Month: October 2024

Commanders 18, Bears 15
Washington led 9-0 at halftime.
Bears scored a TD with 0:27 left to take a 15-12 lead.
Washington threw a 52-yard Hail Mary TD on last play of the game.
This was first game since 1977 where both teams scored go-ahead TD in last 0:30 of play.  

Bears’ first seven drives: 36 plays, 93 yards, six punts.
Bears’ last four drives: 24 plays, 200 yards, 15 points.
Chicago scored 24-24-36-35 points in their wins, 13-16-15 in losses.
Chicago’s three losses are by 6-5-3 points. 

Patriots 25, Jets 23
Patriots drove 70 yards, scored game-winning TD with 0:22 left.
Backup QB Brissett came off bench, won game in relief of injured starter Maye.
Patriots are 24-4 in last 28 games against the Jets.
Jets are 1-8 SU/2-7 ATS in last nine visits to Foxboro.

Jets are 0-5 SU/ATS in last five games.
Jets gave up 23-37-25 points in three games since coaching change. 
Jets are 2-8-1 ATS last 11 games as a road favorite.
Last three weeks, Jets were outscored 45-12 in 2nd half.

Eagles 37, Bengals 17
Eagles had eight drives: 4 TD’s, 3 field goals and a punt.
Philly averaged 11.8 yards/pass attempt.
Eagles won four of their last five games.
Eagles are 7-2-1 ATS last ten games with spread of 3 or fewer points.

Bengals are 0-4 at home, losing by 6-5-3-20 points.
Game was 10-10 at halftime.
Bengals first two drives: 28 plays, 131 yards, TD/FG
Bengals rest of game: 6 drives- 30 plays, 150 yards, 7 points.

Packers 30, Jaguars 27
Packers drove 64 yards, kicked game-winning FG at gun.
Green Bay had short TD drives of 28, 5 yards.
Packers won six of their last seven games.
Green Bay is 3-11-1 ATS in last 15 games as a road favorite.

Jaguars drove 87 yards, tied game 27-27 on TD with 1:48 left.
Both teams averaged over 9.0 yards/pass attempt.
Five of their last six games went over the total.
Under Pederson, Jaguars are 5-3 ATS as a home underdog.

Lions 52, Titans 14
Detroit scored 3 TDs in 2nd quarter, all on short drives: 25-12-22 yards.
Lions scored 52 points; QB Goff threw for only 85 yards.
Lions’ Kalif Raymond had a 90-yard punt return for a TD, a 72-yard kickoff return and another punt return for 64 yards.
Under Campbell, Lions are 12-5 ATS as a home favorite.

Tennessee is minus-13 in turnovers; their special teams have sucked. 
Tennessee is 3-8 ATS in last 11 games as a road underdog.
Titans have been outscored 111-43 in second half. 
Misleading stat: Titans outgained Detroit 416-225. 

Falcons 31, Buccaneers 26
Cousins was 23-29/276 passing, with four TD’s.
Atlanta won four of its last five games SU.
Four of Falcons’ last five games went over the total.
Atlanta is 3-0 SU on road, scoring 22-38-31 points. 

Last five games, Bucs 33-30-51-31-26 points, only went 2-3.
Tampa Bay has eight turnovers in last three games (minus-4)
Since 2021, Bucs are 2-6 ATS as a home underdog.
Tampa Bay’s last five games went over the total.

Cardinals 28, Dolphins 27
Cardinals in first half: 23 plays, 112 yards, 7 points.
Cardinals in second half: 38 plays, 278 yards, 20 points.
Arizona is 17-9 ATS last 26 games as a road underdog. 
Last six games, opponents are 45-76 (59.2%) on third down.

Arizona drove 72 yards, kicked game-winning FG with 0:01 left.
Dolphins led 20-10 with 6:30 left in third quarter.
Miami allowed 17-10 points in its wins, 31-24-16-31-28 in losses. 
Dolphins are 8-13 ATS in last 21 games with spread of 3 or fewer points.

Browns 29, Ravens 24
Browns in first half: 31 plays, 152 yards, 6 points.
Browns in second half: 37 plays, 250 yards, 23 points.
Winston threw 38-yard TD pass with 0:59 left for the win.
Cleveland is 13-5-1 ATS in last 19 games coming off a loss.

On first drive, Ravens were stopped on downs on 10-yard line.
On last drive, Ravens were on Cleveland 25, but couldn’t score TD.
Cleveland was 8-15 on third down, Ravens were 2-10
Over is 7-1 in Baltimore’s games this year.

Texans 23, Colts 20
Houston led 17-10 at halftime.
In first half, QB Richardson was 2-15 passing, for 81 yards.
All eight Colts games were decided by 6 or fewer points.
Colts are 4-1-1 ATS last six AFC South road games.
Indy won four of its last six games (5-0-1 ATS)

Houston beat Colts twice this year, 29-27/23-20.
Texans have five wins by 6 or fewer points.
Texans are 5-14 ATS in last 19 games as a home favorite
Mixon ran ball 25 times for 102 yards and a TD.

Famous birthdays, October 28th:
Lenny Wilkens, 87
Dennis Franz, 80
Annie Potts, 72
Randy Wittman, 65

Bob Melvin, 63
Jami Gertz, 59
Steve Atwater, 58
Julia Roberts, 57

Brad Paisley, 52
Terrell Davis, 52
Jarrett Jack, 41
Spencer Strider, 26 

Chargers 26, Saints 8
Saints’ first five drives: 20 plays, 90 yards, five punts.
New Orleans lost its last six games, last four by 13-24-13-18 points.
Saints are 1-5 against spread in last six games.
Last four games, New Orleans was outscored 71-13 in second half.  

Chargers led 9-5 at halftime.
Bolts in second half: 28 plays, 207 yards, 17 points.
Chargers scored 22-26-23-26 points in wins, 10-10-15 in losses.
Under is 6-1 in their first seven games.

