Posted on
12/12/2007 6:58:36 PM
College Bowl Lines – Betting Utah in the Poinsettia Bowl
By Russell Edward
Although supposedly at a neutral site - sunny San Diego, California – the crowd at the Poinsettia Bowl will actually be slightly in favor of the Midshipmen. The city is home to a large naval base, but is not known for its overabundance of Mormons. Seemingly small intangibles like this are the things you must be aware of if you want to be successful with your football betting this college bowl season. We, the writers at the BetUS Sportsbook are going to do our best to help you beat our bookies.
Navy Midshipmen +8.5 at Utah Utes –8.5
Utah running back Darrell Mack has been the focal point of the Utes offense all year and this game should be no different. Averaging 21 carries per game, Mack is at his best running straight up the middle and this is where Navy gives up a vulnerable 4.2 yards per carry. By stretching their front with multiple receivers, the Utes can stretch the Midshipmen’s interior defense and get bodies on their linebackers, taking advantage of Navy’s inferior run defense.
Although Utah quarterback Brian Johnson does not always make the best decisions with the ball, he is a pretty good open field runner and can demonstrate a sound ability to find his open man at times when dropping back to pass. It is crucial for the Utes that Johnson not be forced to make hasty decisions too often. While Utah’s pass protection can be a worry against some opponents, it should not be a huge issue in this game. Navy lacks a great pass rusher, for one thing. Another thing in favor of Utah is the fact that their top three wide receivers match up very well with Navy’s secondary and the Midshipmen will not be able to cheat up to the front without taking a very large risk of getting burnt for huge yards.
Poinsettia Bowl @ Qualcomm Stadium: 9 PM, Thursday, Dec. 20, 2007
On defense, Utah’s biggest worry will be the play of safety Steve Tate. Tate can play overly aggressive at times and this can see him caught out of position. He will have to play disciplined ball and not bite on the play action, or he could get burned big. Another big factor is that Tate will be the last man with the possibility of stopping Navy quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada if the fleet-footed QB sees a seam and takes off downfield. If Tate plays a solid game, Utah’s chances of covering the 8.5-point college bowl betting line go way up.
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