Sign me the F&*# up
Okay, I should be getting paid to be an offensive coordinator for Bethel.Bethel College is the school where the stud cousins go to play volleyball. My summer softball team was also compose of about 75% Bethel football players, so being they loyal friend I am, I try to attend the games.
Last week, we watched Bethel blow a 21-point lead. Coming out of the half, BC held a 37-23 lead. Now, Phillip is the running back and he had a monster first half with 195 yards and four touchdowns. Conventional thinking says, you run the ball, manage the clock, take a few shots if allowed and win. What did the head coach do? He took a stupid pill and began to THROW with the backup QB. Now, throwing the ball only can lead to harm with a two touchdown lead. Your ally in the game is the clock, but instead of correctly managing the clock, he throws which essentially stops the clock on any incomplete pass and Southwestern beats BC 43-37. Okay, I thought, he screwed up. There is no way he can bonehead it two weeks in a row right?
Wrong.
Tonight BC traveled on the road. With 2:05 left in the game, BC was leading 24-21. They were facing a 4th-and-2 from the Bulldog 36. The Bulldogs were out of timeouts, too. All BC has to do is come to the line of scrimmage and PUNT. So what happens? BC comes up to the line, lined up like they were going to go for it.
I look at dad and say "They're not going for it are they? Even if the punt goes into the endzone, the Bulldogs get the ball on the 20 and have to go most of the length of the field to score, without timeouts." Dad agreeed. BC calls timeout. I then say to dad, "Okay, so they're going to come up and let the play clock wind down. With about three ticks on the clock, they'll try a hard count to draw the defense offsides. If it doesn't work, they drop back five yards which only gives the punter more room to work." Perfect simple strategy. Any coach should know it.
Does BC take the advice?
Oh hell no.
Fourth and two to go, they come out of the time out. They rush up to the line of scrimmage, snap the ball to the QB. He hands off to Phillip who is stacked up at the line for no gain. WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING? Everyone in the damn stadium, the trainers, the freaking cheerleaders, even the 13-year old teeny boppers knew that it would be a freaking run. McPherson stacked everyone up to stop the run. It worked. I'm not exactly sure how BC's head coach thought that they're offensive scheme would work, because you can not block 10 guys with 5 guys. It's simple math.
The outcome was predictable for Mac. Pass over the middle, first down, move the sticks, stop the clock. Sideline pass, move the sticks. Incomplete pass. Mac marches it down the field in about 5 plays and scores with 34 seconds left.
Final score McPherson 27, Bethel 24.
posted by Rusty @ 8:52 PM
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