Bills 31, Seahawks 10
Bills ran for 164 yards, outgained Seattle 445-233.
Buffalo is 5-0 when it allows less than 23 points.
Buffalo outscored last four opponents 64-16 in second half.
Buffalo is 17-5-1 ATS last 23 games with spread of 3 or fewer points.

Seahawks were 1-7 on third down, Buffalo 8-15.
Last four games, Seattle gave up 180.5 rushing yards/game.
Seahawks are 0-4 when they give up more than 20 points.
Seahawks are 12-21-3 ATS last 36 games coming off a win.

Broncos 28, Panthers 14
Panthers lost Young’s three starts: 47-10, 26-3, 28-14.
Carolina’s seven losses are all by 14+ points. 
Carolina is 2-11-1 ATS last 14 games as a road underdog.
Panthers gave up 20+ points in first half in seven of eight games.

Denver won/covered five of its last six games.
Broncos’ first two drives: 12 plays, 47 yards, no points.
Broncos’ next three drives: 24 plays, 195 yards, 21 points.
QB Nix was 28-37/284 passing, with three TD’s.

Chiefs 27, Raiders 20
Chiefs converted 12-16 third down plays, led 17-10 at half.
Last five games, Chiefs are 41-74 on third down.
Chiefs won their first seven games (4-3 ATS), by 7-1-5-7-13-10-7 points.
Kansas City is 7-0 despite being minus-5 in turnovers.

Raiders’ first two drives: 22 plays, 120 yards, 10 points.
Raiders’ last six drives: 35 plays, 89 yards, 10 points.
Kansas City won 16 of last 19 series games.
Raiders are 15-7 ATS in last 22 AFC West home games.

49ers 30, Cowboys 24
Dallas led 10-6 at halftime.
49ers’ 1st 3 drives of 3rd quarter: 21 plays, 167 yards, 21 points.
Cowboys gave up 17-15-17 points in wins, 44-28-47-30 in losses.
Cowboys allowed 14.2/12.1/10.3/8.8 yards/pass attempt in losses.

Purdy threw ball for 260 yards, ran for 56 more.
49ers are 13-8 ATS last 21 games as a home favorite.
49ers scored 32-30-36-30 points in wins, 17-24-23-18 in losses.
San Francisco is 12-7 ATS last 19 games coming off a loss.

Chiefs 28, 49ers 18
Kansas City is 6-0, last unbeaten team in the NFL.
Chiefs ran ball for 184 yards on 39 carries (4.7/carry)
Chiefs are 11-5 ATS in last 16 games with spread of 3 or fewer points.
Since 2017, Kansas City is 13-4 ATS as an underdog.

Chiefs were 8-14 on third down, San Francisco 2-11.
49ers scored 32-30-36 points in wins, 17-24-23-18 in losses.
49ers are 0-3 when they gain less than 400 total yards (310 this game)
Chiefs have won five in a row vs 49ers, including two Super Bowls.

Lions 31, Vikings 29
Lions’ first three drives: 10 plays, 30 yards, no points.
Lions’ next four drives: 28 plays, 299 yards, 28 points.
WR St Brown caught 8 passes for 112 yards and a TD.
Detroit scored 42-47-31 points last three games (15 TDs on 30 drives).

Lions drove 44 yards, kicked game-winning 44-yard FG with 0:19 left.
Vikings had taken 29-28 lead on a defensive TD with 5:50 left.
Minnesota is 1-6 ATS in last seven NFC North home games
Over is 8-1-1 in last their last ten games with Detroit.

Packers 24, Texans 22
Green Bay drove 39 yards, kicked 45-yard FG at the gun for the win.
Packers are 5-0 when they allow less than 30 points.
Green Bay outscored last five opponents 66-22 in second half.
Packers survived being minus-3 in turnovers (+9 first six games). 

Texans led 19-14 at halftime.
Houston in 2nd half: 30 plays, 76 yards, 3 points.
Stroud was only 10-21/86 passing (2.2 yards/attempt)
Texans are 10-4-1 ATS in last 15 games as a road underdog

Eagles 28, Giants 3
RB Barkley ran ball 17 times for 176 yards against his old team.
Philly led 14-3 at half, outgained the Giants, 339-119.
Overall, Eagles ran ball 45 times for 269 yards.
Eagles are 14-3 in last 17 games against the Giants.

Giants’ first six drives: 23 plays, 32 yards, six punts.
Giants’ QB’s threw for 105 yards, were sacked 8 times for 62 yards.
In four home games TY, Giants have one TD on 41 drives.
Under is 6-1 in Big Blue games this season.

Jaguars 32, Patriots 16
New England lost its last six games, outscored 90-43 in first half.
Last three weeks, Patriots gave up 193-192-171 rushing yards.
Patriots are 30-45 since Tom Brady left town.
NE is 7-20-1 ATS in last 28 games as an underdog.

Patriots led 10-0 early in 2nd quarter; Jaguars led 22-10 at half.
Washington ran a punt back 96 yards for a Jaguar TD.
Jaguars outgained New England 364-295.
Jacksonville is 4-2 in their last six games in England.

Bills 34, Titans 10
Buffalo in first half: 20 plays, 90 yards, 5 punts, 7 points.
Tennessee led 10-7 at halftime.
Buffalo in second half: 36 plays, 299 yards, 27 points.
Bills averaged 9.3 yards/pass attempt (Cooper 4 catches, 66 yards)

1-5 Titans scored 17 or fewer points in their losses; their win was 31-12.
Tennessee is minus-9 in turnovers, has had two punts blocked.
Tennessee is 3-7 ATS in last ten games as a road underdog.
Titans has trailed in only one of their six games at halftime.

Famous birthdays, October 21st
Manfred Mann, 84
Zack Grienke, 41
Shelden Williams, 41

Ricky Rubio, 34
Greg Robinson, 32
Davis Mills, 26

— New York 5, Cleveland 2 (10)
Juan Soto hit a 3-run homer in 10th inning.
Stanton hit 2-run HR to tie game 2-2 in 6th inning.
New York advances to World Series for first time since 2009

Dodgers 10, Mets 5
Tommy Edman batted cleanup, drove in four runs.
Dodgers led this game 6-1 in third inning. 

