Christmas Edition – Football Stats Check
It’s the holiday edition of stat check, so in keeping with the spirit of the season, here’s an extra goodie to go along with our usual Top 10 football stats and factoids for the weekend: The longest NFL game in history took place on Christmas Day. Miami beat Kansas City 24-21 in double overtime in the 1971 AFC Divisional playoffs. Garo Yepremian booted the winning figgie at 82:40.
College
West Virginia vs. North Carolina: West Virginia QB Pat White has been clocked at 4.45 seconds in the 40-yard dash, comparable to the top running backs at the 2008 NFL Combine. This is White’s last college game, aside from the Senior Bowl.
Wisconsin vs. Florida State: The over is 6-1 in Florida State’s last seven neutral-site games. The Champs Sports Bowl takes place this year at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando; skies will be mostly clear with temperatures around 70 degrees.
Miami-Fla. Vs. California: Hurricanes kicker Matt Bosher is 17-for-19 on field goals, with both misses coming from 40 yards or longer. Miami is third in the FBS in field-goal accuracy; Cal is No. 46 at 14-for-19, split among three different kickers.
Northern Illinois vs. Louisiana Tech: NIU head coach Jerry Kill was a two-time Division I-AA Coach of the Year at Southern Illinois. He’s turned the Huskies around in his first season, from 2-10 (5-6 ATS) to 6-6 (6-5 ATS) and a trip to the Independence Bowl.
College football betting in the Bodog Sportsbook
NFL
New England at Buffalo: The Bills are 7-2 ATS in their last nine games as a home dog. Ralph Wilson Stadium’s bowl-shaped design is known for its swirling winds that wreak havoc on kickers; winds on Sunday are expected in the 15-20 mph range at game-time.
Tennessee at Indianapolis: The Titans have played the No. 26-ranked schedule in terms of opponent efficiency, according to Football Outsiders. The Colts have taken the more difficult path at No. 11.
Cleveland at Pittsburgh: Bruce Gradkowski was the first player in FBS history to complete over 70 percent of his passes in back-to-back seasons. The former Toledo Rocket may get the nod this week over Ken Dorsey, who was taken out of last week’s game with a mild concussion and sore ribs.
Miami at N.Y. Jets: Brett Favre holds the NFL career records for both touchdown passes (463) and interceptions (307). Favre has 21 TDs and 19 INTs this season; his passer rating of 84.0 is a shade below his 85.6 career mark.
Dallas at Philadelphia: The Eagles could have their playoff fate decided before this game even starts. Philadelphia needs both Tampa Bay and Chicago to lose their early-afternoon affairs; otherwise, this 4:15 p.m. Eastern start is only meaningful for the Cowboys.
Denver at San Diego: The Broncos have placed seven running backs on injured reserve this year. Selvin Young (herniated disc) and P.J. Pope (hamstring) joined Michael Pittman, Ryan Torain, Peyton Hillis, Andre Hall and Anthony Alridge on the IR following Denver’s Week 16 loss to Atlanta. That leaves prodigal son Tatum Bell, who was selling phones at the Aurora Mall in suburban Denver last month.
