Turner scores four times to lead Falcons over Panthers

Football Betting Lines

11/23/2008 - Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Michael Turner rushed for 117 yards and a career-high four touchdowns, including three in the fourth quarter, as the Atlanta Falcons upended the NFC South-leading Carolina Panthers, 45-28.

Matt Ryan was an efficient 17-of-27 for 259 yards for the Falcons (7-4), who have won three of four and moved within a game of the Panthers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the top spot in the division.

"I think everybody was excited for the win today," Ryan said. "The games are of huge magnitude anytime you go against a division opponent. It was definitely a good win against a great Carolina Panthers team."

Rookie Harry Douglas ran for a score, caught four balls for 92 yards and had the game-sealing 61-yard punt return for a touchdown with five minutes to play, as Atlanta moved to 5-1 at home this season.

Carolina's Jake Delhomme started slowly but passed for 295 yards and a score on 21-of-35 passes thanks to an eight-catch, 168-yard effort by receiver Steve Smith. The Panthers (8-3), who rushed for a team-record 264 rushing yards against Detroit last week, had 134 yards on the ground while snapping a four- game winning streak.

DeAngelo Williams led the running attack with 101 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries.

Down 17-3 at halftime, Carolina came out of the break and went to the air. Delhomme and Smith hooked up for 41- and 22-yard pass plays, and Williams rushed off the right tackle for a five-yard touchdown, cutting the Panthers' deficit to seven.

A quick three-and-out for the hosts was followed by another promising drive for Carolina, but Williams was stuffed on a draw on 3-and-6 from the Atlanta seven, and John Kasay connected on a 21-yard field goal.

With the momentum favoring the Panthers, Atlanta put together a critical 12- play, 80-yard trek. A 19-yard reception by Michael Jenkins on 3-and-10 prolonged the drive, and Turner put Atlanta up 24-13 on a four-yard run on the first play of the fourth quarter.

Delhomme and the Panthers had an answer, as the quarterback hit 3-for-4 on the drive for 63 yards and scrambled his way into the end zone from 12 yards out. Williams rushed up the middle for a two-point conversion, cutting the Falcons' lead to three.

On the third play of the next Atlanta drive, however, Douglas caught a pass, broke a tackle and sprinted to the Carolina six. The 69-yard pass play left the ball at the Carolina six. After three failed tries to get the ball in the end zone, Turner took it in from one yard out with just over seven minutes to play.

A sack and two penalties forced a quick Carolina punt, which Douglas promptly returned 61 yards for the back-breaking TD with 4:47 remaining.

"When I caught it, I was going half speed to the left, but I knew what I was doing," Douglas said. "The guys up front did a great job of giving me a block to follow. So, I made a quick cut back, and the middle was wide open."

Carolina's Muhsin Muhammad hauled in a 16-yard touchdown to make it a 10-point game again, but Atlanta recovered the onside kick, and Turner capped his big day with a 16-yard scamper to the end zone in the final moments of the game.

Atlanta's eight-play, 70-yard drive following the opening kickoff resulted in Jason Elam's 23-yard field goal four minutes into the game.

Carolina, which finished with zero net yards in the first quarter, went three- and-out, and Ryan completed passes for 27 and 17 yards to get his troops deep in Panthers territory. On 3rd-and-3 from the Carolina seven, Douglas came in motion, took a quick toss and ran around the right end for a touchdown.

Three third-down conversions on the Falcons' next touch left the ball at the Carolina goal line, and Turner barreled into the end zone for a 17-0 lead early in the second frame.

"We started slow," Panthers head coach John Fox said. "I think on our first three possessions we were three-and-out, and defensively I thought they had us on our heels. They did a good job mixing the run and the pass and misdirection, a lot of different substitutions. They were playing one speed and we were playing another one."

Ryan's fumble at his own 48 turned the tide in favor of the visitors with just under 10 minutes to play in the half. Delhomme's 31-yard pass to Smith on the ensuing drive put the ball on the goal line, but the Falcons defense forced a 23-yard Kasay field goal.

Carolina then moved into enemy territory late in the half, but a false start and a sack forced a punt, and the Falcons led 17-3 at the break.

Game Notes

The Panthers had beaten the Falcons in Atlanta the previous three seasons. Carolina had won five of the previous seven matchups between the clubs, including a win in Week 4...Atlanta converted 6-of-13 on third down, compared to Carolina's 5-for-14 efficiency...Roddy White had four catches for 70 yards for Atlanta, while Muhammad finished with four grabs for 40 yards.

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MySportsbook.com : Fortune Favors Favorites in March Madness betting?