World Series starts Friday; the #2 and #3 payroll teams in baseball.

Someone needs to tell the FOX TV guys that the Mets were #1 payroll team in the major leagues this season, not exactly a Cinderella story. 

Seahawks 34, Falcons 14
Seahawks threw 31-yard TD pass with 0:04 left in first half to go up, 17-7
Up 24-14, Seattle salted game way with a defensive TD with 12:46 left.
Seahawks are 17-10-1 ATS last 28 games as a road underdog.
Seattle’s team total: over 7-0

Atlanta is 5-15-1 ATS last 21 games as a home favorite.
Atlanta was 8-15 on third down, but turned ball over three times.
Falcons were held to 10-17-14 points in their three losses.
Falcons are 5-14 ATS in last 19 games with spread of 3 or fewer points.

Bengals 21, Browns 14
Bengals ran opening kick of game back 100 yards for a TD.
Bengals rest of first half: 24 plays, 86 yards, no points.
Cincinnati led 7-6 at half; Browns missed PAT after a TD.
Bengals first three drives of second half: 12 plays, 113 yards, 14 points.

Browns had 2 of their 3 QB’s knocked out of this game.
Looked like QB Watson tore his achilles; he is out for the year,
Cleveland scored 17-18-15-16-13-16-14 points in its 1-6 start.
Browns were 8-19 on third down, Cincinnati 2-13.

Colts 16, Dolphins 10
Miami scored a TD on its second drive (11 plays, 58 yards)
Dolphins rest of game: 56 plays, 280 yards, 3 points.
Down 13-10, Miami clanked 54-yard FG off upright with 5:14 left.
Last four games, Dolphins have four touchdowns on 55 drives.
Dolphins’ team total: under 6-0

Colts QB Richardson completed only 10-24 passes for 129 yards.
Indy won four of its last five games (4-0-1 ATS)
All seven Colts games (4-3) were decided by 6 or fewer points.
Under Steichen, Colts are 4-1 ATS as a home favorite.

Commanders 40, Panthers 7
Carolina’s six losses are by 37-23-10-26-18-33 points. 
Carolina is 2-10-1 ATS last 13 games as a road underdog.
Panthers gave up 20+ points in first half in six of seven games.
Carolina is 4-14-2 ATS in last 19 games coming off a loss. 

Rookie QB Daniels (ribs) left early in game, after a 46-yard run.
Veteran backup Mariota was 18-23/205 passing, with 2 TD’s.
Washington’s first score was a 67-yard pick-6 by Fowler.
Commanders won/covered five of their last six games.
Last six games, Commanders scored 19 TD’s, kicked 20 FG’s on 51 drives.

Rams 20, Raiders 15
LA allowed 17 TD’s in first five games; Raiders had no TD’s, 5 FG’s.
Rams had 4 takeaways (+3); their TD drives were 47-26 yards.
Rams are +4 in turnovers in their wins, minus-3 in losses.
RB Williams ran ball 21 times for 76 yards, two TD’s.
First time this season Rams led after the three quarters.

QB O’Connell hurt his thumb; Minshew was 15-34/154 passing (3 INTs)
Raiders have 16 turnovers in seven games (minus-13). 
Since 2019, Raiders are 20-13 ATS as a road underdog.
Opponents have converted only 24 of 83 third down plays.
Rookie TE Bowers caught 10 passes for 93 yards. 

Steelers 30, Jets 15
Jets led 15-6 with 5:00 left in first half.
Jets lost last four games, by 1-6-3-15 points. 
Jets scored 24-24 points in wins, 19-9-17-20-15 in losses.
Jets are 5-12-1 ATS in last 18 games with spread of 3 or fewer points.

Steelers in 2nd half: 4 drives- 36 plays, 227 yards, 24 points.
QB Wilson was 16-29/264 passing, 2 TDs in his first Pittsburgh start.
Steelers are 13-5-2 ATS last 20 games as a home underdog.
Steelers allowed 10-6-10-13-15 points in wins, 27-20 in losses.
Steelers are 16-8-1 ATS in last 25 games with spread of 3 or less points.

How teams do on first drives of a half:

NFC
Cardinals
Scored TD on first drive in five of six games.
Outscored 21-7 on first drive of third quarter.

Falcons
In four of last five games, they kicked FG on first drive of second half.
Overall, have outscored opponents 29-26 on first drive of a half.

Panthers
Opponents on first drive of last 4 games: 17 plays, 42 yards, 4 punts.
Overall, opponents have outscored them 34-16 on first drive of a half.

Bears
First drive of game: 36 plays, 109 yards, 4 punts, 3 points.
In 3 of last 4 games, have takeaway on first drive of 2nd half.

Cowboys
First drive of half: 12 drives, 6-7 on field goals, no TD’s.
Opponents on first drive of half: 7 TD’s, 4 field goals, one punt.

Lions
First drive of last 3 halves: 70-70-70 yards, all TD’s.
Overall, have outscored opponents 31-23 on first drive of a half.

Packers
First drive of 2nd half: 32 plays, 275 yards, 4 TDs and a FG.
Overall, outscored opponents 41-24 on first drive of a half.

Rams
Last four games, Rams allowed TD on first drive of second half.
Rams on first drive of a half: 53 plays, 228 yards, no TD’s, 2 FG’s.

Vikings
Vikings have outscored opponents 17-0 on first drive of their five games.
Opponents on first drive of a half: 45 plays, 110 yards, 7 punts, one FG.

Giants
Last two games, Giants have takeaway on first drive of 2nd half.
Opponents have outscored them 30-9 on first drive of a half.

Saints
First drive of 2nd half, last 5 games: 26 plays, 54 yards, five punts.
Overall, Saints have outscored opponents 38-26 on first drive of half.

Eagles
First drive of game: 16 plays, 12 yards, 4 punts and a turnover.
First drive of 2nd half: 38 plays, 240 yards, 17 points. 

