Gilbert shows Texas has its QB of the future

NCAA Football Betting Lines

01/08/2010 -

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) -A few inches taller than Colt McCoy and with a bit more zip on his passes, Garrett Gilbert was all set to take over as quarterback at Texas in 2010.

September 2010, that is.

Gilbert was forced into action on the Longhorns' first series of the BCS championship game and handled himself as well as can be expected from an 18-year-old novice, showing why he was such a highly touted recruited and why Texas may not suffer much despite having to replace the winningest quarterback in major college history.

Gilbert had two turnovers by halftime and committed turnovers on his final three series, but in between he found a groove, throwing the first two touchdown passes of his career and nailing a 2-point conversion pass. He had Texas within a field goal in the final minutes of what turned out to be a 37-21 loss to Alabama on Thursday night.

``It's a tough experience, it's a humbling experience,'' said Gilbert, the son of former NFL quarterback Gale Gilbert. ``It's something you're not going to forget. Guys told me they were proud of me. Throughout the game, Colt was telling me to stay calm. There wasn't much time to think about it. I got thrown in and knew I was going to be counted on by my teammates.''

Gilbert played in nine of 13 games coming in, mostly in mop-up duty. To better illustrate how his freshman year went, consider the games he didn't play were against Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas Tech and Texas A&M.

But when McCoy was hurt on the Longhorns' fifth snap, in went Gilbert for the first meaningful snaps of his career - in the national championship game against No. 1 Alabama and its ferocious defense, in front of 94,906 at the Rose Bowl.

``Here's a guy standing there on the sidelines cold as can be and, all of a sudden, in the national championship game, it's like, 'OK, son, you've got it.' I can't even imagine,'' coach Mack Brown said. ``It's a credit to him, the kids around him and (offensive coordinator Greg) Davis for putting him in a position where he came back and actually had a chance to win.''

Gilbert finished 15 of 40 for 186 yards with four interceptions and a fumble. Most importantly, he had a chance to play on college football's biggest stage and he showed that he belonged, a feeling that only help when he takes over for good this spring.

``He came into the game and gave us a chance to win,'' McCoy said.

Gilbert replaced McCoy, who replaced Vince Young, on the field where Young had his greatest moments - and with Young watching from the sideline. If Gilbert lives up to expectations, this night could be remembered as an amazing changing of the guard.

And, get this: both of Gilbert's touchdown passes went to sixth-year senior Jordan Shipley, McCoy's roommate and best friend, who started at Texas during Young's sophomore season. That certainly ties together these back-to-back-to-back QB eras.

``We think he has a chance to be a really special player,'' Brown said.

McCoy was pretty darn special, too.

Only about 180 pounds when he replaced Young, the kid from tiny Tuscola, Texas, was considered too frail to absorb the pounding of big-time college football. All he did was start 53 straight games, winning an NCAA-record 45 of them. He also set all sorts of school records and finished in the top 10 on various NCAA lists.

McCoy struggled to find words when he was interviewed on the field after his final college game, the emotions overwhelming him. But at least he can take solace in knowing that Gilbert seems ready to pick up where he left off.

``I've taught him everything I know,'' McCoy said. ``I'm extremely impressed - the guy is going to have an outstanding career.''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.

Mysportsbiik NCAA Football Betting News

<< Saban wins another BCS title, this one with Tide
PASADENA, Calif. (AP) -Hold off on the houndstooth hat. Put the genius label on another coach.But pay Nick Saban his $200,000 bonus so he can buy a whole truckload of his favorite Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies.Alabama is, after all, the new BCS n

<< Ingram in elite class
Pasadena, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Not only did Alabama running back Mark Ingram accomplish a rare feat Thursday night in helping the Crimson Tide to their first national title since 1992, the sophomore did it playing with a foot injury.

<< Alabama unanimous atop final AP poll
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alabama, by virtue of its 37-21 win over Texas Thursday night in the BCS national championship game, was a unanimous pick for the No. 1 spot in the final Associated Press college football poll. The Crimson Ti

<< Henin, Clijsters to meet in Brisbane final
Brisbane, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former world No. 1s Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters won their respective semifinal matches to set up an-all Belgian comeback final at the season-opening Brisbane International tennis event. The wild

<< Howard makes 51 saves as Detroit edges Kings
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jimmy Howard was sensational between the pipes, stopping a career-best 51-of-52 shots, and Darren Helm scored the game- winner with 17.3 seconds left in the third period to give the Detroit Red Wings

No. 1 Alabama tops No. 2 Texas 37-21 for title >>
PASADENA, Calif. (AP) -The running game wears teams down. The defense changes games.Yes, Alabama, this season's version of the Crimson Tide could have been your dad's Crimson Tide, too.Or Bear Bryant's.The Alabama 'D' knocked Texas quarterback Colt

