OT: Harbaugh blows it
To counterbalance all the Jim Harbaugh trolling here, he just single-handedly lost it for Stanford. Down to Cal 34-28 with no time outs, Stanford threw a swing pass to Toby Gerhart he took about 50 yards inside the 20. With about two minutes to go, Stanford has plenty of time to pound it into the line, run the clock down, and give Gerhart another Heisman highlight.
First down: Stanford throws incomplete.
Second down: Stanford throws again, this time late and over the middle; it's picked off by a Cal linebacker (the receiver was well-covered him anyway).
An unforgivably bad coaching call. They'd come back from having it handed to them, moments from pulling a massive win to cement the rise of the program, and Harbaugh calls a dumb play for a QB who had not been throwing well all night.
November 22nd, 2009 at 2:29 AM ^
FA REALZ?????? HARBAUGH IS LIKE OMG A TERRIBLE COACH.
honestly though its funny when our team messes it up its because the players didn't "execute' the perfect call. when its another team, its the coaches called the wrong play.
I could see it now..."OMG WHY DID TATE SPIKE THE BALL WITH 0:01 LEFT IN THE GAME. RICH CALLED FOR A TOUCHDOWN ON THAT PLAY AND TATE SPIKED IT AHHRHRHRHRHRHRHRHRHRH EXECUTION EHFHHHJSJFJFHF LLOYD CARR FHJFUGUGUGU CUPBOARD BARE FHHFGJFJFUFUFHFURURISNABAUQ AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"
November 22nd, 2009 at 8:46 AM ^
In the sense that you actually had enough time to call running plays if you desired. And Gerhardt is his best player - he should have the ball or be a threat to get the ball at all times. Do I think that R Rod should have called a run on second down rather than a pass after we were having success running the ball prior to the end zone interception? Probably but he put the ball in the hands of the best offensive player we have, which sadly is our freshman quarterback (by the way - shouldn't that say it all about this years team?). If you have Brandon Minor however, you truck that three times and get it in the end zone.
Exhausted or not, you put it in Gerhardt's hands and you get your touchdown. You at least try play action to open up the middle of the field. Not doing that doesn't make Harbaugh a bad coach. His body of work has determined he is not. But it was almost certainly a bad play call, mostly because you didn't let the guy who gets you there take you home. You think if Brandon Minor had trucked dudes for fifty yards, he wouldn't be getting the rock to take it to the house?