Just like Day 1 of the “Sweet 16”, Friday’s games are chock full of some of the nation’s elite.  Unlike Thursday’s games, there is a little bit more of a “Cinderella” feel as #7 seed UNLV and #6 seed Vanderbilt will attempt to move on to the Elite Eight.  With powerhouses Florida, UNC and Georgetown looking to continue their momentum against lesser known teams, it isn’t surprising that once again the “betting public” is backing most of the favorites.  As the early coin rolls in, 56% of Sportsbook.com bettors prefer Georgetown (-7.5) as they take on Vanderbilt; 84% of the early money is backing Oregon (-3) as they square off against UNLV; and a slight majority (52%) of the early cash is on Florida (-10.5) against Butler as the Gators continue their quest for another National Title. The only favorite the public don’t seem confident in is UNC, as 59% of the cash is backing the underdog Trojans (+8).

Midwest

#1 Florida vs. #5 Butler

The defending National Champs have been on a mission since last April.  Joakim Noah and Al Horford turned down millions of dollars for one reason, to REPEAT.  After a late season hiccup which saw them lose three out of four, the Gators have won six straight by an average of 20.3 points. More importantly, they covered in five of those six games.  Behind their stymie defense that yields only 56.9 PPG, Butler has been a very pleasant surprise this season.  As their 20-11 ATS record will indicate, “surprise teams” like Butler are often good bets for gamblers.  Playing in an average conference, Butler wasn’t and underdog too often but when they were, they covered (6-0 ATS).  Butler’s defense will have its hands full against a Gators offense which averages 80.1 PPG on an amazing 52.9% shooting from the field.  With Florida’s tournament experience over the last few years, it isn’t surprising that they are 5-1 ATS this season, 20-4 ATS over the last three seasons and 38-20 since 1997 in tournament action.

#3 Oregon vs. #7 UNLV

As a #7 seed, UNLV is the closest thing to a “Cinderella” we have this year.  If you bet on UNLV this season with any regularity, you most likely cashed in. Behind their guard oriented attack, the Rebels are an impressive 20-11 ATS this season.  As an underdog they covered in 8 out of their ten games which isn’t surprising since they are 52-30 ATS as a ‘dog since 1997. The Rebels have been a consistent cover during the month of March as well.  This March they are 6-0 ATS, 11-3 ATS over the last three seasons and 24-11 since 1997. Their impressive ATS trends don’t end there; versus teams with a winning record they are 15-6 ATS this season and 41-21 over the last three seasons.  Although Oregon hasn’t been as generous to gamblers as UNLV this season, they have been covering consistently as of late.  There is no question that they are playing their best ball of the season having won their last 8 straight up (SU) by an average of 14.5 points. Not surprising they covered in 7 of those games.  It is interesting to note how similar these teams are in regards to scoring and scoring defense. UNLV averages 75 PPG while giving up 66.5 PPG and Oregon scores 75.8 PPG while yielding 65.5 PPG.

East

#6 Vanderbilt vs. #2 Georgetown

“Hoya Paranoia” is officially back! After a decent start, Georgetown has rolled through the second half of the season.  Over their last 18 games, they are 17-1 SU.  They have definitely improved ATS as the season has progressed as well. After opening the season 1-4-1 ATS, the Hoyas have covered 78.3% of their games.  With their great interior play of Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, the Hoyas as a team shoot 50.5% from the field.  Like the Georgetown teams from years ago, they also excel on defense.  Hoya opponents averaged only 56.8 PPG on 38.2% shooting from the field and an extremely low 30.4% from beyond the arc.  The last stat could be of some concern to Vanderbilt considering they shoot 37.7% from long-range.  Ranking second to last in the SEC in rebounding margin, Vanderbilt will have its work cut out for them against the Hoya trees. As far as covering is concerned, Vanderbilt has been almost a “sure thing” (7-1 ATS) versus good defensive teams that allow less than 64 PPG.

#1 UNC vs. # 5 USC

The Tar Heels are as talented and as deep as any team in the country.  Going ten deep and chock full of HS All-Americans, UNC averages 86.1 PPG and scored 100+ seven times.  Led by All-American forward, Tyler Hansbrough (18.6 PPG 7.9 RPG) UNC has a very balanced attack which can kill you on the inside as well as on the perimeter.  UNC only real concern is their youth as eight of their rotation players are either sophomores or freshmen.  UNC was a reliable cover this season going 20-13 ATS.  An intriguing covering trend for the Tar Heels in recent years has been how they fared after non-conference games.  This season they are 11-3 ATS after non-conference games and over the last three seasons they are 31-13 ATS.  USC is also a pretty deep team which is loaded with swingman types.  An match-up to keep an eye on will be freshman forward Taj Gibson (12.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG) as he squares off against the AA Hansbrough.  USC has been a covering machine this season achieving a 21-10 record ATS.  They have thrived in the underdog role, having covered 10 out of 12.  When playing a team with a winning record, the Trojans are an incredible 20-6 ATS. Keep in mind, USC dedicated their season to former star to Ryan Francis who passed away before the season so as they get closer to the ultimate goal, emotion could definitely be on their side.

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 this sportsbook “Betting Trends”.  By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.

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