Chip Scoggins: Michigan punt gaffe stirs memories for ex-Gopher Kucek

[BleedGopher]

Thanks for the memories Chip!

Along with the Michigan collapse, this was the worse I felt after a Gopher football game.

Per Chip:

Justin Kucek knows better than anyone the pain and probably shock that Michigan punter Blake O’Neill feels right now. He lived that same nightmare exactly 10 years and two days prior to O’Neill’s gaffe.

He didn’t let his mistake define him or ruin his career. He didn’t allow a few idiots cause him to withdraw into a shell. Kucek walked into the postgame press room that day with tears in his eyes and answered every question.

“It didn’t feel good going in there,” he admitted, “but I knew if I went in and owned up to what happened that it would help me in the long run.”

Kucek went on to become an All-Big Ten punter. He earned his degree, has forged a successful business career and just recently got married.

He made a heartbreaking mistake as a player, accepted it and continued to move forward in life.

“You realize that life is not always going to be perfect for you,” he said. “If it is, God bless you. There’s always tribulations that go on in your life. I don’t think I would be where I am today if I hadn’t dropped that punt. It helped me look at things from a different angle, just be positive in everything.”

Here’s hoping that Blake O’Neill can find a similar path and perspective once his disappointment subsides.

http://www.startribune.com/michigan-punt-gaffe-stirs-memories-for-ex-gopher-kucek/334412191/

Go Gophers!!

 

[maliksealy]

I immediately thought of that play on Saturday night. I watched the youtube video tonight just to relive the agony.

 

[EG#9]

There was a very strong chance the Gophers were going to lose that game even if Kucek gets off that punt.

 

[beavergopher]

There was a very strong chance the Gophers were going to lose that game even if Kucek gets off that punt.

If Mason was not squinting at the score board, he would have had somebody(not the punter) run into the end zone to burn off a few seconds and take a safety. Free kick and the game was won.
When he started squinting, you knew things were not going to end well. It was ultimately a coaching gaffe. The poster child play for Gopher football.

 

[Ski U Mah Gopher]

I'm surprised that Scoggins didn't ask Kucek if he has tried to reach out to O'Neill in the last couple of days.

 

[Blackhammer]

If Mason was not squinting at the score board, he would have had somebody(not the punter) run into the end zone to burn off a few seconds and take a safety. Free kick and the game was won.
When he started squinting, you knew things were not going to end well. It was ultimately a coaching gaffe. The poster child play for Gopher football.

LOL My darkest moment as a Gopher fan. Mase went into a squinting, grinning trance during meltdowns.

 

[Zeppelin Gopher]

I will go to my grave believing that we should've gone for it on that 4th & 1. Try to win the game behind our excellent line and Gary Russell.

 

[ruppertflywheel]

I'd have to look but I don't belive Russell was ever tackled for a loss. We ran up and down the field on Wisconsin that night. Even if Wisconsin had put 10 in the box Russell would've got the yard and maybe hit a seem and ran it for a TD.

 

[howeda7]

There was a very strong chance the Gophers were going to lose that game even if Kucek gets off that punt.

Yes. This. It was still awful, but it only increased the chances of losing from 70% to 100%.

 

[Gopherguy0723]

True Story:

I had a class with Kucek a couple days a week in the morning. On Monday morning after the infamous game, the professor walks into class and the first thing he talks about is how unbelievable it was that the punter blew the game against the Badgers. The professor had no idea the punter was one of his students in a class of 20 or so.

I felt so bad for Kucek.

 

[GopherRock]

I will go to my grave believing that we should've gone for it on that 4th & 1. Try to win the game behind our excellent line and Gary Russell.

Two plays prior to the punt in question, IIRC it was 2nd and 3. The greatest rushing offense in college football couldn't get 3 yards in two tries.

Punting was the right decision, but not reminding Kucek what to do if things went haywire was all on Glen.

Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk

 

[Nomellini]

Zeppelin Gopher- Exactly- Maroney had 3 carries and didn't get the 10 yards. Russell should have been in the game to get those get those carries.Mason's decision to punt was based on his confidence in a defense that was gassed/in shock. If the punt gets off, Wisconsin gets into field goal range and it's game over. In the aftermath, Maroney said he didn't really finish his 3rd down carry because he was sure he had the first down! Amazing.

 

[BAJJERFAN]

Zeppelin Gopher- Exactly- Maroney had 3 carries and didn't get the 10 yards. Russell should have been in the game to get those get those carries.Mason's decision to punt was based on his confidence in a defense that was gassed/in shock. If the punt gets off, Wisconsin gets into field goal range and it's game over. In the aftermath, Maroney said he didn't really finish his 3rd down carry because he was sure he had the first down! Amazing.

A FG would only have tied the game.

 

[Nomellini]

BAJJERFAN- Thank you for correcting me. I think, however, that overtime would merely have delayed the inevitable. Minnesota had a back-up quarterback in the game who hadn't done much with his arm while Wisconsin was rolling.

 

[BAJJERFAN]

BAJJERFAN- Thank you for correcting me. I think, however, that overtime would merely have delayed the inevitable. Minnesota had a back-up quarterback in the game who hadn't done much with his arm while Wisconsin was rolling.

Really no way to know since the FG wasn't guaranteed.

Please do us a favor and chit on Iowa's parade.

 

[gopher7]

Thanks for the memories Chip!

Along with the Michigan collapse, this was the worse I felt after a Gopher football game.

Per Chip:

Justin Kucek knows better than anyone the pain and probably shock that Michigan punter Blake O’Neill feels right now. He lived that same nightmare exactly 10 years and two days prior to O’Neill’s gaffe.

He didn’t let his mistake define him or ruin his career. He didn’t allow a few idiots cause him to withdraw into a shell. Kucek walked into the postgame press room that day with tears in his eyes and answered every question.

