mallett completed 21 of 24 passes Saturday night, leading the Razorbacks over Tennessee Tech 44-3. He threw for 301 yards and three touchdowns, but the Hogs were shut out in the first quarter, which was apparently enough to give their quarterback some concerns.

``We didn't execute to our standards,'' Mallett said. ``We really got it going coming into the second half. We've got to come out of the gates faster.''

Arkansas might not have been perfect, but the Razorbacks showed plenty of their usual explosiveness while winning easily in their opener. Joe Adams caught six passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns, and the Arkansas defense played well after finding itself in a tough situation early.

Mallett threw for 30 touchdowns a season ago and became an immediate Heisman Trophy contender when he decided to pass up the NFL for another season with the Razorbacks. He was sharp from the start against the Golden Eagles, missing on just two of his first 18 throws, with the only blemishes a deflected pass that was intercepted and a dropped ball that should have been a touchdown.

Still, that occasional sloppiness caught Arkansas' attention. The Razorbacks also fumbled twice in the first half, although they recovered both. They finished with three turnovers, two in the fourth quarter.

``I thought our offense struggled at times,'' coach Bobby Petrino said. ``We can't be satisfied on our offensive performance with three turnovers.''

When the Razorbacks weren't making mistakes, this game was no contest. Arkansas trailed 3-0 after the first quarter but scored touchdowns on six straight possessions in the second and third. Mallett's 85-yard touchdown pass to Adams in the second quarter was the longest completion of his Arkansas career, and the Hogs led 23-3 at halftime. On the long touchdown, Adams outran the Tennessee Tech defenders down the sideline even though at least one appeared to have a good angle to catch him.

``We've got to get him more touches,'' Petrino said. ``When that ball's under his arm, he's special.''

Adams also scored the game's final touchdown, a 15-yard reception that included a nifty move immediately after the catch.

``Whenever I touch the ball, I try to make guys look silly,'' Adams said. ``Coach is always preaching to make one guy miss. I made that one guy miss, and the rest just happened.''

After stopping the Razorbacks on fourth down on the game's first drive, Tennessee Tech moved all the way to the Hogs' 1-yard line. The Arkansas defense, maligned throughout last season, rose to the challenge and held the Golden Eagles to a field goal. The defense came up big again in the second quarter, near the other goal line this time. The Razorbacks swarmed Jocques Crawford for a safety that made it 9-3.

Anthony Leon, moved recently from the secondary to linebacker, had two sacks and four tackles for loss.

``I liked what our defense did. They were out there really flying around. We got a lot of people to the football,'' Petrino said. ``I liked the move from safety to linebacker for Anthony Leon. His speed and toughness really showed up. I think we are much faster in the secondary with Rudell Crim there instead of Leon.''

The Razorbacks also entered the season with uncertainty at running back and kicker. On Saturday, Dennis Johnson, Broderick Green and Ronnie Wingo Jr. each ran for touchdowns. Those three running backs are competing with Knile Davis for playing time. Green led the foursome with nine carries.

Johnson and Davis both fumbled in the first half.

Freshman Zach Hocker handled extra points for the Razorbacks instead of senior Alex Tejada, but Tejada was outstanding on kickoffs, consistently putting the ball into the end zone. Petrino said he was planning to switch the kickers in the fourth quarter, putting Tejada in for extra points and Hocker for kickoffs.

``Unfortunately, we didn't score any more touchdowns,'' he said.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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American Idol Betting Season 6 Strategies  

It's that time of year folks.  Betting on American Idol Season 9.  And we have plenty of American Idol Season 6 strategies appearing below.  With the Top 24 finalists revealed, online gambling sites will be offering betting odds on each of them, including MySportsbook.com.

No other “event” has been growing as fast as wagering on American Idol. It has turned into a huge betting event with reasonably high limits and all sorts of profit-making potential for sharp bettors. Last year, MySportsbook.com experienced unprecedented traffic as a result of the American Idol betting craze.

Every week there will be odds to win American Idol, various elimination props and contestant versus contestant match-ups at the MySportsbook.com website.

Whether a fan of America’s top-rated show or watching only because of a wife or girlfriend, here are some of basic strategies to use when betting American Idol.

Odds to Win

There are a few things to consider when looking for the right win bet. First off, remember that this bet is for the long haul. Many people make the mistake of picking the performer who sang the best the previous week. This strategy leads to an underlay situation – betting a price, which is less than what it should be.

All Idol contestants struggle at some point in the competition, so you should always look for value. In last year’s competition alone, two performers who had some of the best performances early in the series were subsequently bet down to low prices - Lisa Tucker and Ace Young. After just a few weeks, Tucker had already been eliminated, while Young quickly became a huge long shot to win America’s largest talent search.

A better strategy is to look for performers who don’t necessarily get the praise from the judges, but show flashes of the talent necessary to go the distance.

Another important thing to remember when betting any contestant to win is the demographic breakdown of the voters, the viewing public and potential future CD purchasers. Unlike sporting events, American Idol is not decided on the field of play – it’s decided by the American public under the guiding influence of the shows producers.

Understand that the great state of Alabama has a mighty edge when it comes to American Idol. 

Therefore, to be successful betting on American Idol, put any personal opinions or prejudices aside and think like the majority of the voting public. Remember that the typical voter is young, female and quite often, Southern.

If a contestant cannot appeal to this demographic, no matter how much talent he or she possesses, they’ll struggle for votes. Looks, demeanor and charisma are extremely important. And it’s no coincidence that every Idol winner so far has hailed from a Southern state.

Elimination Props

Every week MySportsbook.com anticipates offering a prop on who’ll be eliminated from the show each Wednesday night. A suggestion to handicap this is to gauge an overall feel for who’s the least popular contestant left in the competition. Generally the least popular performers have recently appeared in the bottom three and will have been the target of repeated criticism from the judges.

Last year, resources included dialidol.com and votefortheworst.com. Dialidol.com measures the volume of each contestant’s voting line. While by no means a perfect science, it does give a good indication of who is generating votes and who isn’t. Meanwhile, votefortheworst.com is a site that attempts to build support for the worst competitor to keep them in the competition for ‘entertainment’ value. The site has a proven track record of keeping performers around who most feel should have been voted off a long time ago.

Contestant vs. Contestant Match-ups

The best strategy for doing well on match-ups is to assess how close either of the contestants is to being eliminated. If neither is expected to be voted off of the show in the coming weeks, the value is almost always on the underdog. If both are expecting an imminent exit in the near future, the favorite in the match-up might offer value.

Watch for American Idol betting odds on each of the contestants shortly and good luck with these American Idol betting strategies.

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