49ers
49ers have outscored opponents 41-14 on first drive of a half.
49ers on first drive of 2nd half: 44 plays, 322 yards, 28 points.

Seahawks
First drive of game: 30 plays, 124 yards, 2 turnovers, 3 points.
First drive of 2nd half: 44 plays, 323 yards, 21 points.

Buccaneers
First drive of last 3 games: 27 plays, 216 yards, 21 points.
Bucs have outscored opponents 38-27 on first drive of a half.

Commanders
Commanders’ first drive of half: 83 plays, 439 yards, 40 points.
Opponents’ first drive of half: 78 plays, 509 yards, 44 points.

Famous birthdays, October 19th:
Lynn Dickey, 75
Lionel Hollins, 71
David Palmer, 67

Brad Daugherty, 59
Keith Foulke, 52
Leonard Little, 50

Rajai Davis, 44
Anthony Santander, 30
Zack Gelof, 25

AFC
— Baltimore
Outscored opponents 31-10 on first drive of a game.
12 halves: Ravens have 7 TD’s, 2 FGs on first drive.

— Buffalo
Outscored opponents 45-30 on first drive of a half.
12 halves: Bills have 6 TD’s, one FG on first drive. Also missed a FG.

— Cincinnati
In 4 of last 5 games, Bengals scored TD on first drive of 2nd half.
Overall, outscored opponents 45-38 on first drive of a half.

— Cleveland
Opponents on first drive of game: 20 plays, 3 yards, 6 punts.
Overall, outscored opponents 27-3 on first drive of a half. 

— Denver
First drive of 3rd quarter: 24 plays, 46 yards, six punts.
Overall, opponents have outscored them 17-10 on first drive of a half. 

— Houston
Last 3 weeks, Texas outscored opponents 14-0 on first drive of game.
Overall, outscored opponents 33-24 on first drive of a half.

— Indianapolis
First drive of last three games: 70-71-70 yards, all TD’s.
Opponents outscored them 16-3 on first drive of second half.

— Jacksonville
Jaguars have been outscored 28-3 on first drive of games.
Jaguars on first drive of half: 66 plays, 256 yards, 10 points.

— Kansas City
First drive of half: 4 TD’s, 3 FG’s, 3 turnovers, no punts.
Opponents on first drive of game: 44 plays, 311 yards, 24 points.

— Las Vegas
Last two games, Raiders drove 70 yards for TD on their first drive.
Overall, opponents have outscored them 36-17 on first drive of a half.

— LA Chargers
Chargers have outscored opponents 17-3 on first drive of their games.
Opponents’ first drive of half: 54 plays, 225 yards, 4 FG’s, no TD’s, 5 punts.

— Miami
Dolphins first drive of half: 55 plays, 219 yards, 3 turnovers, 2 FG’s, no TD’s.
Opponents on first drive of 2nd half: 24 plays, 66 yards, 4 punts, one FG.

— New England
Patriots’ first drive of game: 26 plays, 37 yards, six punts.
Last 3 games, opponents’ first drive of half: 48 plays, 329 yards, 30 points.

— NJ Jets
First drive of game: 30 plays, 100 yards, 4 punts, 3 points.
Jets have outscored opponents 20-17 on first drive of their games.

— Pittsburgh
Opponents’ first drive, last 3 games: 24 plays, 161 yards, 17 points.
Opponents’ first drive of 2nd half: 23 plays, 76 yards, no points. 

— Tennessee
Titans’ first drive of a game: 26 plays, 113 yards, 7 points.
Opponents’ first drive, last 7 halves: 48 plays, 337 yards, 31 points.

— Virginia basketball coach Tony Bennett surprisingly retired Thursday, 19 days before the Cavaliers’ season opener against Campbell.

Unusual timing for sure; Virginia players have a 30-day window to enter the transfer portal, but how many teams have scholarships open now? Virginia also added three transfers this year to come in and play for Bennett. They can’t be real happy.

Bennett was at Virginia for 15 years; he won a national title in 2019, won six ACC regular season titles, two ACC tournaments and made the NCAAs 10 times in his 15 years in Charlottesville. 

Reading into the stuff that has been written so far, this sounds similar to Jay Wright leaving Villanova; Bennett has apparently had enough of the NIL culture in college sports these days, so he has decided to walk away from a very lucrative job.

This will be the first time since 1982 that the ACC doesn’t have a basketball coach who has won a national championship.

— Broncos 33, Saints 10
Sean Payton wins big in his return to the Superdome.
Broncos ran ball 35 times for 225 yards (6.4 yards/carry).
First seven drives, Denver scored two TD’s, kicked four FG’s.
QB Nix threw for 164 yards, ran for 75 more. 

New Orleans lost its last five games, by 3-2-13-24-23 points.
Saints were outscored 44-7 in 2nd half of last two games.
Saints are 4-8 ATS last 12 games as a home underdog.
Saints are 9-13-2 ATS in last 23 games with spread of 3 or fewer points.

— Guardians 7, New York 5 (10)
Pinch-hitter Jhonkensy Noel tied game with a 2-out, 2-run HR in 9th inning.
David Fry hit a walk-off home run in the 10th inning.
New York lost its last six playoff games that went extra innings.
New York leads series 2-1; home team has won all three games. 

— Dodgers 10, Mets 2
Mookie Betts was 4-6 with three runs scored, 4 RBI
Shohei Ohtani homered, scored four runs.
Max Muncy reached base in 12 consecutive at-bats, before making an out. 

— Marshall 35, Georgia State 20
Thundering Herd led 25-10 at halftime.
Marshall ran ball 37 times for 295 yards (8 yards/carry)
Only nine of Marshall’s 57 plays came on third down.

— Virginia Tech 42, Boston College 21
Hokies led 28-0 at halftime.
BC rallied, cut lead to 28-21 after three quarters.
Tech ran ball 40 times for 368 yards (9.2 yards/carry)

— Army, Navy are both in the college football top 25, for first time since 1960.