“It didn’t feel good going in there,” he admitted, “but I knew if I went in and owned up to what happened that it would help me in the long run.”

Kucek went on to become an All-Big Ten punter. He earned his degree, has forged a successful business career and just recently got married.

He made a heartbreaking mistake as a player, accepted it and continued to move forward in life.

“You realize that life is not always going to be perfect for you,” he said. “If it is, God bless you. There’s always tribulations that go on in your life. I don’t think I would be where I am today if I hadn’t dropped that punt. It helped me look at things from a different angle, just be positive in everything.”

Here’s hoping that Blake O’Neill can find a similar path and perspective once his disappointment subsides.

http://www.startribune.com/michigan-punt-gaffe-stirs-memories-for-ex-gopher-kucek/334412191/

Go Gophers!!

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't this also happen?

1. Someone for the Gophers (Kyle McKenzie?) got a personal foul after Wisconsin's previous TD, allowing them to try and onsides kick from the 50.
2. Then, somehow the onsides kick got booted 40 yards downfield, pinning us back inside our 10 yard line, which is what set this whole thing up.

I remember this being a nearly inexplicable combination of events that even allowed this to happen. Then to add insult to injury, Jakari Wallace fumbled away the following kickoff.

 

[Zeppelin Gopher]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't this also happen?

1. Someone for the Gophers (Kyle McKenzie?) got a personal foul after Wisconsin's previous TD, allowing them to try and onsides kick from the 50.
2. Then, somehow the onsides kick got booted 40 yards downfield, pinning us back inside our 10 yard line, which is what set this whole thing up.

I remember this being a nearly inexplicable combination of events that even allowed this to happen. Then to add insult to injury, Jakari Wallace fumbled away the following kickoff.

I believe it was Dom Jones who committed the personal foul, but correct. Just a crazy chain of events.

 

[BAJJERFAN]

True Story:

I had a class with Kucek a couple days a week in the morning. On Monday morning after the infamous game, the professor walks into class and the first thing he talks about is how unbelievable it was that the punter blew the game against the Badgers. The professor had no idea the punter was one of his students in a class of 20 or so.

I felt so bad for Kucek.

There was a similar story about former Badger QB Jim Sorgi who went to visit a young patient in a hospital the day after a somewhat poor performance on the field. The boy's mother in his presence took to berating the QBs performance the previous day without knowing who he was. Sheesh!

 

[gopher7]

I believe it was Dom Jones who committed the personal foul, but correct. Just a crazy chain of events.

Good memory.

The special teams dramatics would not have been possible without Williams' 21-yard touchdown reception, which culminated a 7-play, 71-yard drive and brought UW within 34-31.

Just after Williams caught the ball, UM's Dominic Jones grasped his facemask and was assessed a personal foul. The penalty allowed UW to kickoff from the 50 instead of the 35.
Ken DeBauche's ensuing onside kick bounced off UM's Trumaine Banks and ricocheted like a rocket off Zach Hampton's knee, catapulting down field. UM tailback Laurence Maroney, the one deep man, tracked it down at the 8.

"(Zach) said it was coming right at him, he was ready to get it and it hit off his knee," Stellmacher said. "He said he couldn't have lived with himself if we would have lost that game."

UM took possession with 2:10 left to play. Two Maroney runs brought up third-and-three at the 15 and UW burned its last timeout with 1:19 left. A first down would have allowed the Gophers to run out the clock, but linebacker Mark Zalewski stopped Maroney a yard short.

http://www.scout.com/college/wisconsin/story/452914-badgers-believe-block-punt-for-win

 

[GopherOhana]

Mason's ... confidence in a defense

? did that really exist?

didn't Mason once use Jermaine Mays to rush the passer in a prevent defense? and i think Mays was the only one of the three to get close to the qb

 

[Zeppelin Gopher]

"Two Maroney runs brought up third-and-three at the 15 and UW burned its last timeout with 1:19 left. A first down would have allowed the Gophers to run out the clock, but linebacker Mark Zalewski stopped Maroney a yard short."

Ugh. He got 9 yards on 3 carries. Should've gone for that 4th and 1!!

 

[Spoofin]

Zeppelin Gopher- Exactly- Maroney had 3 carries and didn't get the 10 yards. <b>Russell should have been in the game to get those get those carries.</b>Mason's decision to punt was based on his confidence in a defense that was gassed/in shock. If the punt gets off, Wisconsin gets into field goal range and it's game over. In the aftermath, Maroney said he didn't really finish his 3rd down carry because he was sure he had the first down! Amazing.

LOL. Easy to say now. Not giving the ball to Maroney (over Russell) at the time would have been ludicrous.

 

[Zeppelin Gopher]

LOL. Easy to say now. Not giving the ball to Maroney (over Russell) at the time would have been ludicrous.

Not ludicrous at all. Most people would agree that Russell was a much better short yardage back than Maroney was.

 

[Spoofin]

Not ludicrous at all. Most people would agree that Russell was a much better short yardage back than Maroney was.

Ha. You give the ball to your best player with the game on the line. If we had given it to Russell and he got 9-yards on 3 carries we would still have threads on GH bitching about how we took the ball out of the hands of our best player. "Should have given it it Russell" is total Monday Morning Quarterback / Hindsight is 20:20 syndrome.

 

[WanderingGopher]

If Mason was not squinting at the score board, he would have had somebody(not the punter) run into the end zone to burn off a few seconds and take a safety. Free kick and the game was won.

Wasn't there 38 seconds left when we lined up to punt?

So maybe 30 seconds left when we free kick from the 20 yard line, up 1. Game not over at all. They were passing at will by that point, and only need to get in FG range to win.

Obviously in hindsight that would have been better than getting our punt blocked.