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08/12/2010 -
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) -When it comes to replacing Toby Gerhart and his 28 touchdowns, 1,871 rushing yards and countless big plays, Stanford will have a hard time finding one person to fill the job.
Gerhart's running duties will likely be shared by Jeremy Stewart, Tyler Gaffney, Stepfan Taylor and a collection of young backs looking to follow in the footsteps of last year's Heisman Trophy runner-up.
Quarterback Andrew Luck will be counted on to carry an ever bigger load after his breakthrough first season as starter.
And even the defensive players know they will have a lot more responsibility without Gerhart there to rescue them like he did so often last season.
``We're definitely taking it to heart,'' nose tackle Sione Fua said. ``People have been saying our defense needs to get better to get Stanford to the next level. We're taking it to heart. We want to be a strength of this team. We want to win games 3-0 and the other team never scores. We want to shut everyone out and just be a strength this season.''
The defense was far from a strength last season when it allowed 31.4 points per game. The Cardinal scored at least 27 points in four of their five losses with an offense that was clearly good enough to win the Pac-10.
Stanford is shifting to a 3-4 defense under new coordinator Vic Fangio, who has spent the past 24 seasons coaching in the NFL, in hopes of improving the struggling unit.
That was one of the few negatives last year as the Cardinal completed their turnaround from the 1-11 team Jim Harbaugh took over following the 2006 season.
Harbaugh led the Cardinal to upsets of Southern California and rival California in his first season and fell one win shy of a bowl bid his second year before leading Stanford to its first bowl bid in eight years last season as the Cardinal finished 8-5.
Expectations are high again this year.
``It's a double-edged sword there,'' Harbaugh said. ``The main thing is we have to understand that because we went to a bowl and won eight games we're not entitled to go to a better bowl and win 10 games or 11 or 12. All those have to be earned. From the other side of the coin, the team has the knowledge and the evidence that it can be done and also has the blueprint for doing it.''
That blueprint will be to ride the strong right arm of Luck, who is considered one of the top pro prospects in all of college football after playing just one season at Stanford.
Luck, who sat out his freshman year as a redshirt, completed 56.3 percent of his passes for 2,575 yards, 13 touchdowns and four interceptions despite missing the Sun Bowl loss to Oklahoma with a broken right index finger.
``We knew he was a great talent but he had never played in a football game,'' Harbaugh said. ``Andrew far exceeded our expectations of what a freshman quarterback would do. He worked extremely hard. Part of his ability is he's very blessed and very talented but he's also a tremendously hard worker. He may surprise us again and exceed expectations.''
That may be necessary this year now that Gerhart isn't around. Gerhart carried the team down the stretch, especially when he almost single-handedly beat Notre Dame by running for 205 yards and three touchdowns and then throwing a game-tying 18-yard TD pass to Ryan Whalen to help the Cardinal win it.
That was just one of many examples of Gerhart's brilliance last season, when he narrowly lost to Alabama's Mark Ingram in the closest Heisman Trophy vote ever.
Gerhart is off to the NFL and Stanford has few proven backs to replace him. Stewart is the most experienced of the runners, having rushed for 526 yards and three touchdowns his first three years at Stanford.
He played sparingly last year because of a high ankle sprain and stress fracture but entered fall camp this year as the starter for the Cardinal.
``We definitely have the talent around us to replace Toby,'' Stewart said. ``It's a great opportunity for me and the rest of the running backs. We love it. Toby helped put Stanford on the map and people are noticing us now. I'm excited about it.''
Stewart will be pressed by Taylor and Gaffney, who got limited playing time as freshmen. Taylor replaced Stewart as Gerhart's primary backup and finished with 303 yards and two touchdowns on 56 carries.
Freshmen Anthony Wilkerson, Ricky Seale and Usua Amanam also could be in the mix as Harbaugh may go to a running-back-by-committee plan after relying so heavily on Gerhart last year.
``Toby's production has to get replicated,'' Harbaugh said. ``Whether that's one back or two backs or three backs that produce that production, along with the quarterback contributing by throwing the ball, those yards have to be replicated. Maybe I'll be surprised and it will be one guy. But most likely it will be two or three.''Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
<< Oregon expects to excel after offseason turmoil
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) -When Oregon's season ended in Pasadena on New Year's Day, it appeared all but certain that the Pacific-10 champions would lead the conference again this fall. But after a tumultuous offseason, the Ducks' outlook in the league is f
<< Lifelong Vikings fan Al Franken visits camp
MANKATO, Minn. (AP) -Vacationing Sen. Al Franken has a few things to say about his beloved Minnesota Vikings.Franken says he expects Brett Favre to be the quarterback again this season. He believes the team should have a new stadium built. Oh, and h
<< Mets place Rodriguez on restricted list
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Mets placed closer Francisco
Rodriguez on the restricted list on Thursday following an incident with a
family member on Wednesday night.
Rodriguez will miss the next two games without pa
<< Team Canada's Pierce hoping for success south of the border
Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Joel Pierce can breath easy now that he's
landed a summer job.
