utah game 2007 vs 2010

Just watched the 2007 highlights of the utah game. Very similar ending. Overall eerily similar game overall, BYU let all day, and then utah sneaks in a td late to go up by 1. Heaps and Hall both drive team down the field. Hall gets a little help from a future NFL receiver and some stupid utah penalties.



Here's what I found interesting, The running game used after BYU got to utah's 20 yard line. Utah could not stop it. Harvey Unga pounded it into the heart of the ute defense and scored a TD. I REALLY REALLY don't think that the play calling this year was any different. I'm pretty confident that in both situations the coaches (Doman, Anae, Bronco) all felt that they could possibly keep the ball on the ground, run some clock out, move the chains, maybe break one loose for a big gain (I can't count how many times I've seen that happen in situations like this) and worst case scenario kick the FG for the game winner. Biggest difference being that in 07 Unga did break loose and ended up in the endzone, while in 2010 utah didn't budge.



Maybe BYU WAS just running clock out and lining Payne up for the kick this year, but after watching the end of 2007, I highly doubt that. I'll just say this, keeping it on the ground was safe, had been picking up a few yards all game, and except for one missed block, easily could have won that game with the fg.



I also remember texas-Nebraska 09 big 12 championship when McCoy had nothing going for him, almost got sacked, and then almost threw the game away attempting to throw the ball away. He was a Sr. Who knows what decision the true freshman makes in such a situation.



I hope it was something the coaches can look back on and learn from. Unga TD in 07>>>settling for a fg in 08. But I'd be willing to bet that collectively the coaches had decided to run the ball as their safest bet at that point.



Again, credit has to go to utah for not only stuffing the run when it mattered but also getting behind the line and blocking the stinking kick.

I would have had no problem keeping it on the ground. But how about disguising the runs just a bit so the pukes wouldn't know exactly what you were going to do. And what's more, Jake had been nails not only that drive but all game. He looked more poised the last few weeks than Hall did in either of his last two rivalry games. He didn't do anything even remotely questionable to make the coaches think that they couldn't trust him 100% to get the job done. A few play action calls would have been just as safe and effective as a run right up the gut. If a receiver is open, we keep moving the chains and seal the game away. At worst, Jake picks up a few yards with his feet or he throws it out of bounds. Going conservative, offensively or defensively almost never wins games, in fact it loses them more often than not, except when the opponent is completely over-matched physically.

gmj81 wrote:
I would have had no problem keeping it on the ground. But how about disguising the runs just a bit so the pukes wouldn't know exactly what you were going to do. And what's more, Jake had been nails not only that drive but all game. He looked more poised the last few weeks than Hall did in either of his last two rivalry games. He didn't do anything even remotely questionable to make the coaches think that they couldn't trust him 100% to get the job done. A few play action calls would have been just as safe and effective as a run right up the gut. If a receiver is open, we keep moving the chains and seal the game away. At worst, Jake picks up a few yards with his feet or he throws it out of bounds. Going conservative, offensively or defensively almost never wins games, in fact it loses them more often than not, except when the opponent is completely over-matched physically.

And I mostly* agree with you. But hindsight is 20/20 and really all the coaches were trying to do was win. That's why I put the "hopefully the coaches learned...." part in there.



*I agreed mostly because "going conservative", especially after a team is in fg range, has actually won a buttload of games. One more block and saturday might have been one of those.