Field Goal at the End?
Giving Indiana a chance to return a kickoff or throw it into the endzone scared me to death. I was hoping they would take a knee, have Indiana burn its timeouts, and kick the short field goal. Am I crazy? Rich Rod obviously had more confidence in the defense than the kicker.
October 2nd, 2010 at 8:22 PM ^
no, 1-4 on FG, and the angle is worse close ot the goaline. I'm with brian on this: "STOP KICKING THE DAMN BALL"
October 2nd, 2010 at 10:20 PM ^
October 2nd, 2010 at 8:23 PM ^
So rather than have 4 cracks at scoring, you would rather we waste those for the off chance we make a field goal? I say crazy.
October 2nd, 2010 at 8:23 PM ^
October 2nd, 2010 at 8:24 PM ^
No way. I'd rather give them 30 sec and all 3 TO's than kick the FG w/ no time left.
October 2nd, 2010 at 8:24 PM ^
Um, have you watched our first 4 games? Where our kickers are 1 for 5 for the season? Yeah, I rather have Drob score a TD.
October 2nd, 2010 at 8:25 PM ^
Rich Rod is searching for 19 year old soccer players as we speak.
"We have no field goal range"
October 2nd, 2010 at 8:28 PM ^
Why even ask about a hypothetical situation like that?
October 2nd, 2010 at 8:27 PM ^
Put it in Denards hands and all is well. I dont trust our kickers as far as I could throw (or kick) em.
October 3rd, 2010 at 12:18 AM ^
"You're gettin' in this endzone - even if I've got to throw you and the ball over the goal line myself!"
I don't think you argue with him on that.
October 2nd, 2010 at 8:27 PM ^
No but I was thinking that IU might have gone for 2 after that last TD. They had nothing to lose if they don't get it, because as Pam Ward pointed out once or twice during the game IU has not beaten Michigan since 1987.
October 2nd, 2010 at 8:50 PM ^
I thought Kovacs deliberately let the IU back score to preserve 1:00+ on the clock for our drive because it really looked liked they were playing for a last second TD and 2 pt conversion for the win.
October 2nd, 2010 at 8:51 PM ^
the field. Then we would have had a little more pressure because we would have had to score. I think that IU was willing to take thier chances with OT.
I was also expecting IU to try an on-side kick to start the second half.
Does anyone else think that UM should take the ball when we win the toss at the start of the game? If offense is our strength, why not put 7 on the board and take the momentum instead of letting the other team do it to us?
October 2nd, 2010 at 8:58 PM ^
Because we want the momentum in the second half. Grabbing that quick seven-point lead in the third quarter was very helpful.
October 2nd, 2010 at 8:29 PM ^
I trust Denard to make a drop kick before I trust our kickers.
October 2nd, 2010 at 8:48 PM ^
...but a drop-kick FG would be a nice exclamation point for a Heisman campaign.
October 2nd, 2010 at 8:29 PM ^
I'm just glad they didn't run the freaking I-form on that play!!!
Never kick when you have Denard and our line we will score 99/100 times in that position.
October 2nd, 2010 at 8:32 PM ^
I'm sorry, but that is crazy. Never play for a FG if you're confident you can get a TD. We scored a TD, and did it with 17 seconds left. You can't draw it up better than that.
October 5th, 2010 at 6:13 AM ^
we may have drained the clock and kicked a field goal. But we still had a timeout, so why not take a play or two and run denard. The kid can make plays. And frankly I don't trust our kickers even from extra point range.
October 2nd, 2010 at 8:32 PM ^
you mean Shoelace runs it in for a TD, then yes, absolutely.
October 2nd, 2010 at 8:39 PM ^
You try to get too pretty at the end of the game and you know that bad things will happen...
October 2nd, 2010 at 9:15 PM ^
October 2nd, 2010 at 9:22 PM ^
we needed denard to score another goal-ahead touchdown so that heisman train can keep rolling (TOOT TOOT)
October 2nd, 2010 at 9:22 PM ^
Yes, you are crazy.
October 2nd, 2010 at 10:26 PM ^
Just stick it in when you can. We had one fumble on the goal line and weren't about to get cute.
The dumbest thing was that Lewan penalty, though I still haven't seen what he did - - you can't have those things in that situation - he'll be hearing it this week.
Have to say one other thing - Lewan dodged a holding penalty on that last play (the TD) - he had a guy by the shirt. That however is justice - our D-Lineman have been held all year without calls..
October 2nd, 2010 at 9:30 PM ^
Crazy.
Two things that make this season different than most.
1. Avoid FGs at all costs unless it's 4th and more than 6 and/or end of a half.
2. Go for 4th and 6 or less at any point in the opponent's territory.
October 2nd, 2010 at 9:32 PM ^
Seriously??? You would take the ball out the hands of the best player in college football and turn it over our kicker that makes everyone sweat on an extra point? Uh.......No.
October 2nd, 2010 at 9:43 PM ^
touchdowns rule. you're over-thinking this way too much.
October 5th, 2010 at 6:15 AM ^
had a timeout, so it was low risk to try to punch it in. Besides, denard running it in looks better for the highlight rolls. Heisman eeeeeee
October 2nd, 2010 at 9:43 PM ^
play that Robinson ran as a running play that centered the ball for the field goal, in case Robinson didn't make it.
October 2nd, 2010 at 9:48 PM ^
Makes sense to me, you try to punch it in but if you fail you give your kicker the best possible opportunity to make his attempt.
October 5th, 2010 at 6:19 AM ^
The play was QB stretch left out of the wolverine heavy. Would have had the FG attempt at the left hash.
October 2nd, 2010 at 10:29 PM ^
- RichRod said the play Denard scored on was designed to go toward the middle so that a FG kick would be identical to an extra point try. Denard overran the middle, continuing to the left hash and scored. RichRod quote here: http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=302750084
- Michigan has been good on extra points...only missing one (that I remember) vs. Connecticut.
- Getting the FG kickers to hit an important one at a familiar extra point position may help them get the willies out (it's partially mental) and hit longer ones when they count later in the season.
- Running down clock and kicking the FG would eliminate any chance IU could score a TD and win with a 2-pt conversion. Would take some statistics to better compare the two options (quick TD + time left vs FG + no time left + possible OT chance to still win).
- Denard fumbled twice in the game (one lost, one recovered) and sometimes didn't seem all there in the 3rd/4th quarters...on the last drive he seemed unbelievable again, but just saying....
- The poster has a decent point. I'm hoping the best choice was made. Since UM won, the late game playcalling wasn't questioned by the media but would have been had we lost.
October 2nd, 2010 at 10:11 PM ^
So you are saying you would rather lose than win.