Couple of questions about a particular series in the game saturday....

[Beretta.sixpack]

In the second quarter, we have it first and 10 on the South Carolina 48, up 7-0.....we ran the ball on 1st for 3 yds, 2nd for 1, and on 3rd and 6 we ran in up the middle for the third consecutive time only to have to punt it away as a touchback and SC then goes 80 yds for the tying score....

Now, I am no coach, and often hear people say its not as easy as it seems call plays, etc..

To me, on 3rd and 6, a run up the middle just after you had 2 previous runs up the middle for combined 4 yds doesnt seem like a high percentage play, especially under the circumstances....

I guess my question is, A) I do know that our QBs have been rumored to change the play at the line or "option" to a certain run/pass....was that one on Russell? B) Or was that just bad coaching/play calling?

I was sitting in the stands, and everyone around me was scratching their heads as well.....

 

[aerodawg.sixpack]

calls. It was a draw up the middle I believe, which isn't a terrible play call with 3rd and 6. I think the only bad call was the run up the middle on 2nd down. I think it felt a lot worse because we just completely blew a gift that they had given us. I think someone could say we got really conservative once we got the lead, which we always do against ranked teams. To the coaches' defense, we had been successful running it earlier in the game and I think that is all the difference from previous games where we would try to pound it up the middle over and over again with no success at all.

 

[o_Bigohh]

I read somewhere that USC has a tendency to pinch their DT's to the outside which opens up the middle of the line. We had several 5 - 10+ yard running plays right up the middle Saturday, I would guess that's where the bulk of our running yardage was gained. Tyler probably read that defense so up the middle we went. It worked as often as not, just not that time.

 

[DawgatAuburn]

If memory serves (and that happens less and less these days), we were in about the same spot on the field. I want to say it was third quarter but that my not be right either. Head scratcher then too.

Edit: Ok, it was eerily similar, and by that I mean nothing like it. It was third quarter (point, D@A). We had just gotten the ball on an on-side kick after scoring to cut it to 17-14 (which is where it ended). With all that momentum, Relf threw it three straight times and we punted.

 

[Dawgzilla]

They should have tried a reverse to Favre lined up at WR, with a pass back to the QB.

 

[Duane Chapman]

to start the second halfI think.</p>

 

[Seinfeld]

How do you explain 3 straight runs up the gut when you have a gift possession at the SC 48, but then you throw on 1st down when you have a 1st and goal at the 4? I'll give any coach that gets paid to call plays the benefit of the doubt most of the time because he's accomplished a hell of a lot more than I have in that regard, but those two possessions were baffling. I get that we were breaking off some decent runs here and there, but you absolutely have to find a way to get points off field position like that, even if it was just a field goal. Then, with QBs the size of Relf and Russell, we should be able to QB sneak it four straight times to pick up 4 yards and a TD every time. I'd bet that more times than not, it would only take two runs to get in.