Explain it to me like I'm five years old

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Ewert86PC

Ewert86PC

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It's a home game in the 4th quarter.
There is 0:08 remaining in the game.
We are down by 2 points.
It is 3rd down.
We have the ball on the opponent's 27 yard line which is in field goal range.
The ball is spotted almost directly in the middle of the hash marks in the center of the field, which align squarely with the goal posts.
We have been running plays in the hopes of being able to kick a field goal to win the game.

Why do we call a running play that gains a yard, at most, screws up the kicking alignment and runs 0:04 off the clock, instead of just attempting a field goal on 3rd down from the middle of the field with 0:08 on the clock?
 

Ewert86PC said:
It's a home game in the 4th quarter.
There is 0:08 remaining in the game.
We are down by 2 points.
It is 3rd down.
We have the ball on the opponent's 27 yard line which is in field goal range.
The ball is spotted almost directly in the middle of the hash marks in the center of the field, which align squarely with the goal posts.
We have been running plays in the hopes of being able to kick a field goal to win the game.

Why do we call a running play that gains a yard, at most, screws up the kicking alignment and runs 0:04 off the clock, instead of just attempting a field goal on 3rd down from the middle of the field with 0:08 on the clock?
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And actually risks the clock running out if the running back stays upright for four more seconds but doesn't score. Risks a fumble. Risks a penalty. Prevents you from having another shot at the field goal if somehow you fumble the snap on fourth down instead of 3rd.

Mind boggling.
 


The only reasons to run a play there is to:

1. Kneel the ball at the center of the field or RUTM to the center of the field.
2. Pass the ball 10-15 yards down the field and trade perfect alignment for a closer kick.

Our play call was inexplicable.
 

I had the same question, especially with some of the confusion on the field on the play prior. There was very little reward and potentially catastrophic risk to running that play.
 


There is a man who tells the player with the ball what to do with the ball. The man who tells the player with the ball what to do has a broken brain and tells the player with the ball the wrong thing over and over. So the player with the ball has no idea what to do and we lose.

Explained like you're five.
 

Ewert86PC said:
It's a home game in the 4th quarter.
There is 0:08 remaining in the game.
We are down by 2 points.
It is 3rd down.
We have the ball on the opponent's 27 yard line which is in field goal range.
The ball is spotted almost directly in the middle of the hash marks in the center of the field, which align squarely with the goal posts.
We have been running plays in the hopes of being able to kick a field goal to win the game.

Why do we call a running play that gains a yard, at most, screws up the kicking alignment and runs 0:04 off the clock, instead of just attempting a field goal on 3rd down from the middle of the field with 0:08 on the clock?
Click to expand...
100%. Missed a FG wide right earlier so we decide to run and risk moving the ball to the right as it almost looked like the play was designed to accomplish?
 

Ewert86PC said:
It's a home game in the 4th quarter.
There is 0:08 remaining in the game.
We are down by 2 points.
It is 3rd down.
We have the ball on the opponent's 27 yard line which is in field goal range.
The ball is spotted almost directly in the middle of the hash marks in the center of the field, which align squarely with the goal posts.
We have been running plays in the hopes of being able to kick a field goal to win the game.

Why do we call a running play that gains a yard, at most, screws up the kicking alignment and runs 0:04 off the clock, instead of just attempting a field goal on 3rd down from the middle of the field with 0:08 on the clock?
Click to expand...
as someone who kicked, the only call that makes sense is the one Dragan makes about where he wants the ball. If he's saying he wants it on such and such a hash, sure. If not, you sneak that fucking rock, pick up 1-3 yards (because statistics show a 44 yarder is easier than a 47 yarder and there's less risk with the same guy holding the ball than handing it off), and take your chances. PJ choked his chicken yet again. there's no mythical magic here. if anything, a left footed kicker should want the ball left hash as the draw is the natural progression of kicking and is 100% why you saw his normal kick hook out left because it's HOW YOU NORMALLY KICK A BALL WHICH ANY COACH SHOULD UNDERSTAND AND NOT PUT YOUR LEFT FOOTED KICKER RIGHT HASH (unless he asks for it there because he wants to kick it left post).
 
