Texas St got 2 stupid

[ChickenMan]

It wasn't the phantom roughing the kicker or the decision to sit on the ball with over a minute left in a tie game that cost Texas St a trip to Chattanooga. The biggest blunder by coach or an official in the game was Bailiff's decision to go for two points with 8:00 left in the third quarter... after Texas St had scored to go up 30-29. If Bailliff had kicked the extra point for a 31-29 lead... Texas St would have been up by 9 rather than 8 in the final five minutes... requiring two scores by UNI rather than just a TD and a two point conversion.

Going for two points to get a FG lead... with over 23:00 minutes left in a close game is never a good decision... but it is even worse when you consider the way points were being rung up by both squads. Bailiff had every reason to expect that there were going to be a lot more than just three additional points scored in the final quarter and a half of that game.

[Cocky]

I agree that was the key decision in the game.

[UNI92]

I was actually wanting him top go for 2 and fail!
Good point.

I get the sense that we still would have found a way to win though.
This UNI team is so mentally tough and strong that they just would have found a way!!!

[texcap]

I think that both the failed two point attempt in the third quarter and the decision toplay for the tie were huge mistakes. There was also another huge mistake in my opinion.

At the end of the first half, UNI had the ball 3rd and 3 at the TSU 22 and threw an incomplete pass. On the play there was a 15 yard face mask penalty against the offense. TSU declined the penalty ond UNI licked about a 40 yard FG. If I am the coach I take that penalty. Yes, it gives them another shot, but it would have been 3rd and 18 from the 36. It would have at least pushed them out of field goal range and forced them to gain decent yardage just to have a legitimate shot at three.

[89Hen]

I think that both the failed two point attempt in the third quarter and the decision toplay for the tie were huge mistakes.
Bingo. Yes going for two was a mistake, but that was already in the books when the decision was made to sit on the ball. When he called for two, it was a mistake, but at that point didn't mean too much as there was lots of time and at the rate points were being scored there was no way to know how exactly it would play out. It wasn't a horrible decision at the time (only using hindsight could it be deemed horrible).

However the decision to sit on the ball was so egregious that the announcers, players, and fans knew immediately how horrible a decision it was.

[FU5454]

I think that both the failed two point attempt in the third quarter and the decision toplay for the tie were huge mistakes. There was also another huge mistake in my opinion.

At the end of the first half, UNI had the ball 3rd and 3 at the TSU 22 and threw an incomplete pass. On the play there was a 15 yard face mask penalty against the offense. TSU declined the penalty ond UNI licked about a 40 yard FG. If I am the coach I take that penalty. Yes, it gives them another shot, but it would have been 3rd and 18 from the 36. It would have at least pushed them out of field goal range and forced them to gain decent yardage just to have a legitimate shot at three.

Right on -- no one else has mentioned that (that I've seen). I posted the same thing on the FU board and no one seemed to care either. The game announcers also didn't comment. I'm at a loss. That was the most unforgivable coaching error. Going for 2...well, you know how we 'Dins are about that...and I can even see the kneel down thing. Maybe the kicker was in the restroom with the runs or something....As fans, we just don't know enough about what was going on to really criticize the kneel down thing. Certainly can question it, but there could be good reason for it. On the other hand, CONCEDING 3 points, as they did, by declining the penalty is just beyond belief. Am I missing something here, why is no one else, except me and Texcap, pointing to this decision as being so critically bad?

[igo4uni]

Right on -- no one else has mentioned that (that I've seen). I posted the same thing on the FU board and no one seemed to care either. The game announcers also didn't comment. I'm at a loss. That was the most unforgivable coaching error. Going for 2...well, you know how we 'Dins are about that...and I can even see the kneel down thing. Maybe the kicker was in the restroom with the runs or something....As fans, we just don't know enough about what was going on to really criticize the kneel down thing. Certainly can question it, but there could be good reason for it. On the other hand, CONCEDING 3 points, as they did, by declining the penalty is just beyond belief. Am I missing something here, why is no one else, except me and Texcap, pointing to this decision as being so critically bad?

I'm not so sure it was a bad decision. The way UNI was throwing the ball, picking up a long 3rd down conversion wouldn't have been too hard to imagine. Then, if UNI goes on to get a TD, people would say that not making them try a long field goal was a mistake. Don't forget, the UNI kicker missed a PAT, so forcing him to kick a long field goal wasn't such a bad decision, IMO.

Now, why Texas State didn't try to score at the end of regulation is beyond me.

[UNH SUPERFAN]

The decision to take a knee for the last 1:30 of the ball game (also with 3 timeouts)by the Texas State coach was a flat-out horrible decision. First, it shows no confidence in your offense, which had put up 37 points already. You have a good qb and receivers who can run combined with 3 timeouts, plus a kicker who, according to the announcers, had 50-yard range. If the coach didn't think they could get close enough for a field goal try what made him think they could be successful in overtime, where one mistake can send you home with a loss? Secondly, college overtime is very dependent on the coin toss which texas st did win, but he didn't know that when he made the decision. Also college ot has no room for error. Usually turn-overs spell death, as it did in this case. Just a very bad decision!!!

