Congi kicks Saskatchewan over Hamilton

Football Betting Lines

07/31/2010 - Regina, SK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Luca Congi made seven field goals and Wes Cates added two short rushing touchdowns, as the Saskatchewan Roughriders pulled away from the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for a 37-24 victory at Mosaic Stadium.

Congi was perfect in the game and one field goal shy of tying the CFL record, as the Roughriders (4-1) rebounded nicely from a 40-20 loss at Calgary last weekend. Cates scored twice in the second half from one-yard away, while finishing the game with 66 rushing yards on 13 carries and 75 receiving on five catches.

Saskatchewan forced three turnovers in the game, scoring nine points off those mishaps on its way to defeating Hamilton for the 12th time in the past 13 meetings.

Kevin Glenn threw for 425 yards and three touchdowns, but was also intercepted twice for Hamilton (1-4), which dropped its second game in a row. Arland Bruce III had a career day in the setback, as he notched a CFL record-tying 16 catches for 272 yards and a pair of scores.

The scoring began with Saskatchewan's Eddie Johnson sending a 55-yard punt into the end zone for a single.

The Ticats took the ensuing possession and drove 75 yards, capping the 10-play drive with a 25-yard touchdown pass from Glenn to Bruce with under five minutes left in the first quarter.

The Roughriders came right back and Congi converted a 37-yard field goal, which was set up courtesy of a 33-yard circus catch by Cates.

On the last play of the first quarter, Saskatchewan's defense got involved, as DE Luc Mullinder came up with an interception on a tipped ball that he returned 25 yards to the Hamilton 40-yard line. The Roughriders were unable to move the ball on the next two downs, but tied the game at 7-7 with a 40-yard field goal by Congi.

Still early in the second quarter, the Ticats executed another 75-yard scoring drive, as Glenn hit Dave Stala on a 11-yard touchdown pass to complete the eight-play series.

The Roughriders controlled the remainder of the half, though they failed to take full advantage of their opportunities. Saskatchewan moved the ball inside the Hamilton five-yard line on two separate occasions, but managed only three points. On the first visit, the team came up empty as Darian Durant was intercepted in the back of the end zone on a 3rd-and-1 at the Hamilton four- yard line. The second trip resulted in a Congi nine-yard field goal after Rob Badd dropped a pass in the end zone on second down.

Congi made good on a 42-yard field goal with 35 seconds left in the half and the Roughriders went into the break down, 14-13.

Saskatchewan didn't fall out of rhythm after the break and even found an answer to its goal-line struggles. After a 35-yard catch by Andy Fantuz brought the ball to the Hamilton one-yard line, Cates punched it in on first down to give the Roughriders a 20-14 lead midway through the third quarter.

Following a blocked punt, the Roughriders had terrific field position, but were unable to gain a first down. Congi was brought in once again and he was true on a 35-yarder.

On the ensuing possession, Hamilton turned the ball over yet again, as Glenn was intercepted by DB Lance Frazier, who took the pick 83 yards to the two- yard line. The Roughriders though, failed to capitalize inside the five-yard line once again and Congi converted a 15-yard field goal with under a minute left in the third for a 26-14 lead.

The Ticats' offense finally showed some life early in the fourth quarter, moving the ball down to the Saskatchewan 11-yard line before settling for an 18-yard field goal by Sandro DeAngelis,

Saskatchewan, however, put the game away when Cates plunged one-yard for a touchdown with 3:54 to play. The score came following a pass interference in the end zone after it appeared Hamilton had stopped the Roughriders on 2nd- and-goal from the seven-yard line. Johnson then booted the kickoff into the back of the end zone for a single, pushing Saskatchewan's advantage to 34-17.

Glenn hooked up with Bruce on a 36-yard scoring strike late in the fourth for Hamilton, but Saskatchewan responded with another field goal from Congi, this one from 19 yards out.

Game Notes

The Roughriders improved to 3-0 at home with the win...Saskatchewan now leads the all-time series 37-36-4 (regular season since 1950)...Fantuz led the Roughriders with eight catches for 100 yards...Hamilton has now come up empty in three road dates...The Ticats have not won in Saskatchewan since 2000 and are just 1-10 in Regina against the Roughriders since 1999.

Pacific-10 Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Stanford

Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.

Should be in:

Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.

Southeastern Conference odds

Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it. Work left to do: Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney. Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson. Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable. Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile.

For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com

Additional sports lines can be found at: www.Sportsbooks.com

To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards.