1:40 left, 4th and 29, 2 time outs, you punt the ball

[Gurleyman]

Not that it makes a huge difference to the calculations, but there was 1:48 left when the timeouts were called. 1:40 was what was left on the clock after the 4th down play.

So maybe we would have had closer to 40 seconds on the clock and not 30.

But my math was off due to figuring equal punts without factoring the wind (game wasn't on TV out west). You would have to get a break for that to happen - a good roll for us (which eats up more clock), or a shank for then, or a good return which would be unlikely since we would sell out for a block.

Either way, certainly not the egregious error I thought at the time. You'd probably need a long drive of 50 yards or so just to have a chance at a FG.

 

[whaler11]

You'd need 40 yards minimum with less than 25 seconds and no timeouts. Punting was a fantasy.

 

[Devland]

You'd need 40 yards minimum with less than 25 seconds and no timeouts. Punting was a fantasy.

Yeah I don't get how people think there would be 50 seconds left if they got the ball back after a punt. If they decide to punt and not use the timeout of 4th down they lose 20 seconds by the time they get the punt team on the field, punt the ball and the ball is either downed or fielded. On 1st and 2nd down when they call time outs they lose 5 seconds with each play Michigan runs. On third down Michigan runs another play and the play clock for 4th down doesn't start until the referee pulls the ball out of the pile and spots it (minimum 10 seconds). Michigan then lets the 40 seconds run off the play clock. That leaves 28 seconds left before the punt play. After the punt UConn has around 20 seconds left when they get their offense on the field. If they get in field goal range in 2 plays from there, the team has to still clock the ball to get the field goal team out there.

 

[Gurleyman]

Yeah I don't get how people think there would be 50 seconds left if they got the ball back after a punt. If they decide to punt and not use the timeout of 4th down they lose 20 seconds by the time they get the punt team on the field, punt the ball and the ball is either downed or fielded. On 1st and 2nd down when they call time outs they lose 5 seconds with each play Michigan runs. On third down Michigan runs another play and the play clock for 4th down doesn't start until the referee pulls the ball out of the pile and spots it (minimum 10 seconds). Michigan then lets the 40 seconds run off the play clock. That leaves 28 seconds left before the punt play. After the punt UConn has around 20 seconds left when they get their offense on the field. If they get in field goal range in 2 plays from there, the team has to still clock the ball to get the field goal team out there.

Good point that clock was running. You're right - punting wasn't an option once Whitmer didn't get rid of it. Once we called the TO to stop the clock, we had to go. For some reason, I had thought clock was stopped.

Some bad game management mistakes by Whitmer, really - getting sacked on the fringe of FG range up 14, getting sacked there, and the INT up 7 right after we had a momentum-gaining fourth down stop. You can blame the line on the sacks too, but those are the little plays that QBs have to make.

 

[willie99]

how many times has anyone seen a team make a 1st down on 4th and 29? or how about 3rd and 29, since there is a lot more data to use

I'm going with < 5 (that's the dream right there)

how many times have you seen a team get 30 to 40 yards with 30 to 40 seconds left? I'm going with a whole lot more

the team was in deep chit at 4th and 29, the issue is what long shot gives you the best chance

BTW: I agree with the comment above that a timeout should have been used after 2nd down. great point

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

Punt. My God.

My only gripe about the whole deal was after P lamented about not getting Hemingway help he leaves him out there on an island to get destroyed by the DE to set up the 4 & forever. I'm just glad P can learn from previous mistakes.

It gives me no pleasure to pick on him but if Hemingway is our 3rd best OT next year should be fun.

 

[junglehusky]

I'll just put this here.

"Going through my mind on those two timeouts was the first one was to see how they were lining up and just to see what the coverage was going to be and what the front was going to be. The second time, I thought they figured out what we were trying to do, so we put wide receiver Geremy [Davis] on the other side. We tried to change the formation on them, which worked, so Chandler had the option to either go inside or go outside. They were kind of both open, so he took the inside guy and the safety just came back over to Deshon and just stopped him a couple yards short."

 

[bertieboy]

Punting the ball in that situation would have been completely stupid and would have said, "We give up."

 

[willie99]

"we give up"

OMG

 

[ruskin]

The view on the Michigan board of this fiasco. The 'when things looked bleak' one is funny & sad at same time

UCONNs Timeouts

Did anyone else think at the time that UCONN blew the chance at another possession when they used their last 2 timeouts with like 1:45 to go on 4th and 30? They could have even punted there(I wouldn't have), but at the very least just throw a hail Mary and keep your TOs. That would have forced a fragile UM team to get a first down or have to punt the ball back with 55ish seconds to go.

