fake field goal

[S.PadreIsl.Sooner]

I haven't seen this discussed at all here. I felt the fake field goal was a call that never should have been made. I understand that if it works, the coach is a genius. I think that the risk outweighed the benefits in that situation.

I also think the coaches did an awesome job of getting the team ready to beat *.

[meoveryouxinfinity]

how bout we dont take a 5 yard penalty for delay of game and make a 42 yarder :)

[OU Engineer]

Stoops said they wanted to run it because (and i paraphrase):

We didnt feel we had the leg to make one against the wind from there, and we thought we'd give it a shot bc at the least, even with the penalty, pass is incomplete and * gets the ball at their own 31. Nimmo should have known to throw it away but we also should have practiced it more.

After the explanation by stoops I feel a little better about it, plus I know he's still got cojones.

[oupride]

I haven't seen this discussed either. I loved the call, not the ugly result. I understand that with it comes risk, however I would hope the coaches felt that it had a high chance of it succeeding. I have gotten spoiled and used to seeing those calls work picture perfect unlike the dismal display on Saturday.

[olevetonahill]

What else ya gonna do when yer Kicker cant seem to kick his way out of a wet paper bag ?

[stoops the eternal pimp]

I loved the call..The majority of people griping about it are the same one's that say Bob doesn't take chances anymore

[Lott's Bandana]

Uwe and Tony DiRienzo would make that kick...


even today.

[OU Engineer]

cant say the same for Mr. Bleach Tips aka Garrett Hartley...

[btb916]

The execution was god-awful. Ugh. I shudder thinking about it. But I was ok with the call.

[TahoeSOONER]

I didn't like the call personally. Take a time out to avoid the penalty and give your kicker a swat on the *** and send him out there to build his confidence in pressure situations.

Any good kicker would want to make that kick but I trust in Stoops regardless.

[Taxman71]

At the game, the call made me violent, esp. since everyone knew the fake was coming after taking the delay of game penalty (no way you let that happen if you really go after the 3 points). Upon replay at home, it was bad execution. Receiver got tied up at the line and Nimmo should have scrambled to the right. Another second and he had 2 guys freed up in the middle.

[TheHumanAlphabet]

cant say the same for Mr. Bleach Tips aka Garrett Hartley...

Guess the Saints are having second thoughts... Is Hartley still on roster?

[SoonerAtKU]

I think it was a good call and well-defended by Texas. It looked like it was a designed pass to the left flat (don't remember who) but they were blanketed. If we'd needed to get 2-3 yards on it, it would have worked, but we needed 7 and it wouldn't have worked for 7, so Nimmo tried to make something out of it and couldn't. I'd imagine based on Stoops' comments that it would have been a nice bonus if it had worked, but hardly a killer that it didn't.

[htownsooner7]

The call was fine... initially. But, once we add on an extra 5 yards, then the fake has to be that much better (and has much less of a chance of succeeding). Plus, by that point, even the announcers realized that our bigger, more athletic kicker was in on the play despite the fact that Stoops said Stevens would be kicking. I think once we got the penalty, we scrap the fake. Just my two cents.

[BoulderSooner79]

I didn't like the call after the penalty. At 42 yards, they probably believe we are going to try the FG. After the penalty, they have too much time to think about it as well as notice we changed kickers and they certainly know our issues in that dept. Should've bailed and punted.

Without the penalty, good place to try it.

[CrimsonRez]

I am still dumbfounded that OU can not recruit a kicker...The automatic thing to do is go for it on 4th and whatever unless we are within the 25 yard line. I know that sounds bad but thats really what we should do. It seems like we have a better chance of making it on 4th and 10 than kicking a 30+ yard field goal.

[cccasooner2]

Any good kicker would want to make that kick but I trust in Stoops regardless.

Thanks for my new sig. :)

[Boomer.....]

If it works he's a genius. It didn't so he's a moron.

It was a ballsy call that was poorly executed and well defended.

[kbsooner21]

I'm still not real sure how we don't have a decent kicker on the roster.

[sluggo sooner]

Did we tip our hand when we put in the (as of Saturday) back up kicker?

[BoulderSooner79]

Did we tip our hand when we put in the (as of Saturday) back up kicker?

Could be - but I certainly think they had time to notice with the flags. That's when the execution was botched.

[meoveryouxinfinity]

Did we tip our hand when we put in the (as of Saturday) back up kicker?

I thought O'Hara was hurt, Stevens had played fairly well and was given the pseudo- starting job. the job is still basically anyone's

[humblesooner]

My only problem with it is that, since it ended up so horrible, we will not try another trick play the rest of the year.
Even if a D sniffs out a fake and defends it, if you run a fake or trick about once a game (or at least every other game) every opponent left on your schedule has to take practice time to work on trick plays and they are just a little tentative about laying their ears back and bringing it full speed.

