BAD BEAT! This Weeks NFL and College Football Beats – Lane Kiffin in the fold Again

Posted on by Payne Insider

Written By @AllStaples

“I know it when I see it.”  -Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart

The Justice was referring to pornography when he wrote that way back in 1964, but the same could be said for this week’s edition of Bad Beats.

  1. The Beat: Florida Atlantic -20 through -24 at Charlotte

The Bad: Florida Atlantic 31, Charlotte 12

The Takeaway:  A few weeks ago, Florida Atlantic coach Lane Kiffin jokingly Tweeted a reference to taking a safety thereby spoiling the spread for Owl backers.  This week, the Owls looked to complete an undefeated Conference USA season while Kiffin was once again involved in point spread shenanigans.  BetOnline.AG opened FAU at -20 and bettors rode that number to -24 prior to kickoff.

For gambling purposes, the most important series came on 2nd and goal from the Charlotte 1-yard line.  Florida Atlantic was already leading 31-12 and seemed poised to cover the spread – no matter your number.  A 2nd down run yielded no yards.  Same for the 3rd down play.  And then it got interesting.  Do the Owls kick an easy field goal or do they go for it?  Would you rather lead by 22 or 25 points?  Would Lane Kiffin help all, none or some bettors cover?

Recently, Kiffin spoke to the Sun Sentinel about his propensity for going for it on 4th down.  He said: “Every minute and every yardline is broken down in this book that we use.  It’s all based on percentages.”  So the book told Lane to go for it, and on 4th and 1 the Owls lost 8 yards.  Kiffin has remained silent about the spread this time.

[ Tune into Wednesday’s Conference Championship Podcast! ]

  1. The Beat: Tulane +250 Moneyline at SMU

The Bad: SMU 41, Tulane 38

The Takeaway: Last week, we saw examples of player and coaching decisions leading to Bad Beats.  This week, it’s the officials.  The more I watch football, the more convinced I am that the referees truly control the outcome of the game in ways both subtle and obvious.  The beat that was delivered to Tulane fell into the obvious category.

The Tulane Green Wave came in with five wins – one short of bowl eligibility.  The game was competitive but Tulane had more first downs, gained more yards and only turned the ball over once compared to SMU’s three turnovers.. Trailing by three, Tulane moved the ball – assisted by a pass interference penalty – to the Mustang 1-yard line with 9 seconds left.  And then:

To paraphrase Justice Stewart, I know a touchdown when I see a touchdown.  And that was clearly a touchdown.

[ BetOnline.Ag Bonus Codes: 75BTB first time deposit (75% Bonus); 50BTB for reloads (50% Bonus) ]

  1. The Beat: Iowa State +110 M/L at Kansas State

The Bad: Kansas State 20, Iowa State 19

The Takeaway:  Kansas State was trailing 19-14 late in the 4th when they got the ball at their own 13-yard line. Nine plays later they were at the Iowa 1-yard line and facing a 2nd and goal with 11 seconds remaining.  This what happened:

What made this a Bad Beat for Iowa State versus a remarkable victory for Kansas State?  The officials.  Yes, yet another Bad Beat brought to you by the boys in zebra stripes.  During the game, there were three flags thrown against Kansas State and then, following a ref huddle, those flags were picked up.  No penalties on three thrown flags?  The most glaring occurred on the drive prior to that dramatic Kansas State game winning drive.  Facing an important 3rd down – a conversion likely secures the game – Cyclone quarterback Kyle Kempt’s pass attempt to Allen Lazard fell incomplete.  A flag was thrown as Lazard was clearly interfered with.  You can see a still (and a bad joke) of the play here:

The officials huddled once more and then announced: “There is no foul for defensive pass interference.” If that’s not pass interference, I don’t know what is.

Fun fact: Given the rural roots of both universities, this game was dubbed: “Farmageddon.”

 

  1. The Beat: Jets +5.5, +6 vs. Panthers

The Bad: Panthers 35, Jets 27

The Takeaway:  This bad beat was death by 1,000 paper cuts.  The good Jets are a flawed team with a puncher’s chance; the bad Jets are a lousy football team.  Those bad Jets made a rousing 4th quarter appearance as a Josh McCown fumble was turned into defensive touchdown and a punt became a special teams touchdown for the Panthers.  But there were two other 4th quarter plays which made this a Bad Beat.  With two minutes left and leading 32-27, the Panthers faced 3rd and 11.  Cam’s pass was incomplete and it seemed as though the Jets were going to get the ball.  Until this.

The penalty led to the field goal which pushed the result in the favor of Panthers bettors.  The other notable 4th quarter play was yet another Austin Seferian-Jenkins overturned touchdown catch.  You can see it here.  You might remember this also happened to Seferian-Jenkins in a game against the Pats leaving Jets fans more irate than usual. The Jet day in review: they dropped one touchdown pass and had another touchdown overturned on replay. They also had a defensive touchdown and special teams touchdown scored against them and missed covering by a field goal.  In other words, just another day for J-E-T-S.

See you next week!  If you see a Bad Beat unfold, reach out on Twitter I’m @AllStaples.