Please Help Me Understand

[Moobs]

With 8:14 left in the game and with a 3 point lead, it was 4th & 3 at the FAU 29.

What is the logic in trying to go for it?

Possible outcomes:

Go for it and make it... Great! 4 more downs.

Go for it and don't make it... Give them the ball on their 29.

Go for the FG... Great if you make it, give them the ball on their ~36 if it is missed

Or pooch kick... hopefully pin them inside their 5-10 or worst case, touchback and they come out to the 20.

My experience in football fandom says to go for 3 points or in this case, protect your lead and pooch the ball if you don't trust your kicker enough to give you 3 more points

Dodge chose to go for it and they missed it. I don't quite see as much upside in earning 4 more downs as opposed to putting them on their 29.

I understand it's easy to analyze and criticize after a loss. There's the "He would be called smart if they made it" argument, but I don't buy that here. Where's the football logic? Please help me understand why anyone could call this a good decision b/c I want to believe that Dodge has more football smarts than me.

[meanrob]

have you seen our kicking game? i'd rather try to get 3 yards than kick a 46 yard field goal into the wind.

[mgsteve]

Dodge stated on the post game that he thought it was out of the kickers range.

[NorthTexan95]

I agree with the call. Our kicker has been awful - he'd already missed one and and one blocked tonight.

[PerryG2480]

It wasn't THAT long ago that we trotted Nick Bazaldua out onto the field on the road to beat a pretty decent New Mexico St. team on the road with a field goal.

It seems like forever ago now that I think about it.

[Mean Green 93-98]

This is an example of a decision with which I have no disagreement. There wasn't a huge risk involved with not making the first down. There is no way we were going to make the field goal. And punting from your opponent's 29 when you only need 3 yds for a first down? If it goes in the end zone--highly likely--you give it over to them anyways with only a 9 yard difference. Pretty much a no-brainer.

Edited October 18, 2009 by Mean Green 93-98

[NT03]

Another outcome would have been to just kick it out bounds

[Got5onIt]

The worst kicking game in the FBS makes this a no brainer. Going for it was the right call, IMO.

[Guest GrayEagleOne]

The worst kicking game in the FBS makes this a no brainer. Going for it was the right call, IMO.

While I agree with the decision to go for it, ours is not the worst kicking game in the FBS. Knott has kicked 7 of 10 field goals which ranks him tied for 66th. Then again, he was tied for first on extra points (13 of 13) and missed two tonight. He was also 71st in kickoff distance before kicking two out of bounds tonight. He was just having a bad game. There was a crosswind and he failed to adjust to it.

[akriesman]

TD absolutely made the correct call, the team just did not execute.

[FirefightnRick]

So if your field goal kicking is so unstable that you won't allow him to attempt a 46 yarder then what's the reasoning for not doing the same thing on the PAT in which you TOOK A TIMEOUT to decide?

We took a timeout to discuss whether or not we would go for 2 or not, then went for 1 anyways?

Rick

[eulessismore]

So if your field goal kicking is so unstable that you won't allow him to attempt a 46 yarder then what's the reasoning for not doing the same thing on the PAT in which you TOOK A TIMEOUT to decide?

We took a timeout to discuss whether or not we would go for 2 or not, then went for 1 anyways?

Rick

If we're going to talk about weird play calls, that would be the play to start with. If anyone can explain that, please do so.

[aztecskin]

If you go for it:

1) you show you believe in your team rather than just paying lip service

2) you gain some momentum

3) you put pressure on the other team

4) you excite the crowd (all ten of them)

5) you run some more clock

6) you rest your defense a little more

Them's the positive reasons that you go for it.

Here are the negatives:

1) you do believe your defense can stop them.

2) you are frustrated

3) you suck and don't know what else to do

4) you think your kicker is unna shank it.

I don't like the thinking that if you get the first down all you get is a four more downs.

The average offensive play averages something like 4 or 5 yards. The team is 1-4, at homecoming-- really was it really such a huge gamble? No. 'twasn't.

And I see most people think the same thing.

gmg.

[jdennis82]

easiest decision of the night was to go for it. i would have lost it if we'd kicked the field goal based on two missed extra points and three kickoffs out of bounds giving them the ball at OUR 45 yard line on one occasion. i also thought the surprise onside kickoff was a great call but once again, we don't execute.

this game was lost because of their average starting field position. not due to poor coaching, but poor execution.

[UNT90]

The decision to go for it in that situation was sound. The lack of foresight that the situation may present itself, thus causing you to call a timout between the 3rd and 4th dow play, and then to run that particular play after having a full timeout to discuss what you wanted to do is just... terrible. But, that's all we have seen at home the last 2 years, anyway.

[GoMeanGreen1999]

The worst kicking game in the FBS makes this a no brainer. Going for it was the right call, IMO.

Yip, I go for that every time.

So if your field goal kicking is so unstable that you won't allow him to attempt a 46 yarder then what's the reasoning for not doing the same thing on the PAT in which you TOOK A TIMEOUT to decide?

We took a timeout to discuss whether or not we would go for 2 or not, then went for 1 anyways?

Rick

Horrible. Just blew through our timeouts like we had no idea we might need them later on.

[GreenStreet]

Another outcome would have been to just kick it out bounds

FAU, would have seen that coming...

[eulessismore]

FAU, would have seen that coming...

But they couldn't have done anything to stop it.

[Green Crazy]

i have no problem with that decision, but i think the decision to go for it with 3:12 on the clock at the end of the game was a bad decision. instead we call a timeout and that screen play was the best thing they came up with. if we punt the ball we have a chance to put them at their 20 with 3:00 left and a timeout. if we stop them, we would have had about 1:50 to try to win and better field position.

[CaribbeanGreen]

A lot of sketchy calls.... a big issue I had came after the blocked punt. We're up, in FAU territory, late in the game... a score essentially puts the sucker away. We've moved the ball at will almost all night, and couldn't possibly have more momentum on our side. Not to mention, Dunbar is putting up Playstation numbers and can't be slowed down, much less stopped.

He doesn't get a single touch. We go 3 & out. Two of the plays, our backup quarterback, with all the mobility of Walter Hudson, keeps the ball for what I recall was next to no gain.

Again, with momentum, a lead, a chance to ice the game, inside FAU territory, and Dunbar with 225+ yards and going strong -- We run Nathan Tune twice.

Staggering.

[Green Crazy]

A lot of sketchy calls.... a big issue I had came after the blocked punt. We're up, in FAU territory, late in the game... a score essentially puts the sucker away. We've moved the ball at will almost all night, and couldn't possibly have more momentum on our side. Not to mention, Dunbar is putting up Playstation numbers and can't be slowed down, much less stopped.

He doesn't get a single touch. We go 3 & out. Two of the plays, our backup quarterback, with all the mobility of Walter Hudson, keeps the ball for what I recall was next to no gain.

Again, with momentum, a lead, a chance to ice the game, inside FAU territory, and Dunbar with 225+ yards and going strong -- We run Nathan Tune twice.

Staggering.

i think that comes from tune's reads. i'm not positive, but those plays were up to the qb to decide who runs the ball based on who the lb decides to key on. this is why tune isn't the best option for this system, he's not a threat to run and when he does he gets nowhere.