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Scattershooting on a Saturday

Posted by TaylorTRoom on November 29th, 2008 under Football

1.  You may have seen the pushing and shoving before the Texas/TAMU game the other night.  Here’s how it happened-

Darrell Royal has always hated how the fans would boo the other team as they ran on the field. The last few years, the stadium had the visitors run from their locker to their sideline as the Horns ran onto the field, so there were just cheers. Stadium security directs the visitors from the area of the north end zone where several Horns have their pre-game prayer. The Ags camped out in that section, and waited for the Horns to get there so they could have some shoving matches.  I don’t want to get on too much of a high horse (well, maybe I do), because trying to start a pre-game fight is what overmatched opponents do in rivalry games, much like Texas did in ‘89.

2.  Have you ever listened to the SMU radio broadcast?  Their color guy, Craig Swann, makes Dave South sound like the model of unbiased, dispassionate commentary.  He yells, rants, and cries.  The crazy thing is that, as an ex-player, he’s supposed to be able to provide some kind of insight into formations or tactics.  Nope- he provides as much added benefit as your drunk uncle on the couch.

3.  The 2nd quarter FG by the Ags was idiocy, complete idiocy. It was 4th and 1 with less than 2 minutes left in the half.  If the Ags go for it on 4th down and make it, they can continue their drive, which would end in a FG attempt, a TD, or a turnover. In each of those cases, if they make the 4th down (and it was very little yardage needed), Texas would not get the ball back with enough time to do anything. A successful 4th down attempt means they go into the locker down 14- 7, 14 – 3, or 14 – 0. 

Kicking the FG meant Texas had enough time to drive, and as we know the half ended with Texas up 21 – 3, a completely different situation. Idiocy.  One of the simplest tools for coaching decisions is to ask, “What could happen if I do this?  What could happen if I don’t?”  This was dumb like Fran not knowing when to go for two was dumb.

4.  Wow, didn’t Steve Spurrier used to be an offensive genius?  He did.  At Florida, in the mid-90s, he averaged 40 ppg.  As his time there ended, his ppg dropped to 35.  Now, at South Carolina, he’s around 25 – 28 ppg.  I think defenses caught up to him, and his offense has been taken about as far as it can.  This is a good example for my theory that every offense has a shelf life of a few years before it goes stale.  Teams need to constantly update their schemes.

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27 Responses

  1. Blackie Sherrod said:

    November 29th, 2008 at 2:08 pm

    That’ll be 25 bucks, please.

  2. NorthDallasSooner said:

    November 29th, 2008 at 2:52 pm

    If Florida jumps to #2 in the coaches, does it change anything for OU and UT in relation to BCS?

  3. Stuck in MN said:

    November 29th, 2008 at 3:02 pm

    That hurts you and helps us since it reduces the lead you have over us in the coaches poll (currently OU 2 and Texas 4). How much it matters depends on how big the gap between 3 and 4 is, but at this point every little bit matters.

    I have a bad feeling that the 57 yard kick by the NU kicker combined with the Mizzou loss is going to cost us a shot at the title.

  4. NorthDallasSooner said:

    November 29th, 2008 at 3:06 pm

    With all respect to the UT-TTU game that KU-MU game was the best game I’ve seen this year. Four lead changes in final six minutes.

  5. CrazyJoeDavola said:

    November 29th, 2008 at 4:50 pm

    The Big 12 has had some spectacular games this year.

  6. srr50 said:

    November 29th, 2008 at 5:20 pm

    The Big 12 has had some spectacular games this year.

    When you decide as a league that holding doesn’t exist, you can have some spectacular games.

  7. A Dead Horse said:

    November 29th, 2008 at 5:22 pm

    Leave something for the buzzards, man!

  8. austintxusa said:

    November 29th, 2008 at 5:46 pm

    89. Yeah big ole Ed Cunningham from little ole Fritch, Texas was the main instigator of that shoving match. Would have been a nice strategy if it had worked. It didn’t.

