09/06/2008 - West Long Branch, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It took tight end Derek Buttles exactly one game to work his way into the entertaining and sometimes colorful history of Maine football.
Buttles went from goat to hero in the midst of a few minutes of the second half Saturday afternoon at Monmouth. After dropping a sure touchdown pass in the end zone in the third quarter, Buttles' 23-yard deflected catch with 2:49 remaining lifted the Black Bears to a 21-17 victory over the Hawks, in the rain and wind of tropical storm Hanna.
"It was good to be in the right place at the right time," said Buttles, who had two catches for 55 yards on Maine's final 12-play, 80-yard drive.
Facing a 4th-and-21 from the Monmouth 23, Maine kept place kicker Brian Harvey on the sideline instead of attempting what would have been a 40-yard field goal into the squall.
Even if the weather had been sunny and calm, Maine might have passed on a field goal, considering Harvey had missed from 20 and 33 yards earlier in the game.
"We basically ended up with a play sending four or five guys down to the end zone," Maine quarterback Adam Farkas explained. "I scrambled out of the pocket and it was a decision of who I was going to throw to."
Farkas nearly crossed the line of scrimmage before heaving the ball into the end zone for Jared Turcotte. Monmouth free safety Joes Gumbs broke in front of Turcotte to intercept the pass, but the rain-slicked ball ricocheted off Gumbs' palms and into the waiting arms of Buttles.
"The ball just bounced off my hands and into the hands of the receiver," said Gumbs, who collapsed on the field in despair after the touchdown play.
With under three minutes to play, Monmouth battled to move the ball to their own 43, where a fourth and 10 screen pass from Brett Burke to David Sinisi ended with Sinisi being tackled just short of the first-down sticks.
Sinisi was spectacular as he kept the Hawks in the game, rushing 29 times for 182 yards and touchdowns of 33 yards and one yard. He also caught two passes for 30 yards.
Sinisi's second TD ended a gutsy, 12-play, 75-yard drive that followed Buttles' dropped pass in the end zone to give Monmouth a 17-14 lead with 9:23 remaining.
Maine looked like it was capable of blowing out the Hawks on its first possession. The Black Bears used Lamir Whetstone's 52-yard kickoff return and six runs by Jhamal Fluellen (26 carries, 102 yards) to move into scoring position, but Harvey was wide right with his field goal attempt.
"It was like we couldn't play, because we missed a field goal attempt," said Maine coach Jack Cosgrove. "That took a lot of wind out of our sails."
Monmouth scored with just over a minute left in the first and second quarters on Fred Weingart's 27-yard field goal and Sinisi's 33-yard scamper around the end to lead 10-0.
But Maine pulled itself off the mat at the end of the first half with a six- play, 57-yard drive to make it 10-7 at the break. Farkas (17-of-27 for 207 yards and three TDs passing) fired a 16-yard strike to Landis Williams on a flag route to get the Black Bears on the scoreboard.
"We gave Maine some life with that drive at the end of the first half," Monmouth coach Kevin Callahan said.
Farkas burned the Monmouth secondary again in the third period with a 27-yard TD connection to Jeremy Kelley that gave Maine a 14-10 at the 5:37 mark.
The Maine defense did its part, limiting Burke to 10-of-26 passing for only 95 yards. Defensive end Jovan Belcher, Maine's Buck Buchanan Award candidate, piled up 10 tackles, with one sack, one pass breakup and two and a half tackles for loss.
But the game seemed to turn when Buttles dropped that surefire touchdown pass in the end zone from the Monmouth 25 on fourth and seven, with the Black Bears looking to throw a knockout punch.
"I looked around and wondered why he was even in the game at that point," said Cosgrove.
"I came off to the sideline pretty upset and the guys just told me to keep my head up," said Buttles
But it didn't take Buttles long to redeem himself. After the Hawks had regained the lead, Farkas found Buttles free for a 32-yard pass play that moved Maine to the 12-yard line.
Three more plays ended in the loss of 11 yards for the Black Bears and that set up Buttles' chance at glory, his catch lifting Maine to a much-needed victory.