[OU Engineer]

My only problem with it is that, since it ended up so horrible, we will not try another trick play the rest of the year.


I disagree. Stoops even said they are going to practice it more now. I don't think we'll pull it out just for the hell of it, but I also don't think this is the same Bob Stoops who tries it once and says, "Well that didn't work so we won't do it anymore

[SoonerPr8r]

Did we tip our hand when we put in the (as of Saturday) back up kicker?

Not necessarily we put in the kicker with the bigger leg. Most people know that Jimmie is inconsistent at best within 35 and Bob has said before that in longer kicks Patty would still be the kicker. It's not like we put Cam Kenny out there to kick.

[meoveryouxinfinity]

Bob believes in execution over everything. And I mean everything.

[Pricetag]

I loved the call..The majority of people griping about it are the same one's that say Bob doesn't take chances anymore
When is the last time OU actually converted a fake or a trick play? It seems to me like the players don't believe when they try something like this. They never seem to be have any confidence in the play, and it tends to result in spectacular failures that make OU look pathetic and give momentum to the other team.

[Salt City Sooner]

I didn't like the call after the penalty. At 42 yards, they probably believe we are going to try the FG. After the penalty, they have too much time to think about it as well as notice we changed kickers and they certainly know our issues in that dept. Should've bailed and punted.

Without the penalty, good place to try it.
Precisely the reason I didn't like the call. With the issues we've had there since Hartley left, UT had a lot less reason to go after the kick & thus fall for a fake. If a shaky kicker is sent out there to try a 40+ yarder, I'm in kick safe mode all day. Prove it to me, kicker.

Personally, considering the way our D was playing, that situation screamed pooch kick to me.

[boomermagic]

I am still dumbfounded that OU can not recruit a kicker...The automatic thing to do is go for it on 4th and whatever unless we are within the 25 yard line. I know that sounds bad but thats really what we should do. It seems like we have a better chance of making it on 4th and 10 than kicking a 30+ yard field goal.




this.

[starclassic tama]

i just thought it was completely obvious we were either going to pooch kick it or fake it. earlier in the game stoops went for it on 4th and 10 when it would have been about the same distance, so obviously he doesn't think the kicker has a shot. so why would texas think we would all of the sudden be confident in our kicker after halftime?

[BoulderSooner79]

*Jimmy* has made a 41 and a 42 yarder in recent games. At that point in the game, a FG would have been important, so I thought is was plausible we kick it. But switching kickers AND the penalty AND the extra yardage needed to convert AND the extra field position we give up on a failure. Well, maybe all that made it more of a surprise - it surprised me. :)

[westbrooke]

I actually thought the kicker switch helped sell the fake, because I thought it was well known that Paddy was our distance kicker. However, it was still a likely fake situation, the delay was inexcusable, and we probably would have been better off just lining up the regular offense after the 5 yards were walked off.

[stoopified]

I love Bob but that was a bonehead call.If you don't trust your kicker,keep your offense on the feild and go for it. Swing pass to DeMarco or drag route to Hanna or Rattaree.

I love Nimmo (he is from ny hometown) BUT while he is a great kid,he was only a slightly above average hs QB.Put the load on Landry's shoulders not the holder.

[NormanPride]

I hated the call. Not because we went for it, but because it was a fake. We had two yards to go and could have run any kind of play to get those yards. Texas' D was gassed.

[jkjsooner]

It was way too predictable. Everyone knows we have crawly kickers and aren't going to kick. Punt and pin them within the 10. It's not a perfect choice but with our kicking game there isn't a good choice.

[jkjsooner]

What else ya gonna do when yer Kicker cant seem to kick his way out of a wet paper bag ?

Punt or line up with Jones behind center. We ain't fooling' anyone.

[recemp]

The wife wanted to know where Jimmy was.
The penalty was inexcusable.
Bob used to gamble with the fake a lot early on. Seems he lost confidence.
After the penalty we shouldn't have done it, but I liked the cajones. He showed a young defense he had confidence in them

[oudavid1]

If Oklahoma had a holder like me........we would have scored.

Just sayin.

[Tear Down This Wall]

I haven't seen this discussed at all here. I felt the fake field goal was a call that never should have been made. I understand that if it works, the coach is a genius. I think that the risk outweighed the benefits in that situation.

I also think the coaches did an awesome job of getting the team ready to beat *.

Here's why it's a stupid call:

-Texas coaches watch game film as well, so they already know we (miraculously) don't have a player of the roster who can reliable hit from over 35.

-Therefore, there is no way in hell Texas believed we were going to hit from 45+.

-Thus, they sent their rushers in on the holder.

-Leaving (again, miraculously) Bob Stoops as the only person on the planet believing the play would work.

It was almost as stupid a call by Stoops as sending out the onside kick team without a deep man.