— Famous birthdays, October 18th:
Bobby Knoop, 86 (my glove in Little League was a Bobby Knoop model)
Mike Ditka, 85
Willie Horton, 82

George Hendrick, 75
Pam Dawber, 74
Jerry Royster, 72

Lindsey Vonn, 40
Yoenis Cespedes, 39
Zac Efron, 37

Big West basketball notes:
— Cal-Bakersfield
Last three years, Roadrunners are 16-38 in Big West games.
Last time they made the NCAAs: 2016, when they were in the WAC.

— Cal Poly
Last five years, Cal Poly went 8-77 in Big West- they fired the coach.
New coach is from Division II Colorado Mesa; he wants to play fast.
Last time Cal Poly made the NCAAs: 2014. 

— Cal-Davis
Last two years, Aggies were 25-14 in Big West games, 1-2 in Big West tourney.
Last time Cal-Davis made the NCAAs: 2017. 

— Cal State Fullerton
Since 2009, Titans made NCAAs twice (2018, 2022)
Last three years, Fullerton was #229 or worse in eFG%.
Since 2018, Titans are 10-3 in Big West tournament games. 

— Hawai’i
Last three years, Hawai’i is 34-21 in Big West conference games.
Hawai’i has been .500+ in conference games the last 12 years.
Since 2017, Rainbows are 2-7 in Big West tournament games. 

— Cal-Irvine
Since 2013, Anteaters are 149-48 in Big West games.
Problem is, they’re only 17-10 in conference tournament games.
Cal-Irvine hasn’t won the Big West tournament since 2019.

— Long Beach State
Long Beach won Big West tournament LY, after they fired their coach.
Last three years, Long Beach is 33-22 in conference games.
New coach is a former San Diego State assistant.

— Cal-Northridge
Last three years, Matadors are 16-40 in conference games.
Last NCAAs for Northridge: 2009
Since 2015, Matadors are 1-7 in conference tournament games. 

— Cal-Riverside
Four years under coach Magpayo, Riverside is 41-26 in Big West games.
Last 20 years, Highlanders are 0-6 in their second Big West tourney game.
Three of last four years, Riverside went WL in conference tourney. 

— Cal San Diego
Tritons were 21-12, 15-5 LY, their 4th year as a Division I team.
Tritons led San Diego State by 14 with with 7:36 left last December, lost 63-62; they’re probably a team to watch in this league.

— Cal Santa Barbara
Gauchos won the Big West tournament in 2021 and 2023.
In 7 years under Pasternack, UCSB is 76-41 in conference games.
Last year was his worst year with Gauchos, 16-15, 9-11 in conference. 

— Couple of well-known receivers got traded Tuesday:
Jets acquired Davante Adams from Las Vegas, sending a 3rd round pick to the Raiders, a pick that could become a 2nd round pick if the Adams/Jets did really well the rest of this season. Move saves the Raiders $29.6M in dead money on next year’s salary cap. 

Cleveland Browns sent Amari Cooper to Buffalo, also for a 3rd round draft pick; Cooper had 53 targets with Cleveland, but caught only 24 of those passes.

— Sounds like Russell Wilson is going to get his first start at QB for Pittsburgh Sunday night, when Steelers host the Jets. Steelers are 4-2 with Justin Fields playing QB in all six games, but they were held under 300 total yards the last two weeks, and Wilson is healthier now.

— Over their last three games, LA Chargers have been outscored 39-3 in the second half.

— New York 6, Cleveland 3
Cleveland P Bibee allowed three runs, got only four outs.
Aaron Judge hit a 2-run home run.
New York leads best-of-7 series, 2-0

— 38.8% of major league pitchers this year have had Tommy John surgery, roughly three of every eight pitchers.

— South Alabama 25, Troy 9
South Alabama led 19-3 at halftime.
Jaguars outgained 1-6 Troy, 318-172.
Troy threw 3 INT’s, averaged only 3.8 yards/pass.

— Middle Tennessee 14, Kennesaw State 5
Blue Raiders ran a punt back 61 yards for a TD.
MTSU outgained the Owls, 284-234.
Kennesaw State is 0-6, in their first year at the I-A level.

Famous birthdays, October 16th:
Timothy Robbins, 66
John Mengelt, 75
Kevin McReynolds, 65
Adrian Murrell, 54

Kordell Stewart, 52
Jonathan Schoop, 33
Bryce Harper, 32
John Wolford, 29

Notes on Big X basketball teams:
— Arizona
Three years under Tommy Lloyd, they’re 88-20, 47-13 in Big X, 4-3 in NCAA’s
In those three years, Wildcats ranked #7-10-11 in the country on offense

— Arizona State
Last four years, Sun Devils were 62-62, 36-41 in Pac-12.
Last three years, ASU ranked #308-275-331 in 3-point FG%.

— Baylor
Bears won national title in 2021; since then, they’re 74-29, 36-18 in Big X.
Last three years, Baylor went WL in NCAA’s all three years, |
Last five years, Baylor was a top 20 offense all five years.

— Brigham Young
BYU hasn’t won an NCAA Tourney game since a play-in game in 2012.
In five years at BYU, Mark Pope was 110-52, 49-29 in WCC, 0-2 in NCAAs.
Pope has moved on to coach Kentucky.

— Central Florida
Last five years, UCF is 39-51 in conference games.
Last four years, Knights ranked #246 or worse in 2-point %age.
UCF’s last NCAA appearance was 2019.

— Cincinnati
Bearcats haven’t made NCAAs since Mick Cronin was coach in 2019
Three years under Wes Miller: 63-43, 25-29 in conference games.

— Colorado
Made NCAA’s twice in last four years.
Last six years, Buffs were 67-49 in Pac-12 games.
Boyle is 3-3 in first round NCAA Tourney games, 0-3 in second round.

— Houston
Last four years, they’re 61-10 in conference games, 11-4 in NCAA Tourney.
Went 32-5, 15-3 last year, their first year in Big X
Last four years, Houston has been a top 10 defensive team.

