Written By @AllStaples
“One of the worst things that can happen to you in life is to win a bet on a horse at an early age.” -Danny McGoorty
There are many things in which to be thankful; these are not those things.
- The Beat: New Mexico ML through -3 vs. UNLV
The Bad: UNLV 38, New Mexico 35
The Takeaway: The Lobos ran the ball 56 times for a whopping 482 yards – that’s an average of 8.6 yards per attempt. If I’m being honest, those numbers alone would have put me on the side of the Lobos, especially early in the week at less than a field goal. While New Mexico was unstoppable on the ground, Lobos’ quarterback Lamar Miller had as many passing yards as you did this weekend: ZERO. He completed no passes in four attempts – the last two throws on the ill-fated final drive trailing by three. Another statistical anomaly; while the Lobos racked up nearly five football fields of rushing, they somehow managed to lose the time of possession battle to UNLV.
The Rebels were more balanced on offense rushing for 323 yards and throwing for another 211 — and having a passing attack was the difference. After the Lobos rushed their way back to a 35-30 lead with 1:11 left to play, UNLV responded with an enormous 50-yard pass play to Darren Woods which led to retaking the lead.
The Lobos then got the ball back with 25 seconds left to play only needing a field goal to tie. But they would have to complete a pass; they did not. Lamar Jackson’s final toss was his only completion and it was to the wrong team. Numbers-wise, a very strange Bad Beat.
[ Don’t forget to listen to Wednesday’s Thanksgiving Podcast for NFL Week 12 and CFB Rivalry Week ]
- The Beat: North Carolina State +3 at Wake Forest
The Bad: Wake Forest 30, North Carolina State 24
The Takeaway: We live in a time of diminishing empathy, and yet even the most hardened of hearts had to feel for Emeka Emezie. Up until this moment, Emezie had been great – 67 yards receiving and a touchdown. But with less than two minutes to play and his 19th ranked Wolfpack trailing by 6, Emezie caught a pass, eluded a tackler and then this happened:
After the fumble, Emezie was in tears on the sideline and, later, Tweeted an apology to “wolf pack nation.” We’ve seen this play a lot this year – extending the ball towards the goal line and either fumbling it through the end zone or having the fumble recovered by the opposing D. When a pro player does it, they should know better. When an 18-year old college kid does it, it’s a Bad Beat.
[ BetOnline.Ag Bonus Codes: 75BTB first time deposit (75% Bonus); 50BTB for reloads (50% Bonus) ]
- The Beat: Utah +700 Money Line at Washington
The Bad: Washington 33, Utah 30
The Takeaway: Remember all that empathy talk? Yeah, doesn’t apply to head coaches; they get what they get. To his credit, Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham pulled out all the stops to topple the 18th ranked Huskies. We saw everything: 4th down conversions, a fake punt and an onside kick. All his coaching magic led to a 30-23 Ute lead with 2:03 left to play. On the next series, the Huskies converted a 4th and 10 from their own 39 and tied the game on a Myles Gaskin 2-yard touchdown run. And then the Bad Beat begins.
Utah took possession of the ball at their 25 with 49 seconds left. Washington had one time out remaining. The first play – a run – netted 8 yards. Another run here would most likely result in either a first down or the use of Washington’s final time out. Instead, an incomplete pass stopped the clock and a 1-yard run brought up 4th and 1. Washington then used its final timeout with still 29 seconds left. A punt followed and Washington took over at their 28. The Huskies had a 2-yard run and then … Utah called timeout. That’s right. Utah used a timeout (their 2nd) in an apparent attempt to get the ball back instead of allowing Washington to run out the clock out. Three pass plays later and this:
Following the game, there was plenty of discussion about the timeout. After all, the argument went, if it weren’t for Coach Whittingham’s aggressive play calling the Utes wouldn’t have been in the position they were. But that logic is like crediting your accountant for getting all the math right but never filing your return. It’s not good enough.
- The Beat: Buccaneers at Dolphins UNDER 43, 43.5, and 44
The Bad: Buccaneers 30, Dolphins 20
The Takeaway: Yes, this was a horrible Bad Beat. Yes, this became a top candidate for worst beat of the entire year if you if you went UNDER on gameday at BetOnline.AG. Maybe there was a case for the under with a Jameis-less Bucs and a banged up Jay Cutler, but professionals went OVER 40 through 42.5 — and while I do have great faith in the incompetence of both teams involved defensively, who could have imagined how this clown show would end?
In case you missed it (and I hope you did), the Bucs’ took the lead on a Patrick Murray 35-yard field goal with four seconds left. What happened following the kick shouldn’t be witnessed by the young, the elderly or the infirm.
This year, there have been 3 kickoffs returned for touchdowns in around 1500 kickoffs – 1 in 500. Are the chances of a lateral play working better or worse than that? Something to consider.
Have a great Thanksgiving, see you next week! If you see a Bad Beat, reach out on Twitter I’m @AllStaples.
