Blue Hens expect to be more than Devlin

NCAA Football Betting Lines

09/02/2010 - Newark, DE (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - OK, now, the Delaware offense consists of quarterback Pat Devlin and, well, uh, um ...

Yes, the answers don't necessarily role off the tongue.

Don't be mistaken, however, UD will be much more than PD this season. In fact, the Blue Hens will have to be if they are going to accomplish their goal of being an elite team again in CAA Football and, ultimately, the Football Championship Subdivision.

Last year's trying season of injuries and youthful mistakes has led to a seasoned lineup for ninth-year head coach K.C. Keeler. After his squad shook off the early rust that often goes with a season-opening game, Devlin threw for three touchdowns and the Blue Hens shut out Division II West Chester for the second straight year, 31-0 before 19,421 sweaty fans Thursday night at Tubby Raymond Field.

Quite frankly, the game ball belonged more to Delaware's defense, which was smothering in allowing only 115 yards on 57 West Chester plays. Sixth-year senior linebacker Matt Marcorelle returned from injury and the veteran secondary of Anthony Bratton, Anthony Walters and Tyrone Grant was ridiculously good with three interceptions.

But everyone around UD is so anxious for the All-America Devlin to play like the next Joe Flacco that the intrigue around the team is how much the rest of the offense can support Devlin's starring role. Against West Chester, it looked like the unit has come of age a year after the Blue Hens went 6-5 and two years after - gulp - the low point of Keeler's tenure, a 4-8 record in 2008.

"I think we know each other better," said Devlin, the Penn State transfer who is one of 17 returning starters. "I think that turns into better chemistry on the field. And I think we're having more fun when we're out here just because we're kind of in each other's heads and we know what each other person is going to do.

"Just overall, there's more confidence in the offense, more confidence in the guys around me. I think everyone believes that everyone is going to get their job done."

The Blue Hens' offensive line features four returning starters, led by right tackle Kevin Uhll and his 27 straight starts. New tailback Andrew Pierce is a grayshirt freshman, but was on campus last spring, impressed in the spring game and has raced past last year's talented freshmen, David Hayes and Leon Jackson, on the depth chart. The receiving corps is so deep that it's hard for anybody to focus on just one or two of them.

"We did want to come out strong today, and I think we did that overall," Devlin said. "I think there are some things that we can improve on (two lost fumbles, six penalties) and we'll learn that in film.

"I think a lot of the guys showed it tonight. You know, Rob Jones is not only a good wideout, he can return punts, return kicks as well. Mark Mackey is a really good player on the outside, just as Phil Thaxton is. You saw that, make a 5-yard catch and turn it into a touchdown."

A half dozen or so NFL scouts were in attendance to watch Devlin (three have put in requests for all seven Delaware home games). He was out of the game in less than three quarters, a relative peace offering to West Chester when the score was 31-0.

Devlin completed 14 of 23 passes for 163 yards and spread the wealth with touchdowns to Nihja White (7 yards), Tommy Crosby (15 yards) and Thaxton (23 yards). Meanwhile, Pierce rushed for 119 yards, including a 22-yard touchdown, on 13 carries in his first career start.

"We gave A.P. (Pierce) an opportunity today and he was as advertised," Keeler said. "We really felt during the course of training camp he was proving that he needed to be our number one back. Gregg Perry, the running back coach, was really adamant about we need a guy that we can give the ball to 25 times a game. And A.P. is that kind of guy - 200-pounder, great speed, catches the ball in the backfield, doesn't make a lot of mistakes. So for a grayshirt freshman, he had a pretty good day."

"I've been waiting for this day to happen," Pierce said. "My line blocked great today. I ran well. I'm just happy for that, I'm happy for this win.

"I've talked about it before," Pierce added. "Playing with a guy that has a good chance of going to the NFL is going to be a great opportunity, teaching me things that I didn't know. It's just a great opportunity for me."

Delaware put the game away late in the second quarter with a third touchdown that flashed images the Blue Hens hope to see all season. Flashed was the optimum word because the three-play drive lasted a mere 46 seconds.

On the second play, Pierce sprinted for a 34-yard, across-the-field run to the West Chester 15. On the next play, Devlin tossed a 15-yard out pattern to Crosby in the end zone for an easy score and a 21-0 Blue Hens' lead.

It was impressive, quick and more than just Devlin.

Delaware, ranked 16th in The Sportsbook Betting Lines/Fathead.com FCS Top 25, will get a much bigger test next Saturday when ninth-ranked South Dakota State comes across the country for a big non-conference showdown.

Rest assured the Jackrabbits will be familiar with plenty of Blue Hens besides Pat Devlin. They'll need to be.

Vagescasinoonline NCAA Football Betting News

<< Hurricanes storm to big win in season-opener
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Junior quarterback Jacory Harris completed 12- of-15 passes for 210 yards and three touchdowns, as the 13th-ranked Miami- Florida Hurricanes annihilated in-state foe Florida A&M, 45-0, in the season ope

<< Red Sox edge Orioles to win series
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - David Ortiz drove in a pair of runs and Adrian Beltre homered as Boston used an early burst of offense to down Baltimore, 6-4, in the rubber match of a three-game set from Camden Yards.