— Iowa State
In three years under Otzelberger, made NCAA’s last three years, going 4-3 in tourney.
Two years before Otzelberger got there, Cyclones were 5-31 in Big X games.
Iowa State has been a top 8 defensive team the last three years.

— Kansas
Jayhawks won national title is 2022.
Last five years, Kansas is 1-4 in second round of NCAA’s.
Last time Kansas lost a first round NCAA game: 2006.
LY, Jayhawks were 10-8 in Big X, their worst conference record since at least 1997. 

— Kansas State
K-State made NCAA’s once in last four years (got to Elite 8 in 2023).
Wildcats turned ball over 21.7% of time LY (#345)

— Oklahoma State
Steve Lutz is new coach (22-12 @ Western Kentucky, 44-23 @ A&M-Corpus Christi)
Last three years, Cowboys were 20-34 in Big X games
Last three years, Cowboys ranked #293-320-332 in turnover %age

— TCU
Last three years, TCU was 64-39, 26-28 in Big X, 2-3 in NCAA’s
Before 2022, Horned Frogs had been in NCAAs once since 1998.
Last three years, TCU ranked #44-23-13 in defense.

— Texas Tech
Tech has been in five of last six NCAA’s, but with 3 different coaches.
Red Raiders lost national title game in 2019.
LY, Tech was 23-11, 11-7 in Big X, their first year under McCasland.

— Utah
Utes last made the NCAA Tournament in 2016.
Utah picked up the pace LY; they were #57 in tempo LY, #237 the year before.l

— West Virginia
DeVries is Mountaineers’ third head coach in three years.
DeVries got Drake to the NCAA’s three of last four years.
Last three years, West Virginia was 15-39 in Big X games.

Ravens 30, Commanders 23
Baltimore won last four games, scoring 28-35-41-30 points.
Ravens’ first 3 drives: 17 plays, 79 yards, 3 points.
Ravens rest of game: 51 plays, 405 yards, 27 points.
Ravens are 7-3 ATS in last ten games as a home favorite.
Over is 5-1 in Baltimore’s games this year.

Ravens ran ball 37 times for 176 yards.
Washington ran ball 18 times for 52 yards.
Baltimore was 6-10 on third down, Commanders 4-12.
Washington’s team total: over 5-1
Over is 5-1 in Washington games this year.

Bears 35, Jaguars 16
Bears’ first two drives: six plays, 7 yards, two punts.
Bears’ next six drives: 45 plays, 353 yards, 35 points.
Last three games, Chicago scored 13 TD’s on 29 drives.
Opponents’ team total: under 6-0

Jaguars in first half: 25 plays, 112 yards, 3 punts, 3 points.
Last five games, Jaguars were outscored 88-35 in first half.
Bears outgained Jacksonville, 373-278.
Jaguars are 12-20 ATS last 32 games with spread of 3 or fewer points.

Texans 41, Patriots 21
Texans’ first two drives: 19 plays, 100 yards, 14 points.
Houston ran ball 28 times for 192 yards.
2nd-year QB Stroud is 15-8 as an NFL starter.
Houston had four takeaways (+3); they didn’t have any in previous 3 games.

New England lost last five games, outscored 68-33 in first half.
Patriots are 14-53 on third down in their last four games.
NE is 1-10-1 ATS in last dozen games as a home underdog.
Patriots are 30-44 since Tom Brady left town.

Eagles 20, Browns 16
Cleveland’s only TD was on a blocked field goal late in first half.
Cleveland scored 17-18-15-16-13-16 points in its 1-5 start.
Browns are 15-78 on 3rd down so far, 10-16 on 4th down.
Browns have gained 230-297-217-152-215-244 yards so far.
Browns are 5-11-1 ATS last 17 games as a road underdog.

On their last five drives, Browns were 3-4 on field goals; no TD’s.
Eagles outgained Cleveland, 372-244.
Under Sirianni, Eagles are 12-8-1 ATS as a home favorite.
QB Hurts is 39-22 as an NFL starter.

Packers 34, Cardinals 13
Packers’ first five drives: 34 plays, 251 yards, 24 points.
Cardinals’ first four drives: 14 plays, 34 yards, four punts.
QB Murray is 30-41-1 SU as an NFL starter.
Last four games, Arizona opponents are 28-47 on third down.

Green Bay led 24-10 at halftime.
QB Love was 22-32/258 passing, with four TD’s.
Packers have 17 takeaways in six games (+9 turnovers)
Green Bay is 27-16-1 ATS in last 44 home games.

Buccaneers 51, Saints 27
Tampa Bay led 17-0 after the first quarter.
Mayfield threw 3 INTs in 2nd quarter; Saints led 27-24 at half.
Bucs’ last five drives: 31 plays, 299 yards, 27 points.
Buccaneers scored 33-30-51 points in their last three games (7 TD’s/19 drives).
Tampa Bay is 12-9-2 in last 23 games with spread of 3 or fewer points.

Saints in 2nd half: 32 plays, 107 yards, outscored 27-0.
New Orleans lost its last four games, by 3-2-13-24 points.
Rookie QB Rattler was 22-40/243 passing in his first NFL start.
Saints are 9-12-2 ATS in last 23 games with spread of 3 or fewer points,

Colts (-1) @ Titans
Colts are 10-3 SU/ATS in last 13 visits to Nashville.
Colts are 8-5 ATS in last 13 games as a road favorite.
Under Steichen, Colts are 10-5-1 ATS in games with spread of 3 or less points.
All six Colts games were decided by 6 or fewer points.

Colts were 7-15 on third down, Tennessee 4-11.
Tennessee is 0-6 ATS in last six games coming off a win.
Titans have averaged 5.3/5.3/4.9/4.6/3.5 yards/pass attempt.
QB Levis is 4-10 as an NFL starter.

