Wait a minute -- Mack was TOLD to catch the missed FG?

[ruskin]

Unbelievable. I thought it was just a kid brain fart and was willing to give P the benefit of the doubt. Now we're at the point where the guy coaching the team either DOESN'T KNOW THE RULES, got confused about the rule, or was willing to trade a guaranteed 33 yards in a one-possession game for a freaking lightning strike. Either way, all three are bad . . . . .Manuel . . . .Manuel. .. . . Warde. .. . . Manuel?

Here's how Mack described the play following the game.
"Coach told me to go back and catch the ball. I looked up and it was me trying to make a play and help the team. I guess if I would have taken a knee it would have been at the 20 and the offense could have gone somewhere else. I was just trying to make plays.

 

[TheRogers]

I think catching the ball wasn't the problem. It was the decision to take it out that was a brain fart.

 

[Mots010]

Why not just let it drop and get it on the 35-40 or wherever it was kicked? Wasnt that a 50 yrd attempt? Am I missing something here?

 

[huskymedic]

Rest of quote by T-Mack:

"If it happens and it goes positive you see it as a good highlight if it doesn’t come out then you are answering these types of questions. It just depends on what happens but everybody wants to make plays so you can’t get by trying to play it safe."

You have to wonder if they saw something on film? I'm thinking this was a bad call by Buggs in the first place, TM hesitated and by then it was too late.

 

[NEforceUConn]

Why not just let it drop and get it on the 35-40 or wherever it was kicked? Wasnt that a 50 yrd attempt? Am I missing something here?

No you are correct - the coaching decision to have Mack back there has to be the stupidest decision in CF in years.

 

[Dooley]

I am dumbfounded. Let the ball drop and roll out of the back of the end zone, we get the ball at where the MD kicker kicked from. I was 100% sure he was going to miss that kick after watching his warmups. I don't even think Randy was confident that he was going to make the FG, hence his timeout to prep his kids to get down field to tackle Mack. But this is the Pasqualoni era, where knowing the rules is ptional.

 

[UConnDan97]

The only thing I can say is that if we had Nick Williams back there, I'm fine with our player making the catch and taking the chance. It goes without saying that Mack is NOT Williams. Perhaps PP forgot that Williams is in the NFL now...

 

[ruskin]

Guess this is the lightning strike they were going for. . . .Ladies and gentlemen, Larry Taylor. . . . . . Seriously. just let the ball roll dead and get decent field position. Medic - are you saying PP had no idea what Buggs' plan was? I thought there were only three bad scenarios here, but that could very well be No. 4. I did get a kick out of "they must have seen something on film" line, though

 

[huskymedic]

Guess this is the lightning strike they were going for. . . .Ladies and gentlemen, Larry Taylor. . . . . . Seriously. just let the ball roll dead and get decent field position. Medic - are you saying PP had no idea what Buggs' plan was? I thought there were only three bad scenarios here, but that could very well be No. 4. I did get a kick out of "they must have seen something on film" line, though

As you point out - it's not like it never happened before. I'm just saying that as ST Coordinator - Buggs is responsible for that area and could have raised the issue/scouting/idea. I'm pretty sure he didn't run it w/o P's consent (but who the hell knows). Despite supposedly practicing this type of play - I wish I knew they covered ALL the options with TMack prior to play to be sure.

I put no desperation attempt to put points on the board past this crew @ this point.

 

[Stinger92860]

Another uconn no talent, cupboard bare like player.......

 

[BoatShow]

Guess this is the lightning strike they were going for. . . .Ladies and gentlemen, Larry Taylor. . . . . . Seriously. just let the ball roll dead and get decent field position. Medic - are you saying PP had no idea what Buggs' plan was? I thought there were only three bad scenarios here, but that could very well be No. 4. I did get a kick out of "they must have seen something on film" line, though

CFL has 25 yd endzones???