Texas St fans, you feel like I did last week I'm sure, just completely disgusted! I hope you recover in time for Christmas!

[PantherRob82]

unbelievable.

[unicat87]

UNI should have gone for 1 instead of 2 just before that for the same reasoning you used. -Unicat87


It wasn't the phantom roughing the kicker or the decision to sit on the ball with over a minute left in a tie game that cost Texas St a trip to Chattanooga. The biggest blunder by coach or an official in the game was Bailiff's decision to go for two points with 8:00 left in the third quarter... after Texas St had scored to go up 30-29. If Bailliff had kicked the extra point for a 31-29 lead... Texas St would have been up by 9 rather than 8 in the final five minutes... requiring two scores by UNI rather than just a TD and a two point conversion.

Going for two points to get a FG lead... with over 23:00 minutes left in a close game is never a good decision... but it is even worse when you consider the way points were being rung up by both squads. Bailiff had every reason to expect that there were going to be a lot more than just three additional points scored in the final quarter and a half of that game.

[unicat87]

I was surprised TSU declined that penalty, but they didn't want to give a quick-strike QB another shot at a long TD pass, I believe. -Unicat87



I think that both the failed two point attempt in the third quarter and the decision toplay for the tie were huge mistakes. There was also another huge mistake in my opinion.

At the end of the first half, UNI had the ball 3rd and 3 at the TSU 22 and threw an incomplete pass. On the play there was a 15 yard face mask penalty against the offense. TSU declined the penalty ond UNI licked about a 40 yard FG. If I am the coach I take that penalty. Yes, it gives them another shot, but it would have been 3rd and 18 from the 36. It would have at least pushed them out of field goal range and forced them to gain decent yardage just to have a legitimate shot at three.

[ChickenMan]

UNI should have gone for 1 instead of 2 just before that for the same reasoning you used. -Unicat87


Yes they should... just as Furman did a few minutes ago.

[shakdaddy3]

most coaches i know use a sheet to tell them when to go for 1 and when to go for 2... probably just followed that.

besides, if my offense was moving the ball as well as both teams' offenses were... i'd go for 2... why? well, it's a 3 yard play and both teams were sure averaging over 3 yards per play... it's really easy to second guess a coach. i'll be one in the minority to say that i agree with both teams going for 2. as we see from the kickers... 1 point isnt even a guarantee!!!!

Tx St's coach didn't throw the game ending pick. The worst call he made was taking a knee to go to OT. If you're gonna go for 2 with 23 minutes left.. u should try and get 3 with 70 seconds left and ALL THREE TIMEOUTS. :asswhip:

I'm happy UNI won.. go Gateway... we beat a I-AA NAT'L champ representitive and possible champion.

[golionsgo]

most coaches i know use a sheet to tell them when to go for 1 and when to go for 2... probably just followed that.




Yeah but a cheat sheet is only as good as the information on it and for whatever reason, very few coaches include time and game situations. They generally only have the math figured out in terms of how much you need to keep it within x number of scores, etc..

Honestly, if Bailiff really wanted to roll the dice and go for two, he might have considered doing it on their last TD that put them up 37-29. I've always felt like late in a game, if you have a 1 point advantage and score a TD, going for two is not a bad option. Even if you miss, you're still up 7, but if you make it, you all but put the game away by going up 9. It's a ballsy move, yet an aggressive move that really isn't all that risky. Sure, you pass up an opportunity to force your opponent to go for two should they score, but you also have a direct opportunity to win the game RIGHT THEN for all intents and purposes.

[Purple Member]

UNI should have gone for 1 instead of 2 just before that for the same reasoning you used. -Unicat87

It is really a wash. If UNI goes for 1 TxSt goes for one on thier next possession and its still a 8 point game.

[AppIAA]

In the post game interview Bailiff said he played for overtime because UNI had a good field goal kicker... isnt that the same kicker that missed the extra point? granted, everyone misses extra points once in a while, but GIVE YOUR TEAM A SHOT!

[golionsgo]

It is really a wash. If UNI goes for 1 TxSt goes for one on thier next possession and its still a 8 point game.


It turned out as a wash because both teams failed on the conversions, but at the point TSU went for theirs, UNI had already missed so it wasn't a wash at that point in the game.

[dirtbag]

most coaches i know use a sheet to tell them when to go for 1 and when to go for 2... probably just followed that.



The problem with those damn charts is that they only seem to consider what the situation will be if you're successful, and ignore the situation you'll be in if you don't convert.

The one that absolutely drives me nuts is seeing coaches go for it when they're ahead by 4. The chart says to go for 2 because being ahead by 6 is marginally better than being ahead by 5 because that forces the other team to make an extra point to beat you. But how big of a challenge is that?

However, if you miss, you're only ahead by 4, and if the other team scores a TD, a FG won't win it for you. That's a bigger deal, IMHO.

[D1B]

Who ever brought up that declined facemask is dead on. A brisk wind was blowing right into the goal posts. This was also the direction that TSU would have had to kick if they didnt run the clock out. I could have kicked a 50 yarder with that wind, and I have a gout toe.

Coach was overthinking IMO, throughout the game.