Famous birthdays, October 14th:
Al Oliver, 78
Charlie Joiner, 77
Brent Strom, 76

Lori Petty, 61
Joe Girardi, 60
PJ Brown, 55

Jim Jackson, 54
Merrill Kelly, 36
Jared Goff, 30

Chargers 23, Broncos 16
Chargers in first half: 46 plays, 247 yards, 20 points.
Chargers had 20-play, 69-yard drive that took 10:29- they kicked FG.
Denver in first half: 20 plays, 61 yards, 2 turnovers, no points.
Chargers are 7-3-2 ATS last 11 games as road favorites.
Dobbins ran ball 25 times for 96 yards and a TD. 

Chargers led 20-0 at halftime.
Denver is only 20-80 on third down conversions (3-11 this game)
Broncos outscored last five opponents 59-17 in second half.
Broncos are 10-17 ATS in last 27 games coming off a win.
Chargers had lost their last five visits to Colorado.

Steelers 32, Raiders 13
Steelers ran ball 35 times for 183 yards (5.2 yards/carry)
Steelers allowed 10-6-10-13 points in wins, 27-20 in losses. 
Opponents’ team total: under 5-1
Steelers are 15-8-1 ATS in last 24 games with spread of 3 or less points.

Raiders drove 70 yards for a TD on their first drive.
Next eight drives: 36 plays, 130 yards, no points.
Raiders have 12 turnovers in six games (minus-10). 
Raiders’ two wins were by 3-4 points, losses by 12-14-16-19 points.

Lions 47, Cowboys 9
Detroit had 10 drives: 5 touchdowns, 4 field goals on first nine.
Goff was 18-25/315 passing, with three TD’s.
Detroit ran ball 36 times for 184 yards.
Lions outscored last three opponents 73-23 in first half.
Star DE Aidan Hutchinson appeared to break his leg

Dallas is 0-3 at home this year, losing by 25-3-36 points.
Cowboys gave up 17-15-17 points in wins, 44-28-47 in losses.
Dallas allowed 14.2/12.1/10.3 yards/pass attempt in their losses.
Cowboys turned ball over on each of their last four possessions.

Falcons 38, Panthers 20
Falcons ran the ball 38 times for 198 yards.
Falcons scored a TD on three of their first five drives.
Atlanta is 12-6 ATS in last 18 NFC South road games.
Falcons scored 22-26-36-38 points in wins, 10-17 in losses.

Panthers trailed this game 22-17 at halftime.
Carolina’s five losses are by 37-23-10-26-18 points. 
Carolina is 0-3 SU at home (26-3 Chargers, 34-24 Bengals)
Panthers are 3-7-1 ATS in last 11 games as a home underdog. 
Carolina opponents’ team total: over 5-1

Bengals 17,  Giants 7
QB Burrow ran 47 yards for a TD on Cincy’s first drive.
RB Brown put game away with a 30-yard TD run with 1:52 left.
Bengals had allowed 10+ points in 75 consecutive games.
Bengals are 11-6 ATS in last 17 games as a road favorite.
Cincinnati is 20-11-1 ATS in last 32 games coming off a loss

Giants are 0-3 at home (28-6 Vikings, 20-15 Cowboys) 
Giants were 5-15 on third down, 3-5 on fourth down.
Giants have one TD on 29 drives in their three home games.
Five of their six games stayed under the total.
QB Jones is 25-41-1 as an NFL starter.

Dodgers 9, Mets 0
Jack Flaherty allowed four baserunners in 7 scoreless IP.
Dodgers have now thrown 33 consecutive scoreless IP.
Mookie Betts knocked in three runs; Ohtani scored twice.
Dodgers grab a 1-0 series lead; Game 2 is today at 5:00. 

— Five years ago today, the retina in my right eye detached, while I was in Las Vegas; everything has turned out well, but that was kind of a scary time. It took from October 12 until just after Christmas for my eye to become normal again.

Many thanks to Dr Mallick, the surgeon who fixed my retina, and to Dr Lemanski, who later fixed the resulting cataract issues that are a by-product of retina surgery.

I greatly appreciate their work, that’s for damn sure.

— Dodgers 2, Padres 0
Kike Hernandez, Teoscar Hernandez both homered.
Yamamoto tossed five scoreless innings to get the win.
San Diego didn’t score in the last 24 innings of this series.
Dodgers-Mets start Sunday night in Chavez Ravine.

— Northwestern 37, Maryland 10
Maryland was favored by 10.5 points.
Terps outgained Northwestern 355-283 but were minus-4 in turnovers.
Up 17-10, Wildcats scored a defensive TD that broke game open.

— Arizona State 27, Utah 19
ASU RB Skattebo ran ball 21 times for 156 yards, two TD’s.
Utah kicked four field goals, scored only one TD.
Sun Devils are 5-1 now; their next two games are on road.
Utes completed only 16-37 passes, with three INT’s.

— UNLV 50, Utah State 34
Rebels led this game 41-7 at halftime.
UNLV averaged 11.7 yards per pass attempt.
Rebels have won five straight road games for first time, ever. 

— The other night in Las Vegas, at 2:30am out there, they imploded the Tropicana hotel, to make room for the A’s new baseball stadium. Quite a production, lot of fireworks and all before the two buildings came down.

Imagine staying across the street at the MGM? Must’ve been quite a view.

— Today’s Game 5 between Tigers-Guardians was moved up from 8:00 to 1:00, because it is supposed to rain in Cleveland Saturday night. Winner starts the ALCS in the Bronx Monday.

— Famous birthdays, October 12th:
Jack Marin, 80
Chris Wallace, 77
Susan Anton, 74

Sid Fernandez, 62
Chris Chandler, 59
Hugh Jackman, 56

Leon Lett, 56
Charlie Ward, 54
Ketel Marte, 31

Notes on Big East basketball teams:
— Butler
Last four years, Butler is 27-51 in conference games.
Bulldogs made the NCAA’s six times in seven years, the last seven years before they joined the Big East. They’ve been in NCAA’s four times in the 10 years they’ve been in Big East.

— UConn
UConn won last two national titles, first team since Florida Gators in 2006/2007.
Last four years, Huskies have been in top 12 in country on offensive rebounding.

