Congi kicks Saskatchewan over Hamilton

Football Betting Lines

07/31/2010 - Regina, SK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Luca Congi made seven field goals and Wes Cates added two short rushing touchdowns, as the Saskatchewan Roughriders pulled away from the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for a 37-24 victory at Mosaic Stadium.

Congi was perfect in the game and one field goal shy of tying the CFL record, as the Roughriders (4-1) rebounded nicely from a 40-20 loss at Calgary last weekend. Cates scored twice in the second half from one-yard away, while finishing the game with 66 rushing yards on 13 carries and 75 receiving on five catches.

Saskatchewan forced three turnovers in the game, scoring nine points off those mishaps on its way to defeating Hamilton for the 12th time in the past 13 meetings.

Kevin Glenn threw for 425 yards and three touchdowns, but was also intercepted twice for Hamilton (1-4), which dropped its second game in a row. Arland Bruce III had a career day in the setback, as he notched a CFL record-tying 16 catches for 272 yards and a pair of scores.

The scoring began with Saskatchewan's Eddie Johnson sending a 55-yard punt into the end zone for a single.

The Ticats took the ensuing possession and drove 75 yards, capping the 10-play drive with a 25-yard touchdown pass from Glenn to Bruce with under five minutes left in the first quarter.

The Roughriders came right back and Congi converted a 37-yard field goal, which was set up courtesy of a 33-yard circus catch by Cates.

On the last play of the first quarter, Saskatchewan's defense got involved, as DE Luc Mullinder came up with an interception on a tipped ball that he returned 25 yards to the Hamilton 40-yard line. The Roughriders were unable to move the ball on the next two downs, but tied the game at 7-7 with a 40-yard field goal by Congi.

Still early in the second quarter, the Ticats executed another 75-yard scoring drive, as Glenn hit Dave Stala on a 11-yard touchdown pass to complete the eight-play series.

The Roughriders controlled the remainder of the half, though they failed to take full advantage of their opportunities. Saskatchewan moved the ball inside the Hamilton five-yard line on two separate occasions, but managed only three points. On the first visit, the team came up empty as Darian Durant was intercepted in the back of the end zone on a 3rd-and-1 at the Hamilton four- yard line. The second trip resulted in a Congi nine-yard field goal after Rob Badd dropped a pass in the end zone on second down.

Congi made good on a 42-yard field goal with 35 seconds left in the half and the Roughriders went into the break down, 14-13.

Saskatchewan didn't fall out of rhythm after the break and even found an answer to its goal-line struggles. After a 35-yard catch by Andy Fantuz brought the ball to the Hamilton one-yard line, Cates punched it in on first down to give the Roughriders a 20-14 lead midway through the third quarter.

Following a blocked punt, the Roughriders had terrific field position, but were unable to gain a first down. Congi was brought in once again and he was true on a 35-yarder.

On the ensuing possession, Hamilton turned the ball over yet again, as Glenn was intercepted by DB Lance Frazier, who took the pick 83 yards to the two- yard line. The Roughriders though, failed to capitalize inside the five-yard line once again and Congi converted a 15-yard field goal with under a minute left in the third for a 26-14 lead.

The Ticats' offense finally showed some life early in the fourth quarter, moving the ball down to the Saskatchewan 11-yard line before settling for an 18-yard field goal by Sandro DeAngelis,

Saskatchewan, however, put the game away when Cates plunged one-yard for a touchdown with 3:54 to play. The score came following a pass interference in the end zone after it appeared Hamilton had stopped the Roughriders on 2nd- and-goal from the seven-yard line. Johnson then booted the kickoff into the back of the end zone for a single, pushing Saskatchewan's advantage to 34-17.

Glenn hooked up with Bruce on a 36-yard scoring strike late in the fourth for Hamilton, but Saskatchewan responded with another field goal from Congi, this one from 19 yards out.

Game Notes

The Roughriders improved to 3-0 at home with the win...Saskatchewan now leads the all-time series 37-36-4 (regular season since 1950)...Fantuz led the Roughriders with eight catches for 100 yards...Hamilton has now come up empty in three road dates...The Ticats have not won in Saskatchewan since 2000 and are just 1-10 in Regina against the Roughriders since 1999.

Wwfftoday Football Betting News

<< Slowey and Twins shut down slumping Seattle
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Slowey threw eight shutout innings to outduel Seattle's Felix Hernandez and keep the Twins rolling in a 4-0 victory. Slowey (10-5) gave up three hits, struck out five and didn't walk a batter to pitc

<< Kouzmanoff, Braden help A's stop streaking White Sox
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Kouzmanoff finished a triple shy of hitting for the cycle and Dallas Braden tossed a complete game to lead Oakland to a 6-2 victory over Chicago in the second installment of a three-game set. Kouzma

<< Hamilton scratched from lineup
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton, the leader in the majors in batting average, was scratched from Saturday's lineup against the Angels because of patella tendinitis in his right knee. David Murphy

<< Oilers come to terms with Deslauriers
Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Goaltender Jeff Deslauriers has come to terms on a one-year contract to remain with the Edmonton Oilers. The 26-year-old Deslauriers went 16-28-4 with a 3.26 goals against average in 48 games last season. H

<< Butler's late homer lifts Royals over O's
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Billy Butler's go-ahead, two-run homer in the eighth proved to be the difference, lifting the Kansas City Royals to a 4-3 win over the lowly Baltimore Orioles. Butler's 10th home run of the season ga

Sanchez, Rodriguez help Astros blank Brewers >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Angel Sanchez drove in two runs and Wandy Rodriguez tossed eight scoreless innings, as the Houston Astros dominated the Milwaukee Brewers, 6-0, in the second test of a three-game series at Minute Maid Pa

Cano lifts Yanks over Rays; A-Rod still stuck on 599 >>
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Just after Alex Rodriguez failed to club career homer No. 600, Robinson Cano belted a solo shot to right field with one out in the ninth inning, providing the New York Yankees with a 5-4 win over the Ray

Busch dominant in Nationwide win at Iowa >>
Newton, IA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kyle Busch put on a dominating performance to easily win Saturday's U.S. Cellular 250 Nationwide Series race at Iowa Speedway. Busch led 208 of 250 laps, but fell back to seventh for a late-race restart after t

Zimmerman's homer lifts Nationals over Phillies >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Zimmerman's three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth led the Washington Nationals to a 7-5 win over the Philadelphia Phillies in the second of a three-game set. After the Phillies took

Gonzo's HR in ninth lifts Rockies over Cubs >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carlos Gonzalez lead-off home run in the ninth inning gave the Colorado Rockies a 6-5 win over the Chicago Cubs in the second of a three-game set. Gonzalez led off the bottom of the inning against Sean Ma

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.

To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards

About MySportsbook.com MySportsbook.com  is the largest sportsbook and casino on the planet, where millions of adult Americans bet on sports, play poker and enjoy blackjack and other casino games online in a regulated and licensed jurisdiction. Named the "Best US Sports Book" by the industry's top magazine, eGaming Review, MySportsbook.com has been leading the online gaming industry since 1996. Dwarfing its nearest competitors in the US, MySportsbook.com has been the first to achieve every significant industry milestone, from record turnover to active users to number of bets--achieving a peak of fifteen bets per second. As the US online gaming leader, the firm and it's products have been featured on CBS 60 Minutes, CNN, ESPN, Wall Street Journal, Barrons, Financial Times, USA Today and in every major newspaper in the US.