The reason more isn't said about is that we sacked Texas' QB on the next play...and, they dropped the punt at the end of the game. Basically, their stupidity and mistakes outnumbered ours by just enough - and, when it counted most.

Thank you Texas for sucking this year. It made up for some really stupid coaching decision on our part.

P.S. - Also, thank you for signing hothead Jackson Jeffcoat. His bonehead penalty was the play of the game.

[Tear Down This Wall]

I am still dumbfounded that OU can not recruit a kicker...The automatic thing to do is go for it on 4th and whatever unless we are within the 25 yard line. I know that sounds bad but thats really what we should do. It seems like we have a better chance of making it on 4th and 10 than kicking a 30+ yard field goal.

Agreed. Somehow football never-has-beens like UTEP can find 2-star kickers that drill 57-yard field goals, but we can't find anyone reliable from 35+.

[BoulderSooner79]

...
P.S. - Also, thank you for signing hothead Jackson Jeffcoat. His bonehead penalty was the play of the game.

I have to agree the penalty was huge. However, the guy is going to be a stud and probably gets 2 more cracks at us. (If he is the real deal, he'll be gone in 3 yrs).

[Tear Down This Wall]

We'll see. We also sign highly-rated preps every year. But, I can't recall one ever making as big a bonehead penalty as that one at such a critical juncture of a game.

If he costs someone a game, I'm happy it was them...especially against us!

[cvsooner]

I still think earlier in the season we needed to set up Cam Kenney as the long field goal kicker if we really wanted to sell a fake FG. At least let him try a longer one. He's got a decent leg, and I just have to think his catching skills are better than O'Hara's. Well, okay, maybe not...but he's probably a better runner.

Gutsy call on 4th and 2. Bad call on 4th and 7. Wilson said something in the press conference afterwards about electronic communication issues. I have to think ultimately though it was Bob's call.

Heck, for that matter, maybe they think you're more likely to kick it on 4th and 7...well, in the end, it certainly worked out in a good way when Wort stepped up and made a play.

How's that for stringing together Stoopsian cliches?

[Mike@DW]

Bad call

4th and less than 5 and more than a 40yrd field goal, go ahead and try the fake.

But at 4th and 10 and you don't want to punt and you don't trust your kicker, then just line up with your offense and go for it. Much better chance making it with our offense than a kicker trying to run a play he has never done in a real game

Again, have no problem going for it. Just not like that.

[BoulderSooner79]

How's that for stringing together Stoopsian cliches?

You showed real potential.

[yermom]

Here's why it's a stupid call:

-Texas coaches watch game film as well, so they already know we (miraculously) don't have a player of the roster who can reliable hit from over 35.

-Therefore, there is no way in hell Texas believed we were going to hit from 45+.

-Thus, they sent their rushers in on the holder.

-Leaving (again, miraculously) Bob Stoops as the only person on the planet believing the play would work.

It was almost as stupid a call by Stoops as sending out the onside kick team without a deep man.

The reason more isn't said about is that we sacked Texas' QB on the next play...and, they dropped the punt at the end of the game. Basically, their stupidity and mistakes outnumbered ours by just enough - and, when it counted most.

Thank you Texas for sucking this year. It made up for some really stupid coaching decision on our part.

P.S. - Also, thank you for signing hothead Jackson Jeffcoat. His bonehead penalty was the play of the game.

sending extra guys should make the fake work better not worse

[Tear Down This Wall]

Nobody said anything about extra guys. They had the regular guys who rush in for the block attempt go for Nimmo instead of the kick. It doesn't take anyone extra when you know it's coming.

[landrun]

I hope Stoops learns from this.

As it has been said before, from now on, he should wait until he sees the result a 4th down call before actually making it. ;)

[Joe]

If Oklahoma had a holder like me........we would have scored.

Just sayin.

That's not the kind of holding we need though, perv.;)

[Sooner70]

I assume we're talking about the Nimmo play.

Agree 100% with CrimsonRez. I cannot fathom why OU cannot seem to recruit a credible FG kicking threat outside 25 yd line. There are HS players all over the country that can do that. I cannot figure why OU doesn't seem to get them. Is is just not a priority or what? We probably coulda won 3-4 more games last year if we had a long range, reliable FG kicker.

Back to the Nimmo play. Seemed like a slow motion dud. After the play, I thought "Why didn't Nimmo at least throw a Hail Mary", but then I thought interception & runback. Anyway, seemed like an ill conceived play that went nowhere.

To Mack's credit, the fake punt worked for Texass. OU tried it last year (or year before) and came up short.

[Crucifax Autumn]

The good thing about that play is there aren't 500 04 clones saying we should be starting Captain Nimmo over Landry.

[CrimsonRez]

sending extra guys should make the fake work better not worse

Yes...but when the holder does a naked bootleg and three of their rushers are already 3 yards away from his face when he turns around it doesn't