— Creighton
Last four years, Bluejays are 94-44, 54-25 in Big East tilts, 8-4 in NCAA tourney.
Last two years, Creighton was in bottom five in country in forcing turnovers.

— DePaul
DePaul hasn’t been over .500 in Big East games since 2007.
Blue Demons haven’t been in NCAA’s since 2004.
Last year, DePaul was 3-29, 0-20; their last win was December 30th.

— Georgetown
Last three years, Hoyas are 22-73, 4-55 in conference games.
Last year, Ed Cooley’s first year there, Georgetown was #358 in field goal defense.

— Marquette
Three years under Shaka Smart: 75-30, 42-17 in Big East, 3-3 in NCAA’s.
Last two years, Marquette was #4, #13 in 2-point field goal %age.
Marquette was a 2-seed LY; they lost 67-58 to NC State in Sweet 16.

— Providence
Last three years, Friars are 69-32, 37-20 in Big East games, 2-2 in NCAA’s.
Last year, first year under Kim English, Providence was #18 in country in defense.

— St John’s
St John’s hasn’t won an NCAA Tournament game since 2000.
Johnnies were 11-9 in Big East LY, just second time in last nine years they were over .500 in conference games.

— Seton Hall
Pirates were 25-12, 13-7 last year; they won the NIT.
Since 2006, Seton Hall is 1-6 in NCAA Tournament.
Two years under Holloway, they’re 42-28, 23-17 in Big East games.

— Villanova
In two years since Jay Wright retired, Villanova is 35-23, 20-20 in Big East tilts.
Villanova made the Final Four in Wright’s last season. 
In two years under Neptune, Wildcats ranked #347, #333 in tempo.

— Xavier
Chris Mack left Xavier in 2018, having made NCAA’s five years in a row,
Since then, Xavier has made only one of five NCAA Tournaments. 

— Estimated payrolls of the 12 teams in this year’s baseball playoffs:
$336,065,016- Mets
$324,976,209- Dodgers
$302,491,525- Bronx

$247,792,033- Phillies
$244,010,307- Astros
$231,937,258- Braves

$168,878,991- Padres
$116,328,391- Brewers
$113,530,985- Royals

$103,584,429- Tigers
$102,525,167- Guardians
$102,511,257- Orioles

— Tigers 3, Guardians 0
Underdog Tigers grab a 2-1 series lead.
Cleveland didn’t score a run in last two games.
Six Detroit pitchers combined to pitch a shutout.

— Mets 4, Phillies 1
Francisco Lindor hit a grand slam in the 6th inning.
Jose Quintana allowed an unearned run in 5 IP.
Phillies scored only three runs the last two games.

— New York 3, Royals 2
Giancarlo Stanton hit the game-winning HR in 8th inning.
New York bullpen threw 4.1 scoreless IP.
Game 4 is tonight in Kansas City.

— Dodgers 8, Padres 0
Eight pitchers combined to throw a shutout.
Padres started Dylan Cease on short rest; it didn’t go well.
Game 5 is at Dodger Stadium Friday night. 

— Famous birthdays, October 10th:
Gene Tenace, 78
Gus Williams, 71
Bradley Whitford, 65

Derrick McKey, 58
Brett Favre, 55
Troy Tulowitzki, 40

Andrew McCutchen, 38
Jeurys Familia, 35
Geno Smith, 34

Lourdes Gurriel Jr, 31
Vinnie Pasquantino, 27
Josh Giddey, 22

With college basketball approaching, some notes on ACC teams

— Boston College
Three years under Grant, BC is 23-37 in ACC games.
Eagles haven’t made the NCAA’s since 2009.

— California
Had a losing record in Pac-12 games the last seven years.
Haven’t been to NCAA’s since 2016

— Clemson
Last two years, Tigers are 47-23, 25-15 in ACC play.
Last year, Clemson made the Elite 8 as a 6-seed.

— Duke
Last two years, Duke is 54-18, 29-11 in ACC play.
Have slowed down under Scheyer (#298/#253 in tempo)

— Florida State
Last three years, Seminoles are 27-33 in ACC play.
Made the NCAA’s every year from 2017-21, but not since.

— Georgia Tech
Last three years, Yellow Jackets are 18-42 in ACC play.
Have made NCAA’s once since 2010 (2021).

— Louisville
Last three years, they’re 11-49 in ACC play.
Pat Kelsey will be Cardinals’ third coach in four years.
Louisville’s last NCAA Tournament win: 2017.

— Miami
Made NCAA’s two of last three years, went 7-2 in tournaments.
Slipped to 15-17, 6-14 LY (#353 in FT’s taken)

— North Carolina
Three years under Davis, UNC is 43-17 in ACC play.
They’re 7-2 in NCAA Tournament under Davis. 

— NC State
Went 9-11 in ACC last year, then went 9-1 in ACC tourney/NCAA’s.
Made NCAA’s twice in last five years, both times as an 11-seed.

— Notre Dame
Last two years, they’re 24-41, 10-30 in ACC play.
They’ve made NCAA’s once in last six NCAA Tournaments.

— Pittsburgh
Last two years, they’re 26-14 in ACC play.
Have made only one of last seven NCAA Tournaments.

— Stanford
Cardinal hasn’t made the NCAA’s since 2014.
Last three years, Stanford was 23-37 in Pac-12 play.

— Syracuse
Orange was #39 in tempo LY (#144 or lower previous 8 years)
Syracuse has made one of last five NCAA Tournaments.
Last six years, Syracuse is 59-55 in ACC games.

— Virginia
Last seven years, Cavaliers are 111-32 in ACC play.
Virginia has played in nine of last ten NCAA Tournaments.
Last 14 years, Cavaliers have been #336 or slower in tempo.

— Virginia Tech
Under Young, Hokies are 45-48 in ACC play.
Tech has made NCAA’s twice under Young (0-2, as 11/10 seeds)

— Wake Forest
Last three years, Wake was 34-26 in ACC play, only 2-3 in ACC tourney.
Deacons haven’t made the NCAA’s since 2017.