  9. 8straight said:

    November 29th, 2008 at 6:03 pm

    It is certainly going to be a shock to the system of a few unnamed Big 12 teams in bowl games when a Pac 10 officating crew or ACC crew actually calls a horse collar or a full nelson a penalty. They certainly didn’t do it, again, in Lubbock today.

  10. Bob Stoops said:

    November 29th, 2008 at 7:56 pm

    I was really thinking about an onside kick after that last touchdown, but I didn’t want to run up the score.

  11. Levander Williams said:

    November 29th, 2008 at 8:01 pm

    “It is certainly going to be a shock to the system of a few unnamed Big 12 teams in bowl games when a Pac 10 officating crew or ACC crew actually calls a horse collar or a full nelson a penalty. They certainly didn’t do it, again, in Lubbock today.”

    Didn’t see much of that in Stillwater tonight, either.

  12. Mack Brown said:

    November 29th, 2008 at 8:04 pm

    The least I can do is get co-co-Big 12 South rings made up for all of these good kids from good families.

  13. Kansas Horn said:

    November 29th, 2008 at 8:08 pm

    “I was really thinking about an onside kick after that last touchdown, but I didn’t want to run up the score.”

    Most people take a knee on 1st and 10 with 30 sec left

  14. Commish said:

    November 29th, 2008 at 8:21 pm

    “Most people take a knee on 1st and 10 with 30 sec left”

    OSU had just called a timeout the play before and they still had one left. Trying to accuse Stoops of running up the score by calling a running play (the same play he had called 5x in a row before that) is weak.

  15. Buried My Heart at Take A Knee said:

    November 29th, 2008 at 8:25 pm

    A pox upon the Sooner Nation.

  16. ponderos said:

    November 29th, 2008 at 8:30 pm

    Most people take a knee on 1st and 10 with 30 sec left

    If your inbred, mouthbreathing little ankle-biting brother can’t keep you from scoring 60 when all you’re doing is running the ball up the middle over and over and over, then guilty as charged.

  17. ponderos said:

    November 29th, 2008 at 8:32 pm

    by the way I love mouth breathing inbreds

  18. CrazyJoeDavola said:

    November 29th, 2008 at 8:51 pm

    “by the way I love mouth breathing inbreds”

    OMG WATER DISCOVERED TO BE WET!

  19. MIke Gundy said:

    November 29th, 2008 at 9:00 pm

    Attack me!!! I am a man!!!

  20. Mike Leach said:

    November 29th, 2008 at 9:04 pm

    AAARRRRRRRRRRRRR! I am a pirate

  21. ATXHornsFan said:

    November 29th, 2008 at 10:19 pm

    Okay – I’ll take the bait. Why were you listening to SMU football?

  22. Kansas Horn said:

    November 30th, 2008 at 6:36 am

    “OSU had just called a timeout the play before and they still had one left. Trying to accuse Stoops of running up the score by calling a running play (the same play he had called 5x in a row before that) is weak.”

    I do think he was trying to run it up. So OSU had 1 timeout left. What does that matter? They wouldn’t have been able to force 4th down or get the ball back. So yes, you do take a knee in that situation.

  23. Kansas Horn said:

    November 30th, 2008 at 6:43 am

    I don’t think Stoops sent out the offense with the mindset of we better score here, but I think he decided to keep running the ball(as opposed to kneeling it out in the previous situation) with the possibility that maybe he could get some more points on the board to make the win look better

  24. Bobby Jack Akina said:

    November 30th, 2008 at 6:54 am

    OU went from #4 to #1 in Sagarin’s rankings. UT dropped from #1 to #2.

  25. anonymous said:

    November 30th, 2008 at 6:59 am

    What the hell does having one timeout left have to do with anything? With 30 seconds left you kneel.
    Or you are Oklahoma.

  26. BoomerFreakinSooner said:

    November 30th, 2008 at 9:37 am

    Take a knee? OSU was still trying to win, why should OU start trying to lose? That’s Texas mentality, try to lose. I guess that is why OU has overtaken Texas and will play for the Big12 Champ nest week.

  27. Bob Stoops said:

    November 30th, 2008 at 9:42 am

    Had a proctologist appointment scheduled for last night, but rescheduled it for January 8.

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