 

[noeynox]

Putting that kid back there to make the decision of whether to let it drop, and take it at 33, catch and down it and get the ball at the 20, or catching the ball running it to God knows where, is putting kids in a position to fail. It's assanine, it shows a disjointed coaching philosophy. Putting him back there forced UMD to take a time out. Should have took that as a minor victory and not put him back there again. Stupid, "smartest guy in the room" , and the play that caused me to lose total faith that these guys can even put together a competent game plan.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

I lost it after this. Just sheer stupidity put on display.

It's not even debatable in the P era, he just makes unequivocally wrong decisions.

 

[junglehusky]

Guess this is the lightning strike they were going for. . . .Ladies and gentlemen, Larry Taylor. . . . . . Seriously. just let the ball roll dead and get decent field position. Medic - are you saying PP had no idea what Buggs' plan was? I thought there were only three bad scenarios here, but that could very well be No. 4. I did get a kick out of "they must have seen something on film" line, though

From 35 yards oot, he missed! And Larry Taylor's gonna bring it oot!

What are you laughing aboot?

 

[Alum86]

LSU ran it back week 1 in scenario like this We ain't them, and this is all on Mr CT HS coaches poster boy, Count Dracula

 

[ruskin]

GDL could wallpaper a Canadian end zone with all his "schemes"

 

[Carl Spackler]

I think it's actually pretty good that not so many people are hung up on this. Or maybe they are, and I haven't seen it. Fielding a missed kick is not as uncommon as it may be perceived to be. The mistake here, was not in fielding the kick, it was in failing to recognize the situation. This is entirely from memory, as I have not re-watched the game, and someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

But I'm pretty sure that Maryland called a timeout as the kick was lining up (Mack was already deep).

THe numbnuts in my section of the stadium were wondering why Randy Edsall would "ice" is own kicker, and having a grand old time with it.

I looked over at my buddies, and we all had recognized that Mack was deep, having all made the conscious decision to only watch football last night, and not think about anything else.

After the timeout, they lined up for the kick, the kick was short, and the entire kick "blocking" unit was in a full sprint from the moment the ball was kicked.

Mack fielded the ball, and ran into a wall of defenders that was filling up lanes like a kickoff return coverage unit.

Just watching football.

 

[SubbaBub]

The problem with the play is that MD was on it from the jump. If you watch the tape the FG unit took off after the kick as if it were a punt. The FG block unit was left in the dust before he caught the ball. By the time he left the endzone he was facing a wall of 9 tacklers with not a blocker in sight.

Should have looked up and let it drop.

Adjustments....

 

[FfldCntyFan]

The problem with the play is that MD was on it from the jump. If you watch the tape the FG unit took off after the kick as if it were a punt. The FG block unit was left in the dust before he caught the ball. By the time he left the endzone he was facing a wall of 9 tacklers with not a blocker in sight.

Should have looked up and let it drop.

Adjustments....

Bingo. The instructions should have been 'If they don't cover a return, take it out of the end zone. If they do, run away from where the ball is going to land.'.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

I think it's actually pretty good that not so many people are hung up on this. Or maybe they are, and I haven't seen it. Fielding a missed kick is not as uncommon as it may be perceived to be. The mistake here, was not in fielding the kick, it was in failing to recognize the situation. This is entirely from memory, as I have not re-watched the game, and someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

But I'm pretty sure that Maryland called a timeout as the kick was lining up (Mack was already deep).

THe numbnuts in my section of the stadium were wondering why Randy Edsall would "ice" is own kicker, and having a grand old time with it.

I looked over at my buddies, and we all had recognized that Mack was deep, having all made the conscious decision to only watch football last night, and not think about anything else.

After the timeout, they lined up for the kick, the kick was short, and the entire kick "blocking" unit was in a full sprint from the moment the ball was kicked.

Mack fielded the ball, and ran into a wall of defenders that was filling up lanes like a kickoff return coverage unit.

Just watching football.

Or, ya know we just could've played it like 99pct of other field goals and taken the ball in great field positron.

Its not rocket science and nobody should try and make it so.

This was asinine from all angles.

