Four years ago today…. The Will Rogers Magnum Opus
- Thread starter MSUDC11-2.0
- Start date
I was at this game literally less than a day removed from having to have emergency surgery for getting a piece of food lodged in my esophagus.
For fun, go find an Auburn fan and tell them that it was stupid for Harsin to go for two down nine and watch them argue with you until they're blue in the face.
For fun, go find an Auburn fan and tell them that it was stupid for Harsin to go for two down nine and watch them argue with you until they're blue in the face.
Apparently, Leach looked at Will....as they were down 28-3....serious as hell, and said :
"We got 'em right where we want 'em"
"We got 'em right where we want 'em"
Wish I’d seen a couple more years with Leach. We were getting better every year, and contrary to popular belief, he did adjust, do new things, use the portal, etc. Would’ve liked to see what he’d do in a rev sharing world
Man after what we've been through the last 3 years that feels like a lifetime ago. What a great day that was. RIP Coach
Yep that was fun. Y’all miss me now? Winning records and 9-4 years sure would be fun again. Am I right?
How many teams can say they scored 40 straight points in Jordan-Hare Stadium? Absolutely unbelievable game.
I was laying in bed with one of the worst stomach viruses I’ve ever had. It made my day to watch that comeback. The HailState Highlight of that game is great.
God I miss Leach. The greatest 3 years of my fandom life, outside the Dak years.
I was in Jordan Hare for it and was REAL CLOSE to leaving. At 28-3 I looked at my wife who was bored to tears and I was mad and we started googling places to eat lunch because we were going to bail at halftime.
If I recall, we had like a 4th and 6 we converted down 28-3 that if we don’t get it, ballgame. We converted then scored right before half, and I knew we were getting the ball first after half so I said “well I guess let’s stick around for a little while just in case”.
Never seen a turnaround like that. Auburn was GASHING our defense early and we couldn’t get anything going…. Then out of nowhere we break off a 40-0 run. I’m still not exactly sure what happened. I know Bo Nix broke his foot late in that game and that helped us hold them off late, but he was on the field for most of the way.
If I recall, we had like a 4th and 6 we converted down 28-3 that if we don’t get it, ballgame. We converted then scored right before half, and I knew we were getting the ball first after half so I said “well I guess let’s stick around for a little while just in case”.
Never seen a turnaround like that. Auburn was GASHING our defense early and we couldn’t get anything going…. Then out of nowhere we break off a 40-0 run. I’m still not exactly sure what happened. I know Bo Nix broke his foot late in that game and that helped us hold them off late, but he was on the field for most of the way.
You just can’t play man defense against the pirate. He’s too smart.
It'd have been unbelievable. No doubt we'd have probably won 10 games in either 2023 or this year. 2024 would have definitely been a transition year but it damn sure wouldn't have been 2-10. Probably 6-6 or 7-5 at worst.
It was a piece of pot roast and that was my plan but it was hotter than I expected so I tried to do the thing where you suck in air to cool it and instead the sucker just went straight down my throat and got stuck. Not a great night.
If you trust AI - that's your own fault.
Mathematically - when you're down 15 - there's two schools of thought once you score the first TD.
A. Your school of thought - kick the XP. This has the benefit of making it one score. This punts the 2 point decision until later. In theory, this puts extra "pressure" on your opponent if you give them the ball back with it being a one score game rather than two score game. It also prevents the other team from getting "momentum" from stopping a 2 point. That's it.
B. The enlightened go for 2 early. This school of thought focuses on game theory. Game theory says it's better for you to have more information sooner to plan out your ending accordingly. Removing momentum and pressure and purely analytically - it's better for you to know sooner if you need two more scores or one more score to tie. Go for 2 now and then plan the rest of your game accordingly. If you get it - which is a ~50% clip, then you get even better "momentum" and "pressure" bonuses than A gets. If you don't get it - you get earlier information and can better plan than A while losing momentum/pressure bonuses.
A lot of it can come down to gut feel. But neither idea is wholly stupid. I lean B way more often than A; however, that's where the human element of making a decision comes into play. If you're rattling off tons of points in a massive comeback and have all the momentum and have tons of time left - kick the XP. If you're back and forth and just fell behind the track meet by two scores and there's less than five minutes left - I'm going for two everytime. I need to plan my offense accordingly.
My noodle arm went 44-55 for 415yds 6TD 0INT. How y’all like them apples?
Gut feel is momentum. To me you either go with that or you trust the analytics completely. No room for either or, especially in the college game, where analytics mean less because you have to account for a talent gap (and immature players). Analytics apply more to pro sports in my mind.
