Interesting take on Oregon OSU finish

[FanatiCat]

When I was watching I was calling out to the TV for Oregon to take a time out because their defense looked confused. The 12 men on the field was by design which was a pretty big gamble at that spot in the field. It took the ball from the 43 to the 38 and ran 4 seconds off the clock, leaving 6 seconds with one timeout for OSU to get in FG range. The 12 men gave Oregon enough advantage in the secondary to prevent a completion. I think it caused enough confusion for OSU and their QB on timing as he ran out the clock scrambling. However, on watching slomo replay he could have safely slid at the 35 at :02 and took a time out with :01, leaving time for a 52 yard FG attempt which is makeable (though not sure how good their FG kicker is).

Interesting gamble. Did they do it because they had less confidence in their secondary and felt that OSU couldn't make a longer FG? I wonder if more teams will try this? It seems to make a lot of sense in some endgame situations, I woudl think moreso if the other team needs a TD and time is more limiting than downs. Just put 12 men (how about 13 or 14???) on the field to give yourself an advantage, and take the 5 yard penalty. 5 yards is better than giving up a completion for 15, and you also get to run time off the clock. If it happens enough maybe they will change the rule that the time goes back on the clock?

https://www.oregonlive.com/ducks/20...g-that-we-had-worked-on-dan-lanning-said.html

 

[phatcat]

Dan Lanning Confirms Oregon's Strategic 12-Men Penalty vs. Ohio State Was Intentional

Dan Lanning seemed to confirm that Oregon intentionally deployed a 12th man in the waning moments of their win over Ohio State.

www.si.com

He did it on purpose

 

[Catreporter]

I'd like to know why Ryan Day chose to throw the ball when the team was already in field goal range during the final minute. Didn't he know about Woody Hayes' dictum that when you pass, two out of three outcomes are bad. (Turns out there was a third bad thing that can happen: offensive pass interference!)

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

Brilliant move, but it only works it situations that are very very similar to this. Doing it with 12 seconds or more makes no sense. The call virtually made OSU’s timeout useless. The best thing OSU could have done is either immediately spike the ball and take the 5 yards or launch it to the end zone since it is a free play. Of course they did neither. The TO should have been used earlier as well. Then the QB botched the clock by running. The OSU players didn’t seem prepared. That’s on the Coaches.

 

[SmellyCat]

I love that he did it on purpose because it's a great "think-outside-the-box" strategy, but it's very very dangerous with a thin margin for error. That five yards could have made all the difference between a game-winning field goal and a long field-goal attempt that was just short of going in. However, if it took precious time off the clock and has the added advantage of throwing Ohio State off its game, then I have to side with "brilliant."

But that's only because it worked. If Ohio State had a second left after the slide and then hit the game-winning field goal, my guess is we would've heard nothing about how they did it on purpose.

 

[phatcat]

I'd like to know why Ryan Day chose to throw the ball when the team was already in field goal range during the final minute. Didn't he know about Woody Hayes' dictum that when you pass, two out of three outcomes are bad. (Turns out there was a third bad thing that can happen: offensive pass interference!)

He's probably stung from the two times he tried to settle for a FG (GA and Mich) and lost.

 

[hdhntr1]

Brilliant move, but it only works it situations that are very very similar to this. Doing it with 12 seconds or more makes no sense. The call virtually made OSU’s timeout useless. The best thing OSU could have done is either immediately spike the ball and take the 5 yards or launch it to the end zone since it is a free play. Of course they did neither. The TO should have been used earlier as well. Then the QB botched the clock by running. The OSU players didn’t seem prepared. That’s on the Coaches.

Was that a new rule on the running of the clock after the penalty? I mean it was in the last two minutes as well. But they should know the rules whatever they are. IU saw a lot of stupidity and poor fundamentals in that game by dOSU. I mean on one pass play it took the guy 25 yds to tackle the receiver and a lot of other poor tackling of receivers all night long

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

If it happens enough maybe they will change the rule that the time goes back on the clock?

If there is one thing I have learned about sports it is this...

If a perennial power like Ohio State is negatively impacted by a rule that doesn't make a lot of sense, that rule will change very quickly.

 

[dillonpgp]

Just put 12 men (how about 13 or 14???) on the field to give yourself an advantage, and take the 5 yard penalty. 5 yards is better than giving up a completion for 15, and you also get to run time off the clock. If it happens enough maybe they will change the rule that the time goes back on the clock?

The “unfair act” clause of the rule book still exists that gets into the murky area of deciding “intent”. That would declare playing 13/14 on a single play unsportsmanlike and resulting in a 15 yd penalty.

One possible solution would be to treat 12 men on the field as a dead ball rather than a live ball foul. The difference is blowing the play dead (as happens when defensive offsides is upgraded to unabated to the quarterback for safety.). Blowing the play dead would put a few seconds back on the clock but would also cancel the opportunity for a free play. If OSU had completed a long pass against 12 (intentional) defensive players, oSSu would have declined the penalty, accepted the time off the clock and tried to win the game with a FG.

You can’t have it both ways. If you take the free shot, you have to accept the “free play” time elapsed will not be restored if you don’t succeed.