 

[Kingspoint]

If memory serves me correctly if the ball doesn't go into the end zone it's a live ball and either team can recover it. And if I recall once again Randy was on the Rules committee so I'm sure he knew that.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Or, ya know we just could've played it like 99pct of other field goals and taken the ball in great field positron.

Its not rocket science and nobody should try and make it so.

This was asinine from all angles.

I disagree. COmpletely. And I'm doing my best from here on out in 2013, to stick to watching football only, and discussing actual football only. We had a player lined up very deep for a kick, which is not an unusual thing to do - at all - and means that there is the option to field the kick if it is short. Maryland called a timeout. The kick was lined up again, we put a player deep again, and the kick was short. Our player fielded it, and began to return it. Maryland had set up an effective kick return coverage and forced the return man, in the middle of the field, all the way to the sideline with about a 8-10 yard return on the kick. I have no idea what thought processes occurred in anyone's head, or what was communicated on the field to whom and how and when. THat's just what happened.

THere is nothing asinine about fielding a short kick. It's actually creative thing to do on the field, to get those all important game changing types of plays. It's a bad decision to run into a full coverage on that kind of kick out of your own endzone, unless you didn't recognize that the coverage was coming. But there I go again, going beyond just football.

The only thing that I know for 100% sure is asinine about that play, was the people in my section of the stadium that were whooping and hollering and swearing at Randy Edsall for "icing" his own kicker.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

It was stupid any way you spin it. As someone mentioned, when you have Devin Hester and NFL.level special teams discipline it can be a smart play.

When you have a complete lack of any organization and a guy who has never proven to be a good return man or has probably never even returned a FG before its stupid.

It's.just P being clueless.

 

[Carl Spackler]

If memory serves me correctly if the ball doesn't go into the end zone it's a live ball and either team can recover it. And if I recall once again Randy was on the Rules committee so I'm sure he knew that.

I'd have to refresh myself on the rule book, but I'm pretty sure that a field goal try is the equivalent of punt, in that it is a dead ball kick. But that's NFL. I'm not sure of the NCAA rule.

I do know that both teams lined up for a field goal try, a TO was called, the field goal try was lined up again, and we had a player deep that fielded a short kick, and began a return into a full field kick coverage that forced him immediately to the sideline.

 

[ruskin]

I disagree. COmpletely. And I'm doing my best from here on out in 2013, to stick to watching football only, and discussing actual football only. We had a player lined up very deep for a kick, which is not an unusual thing to do - at all - and means that there is the option to field the kick if it is short. Maryland called a timeout. The kick was lined up again, we put a player deep again, and the kick was short. Our player fielded it, and began to return it. Maryland had set up an effective kick return coverage and forced the return man, in the middle of the field, all the way to the sideline with about a 8-10 yard return on the kick. I have no idea what thought processes occurred in anyone's head, or what was communicated on the field to whom and how and when. THat's just what happened.

THere is nothing asinine about fielding a short kick. It's actually creative thing to do on the field, to get those all important game changing types of plays. It's a bad decision to run into a full coverage on that kind of kick out of your own endzone, unless you didn't recognize that the coverage was coming. But there I go again, going beyond just football.

The only thing that I know for 100% sure is asinine about that play, was the people in my section of the stadium that were whooping and hollering and swearing at Randy Edsall for "icing" his own kicker.

Please Spack. Listen to yourself. It was not a kickoff, where the ball HAS to be fielded if it's short of the goal line. It's not a punt return where you risk bad field position if you decline to field the ball, especially inside the 20.

It's a missed field goal. You get the ball at the previous line of scrimmage if it's wide, short, hit the goalpost, whatever as long as you don't touch it (did someone above say it's a live ball? yeah, if you Leon Lett it, then it sure is).

Their was zero risk and decent reward had UConn declined to field the field goal. And please don't say "it wasn't that big a deal" because it led to poor field position, gave Maryland momentum, which they eventually parlayed into the pick six

If you're going to take the "trying to make something happen" tack to defend fielding the punt, fine. If that's the case, why didn't PP go for it on fourth down with the game still in doubt. Can't have it both ways.