"When we had our backs against the wall, we performed," said Cosgrove. "We survived. We did enough to win."
<< Former champ Jackson leads U.S. Mid-Amateur
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tim Jackson, a two-time winner of this
championship, posted a five-under-par 65 Saturday for a one-shot lead after
the opening round of stroke play at the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship.
Jackson won
<< Lions pound Tiger-Cats
Hamilton, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Buck Pierce threw for 364 yards and a
touchdown on 29-of-37 passing to help lead the British Columbia Lions to a
35-12 drubbing of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Ivor Wynne Stadium.
Pierce also ran
<< Tigers claw back in eighth to defeat Twins
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Curtis Granderson and Magglio Ordonez hit
two-run homers in the eighth inning, as Detroit rallied from a three-run
deficit to top Minnesota, 6-4, in the middle contest of a three-game set from
the Met
<< Manny moves LA into first place
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Manny Ramirez clubbed a three-run homer
off Brandon Webb and drove in five runs to help the Los Angeles Dodgers
supplant the Diamondbacks from atop the NL West standings with a 7-2 victory
over Ar
Texans sign Winston to extension >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Texans signed offensive tackle Eric
Winston to a contract extension Saturday.
The Houston Chronicle reports the deal is for five years and worth $30
million.
Winston is beginning his th
Schelotto shines as Crew rolls over Revs >>
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Guillermo Barros Schelotto scored a goal and
assisted on two more as the Columbus Crew downed the New England Revolution,
4-0 on Saturday at Crew Stadium in a battle of the top two teams in MLS.
The win
Meche, Royals edge Tribe >>
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gil Meche pitched seven effective innings
to give the Kansas City Royals a 3-1 victory over the Cleveland Indians in the
second of three games.
Meche (11-10) finished the game allowing just one run on
Sheets goes the distance to lead Brewers over Pads >>
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ben Sheets pitched a complete game to
outduel Padres ace Jake Peavy, as Milwaukee edged San Diego, 1-0, in the third
installment of a four-game series from Miller Park.
Sheets (13-7) showed no ill
MySportsbook.com favors Bears, Bengals, Chargers and Colts to remain perfect
LAS VEGAS , Sept. 28 - Two big match-ups of undefeated teams have fans salivating at the Week Four schedule in the NFL. The Chicago Bears stifling defense looks to provide a less than hospitable welcome to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night in a battle of two 3-0 teams in the NFC conference. In the AFC, the San Diego Chargers (2-0) head to Maryland to face the surprising Baltimore Ravens (3-0) as both try to keep pace atop the conference standings. Betting Lines makers at MySportsbook.com, online sportsbook and casino, have set the Bears as 3.5 point favorites while the Chargers are a 2.5 point bet.
Of the three remaining undefeated teams, only one, New Orleans, enters this week's game as an underdog. Despite an emotional and resounding win over Atlanta on Monday night, the Saints are a 7.5 point underdog against the struggling Carolina Panthers. Indianapolis looks to stay perfect when they face the New York Jets as a 9 point road favorite while the Cincinnati Bengals are a 6 point favorite at home to the New England Patriots.
Six teams enter the week still looking for their first win, with a seventh, Tampa Bay, on a bye week. The prospect of dropping another game would not bode well for a potential playoff run. Since 1990, just three teams -- the 1992 Chargers, 1995 Detroit Lions and 1998 Buffalo Bills -- have overcome losing their first three games of the season to earn a postseason berth. And only the Chargers managed to accomplish the feat after starting 0-4.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.
MySportsbook features easy-to-use online betting software that’s the most reliable in the industry. If you’re looking to bet underdogs, then this Sportsbook is the place - we have the best betting lines in the business. MySportsbook is your one-stop shop for all your betting needs - sports betting, poker, casino, and horse betting . MySportsbook offers every bet type with lightning fast settlement of wagers. Take advantage of free statistical analysis - including against-the-spread and straight-up trends - in MySportsbook’s game previews section. With MySportsbook there are unlimited free deposits and payouts - and no transaction fees!
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football sportsbook needs.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting