Lloyd tears off redshirt, will start against UM

NCAA Football Betting Lines

08/31/2010 -

STORRS, Conn. (AP) -Connecticut's coaches have scrapped plans to make linebacker Greg Lloyd Jr. take this season off, using a redshirt year to recover from the serious knee injury he went down with in November.

Lloyd, the son of the former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker, tore the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his left knee on Nov. 28 against Syracuse. Doctors told him that with intensive rehabilitation work and good healing, if all went well, he might be ready for football activities sometime this fall.

The coaches were going to ease him back, and perhaps convert him to a defensive end.

But Lloyd had other plans.

He worked out three times a day to make his knee stronger, and said he considers himself a fast healer.

After being cleared to practice at the start of training camp, he sneaked into drills he wasn't supposed to be doing, and took repetitions he wasn't supposed to be taking.

``I just threw myself in there to see how the knee would hold up,'' he said. ``When I saw I could handle like, basic linebacker drills, I was like, 'Well, we can handle that, so hitting people shouldn't be that bad.''

Soon he was playing in scrimmages and it became clear to coach Randy Edsall that Lloyd was going to play.

``He did all the things that as a coach that you want to see, and there were no ill effects from any of the practicing or scrimmaging that he did. So, you go with your best, and he's one of the best that we have.''

Lloyd had 91 tackles last season, and the image of him flying through the air and knocking the helmet off Notre Dame running back Armando Allen Jr. on the goal line has come to symbolize the most notable win in the history of UConn football.

His teammates say Lloyd's return has given them an emotional lift heading into Saturday's season opener with Michigan.

It also reunites perhaps the best linebacker trio in the Big East. Lloyd and outside linebackers Scott Lutrus and Lawrence Wilson are all seniors, and last year combined for 300 tackles.

``It's great to have our big run stopper in the middle back,'' Lutrus said. ``I don't know what it is, it must be in his blood with his father or whatever, but he's just got that instinct to get in there, and hit big guys.''

Lloyd wears the same 95 as his dad, but doesn't talk about their relationship. They have been estranged since Lloyd was 12 and he father was accused of putting a gun in the boy's mouth because he received some bad grades. Two assault trials ended in mistrials.

Lloyd's injury is also now part of his past, and he said he's just looking forward to again to playing in a game.

``It's been on my mind since missing the bowl game. I honestly can't wait,'' he said. ``I'm just happy to be back in the mix of things and getting ready to hit everybody.''Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

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Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.

Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.

Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.

If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.

Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.

By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.

In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.

So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.

While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.

There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.

In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:

SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.

XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.

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