The 17-year-old found a minute somewhere between competing against the best
18-and-under baseball players at the Worlds and signing a c
Rangers sale approved by MLB >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Major League Baseball has approved the sale of
the Texas Rangers from Tom Hicks to a group led by Chuck Greenberg and Nolan
Ryan.
The lengthy process finally came to a close Thursday after the Greenberg-Rya
Trail Blazers hire pair of assistant GMs >>
Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Portland Trail Blazers rounded out their
front office staff on Thursday by hiring Bill Branch and Steve Rosenberry as
assistant general managers.
Terms of the contracts were not disclosed.
"I've ha
UConn G Doty to miss 2010-11 season with ACL tear >>
Storrs, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Connecticut junior guard Caroline Doty will
miss the entire 2010-11 season with a torn ACL in her left knee.
Doty started 38 of 39 games and averaged 6.8 points this past season as the
Huskies went undef
Jets, Revis will keep talks confidential >>
Cortland, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Jets and holdout cornerback
Darrelle Revis will keep the remainder of their contract negotiations
confidential.
Revis, who has three years remaining on his rookie contract, wants
2007 Academy Award Betting : Oscars odds
The 79th Annual Academy Awards odds , which will air February 25th, is sparking an interest throughout the nation with the announcement of its nominees. As the public chooses their favorites, sportsbooks are creating odds for one of the biggest entertainment betting nights of the year.
Whether its at a “Oscar Party” or in an on line sportsbook, entertainment gambling on award shows represent a huge increase in betting. As the public speculation mounts, MySportsbook.com, the largest and most respected sportsbook on the web, posted odds on who is going home with a “Golden Best Friend.”
“ We see a majority of our entertainment wagers come from the Academy Awards,” said MySportsbook.com spokesperson, Tim Dalton. “This is a competition that applies to everyone. These are the people that entertain us on a daily basis and you want to see them win.”
MySportsbook.com posted the following odds for Academy Awards:
Odds to win the Achievement in Directing:
Alejandro González Iñárritu "Babel": 8/1
Martin Scorsese "The Departed": 2/17
Clint Eastwood "Letters From Iwo Jima: 4/1
Stephen Frears "The Queen": 12/1
Paul Greengrass "United 93": 15/1
Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role:
Leonardo DiCaprio in "Blood Diamond": 11/1
Ryan Gosling in "Half Nelson": 20/1
Peter O’Toole in "Venus": 16/5
Will Smith in "The Pursuit of Happyness": 16/1
Forest Whitaker in "The Last King of Scotland": 1/11
Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role:
Penélope Cruz in "Volver": 18/1
Judi Dench in "Notes on a Scandal": 15/1
Helen Mirren in "The Queen": 1/50
Meryl Streep in "The Devil Wears Prada": 10/1
Kate Winslet in "Little Children": 20/1
Best Animated Feature Film:
"Cars": 1/3
"Happy Feet": 2/1
"Monster House": 20/1
Best Foreign-Language Film of the Year:
"Water" – Canada: 22/1
"The Lives of Others" – Germany: 7/2
"After the Wedding" - Denmark: 24/1
"Days of Glory (Indigenes)" – Algeria: 23/1
"Pan's Labyrinth" - Mexico: 1/10
Odds to win the Best Live-Action Short Film:
"Binta and the Great Idea (Binta Y La Gran Idea)": 6/5
"Eramos Pocos (One Too Many)": 7/2
"Helmer & Son": 5/2
"The Saviour": 6/1
"West Bank Story": 7/2
Odds to win the Best Original Screenplay:
"Babel": 7/4
"Letters From Iwo Jima": 3/1
"Little Miss Sunshine": 21/20
"Pan's Labyrinth": 11/4
"The Queen": 5/4
Best Motion Picture of the Year:
"Babel": 11/4
"The Departed": 1/2
"Letters from Iwo Jima": 15/2
"Little Miss Sunshine": 17/10
"The Queen": 20/1
Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role:
Alan Arkin in "Little Miss Sunshine": 11/10
Jackie Earle Haley in "Little Children": 10/1
Djimon Hounsou in "Blood Diamond": 9/1
Eddie Murphy in "Dreamgirls": 2/5
Mark Wahlberg in "The Departed": 5/1
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role:
Adriana Barraza in "Babel": 14/1
Cate Blanchett in "Notes on a Scandal": 11/1
Abigail Breslin in "Little Miss Sunshine": 2/1
Jennifer Hudson in "Dreamgirls": 1/8
Rinko Kikuchi in "Babel": 11/1
Film To Win Most Oscars:
Dreamgirls: 2/3
Pans Labyrinth: 6/5
The Departed: 6/1
The Queen: 11/1
Babel: 15/1
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest: 11/1
Little Miss Sunshine: 15/1
Additional sports and entertainment odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.
Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.
Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.
Memphis vs. Ohio State
Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.
UCLA vs. Kansas
In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.
With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action. Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”. By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.
To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards
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