In the FCS Huddle: The curious case of App State

NCAA Football Betting Lines

02/07/2012 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It's not as if DeAndre Presley's college career was only seven games long. But that's the experience he must build off as he tries to build an NFL career.

There are 22 players from FCS programs who have been invited to the NFL Combine later this month in Indianapolis. The list of invites that came out Tuesday could not have had an odder background than Presley and Brian Quick at Appalachian State.

Quick seemingly is the cream of the FCS crop this year, perhaps a second- or third-round selection with his 6-foot-4, 220-pound size, speed and skill all ideal for an NFL wide receiver.

Presley's invite is indicative of his athleticism as well. It's just that he's now playing a position nobody at Appalachian State envisioned him at four months prior to the Combine - cornerback.

In 2010, Presley was the toast of Boone, N.C., when he stepped out of former quarterback Armanti Edwards' imposing shadow and led Appalachian State to a sixth straight Southern Conference title. He also finished third in the voting for the 2010 Walter Payton Award, which is presented to the outstanding player in the FCS by The Sportsbook Betting Lines and sponsored by Fathead.com.

He became just the fourth player in FCS history to pass for 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in a season.

But Presley had a subpar start to the 2011 season and then injured his throwing shoulder in the fifth game on Oct. 1. Following a bye, he missed a game against The Citadel while his replacement, Jamal Jackson, started taking control of the offense.

Presley returned to action on Oct. 22 against Samford, but in the days leading up to the game, Mountaineers coach Jerry Moore asked the 5-11, 170-pound native of Tampa, Fla., if he would be willing to fill a need for the team in the secondary as a cornerback.

Presley obliged without question. He also soon found himself as a wide receiver and punt returner and went on to finish his senior season with 812 passing yards and four touchdown passes, 163 rushing yards and four scores, five receptions for 66 yards, 204 yards on nine kickoff returns, one punt return for three yards, 17 tackles (12 solo), one-and-a-half tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and two pass break-ups.

In addition to playing cornerback in Appalachian State's final six games, Presley played the position in the Battle of Florida all-star game Jan. 21 in Boca Raton, Fla. He was in on three tackles and returned four punts for 75 yards, including a 65-yard touchdown.

His trip to the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium will come with the final group of participants from Feb. 25-28. No matter how much he impresses teams in interviews, testing and workouts, he most likely will have to go the unsigned free agent route to make it to an NFL training camp.

His body of work doesn't match up with the many cornerbacks in the draft class. All Presley wants at this point, however, is a chance to prove himself.

That, of course, is what Quick did so well over his four-year career. He finished it as the program's all-time leader in receptions (202), receiving yards (3,418) and touchdown catches (31). He saved his best for last as a senior, catching 71 passes for 1,096 yards and 11 touchdowns, while the Mountaineers were making the Presley-to-Jackson change.

Quick will participate in the Combine from Feb. 23-26. Maybe he will put in a good word for DeAndre Presley.

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Football Betting

NFL Football Betting Online

The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.

Thursday, August 21

NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37

NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road

In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.

Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):

* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games

Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.

Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.

Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.

That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.

Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.

CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

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