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Only justification I can think of for why they ran the play they did was that that is where Kesich wanted the ball for the last kick even though he missed another one from a similar location earlier in the game.

Tough to know with kickers sometimes. Sucks that Kesich missed a very makeable kick for him that would have won the game.

I was really surprised North Carolina didn't call any timeouts once we got into field goal range.
 




Missed the winning kick on national TV opening Thursday. Why run right hash mark?

Which they did again and again. They were good enough to have the plays work but then mishaps.

That's no structural disadvantage for Minnesota. That's not making the play.

Yea, it's college guys, young still learning, so have to put this on the coaches. They were good enough to win, good effort guys, just a couple inches off.
 

That kick looked dead center right up until the end and then went right. Did a random gust of wind come up or something?
 





The coach spilled the milk again on moms wood floor.
 

You guys are over complicating it. The Goph kicker blew the pooch twice while the UNC kicker had ice in his veins. Stop arguing over a two yard hash spot that the kicker should have adjusted for. They hoped Major might bust one for 5+ yards but he didn't. I can guarantee the decision to choose the hole off right tackle was the running back's choice.
 

mnsportsgeek said:
The only reasons to run a play there is to:

1. Kneel the ball at the center of the field or RUTM to the center of the field.
2. Pass the ball 10-15 yards down the field and trade perfect alignment for a closer kick.

Our play call was inexplicable.
Click to expand...
I don’t like speculating and have to assume the kickers preference was a part of, but not the only thing, determining that play call.

Most of the people on here seem fine with just running it for a couple yards and kicking it and just disagree with the direction of the run. I disagree and instead agree with your option two, go for the WIN and try a pass for 10-15 yards or so.

I'm frustrated with PJ, once again, taking the safest route possible instead of going for the win. He instead went for a coin flip, long kick try, under extreme late game pressure. Make that kick a LOT easier on the kicker by passing on third down with a quarterback that was playing well late in the game. That is NOT an easy kick under all that pressure and especially for a kicker that already missed a short one easier in the game.

It seems like coaches often go for the long kick and put all the pressure on the kicker rather than put the pressure on themselves to call a good play that involves a little risk (it's called the forward pass) to make it much easier. It reminds me of the long kick Ryan Day tried with Ohio State trying to go to the national championship game vs. Georgia a couple years ago. We all knew that was a very difficult kick and their kicker just shanked it. You don't often see shanks like that in normal game situations, but you see them a lot when the pressure is the highest.

https://www.google.com/search?q=ohi...ate=ive&vld=cid:dacdc565,vid:1LHxuTW8E10,st:0
 

It would be nice for once to feel like PJ could outsmart somebody.
Great motivational speaker - but I'm really not so sure he's very smart.

Dude's a salesman most of all. I don't think he's a grifter, but I do think he's a salesman.
 

A 45+ yarder is hardly a gimme. I would have preferred to run another pass play to try to get another 5-10 yards.

As mentioned elsewhere, we don't know for sure where Kesich prefers to have the ball spotted. It's possible he likes it closer to the right hash. But if they wanted to keep it down the middle and run it, then I would have just done a QB sneak.
 

GophersInIowa said:
A 45+ yarder is hardly a gimme. I would have preferred to run another pass play to try to get another 5-10 yards.

As mentioned elsewhere, we don't know for sure where Kesich prefers to have the ball spotted. It's possible he likes it closer to the right hash. But if they wanted to keep it down the middle and run it, then I would have just done a QB sneak.
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Sat next to the kickers family last night. Let’s just say his grandma does not enjoy coming to the games. She was a nervous wreck from start to finish. I think his family was stunned when he missed the first one and then they skeedaddled pretty quickly after the second miss.
 

Mr. 131 said:
It would be nice for once to feel like PJ could outsmart somebody.
Great motivational speaker - but I'm really not so sure he's very smart.

Dude's a salesman most of all. I don't think he's a grifter, but I do think he's a salesman.
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I think a future HC job at UCLA is off the table...
 

