Football bad beats: The Moose Club, Week 2
The most active season for the actual animal Moose is in the autumn (obviously), as this is the start of their mating season, known as the rut.
Well, this is also the most active season for our "mooses" (yes, the plural of the betting version is mooses), as this is the start of our degening season, known as the grind.
Each Tuesday, I will highlight the 10 biggest mooses from the football weekend from my perspective. (I can't see everything). If you had the misfortune of betting on four or more of the 10 biggest mooses, you will be inducted into the "Sports Action Moose Club," get some gear and potentially win some cash. (See the bottom of the article for details.)
Week 2 actually didn't have a lot of options to choose from, which means we all should be very afraid for Week 3. Let's dive into the 10 mooses I selected…
10. Iowa State +3
You at least got a push here, but the underdog Cyclones never trailed in the fourth quarter. They blew a 10-point lead thanks to an interception inside their own 10, and then blew a seven-point lead with under two minutes to go (thanks to a missed OPI call on Iowa) before ultimately losing 44-41 in OT to their in-state rival.
9. Broncos -3
Again, at least you got a push here, so I had to keep it at the bottom of the list, but it couldn't have been a fun Monday night for Broncos backers. Denver stopped the Chargers on downs at midfield with 12 minutes to go in the game sitting on a 17-point lead. A cover required the Broncos to simply not vomit on themselves. Guess what? They vomited on themselves. The Chargers scored two TDs off Broncos turnovers in the final 12 minutes to cut the lead to three. The Broncos had another chance to get outside the number with four minutes remaining, but Brandon McManus, the most accurate kicker in Sports Authority Field history, missed a field goal that would have increased the lead to six.
8. ASU/SDSU O 53
Arizona State cut the lead to 30-20 with eight minutes to go after scoring a TD and failing on the 2-point conversion. San Diego State then drove the ball six minutes down the field to the Arizona State 28, where they decided to go for it instead of kicking a 45-yard field goal. They didn't convert. Arizona State then drove the length of the field and turned it over on downs to end the game in SDSU territory.
7. Arizona +2
Arizona lost 19-16, failing to cover the closing number by a single point. Houston only scored two points in the second half, a result of an Arizona fumble that led to a safety. Arizona had four second-half possessions inside the Houston 30; two ended in turnovers and two ended in field goals. Still, the safety was the difference. Rich Rod always finds a way to blow the cover.
6. Colorado -35.5
Colorado led Texas State 31-3 after three quarters. Their first two drives of the fourth quarter resulted in field goals. Leading 36-3, Buffalo backers simply needed a field goal to secure the cover. With six minutes left, Colorado decided to go for it on fourth down instead of kicking a 45-yard field goal in the altitude. They didnt't convert and neither team scored again.
5. Michigan/Cincinnati U 49.5
Michigan kicked a field goal to take a 27-14 lead with nine minutes to go in the game. Under backers had 8.5 points to spare. Cincy then gave up a safety with seven minutes to go, and then threw their second pick six of the game with four minutes to go. The final score was 36-14.
4. Wake Forest/Boston College O 45
Wake took a 31-10 lead with 4:30 to go in the third quarter. Over backers just needed five more points over the final 19:30. Instead, they only got a single Wake Forest field goal the rest of the way, and the game ended 34-10. Boston College didn't score a single point on their last four drives, three of which ended in Wake Forest territory.
3. Jags/Texans O 38
Jacksonville took a 26-7 lead with four minutes to go in the third quarter. Over backers needed only six points over the last 19 minutes of a blowout to get to the window. They would only see one more Jaguars field goal, however, as the game ended 29-7. The Texans turned it over twice inside Jaguars territory in the fourth quarter. Also, Jags kicker Jason Myers missed a 39-yard field goal in the fourth quarter that would have been good enough to get the game over the total.
2. Oregon -10.5
Oregon scored 21 points in the final eight minutes of the first half to take a 42-14 halftime lead. They would never score again, escaping with a 42-35 victory. The last Nebraska TD was scored with under three minutes to go after Oregon RB Royce Freeman fumbled inside his own 20. Oregon scored 42 points in the first half – and zero in the second.
1. Washington State/Boise State U 58
This was the most exciting game of the night – unless you bet the under 58. Boise State led 17-10 at the end of the third quarter, which meant under backers had a fourth quarter cushion of 31 points. Boise, despite having their backup QB in due to injury, scored on a long TD pass on the first play of the fourth quarter to extend their lead to 24-10, and then subsequently added a defensive TD a few minutes later. Wazzu, trailing 31-10 with 11 minutes to go, benched their starting QB, who set the all-time school passing record earlier in the game.
Under 58 backers were still feeling great with a 31-10 Boise lead with both starting QBs now out of the game, but then all HELL broke loose. Wazzu scored a TD with eight minutes left to cut the lead to 31-17. On the next possession, they scored a defensive TD on a shovel pass pick six! Under backers were now sweating with the score at 31-24. They needed Boise to run the clock out.
Boise did not, and punted back to Washington State with four minutes to go. Boise got a huge stop forcing a Wazzu punt on 4th and 20 with three minutes left. Under backers begin to exhale again, but the punt goes off of a Boise helmet and Washington State inevitably recovers at the Boise 24. Doom. About a minute later, Wazzu ties the game at 31, and eventually goes on to win 47-44 in 3OT.
If you are a pro subscriber as of the previous weekend and bet on at least four of the designated "mooses," you could potentially win $50 if you are the first to show proof of your membership and tickets ($25 minimum bets).
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