Dunce Cap Award

by edsp on Sep 27, 2009 4:50 PM CDT Comment 20 comments

Periodically, we'll recognize (well, riducule) a deserving coach or player. Easy winner this week. Come on down, Danny Hope.

Purdue's coach managed to turn (probable) victory into defeat when he handed Notre Dame a free play in the final seconds of Saturday's 24-21 Irish victory.

With Notre Dame out of timeouts and the clock under 40 seconds -- and after Irish coach Charlie Weis called a running play that netted two yards on second and goal from Purdue's 4-yard-line -- the Irish were frantically trying to line up to spike the ball on third down. That would have left one play for the win.

Instead, Hope took a timeout. Notre Dame misfired on third down, then won on a short touchdown pass on fourth down. "I wanted to leave enough time to run a couple of plays," Hope said. "I wanted to save some time and be able to run three or four plays."

That's the way to show confidence in your defense.

"That kind of helped us out a little bit right there," Weis said.

You think?

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Are we sure Weis was going to have Clauson spike it?

With 40 seconds left, even if it takes you until 30 seconds left to line up, you might as well run a pass play on third down.

I think Purdue’s call was only dumb if we assume Weis was going to spike the ball. Otherwise you want as much time as possible left to come back.

by Texas Wahoo on Sep 27, 2009 5:13 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

TV folks and two news reports

said that was Weis’ intent (the third-down spike)

by edsp on Sep 27, 2009 6:30 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

There was no need for a spike

ND had like 36 seconds left to execute 2 plays. If Weiss were to spike the ball – he was an idiot as well.

by realmccoy on Sep 27, 2009 9:15 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Perhaps it was an otherwise smart play

that ended up being stupid because it negated and even more stupid play by the other team.

by Texas Wahoo on Sep 28, 2009 12:20 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Even if he wasn't going to spike it

You don’t want to give the other team time to gather themselves for a big play like that. Notre Dame had to rush to the line. The only excuse to call a timeout was if he felt like his defense was not set and ready.

by TheElusiveShadow on Sep 28, 2009 12:32 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I've got another nominee

Miss. State’s new coach Dan Mullen. State is trailing LSU 30-24 with just over one minute to go. LSU has just called it’s last time out after a State running back advances the ball on second and goal six inches from the goal line. Throughout this final drive, State’s running backs are cramming it down the throats of the LSU defense and making them like it.

It’s third and goal from six inches away, LSU has no way to stop the clock, and Mullen calls a play-action JUMP PASS into the back of the end zone (I guess he still thinks he’s still coaching Tebow). The ball gets batted down, incomplete, stopping the clock with 1:14. On fourth and goal from six inches away, MSU runs some kind of misbegotten, multi-directional abortion of a quarterback sneak that LSU stops short of the goal. Ball game.

Respectfully submitted, for your consideration, the two worst situational play calls I’ve seen this season.

Friends may come and go, but enemies accumulate.
- Thomas Jones

by beast in bama on Sep 27, 2009 5:34 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Thought about the Mississippi State call

Those kinds of things happen almost weekly. And, LSU likely has better, and more, high-quality line studs than the Bulldogs. The pass deflection that decided the game was just a great play.

by edsp on Sep 27, 2009 6:32 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Not on that last drive

State’s O-line was chewing them and spitting them out. LSU was lucky to even be in the game at that point, much less ahead by 6.

The pass deflection was a tremendous play, no doubt. But the simple fact that ball was airborne at all in that situation is what baffles me. If you run it and make it in on 3rd, fine. You’re guaranteed a tie at the least. But if you run it on third and don’t make it, the clock’s still running and you’ve still got a timeout if you need it. You leave LSU no room for escape.

And then to run a QB sneak on fourth with that shrimp of a QB (much smaller than even Colt as a freshman) was another baffling call. He didn’t even go straight in (that one’s on the kid, not the coach). A QB sneak should have been the 3rd down call.

