Seminoles Rally Late To Upset Tar Heels

Wednesday - November 18, 2009 | Football | comment balloon

Florida State won their first ACC college football game of the year on Thursday, though it certainly wasn’t easy. The Seminoles were down 24-6 midway through the third quarter before mounting a furious comeback to defeat North Carolina 30-27. FSU quarterback Christian Ponder threw for a career high 395 with three touchdowns and no interceptions to pace his team. The Seminoles improved their overall record to 3-4 while North Carolina dropped to 4-3.

College football betting enthusiasts who overlooked the Seminoles dismal record against the spread were rewarded by Florida State’s outright win as +2′ road underdogs. FSU covered for only the second time this season, upping their record against the college football pointspread to 2-5. The Tar Heels haven’t been a very good investment either, and the loss left their ATS tally at 2-4. The 57 points scored went OVER the posted total of 48′ for the Seminoles fifth OVER in six lined games. North Carolina played OVER for only the second time this season against three UNDER verdicts.

With the uncharacteristically slow start by Florida State, there has been a good deal of speculation that the venerable coach should step away from the program. He expressed some relief in his postgame comments:

“The talk that we’ve had down there, there’s only one thing that solves it. Winning. Play close and fight your guts out? Who cares? You’ve got to win.”

Winning QB Ponder suggests that the comeback win demonstrates the heart of this Seminoles team:

“This proves how good we can be, and I’m just proud of the way we fought back. Down what, 24-6? And we could have given up and we didn’t. That’s just the character of the guys on this team.”

Tar Heels’ coach Butch Davis observed that rankings are irrelevant once the game begins:

“It’s a little bit of a wake-up call for the defense. Reputations and rankings and stats and all that stuff is somewhat insignificant. You’ve got to play.”

Added Tar Heels’ cornerback Kendric Burnley:

“It’s too frustrating. I don’t know what to say or how to explain anything right now. It tears you apart.”

Florida State can get back to .500 next weekend with a home game against another team looking for their first ACC win of the season, North Carolina State. The Tar Heels, meanwhile, must regroup in time for another nationally televised Thursday night game at Virginia Tech next week. After that, they’ll return home to take on Duke and Miami in successive weeks.

Ross Everett is a widely published respected freelance writer specializing in casino gambling, surfing and sports betting. He has appeared on a number of TV and radio programs offering strategies for successful NFL football betting. He lives in Southern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a pet llama. He is currently writing a biography of former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf.

categories: college football,football,sports,recreation,hobbies

Today's sportsbetting headlines -

Lindsey Vonn wins 3rd straight overall World Cup (AP)
AP - Standing atop the mountain, Lindsey Vonn already was the best skier in the world for the third year in a row.

AP sources: Woods likely to return at Masters (AP)
AP - Tiger Woods intends to remain out of golf at least until the Masters, two people with knowledge of his plans told The Associated Press.

Three of top 4 seeds bumped in Big East quarters (AP)
AP - It was a bad day to be a favorite at the Big East tournament.

Man convicted in slaying of Broncos cornerback (AP)
AP - The group of Denver Broncos players arrived at the Safari nightclub to celebrate New Year's Eve and was whisked inside by bouncers. One of the dozens of people waiting in line to get in — an alleged Tre-Tre Crips gang member — took exception.

Football Hall of Famer, TV star Olsen dies at 69 (AP)
AP - Hall of Famer Merlin Olsen, who helped form one of the NFL's greatest defensive lines before embarking on a successful career in television, died Thursday after a battle with cancer. He was 69.

add RSS feeds to any website

Today's Recommended Sportsbook ( )

Top Sportsbook Reviews - Click Here

These are the top sports gambling websites offering the best gambling offers and special promotions currently. We offer sportsbook reviews of all of these recommended websites at sportsbook-watch.

Looking to bet on sports? Looking for the best betting lines? Check out our recommended sports betting websites. They offer the best sportsbetting odds and deals online - guaranteed!

Also check out our completely free sportsbetting guide for you to download