I couldn't believe it when they called the second. Thought that..
was terrible mismanagement of the clock.

when things looked bleak...
i reminded myself that paul pasqualoni was on the other sideline...

Yes. I generally hate punting late, but...
...thought that they should have kicked with two timeouts.

Re: I couldn't believe it when they called the second. Thought that..
You're completely right, it's amazing how often collegiate coaches mismanage the clock, even ones a lot better than Paul Pasqualoni.

 

[hthusky74]

Good point that clock was running. You're right - punting wasn't an option once Whitmer didn't get rid of it. Once we called the TO to stop the clock, we had to go. For some reason, I had thought clock was stopped.

Some bad game management mistakes by Whitmer, really - getting sacked on the fringe of FG range up 14, getting sacked there, and the INT up 7 right after we had a momentum-gaining fourth down stop. You can blame the line on the sacks too, but those are the little plays that QBs have to make.

He is not a field general. He has no concept of what is going on around him. Granted waht is going on isn't good, be he needs to react better.

 

[hthusky74]

Why the second timeout? If they got the first down they would still have less than a minute to play with no timeouts. The brain trust we are seeing is really brain "rust".

 

[freescooter]

the 2 time outs was strange, but pretty much every option was a long shot. to call the punt you have to hope really that Michigan mis-handles it or that they cdon't get a 1st down. Best case, assuming they field the ball, is they get the ball with 1:40 left, run 3 plays taking it down to 50 seconds, run the clock down on the punt, and maybe we get it bakc with 30 seconds. This was one of those situations like throwing into the edzone with the clock running down. Usually it won't work but given all the other options, it was the best one out there. Add a field goal kicker who is not better than a crap shoot from over 40, and I'm not sure it was really such a bad decision. I wouldn't call 2 time outs but in that situation calling 1 made sense if only to remind various people including you quarterback that you have to get the ball off no matter what and the receivers that they absolutly must get past the first down maker.

 

[businesslawyer]

Look, at that stage there was no option that wasn't a Hail Mary. That having been said, the smartest play would have been to punt. The problem was that for punting to work you had to have the punt team ready to run on the field as soon as the third down play was over. Guess what? They weren't. When 3rd down ended with a sack, and the punt team wasn't already on the sidelines, punting stopped being an option and calling the first TO was fine.

As for the second TO, at that point if you know the play you called had no chance then call the 2d and keep the game alive, rather than just watching your first play not work. But having said that, make a better call. Can you imagine what would have happened had the two Safeties hit Foxx at the same time, keeping him upright, and he got to the 35? But then, needing 10 more yards into the wind, we had no TOs and couldn't move the ball before the clock ran out?

 

[BoatShow]

Punting the ball in that situation would have been completely stupid and would have said, "We give up."

Not even a little bit. I like the chances of our defense stopping them with two timeouts to get the ball back in what would be somewhat decent field position than the option they chose. People are absolutely right. Even if Foxx broke away from the first safety he better have scored because we had no timeouts and we were 40 yards down the field. This offense is not organized enough to get set up that fast.

 

[ruskin]

Watching the replay now it looks a lot worse the second time around time management and organization wise. After the failed out to Foxx on 2nd down (not a bad call, Mich defender made a great play) 2:47 left 3 & 12 at UConn 49. Time out here would have been OK, still plenty of time and one TO in the bag.

But no. Clock keeps running can't see when ball marked for play but the false start comes at 2:15 -- 32 seconds after previous play ended! So now 3rd & 17 at the 44 with clock running. Again, no time out. 11 more seconds tick off until play starts at 2:04 sack comes at 1:57, time out not called until 1:48. Nine more seconds wasted.

52 seconds wasted in a crucial situation. Brutal.

 

[willie99]

Watching the replay now it looks a lot worse the second time around time management and organization wise. After the failed out to Foxx on 2nd down (not a bad call, Mich defender made a great play) 2:47 left 3 & 12 at UConn 49. Time out here would have been OK, still plenty of time and one TO in the bag.

But no. Clock keeps running can't see when ball marked for play but the false start comes at 2:15 -- 32 seconds after previous play ended! So now 3rd & 17 at the 44 with clock running. Again, no time out. 11 more seconds tick off until play starts at 2:04 sack comes at 1:57, time out not called until 1:48. Nine more seconds wasted.

52 seconds wasted in a crucial situation. Brutal.

I had agreed with an earlier post that not calling time out after 2nd down was a big mistake, I agree with everything you just said