<< Ohio State rolls over Marshall in opener
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Terrelle Pryor threw for 247 yards and three touchdowns, as second-ranked Ohio State blew out Marshall, 45-7, in the season opener for both teams. Pryor, coming off a sophomore season in which he led the B

<< Tigers' Cabrera exits with biceps tendinitis
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Detroit Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera left Thursday's game against Minnesota with left biceps tendinitis. Cabrera did not return to the field in the bottom of the sixth inning, and is considered day

<< Jaguars hold off Falcons
Jacksonville, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brock Bolen's 16-yard touchdown run in the second quarter helped the Jacksonville Jaguars to a 13-9 win over the Atlanta Falcons in the preseason finale for both clubs. Josh Scobee kicked a pair of filed

College Football Game Capsules >>
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Terrelle Pryor threw for 247 yards and three touchdowns, as second-ranked Ohio State blew out Marshall, 45-7, in the season opener for both teams. Pryor, coming off a sophomore season in which he led the Buckeyes

Steelers top Panthers in preseason finale, QB questions unresolved >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dennis Dixon completed his only pass of the night for a 23-yard touchdown to Emmanuel Sanders in the second quarter the Steelers beat Carolina, 19-3, in the preseason finale for both teams. Dixon, w

Jets down Eagles in preseason finale >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mark Brunell's 51-yard touchdown throw to Santonio Holmes shortly into the fourth quarter put the Jets in front, and New York held on for a 21-17 victory over the Eagles in the team's final preseason game.

Dawson's last-moment FG lifts Browns over Bears >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Phil Dawson's 36-yard field goal in the final seconds lifted Cleveland over Chicago, 13-10, in the final preseason tilt for both clubs at Browns Stadium. Colt McCoy took the majority of the snaps and finish

Rams top Ravens in preseason finale >>
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rookie Thaddeus Lewis' 26-yard TD pass to Brandon McRae in the fourth quarter helped the St. Louis Rams beat the Baltimore Ravens, 27-21, in the preseason finale for both clubs. Lewis completed 6

Big Ten Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Michigan State, Indiana
Work left to do: Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Iowa

Behind the big two, the pecking order might be in a bit of flux. Has Michigan State passed Indiana after handling the Hoosiers in East Lansing? Where is Illinois in that mix? What looked like a four-big league last week could be morphing into five -- and even six is not unthinkable at this point if everything breaks right.

Should be in:

Michigan State [21-8 (8-6), RPI: 20, SOS: 15] The Spartans made it four-for-four on the homestand, a gigantic accomplishment that leaves them in extremely good shape. MSU is only 1-6 on the road and is at Michigan and at Wisconsin to close things out, meaning the date with the Wolverines on Tuesday looms very, very large. Beating Texas early will hold up well, as will the rout of Bradley and the win over BYU, but will 8-8 be enough? It very well could be, as the computer numbers are good, but why chance it?

Indiana [18-9 (8-6), RPI: 24, SOS: 32] Hmm ... good thing the last two are at Northwestern and home to Penn State, because IU might want to get both to feel completely safe after dropping its third in the last four, fading after halftime at Michigan State. Who knew the best nonconference win would be over Southern Illinois, which is a gift that keeps on giving for the Hoosiers. The win over Wisconsin also looks good on the mantel.

Work left to do:

Illinois [21-9 (9-6), RPI: 31, SOS: 25] A good performance at Penn State leaves the Illini in pretty good shape. Can they go to Iowa and take care of business to really look on their way? That's a huge game, as there is a possible cluster of teams that will end at 9-7. Illinois beat Bradley, but has lost to Xavier. A 9-7 mark and a semifinals trip in Chicago could be enough with the computer profile hanging in there, but it would be better not to mess around, clinching at least a tie for third.

Purdue [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 47, SOS: 28] Couldn't get it done at Iowa, but did win at Northwestern to put 9-7 squarely in sight. Where does that leave the Boilermakers, though? Even if they beat Minnesota and Northwestern at home, that won't help the computer numbers. Nonconference wins over Virginia, DePaul and Oklahoma are solid, but not spectacular. The Boilers very well might need an upset in the B10 quarters to have a legit claim.

Michigan [19-10 (7-7), RPI: 55, SOS: 53] Well, Michigan did what it needed to do, winning at Minnesota to take control of its fate. The Wolverines have Michigan State and an already-wrapped-up-the-league Ohio State at home to close, so the chances are there. Win both and we can talk. There is no marquee win yet in the profile, and the Wolverines were splattered in several games against name opponents. A mediocre computer profile fueled by a lack of road wins isn't helping, either.

Iowa [16-12 (8-6), RPI: 80, SOS: 64] For the sake of being complete, we'll add Iowa, this season's Stanford. It's plausible that the Hawkeyes could get to 10-6 (at Penn State, vs. Illinois left), but where does that leave them after a gruesome nonconference performance where the best win was over ... Toledo? Iowa State? Cornell?? If they get to 10-6, we can start to look at what they need to do in the B10 tourney, although my gut sense is that they would need to make the final and have knocked off Ohio State or Wisconsin on the way to have any real claim.

For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com

Additional sports lines can be found at: www.Sportsbooks.com

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


NFL Football Office Pool Printable Sheets

NFL Office Pool Sheets

MySportsbook.com is considered one of the finest online sportsbook according to several surveys performed by independent industry analysts considering such factors as payout accuracy and timeliness, overall quality of website, and bettor satisfaction.

MySportsbook is offering a free printable NFL football office pool sheets. Run your own NFL Football Office Pool. Create your own pool, invite your friends to join. Compete with your with co-workers, friends or family for bragging rights every week. Exchange some hard hits without risk of injury. Trash Talk with your fellow co-workers.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your nfl football pool sheets needs.