Bear Bryant wrote, paraphrasing here,
that college football is a coaches game and always well be. Hard to argue with
the man. He was a winner.
So accept that statement as a premise
for the following:
The University of Pittsburgh had
fifth-ranked Notre Dame beaten. The game was in the second overtime and Notre
Dame had just fumbled away a touchdown. The Panthers had the ball and all they
needed was a score, any kind of score. They were in field goal range. It was
second down and the ball sat on the right hash mark.
All the Panthers really needed to do
was run to their offensive left to set up a field goal on third down. Yes, they
should have tried the field goal on third
down. If the snap from center had been poor or if the holder was otherwise unable
to secure the ball, he could have fallen on the ball and Pitt would have
survived long enough to kick again on fourth down.
But, in a rare display of poor decision
making, the Pitt coaches called a play to their right on both second and third
downs, leaving their right-footed kicker a tough kick from the right hash.
Guess what? The snap was high, although the holder pulled it down, and the kick
was wide to the right.
Notre Dame won in the third overtime.
Credit where it is due: The Pitt
coaches and players did enough things right up until the second overtime to
have a chance to win. But, with a stunning upset in their hands, the coaches let
their players down with bad play calling.
Now skip on down south to Louisiana,
where LSU played top-ranked Alabama. This was a rematch of the 2011 national
championship game and the third meeting in the last two seasons between two
proud programs. The game lived up to the hype, a real ground-pounding thriller.
LSU coach Les Miles is known for his
aggressive play calling. Looking strictly at his record, it must work more
often than not. Against Alabama this weekend, he took three chances and failed on all three.
Alabama took fewer chances and won,
21-17.
First, Miles called fake field goal as
his team lined up for a 47-yard kick in the second half. Miles had good reason for
the fake; his kicker’s longest successful attempt of the season was a
44-yarder. Assuming Miles felt the kicker was beyond his effective range, the
fake made sense. But Alabama seemed to expect the fake and stuffed the play.
Here is the key to the play: It was
fourth down and long. The fake needed to work real well to get the needed
yardage. The better percentage play would have been a punt, hoping pin Alabama
back deep in its own territory. The fake field goal was a gutsy call, and I’d
have liked it on fourth and short, but it was a mistake under the existing
circumstances.
Miles also called an onside kick in
the second half and I really liked this call. Alabama’s offense had not been
functioning well and, with the momentum swinging toward LSU after a touchdown
moments before, the time was right to take a chance. Poor execution did the
play in, but LSU’s defense stopped Alabama on the ensuing possession, so the
call did no harm. It very nearly worked.
On Alabama’s final drive of the game,
the Tide had to pass as time was running out. LSU knew it and adopted a conservative
effort to keep every play in front of the deepest defenders. LSU had stunted
Alabama’s passing game through the entire second half but, in the final minutes
the Tigers’ pass rush and tight coverage gave way to fewer rushers and looser
coverage.
The Tide moved right down the field.
Finally, with Alabama on the LSU 28, the LSU defense blitzed a defensive back,
hoping to sack the quarterback or hurry Alabama into a mistake. Alabama’s
quarterback, A.J. McCarron, saw the blitz coming and audibled to a screen pass
right through the area left open by blitz. The result was a touchdown that
scored the game’s winning points.
Contrast Miles’ decision making with
Alabama coach Nick Saban. Saban sometimes gambles, but against LSU he stayed
with the process and put the game in the hands of his players. In the end the
process, and Alabama, won.
Roll Tide.
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