It's not like throwing the ball was a gimme last night. I was fine with the decision to run the ball and call a timeout to control the clock. The RB chose the hole, which is a split-second decision. They will talk about it in film review but when big bodies and colliding you run to daylight.

Kesich is a good kicker. If I were PJ I would also have been less-concerned about placement and more concerned about picking up a few more yards and ensuring that the clock struck zero as the kick sailed through the uprights.

Things don't always work out. That last line is my 5yr old explanations.
 

upnorthkid said:
as someone who kicked, the only call that makes sense is the one Dragan makes about where he wants the ball. If he's saying he wants it on such and such a hash, sure. If not, you sneak that fucking rock, pick up 1-3 yards (because statistics show a 44 yarder is easier than a 47 yarder and there's less risk with the same guy holding the ball than handing it off), and take your chances. PJ choked his chicken yet again. there's no mythical magic here. if anything, a left footed kicker should want the ball left hash as the draw is the natural progression of kicking and is 100% why you saw his normal kick hook out left because it's HOW YOU NORMALLY KICK A BALL WHICH ANY COACH SHOULD UNDERSTAND AND NOT PUT YOUR LEFT FOOTED KICKER RIGHT HASH (unless he asks for it there because he wants to kick it left post).
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I think that Kesich likely likes to kick it from the right hash for whatever reason. My problem is if it's from the middle of the field, it would be literally the shortest distance to the goalpost and it would seem to allow for a larger margin of error in the kick. But I'm no expert.
 

1994Convert said:
It's not like throwing the ball was a gimme last night. I was fine with the decision to run the ball and call a timeout to control the clock. The RB chose the hole, which is a split-second decision. They will talk about it in film review but when big bodies and colliding you run to daylight.

Kesich is a good kicker. If I were PJ I would also have been less-concerned about placement and more concerned about picking up a few more yards and ensuring that the clock struck zero as the kick sailed through the uprights.

Things don't always work out. That last line is my 5yr old explanations.
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we passed the entire length of the field (and one section twice after the holding). you play to optimize your win odds and he didn't do that numerous times (playing for FGs and playing for a long FG attempt at the end). Kesich is a good if not great kicker. But even the kickers that made the most FGs from last year from over 40
Auburn for TX: 11/16; rest 18/19
Nicholson for MI (OH): 10/11; rest 17/17
Hale for OK St: 9/14; rest 16/18
Reichard for Bama: 12/15; rest 10/10

Those ten yards don't seem like a ton but they let a guy take an easier swing at it.
 

Gophers defense was good enough.

Gophers offense was not good enough.

Gophers had a chance to win the game with a last second FG.

The kicker missed.

The end.
 

scools12 said:
Gophers defense was good enough.

Gophers offense was not good enough.

Gophers had a chance to win the game with a last second FG.

The kicker missed.

The end.
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Not shit talking here (I generally agree with your sentiment), but technically the offense was good enough to get us in a position to win. I'd argue coaching killed any chance we had to take this away from the kicker's foot. Brosmer may actually be good to very good, but all we got was a 2 minute drill to actually see him sling it. I hate our offensive gameplan.

I was consistent as a rah rah PJ guy last year when we sucked because I felt we were due for an outlier year, but I also stated if it appeared that the offense would be the same this year and wouldn't move the ball aggressively when the ball needed moving, I would start to turn a corner. I'm turning the corner. Fix it, PJ.
 


MNVCGUY said:
Only justification I can think of for why they ran the play they did was that that is where Kesich wanted the ball for the last kick even though he missed another one from a similar location earlier in the game.

Tough to know with kickers sometimes. Sucks that Kesich missed a very makeable kick for him that would have won the game.

I was really surprised North Carolina didn't call any timeouts once we got into field goal range.
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I was wondering if the right side is actually what Kesich prefers usually, and the coaches simply asked him where he wanted the ball so they could run it there with the last play?

I know such an explanation is a lot less satisfying than the coaches must be stupid. ;)
 

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