Coaching question

[Irish]

(as a coach with no play on any side/ total for the game)
Watching the Boise/TCU game last night, I was wondering..... You are down by one point and you know you are going to need the ball back to win this game, why not allow TCU to score and get the ball off a kick return with 2 and a half mins to go to score and go for the 2 point conversion. Anyone besides me think let them score and get the ball back with ample time to put together a drive? I know a FG is easier but the time the defense took to stop them was costly.

Cheers
Irish

 

[AR182]

(as a coach with no play on any side/ total for the game)
Watching the Boise/TCU game last night, I was wondering..... You are down by one point and you know you are going to need the ball back to win this game, why not allow TCU to score and get the ball off a kick return with 2 and a half mins to go to score and go for the 2 point conversion. Anyone besides me think let them score and get the ball back with ample time to put together a drive? I know a FG is easier but the time the defense took to stop them was costly.

Cheers
Irish

irish...

i can't remember when a coach let it happen, but i know it has been done....

 

[MadJack]

i have never seen it done but remember many cases when it should have been done for the only chance to get back in the game.

 

[Irish]

Doesn't it make sense last night? I thought considering how Boise is almost the king of trickery they would leave a WR uncovered just to get the ball back and in the hands of the offense without having to rush the freshman QB plus they could have saved all time outs or at least 2 of them?

Cheers
Irish

 

[TouchdownJesus]

This is one of those things I usually think of, but did not last night. I am assuming you are talking about after the last INT and yeah, they should have done it. But I can't 2nd guess b/c I didn't think of it last night, like I said I almost always think of stuff like that.

The one thing that can happen, but rarely does, is that the player breaks free and then slides down inside the 5. I've seen that happen maybe once and the guy gained my total respect for not scoring.

But either way you lose, so it would have made a lot of sense.

Its one of those things like being down 10 with little time and kicking the FG first. Coaches are scared to death to think outside the box.

I think a lot of coaches need to play some video games...

 

[Irish]

Actually, I was looking at it before the last INT. I was thinking when it was 2nd and short, knowing TCU would run it on third and cost time, knowing that they were at the Boise 40 I was thinking that 2 bad things could happen... they get the first and grind the clock or they get in FG range and it is a 4 point game in which you still need a TD. I thought when they had the ball in Boise territory to give them a TD and save about 3 mins to organize a complete drive. This way you get the kick with 2 time out and 2 and a half mins to get the TD and two piubt conversion. I know this is a tough thing done against TCU but I have TCU in game ending situations and they play VERY loose coverage and Boise could have taken the underneth down the field the whole way.

I know it is a ballsy call and their is no real way to say it would pay off but I think as a coach myself I want the ball with a chance to tie rather than play defense with a chance to get it bad and take a long distance FG for a win considering they missed a 39 yarder earlier.

Cheers
Irish

 

[Smitty]

irish, in general i kinda agree with what you're saying. i guess the biggest downside is you are then counting on getting a 2-point conversion to tie the game. still probably a better option than how it played out.

biggest reason boise couldn't do that last night? because then tcu may have covered, and i would have won a decent-sized bet. and heaven forbid THAT should happen.

 

[Morris]

I don't think TCU would have scored in that suituation. They were just looking to run the clock out at that point.