Huskies head to Tempe to take on Sun Devils >>
Tempe, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 24th-ranked Washington Huskies will attempt to score a Pac-10 Conference road win over an Arizona State team in search of its first league victory. Washington is 10-3 overall and carries a 1-1 conference reco

Magic hope to get back on track vs. embattled Wizards >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Orlando Magic could probably care less about the strife the Southeast Division-rival Washington Wizards are going through right now because they have problems of their own. Orlando will try to snap a season-high three-

Red-hot Raptors visit struggling Sixers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The chances of the Toronto Raptors remaining in the win column are promising since they're scheduled to visit the lowly Philadelphia 76ers tonight at the Wachovia Center. Toronto is coming off back-to-back wins and owns a

Celtics, Hawks square off in Dixie >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Josh Smith is averaging a modest 15.0 points per game this season but has been ripping the nylon lately at home for the Atlanta Hawks, who hope their young star can lead them past the Boston Celtics tonight from Philips Arena

MySportsbook.com: NBA Championship Odds

With the playoffs about two months away, the top two teams in the Western Conference are the clear cut leaders to win the NBA Championship. The Dallas Mavericks have the best record in the NBA (44-9) and have been absolutely scorching since the second week of the season.  What makes the Mavs’ record more impressive is the fact that they dropped their first four games of the season.  Currently they have won 17 out of their last 18 and are MySportsbook.com’s favorite (2-1) to win it all.  Right behind the Mavs are the Pacific leading Phoenix Suns (39-13).  Last season, the Suns lost in the Conference Finals to non-other then the Mavericks four games to two.  Of course the Suns were without center Amare Stoudemire who has is averaging 19.9 PPG and 9.5 RPG since coming back from his knee injury.  Unlike the Mavs, the Suns have struggled a bit lately having lost their last three and four out of their last seven.  Of course the main reason for their three straight loses is due to the absence of two time MVP Steve Nash, who is out with a shoulder injury.  Heads-up, the Mavs have beaten the Suns in both of their meetings this season.

In the Eastern Conference, the Pistons (32-19) are the favorites to win it all at 6-1. The addition of Chris Webber seems to have been a good move for the Pistons.  Since coming over from the 76ers, Webber has averaged 13.1 PPG and 7.3 RPG and the Pistons are 11-4.  Even though the defending champion Heat are currently on the playoff making cusp, they are the Eastern Conference team that is getting the most action to win it all (9-1).  The fact that Shaquille O’Neal is back in the starting lineup after missing 39 games probably has something to do with this.  No doubt, Shaq makes a difference when in the lineup as their winning six out of their last seven would indicate.

Just because it is the All-Star break doesn’t mean that you can’t bet on NBA hoops this weekend.  Be sure to log onto MySportsbook.com to bet on who you think will cut down the nets this July. Also, be sure to check out all of the lines and props for All-Star weekend.  With the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry, there are plenty of ways to cash in on the NBA this weekend.

MySportsbook.com’s NBA Championship odds:

Atlanta Hawks 1000-1

Boston Celtics 5000-1

Charlotte Bobcats 5000-1

Chicago Bulls 20-1

Cleveland Cavaliers 20-1

Dallas Mavericks 2-1

Denver Nuggets 25-1

Detroit Pistons 6-1

Golden State Warriors 250-1

Houston Rockets 12-1

Indiana Pacers 60-1

Los Angeles Clippers 45-1

Memphis Grizzlies 5000-1

Miami Heat 9-1

Milwaukee Bucks 1000-1

Minnesota T-Wolves 200-1

New Jersey Nets 50-1

New Orleans Hornets 150-1

New York Knicks 150-1

Orlando Magic 75-1

Philadelphia 76ers 1000-1

Phoenix Suns 5-2

Portland TrailBlazers 1000-1

Sacramento Kings 250-1

San Antonio Spurs 9-1

Seattle Sonics 5000-1

Toronto Raptors 35-1

Utah Jazz 20-1

Washington Wizards 25-1

About MySportsbook.com:


MySportsbook.com  is the largest sportsbook and casino on the planet, where millions of adult Americans bet on sports, play poker and enjoy blackjack and other casino games online in a regulated and licensed jurisdiction. Named the "Best online Sports Book" by the industry's top magazine, eGaming Review, MySportsbook.com has been leading the online gaming industry since 1996. Dwarfing its nearest competitors in the US, MySportsbook.com has been the first to achieve every significant industry milestone, from record turnover to active users to number of bets--achieving a peak of fifteen bets per second. As the US online gaming leader, the firm and it's products have been featured on CBS 60 Minutes, CNN, ESPN, Wall Street Journal, Barrons, Financial Times, USA Today and in every major newspaper in the US.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.