Sorry I went off on a tangent, but that sequence really burned me up. Those poor MSU kids deserved to win that game.

I like this idea. As long as the names Mack Brown or Greg Davis are never invoked, this could be a good regular topic of discussion. However, it’s not fair to include Charlie Weis in any discussion of this nature. You would think he would’ve learned his lesson from the last two minutes of the Michigan game.

Friends may come and go, but enemies accumulate.
- Thomas Jones

by beast in bama on Sep 27, 2009 6:50 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

the final run by Lee was an option play

that is why he didn’t go directly into the line on the sneak, he was trying to decide to pitch it.

I Am The 12th Man.com

by Beergut on Sep 27, 2009 9:37 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don't know if you missed 1st down and 2nd down...

Where Mississippi State tried to cram it down LSU’s throat at the goal line with their RB and failed. Then, the designed a great play where the TE breaks free and the LSU safety makes an absolutely phenomenal play coming from the other side of the field to barely get a finger on it. It was a solid play call.

Then on 4th down, you have a few options. You’ve just tried to ram it down their throats a few times and failed, so they’ve clearly got the timing down with stopping the RB. So you could try that again, I guess, or you could do something to throw their timing off, like a sneak or a play action pass. They chose to sneak and the QB ended up 2 inches from a touchdown.

You could have played it differently, sure, and it may have worked. But you can’t really fault the thought process.

by billyzane on Sep 29, 2009 9:42 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Let's recap those downs...

1st & goal between the 2 and 3, much closer to the 3: Run off right tackle to the 1.
2nd & goal: Run to the left side to within six inches of the goal. The running back got by the line and was fallen upon by the linebackers to save the TD.

You’ve moved the ball close to 70 yards on the final drive, mostly running at will. On first and second & goal from just inside the 3, you’ve moved it within six inches of the goal line. Hardly what I’d call a stuffing on the part of the LSU defense.

Along the way, you’ve managed to milk the clock to perfection. You’ve got all your timeouts, LSU has none. Remember, it’s Les Miles coaching LSU across field. You’ve got to kill him dead, dead, dead, or he’ll luck up and pull yet another stunt out of his ass and set up for a game-winning field goal as the clock expires. I’m sorry, you just don’t put the ball in the air in that situation.

Friends may come and go, but enemies accumulate.
- Thomas Jones

by beast in bama on Sep 29, 2009 5:41 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Leach has another nominee

But we all knew he was going for it on 4th down again.

Get off your knees Greg, you're blowin' the game.

by kriess on Sep 27, 2009 5:43 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I don't think it was a bad idea to go for it on 4th for Leach....

but it was a bad play call. They had successfully QB sneaked earlier in a 4th down conversion, and you could see Houston was packed up right at the center waiting for it again.

You hand the ball off to Batch, who was tearing through Houston, and it’s 7 on the board.

by notsofst on Sep 27, 2009 5:59 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I thought it was a bad idea

Why not go up by eight? obviously a TD makes it a 2 possession game, but the FG forces Houston to score a TD and get a 2-point conversion to merely tie the game, meaning that whatever the outcome of Houston’s last drive, Tech can’t lose. The risktaking Leach that Tech fans love so much is deservedly taking some heat this week.

If you're so sure of what it ain't, how about telling us what it am!

by circa1015 on Sep 27, 2009 8:49 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Seemed Stupid To Me

Maybe if you had a defense that wasn’t gassed and was fairly reliable you could live with the call.

by realmccoy on Sep 27, 2009 9:21 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think that was the point

his defense was completely gassed, and he thought Houston was going to score again in the time left. He had 1 yard to go and could shut down the game, and Houston had no luck on short yardage up to that point.

Granted, Houston had to score AND post the two point conversion, which they didn’t do. But with Leach’s defense in shambles, I think it was 50/50 in my head whether to go for it or not.

by notsofst on Sep 28, 2009 10:54 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs