Weekend's worst bad beats
Rob Nelson
10/30/17
Rob Nelson of ESPN Stats & Information revisits the worst bad beats from the weekend's gambling action.
Thursday
Miami Dolphins at Baltimore Ravens
Line: Over/under 38
The football weekend got off to rough start for bettors who took the under in this one. Despite the Dolphins getting shutout and the Ravens losing Joe Flacco due to a concussion in the first half, this ugly Thursday night game still went over the closing total of 38.
The Ravens led 20-0 entering the fourth quarter and it almost didn't seem possible for these offenses to combine for 18 more points. It turned out there would be no points scored by either offense in the final quarter, but unfortunately for those on the under, the Ravens' defense scored not one, not two, but three touchdowns in a 9:47 span. Jimmy Smith provided the third defensive touchdown, a 50-yard pick-six that sent the total over by two points with 4:28 left in the game, crushing those who took the under.
Final score: Ravens 40, Dolphins 0 (game goes over)
Saturday
Oklahoma State Cowboys at West Virginia Mountaineers
Line: Over/under 77
The final score may indicate this was a shootout between two high-powered offenses, but that was hardly the case on a rainy day in Morgantown. Oklahoma State's 462 total yards of offense was its second-fewest in a game this season, while West Virginia was held to a season-low 347 yards.
So how did the teams combined for 89 points? Well, nine turnovers were certainly a significant factor.
With four minutes left in the third quarter, Oklahoma State led 30-10 with the 40 combined points 37 shy of the closing over/under. West Virginia got back in it with a touchdown off a blocked punt and a pick-six 50 seconds later to make the score 30-24 heading into the fourth. The scoring didn't stop there as the Cowboys and Mountaineers combined for five more touchdowns in the final quarter, with Justice Hill's 18-yard score with 3:47 officially sending the total over. By the time West Virginia tacked on another late score, bettors on the under had already changed the channel on a game that saw 49 points in the final 18:55.
Final score: Oklahoma State 50, West Virginia 39 (game goes over)
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at Rice Owls
Line: Louisiana Tech -12.5
Rice outgained Louisiana Tech in the game and was tied at 28 late in the fourth quarter. Anyone who took the Owls at +12.5 should have been a winner. But if that was the case, you wouldn't be reading about what happened next.
With exactly one minute left in the game, Boston Scott's two-yard touchdown broke the tie and put Louisiana Tech up 35-28. Rice got the ball back and needed a touchdown, but quarterback Sam Glaesmann was picked off by Trey Spencer, who returned it 37 yards for a touchdown with 36 seconds left to give the Bulldogs a 14-point lead. The Owls would throw another interception 27 seconds later -- their fourth turnover of the game -- to seal the fate of bettors who still aren't quite sure how they lost in this one.
Final score: Louisiana Tech 42, Rice 28 (Louisiana Tech covers)
Texas Tech Red Raiders at Oklahoma Sooners
Line: Over/under 77.5
Entering Saturday, the total had gone over in each of the past six meetings between these teams, including last season when Oklahoma won 66-59 in Lubbock. It looked like a similar scoring output was in store on Saturday night, as the Sooners led 20-14 in the first quarter.
The two teams kept scoring, with Oklahoma taking a 49-27 lead into the fourth quarter. At that point, bettors on the over needed just two more points to cash their tickets. With a little over 11 minutes left, Texas Tech was stooped on a fourth-and-goal from the two-yard line, and no one knew it at the time, but that would be the final possession of the game for the Red Raiders. The Sooners proceeded to go on an 18-play drive that killed off the final 11:16 of the game, ending with a pair of kneel downs, much to the dismay of those who took the over. It marked the second-longest drive by an FBS team this season.
Final score: Oklahoma 49, Texas Tech 27 (game goes under)
Sunday
Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins
Line: Over/under 46.5
The over/under closed at 46.5 in this one, with the bad weather causing it to drop from 50 earlier in the week. If you bet the under, however, it didn't matter what number you got.
With less than five minutes left in the game, the Cowboys led 26-13, as bettors on the under just needed to avoid two late scores. After Dallas' Anthony Brown was called for a questionable pass interference on fourth down, the Redskins took advantage on the next play when Kirk Cousins hooked up with Josh Doctson for a one-yard touchdown. After the Cowboys were almost able to run out the clock, Washington got the ball back down 26-19 with 54 seconds left. On the second play of the drive, Cousins was picked off by Byron Jones, who returned it 21 yards for a touchdown that sent the total over with just 21 seconds remaining.
