Daily briefing: On grief, the vagaries of offensive football and analytics
Ivan Maisel’s “Daily Briefing” for On3:
How to handle grief?
It’s difficult to imagine the vibe in the Utah Utes’ football building this week. To have two teammates, close friends, die nine months apart is way past tragic, way past shattering, way past what any single word can encompass. Running back Ty Jordan died on Christmas night. Defensive back Aaron Lowe, who wore Jordan’s No. 22 jersey this season in tribute to his high school friend, was shot and killed early Sunday morning after Utah defeated Washington State on homecoming. Lowe’s teammates are lucky in that they have each other to lean on and confide in as they face overwhelming grief. I’d say that football will keep them busy, but that’s not always a good thing. If they don’t handle their grief well, they won’t function well, on or off the field.
When is 248 greater than 443?
Utah State gained 443 yards of total offense and scored three points. Notre Dame gained 248 yards of total offense and scored 41 points. God, I love college football. Aggies quarterback Logan Bonner didn’t get to his sixth season because of a lack of talent. But he struggled Saturday against Boise State, going 11-of-25 for 173 yards and two interceptions before being benched. And that’s after completing a 28-yard pass on the first snap of the game. The Aggies committed three turnovers and missed two field goals, which explains so many yards and so little payoff. At the opposite end of the spectrum, the Irish scored only 10 of their 31 fourth-quarter points on offense, the rest coming on a kickoff return and two pick-sixes.
3 points is better than 0 points
The college football analysts who live by analytics must be allowed to die by them. We can’t wonder why they don’t follow the numbers, then rip into them when the numbers lead them astray. But still. Liberty coach Hugh Freeze, tied 21-21 at Syracuse on Friday night, with a fourth-and-goal at the Orange 2, turned down a 19-yard field goal attempt — in other words, a three-point PAT — with 8:05 to play to put the ball in the hands of Flames quarterback Malik Willis. “I felt like we’d put it in our best player’s hand,” Freeze said. “They probably knew that, too.” Willis didn’t make the first down. Alex Barbir has missed three PATs in 15 games at Liberty. He’s made 68. Those analytics are pretty good, too. Syracuse won 24-21 on a last-play field goal.