For college, I personally think it's best to adopt BASIC analytical concepts (example - you have to throw the ball to be successful due to the rules), but then play the game based on some level of momentum. Some use strict analytics, that's fine, if that culture is ingrained. Lane used to but moved away from it a good bit. Saban steered heavily against momentum (so kinda analytical at least conservatively), that's fine, if you have the players to do it. Others like Leach definitely rode the waves of in-game emotion, even if it didn't seem to affect him on the sideline. When things were hitting they were hitting, when they weren't they weren't.
I do not think a team should go all in on going for 4th downs, percentages, and all that jazz, unless they are 100% all in. Like that dude in Arkansas High School ball that doesn't kick off deep or punt, as in EVER.
I was there, first SEC road game I ever went too and by pure coincidence it was the most fun game I've ever been to in my life.
When it was 28-3 Auburn fans around me asked if we actually thought Leach was going to work out for State, by the fourth quarter those same fans thought the SEC was throwing the game for us.
When it was 28-3 Auburn fans around me asked if we actually thought Leach was going to work out for State, by the fourth quarter those same fans thought the SEC was throwing the game for us.
2018 and 2023 are the biggest what if years in my bulldog fandom. Joe Morehead and heart disease can suck it.
I would argue if you just coughed up a 28-3 lead psychologically you and your team and your fans in the stands are better off if you go with the better chance at making it a one-score game with 3:37 left, and you make the other team have to pucker up for the ending. If you go for two and don't get it, as he did, hey everybody, game's over!
I'm laughing but glad you are ok.
I was playing in a golf tournament. A friend was eating a sausage dog at the turn. Got really quiet and started frantically looking around. Swallowed a a large piece of sausage that wasn't chewed up much at all. I had to beat his back and he shot it out around 10 ft! Said I saved his life and ruined his wifes all at the same time.
Game was over when Nix got hurt. Auburn was down 9 with 3:37 left and 3 TOs when they made the decision. Enough time to reasonably get one drive again, but likely not two.
They went for two to know if they needed to try to steal the possession now. They then failed their onside kick. They got a quick stop (momentum/pressure didn't seem to swing anything against them) and got the ball back with 3 minutes left and no timeouts. Then the backup QB was trash and they fumbled and folded. The chance was slim, but it was still there as a possibility.
We were at the game with our Auburn friends. They kept telling us that we would enjoy rolling Toomers Corner and not be too down.
We were fine with it but man it was amazing walking around their downtown after that. It was like their dog just died
We were fine with it but man it was amazing walking around their downtown after that. It was like their dog just died
That was great. Don't recall where my family was, but I was home alone watching it. Ended up muting it and messing around on my phone most of the first half. Texted my Auburn buddy when we took the lead, with: "WTF?!"
His reply: "FML"
His reply: "FML"
My MSU daughter was at that game with her Auburn boyfriend and his parents. First half was fun for them, second half was much more fun for her. That was also the final game Bo Nix ever played for Auburn. He missed the rest of the season with a broken foot and then transferred to Oregon.
Congratulations, my first SEC road game was also a massive comeback at Auburn, which in retrospect was a transformative moment in my life.
Marketing did a hype video after that game that was absolutely awesome -- goosebumps.
Can't find it.
Can't find it.
Those are the worst. Fake, subtle put-downs.
Akin to the "didn't go our way on the scoreboard but still had fun!!!!!".
Boy it would have been nice if a Heimlich had taken care of me.....fortunately (I guess?) it lodged somewhere below my throat and didn't impact my ability to breathe at all. It just 100% stopped up my esophagus. First surgery, at the emergency room at the little hospital near Canton, didn't work, so I got to wake up and be told we didn't get it, then got sent to Baptist where they had some better tools and were able to get it. It was a ******, ****** day.
Yeah, love them to death but it was enjoyable to see the happiness leaving their eyes.
The Pirate set 2 records for largest comeback in State history. First one was La Tech where we were down 20 and came back to win. Down by 25 to Auburn Leach said “Hold my beer”.
Leach also holds the record for biggest comeback in both Texas Tech and Washington State football history. Texas Tech was down 38-7 midway through the third quarter to Minnesota in the 2006 Insight Bowl and came back to win 44-41 in overtime. Washington State was down 31-10 to Boise State with 10 minutes to go in the fourth quarter in 2017 and came back to win 47-44 in triple overtime. All just a part of the "Mike Leach Experience." It was a rollercoaster ride for sure.
