I’m sitting in the cool damp air on Sunday night at the Trampoline watching the Knights take on the Pirates. It’s a defensive struggle (duh) and the Knights have the ball around midfield half way through the 4th quarter. Watching this game unfold a nagging question kept popping into my head. “How were we going to find a way to lose this one” just kept repeating itself over and over in my brain. On third down I got my answer. Greco scrambles for a first down. Or so we thought. “upon further review” the refs decide to move the ball back a couple of feet and call it 4th down. I said to the man next to me “we need to go for it here”. He agreed with me but other people around us said we needed to punt. “No way” we said. “We have to keep the ball, and at least burn some more clock and hopefully get close enough to kick a field goal.” We said. The “punt” people said “no we don’t. we need to pin them back deep.” Now there are valid arguments either way. But I ask myself what do successful teams do in this situation. What would Spurrier do? What would Meyer do? What would Carroll do? What would Stoops do? Those coaches in that situation I believe would go for it. If you can’t look your guys in the eye and tell them we need a half yard to win this game, and have the confidence you can do it, then you’ve got no business playing or coaching this game. Coaches who punt in that situation? I’m guessing Fulmer would. Maybe Rich Brooks. Ron Zook. Of course the botched punt a few minutes later would be blamed for the loss. But if we go for the first down and make it, then kick the field goal, that play wouldn’t matter. If you go for it in that spot, you’re telling your defense who has only given up three points in 50+ minutes of football “I know you won’t let them in the end zone” if we don’t make it. I believe we need a coach who feels this way.
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