Final score: Cowboys 33, Redskins 19 (game goes over)
Rob Nelson
10/30/17
Rob Nelson of ESPN Stats & Information revisits the worst bad beats from the weekend's gambling action.
Thursday
Miami Dolphins at Baltimore Ravens
Line: Over/under 38
The football weekend got off to rough start for bettors who took the under in this one. Despite the Dolphins getting shutout and the Ravens losing Joe Flacco due to a concussion in the first half, this ugly Thursday night game still went over the closing total of 38.
The Ravens led 20-0 entering the fourth quarter and it almost didn't seem possible for these offenses to combine for 18 more points. It turned out there would be no points scored by either offense in the final quarter, but unfortunately for those on the under, the Ravens' defense scored not one, not two, but three touchdowns in a 9:47 span. Jimmy Smith provided the third defensive touchdown, a 50-yard pick-six that sent the total over by two points with 4:28 left in the game, crushing those who took the under.
Final score: Ravens 40, Dolphins 0 (game goes over)
Saturday
Oklahoma State Cowboys at West Virginia Mountaineers
Line: Over/under 77
The final score may indicate this was a shootout between two high-powered offenses, but that was hardly the case on a rainy day in Morgantown. Oklahoma State's 462 total yards of offense was its second-fewest in a game this season, while West Virginia was held to a season-low 347 yards.
So how did the teams combined for 89 points? Well, nine turnovers were certainly a significant factor.
With four minutes left in the third quarter, Oklahoma State led 30-10 with the 40 combined points 37 shy of the closing over/under. West Virginia got back in it with a touchdown off a blocked punt and a pick-six 50 seconds later to make the score 30-24 heading into the fourth. The scoring didn't stop there as the Cowboys and Mountaineers combined for five more touchdowns in the final quarter, with Justice Hill's 18-yard score with 3:47 officially sending the total over. By the time West Virginia tacked on another late score, bettors on the under had already changed the channel on a game that saw 49 points in the final 18:55.
Final score: Oklahoma State 50, West Virginia 39 (game goes over)
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at Rice Owls
Line: Louisiana Tech -12.5
Rice outgained Louisiana Tech in the game and was tied at 28 late in the fourth quarter. Anyone who took the Owls at +12.5 should have been a winner. But if that was the case, you wouldn't be reading about what happened next.
With exactly one minute left in the game, Boston Scott's two-yard touchdown broke the tie and put Louisiana Tech up 35-28. Rice got the ball back and needed a touchdown, but quarterback Sam Glaesmann was picked off by Trey Spencer, who returned it 37 yards for a touchdown with 36 seconds left to give the Bulldogs a 14-point lead. The Owls would throw another interception 27 seconds later -- their fourth turnover of the game -- to seal the fate of bettors who still aren't quite sure how they lost in this one.
Final score: Louisiana Tech 42, Rice 28 (Louisiana Tech covers)
Texas Tech Red Raiders at Oklahoma Sooners
Line: Over/under 77.5
Entering Saturday, the total had gone over in each of the past six meetings between these teams, including last season when Oklahoma won 66-59 in Lubbock. It looked like a similar scoring output was in store on Saturday night, as the Sooners led 20-14 in the first quarter.
The two teams kept scoring, with Oklahoma taking a 49-27 lead into the fourth quarter. At that point, bettors on the over needed just two more points to cash their tickets. With a little over 11 minutes left, Texas Tech was stooped on a fourth-and-goal from the two-yard line, and no one knew it at the time, but that would be the final possession of the game for the Red Raiders. The Sooners proceeded to go on an 18-play drive that killed off the final 11:16 of the game, ending with a pair of kneel downs, much to the dismay of those who took the over. It marked the second-longest drive by an FBS team this season.
Final score: Oklahoma 49, Texas Tech 27 (game goes under)
Sunday
Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins
Line: Over/under 46.5
The over/under closed at 46.5 in this one, with the bad weather causing it to drop from 50 earlier in the week. If you bet the under, however, it didn't matter what number you got.
With less than five minutes left in the game, the Cowboys led 26-13, as bettors on the under just needed to avoid two late scores. After Dallas' Anthony Brown was called for a questionable pass interference on fourth down, the Redskins took advantage on the next play when Kirk Cousins hooked up with Josh Doctson for a one-yard touchdown. After the Cowboys were almost able to run out the clock, Washington got the ball back down 26-19 with 54 seconds left. On the second play of the drive, Cousins was picked off by Byron Jones, who returned it 21 yards for a touchdown that sent the total over with just 21 seconds remaining.
Final score: Cowboys 33, Redskins 19 (game goes over)
