- Aug 28, 2014
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Okeechobee Joe;n264775 said:Never punting on 4th down is dumb. It needs no explanation. It is call "football" with the emphasis on "foot".
Thank you for your insightful comment. It added so much to the discussion.
Okeechobee Joe;n264775 said:Never punting on 4th down is dumb. It needs no explanation. It is call "football" with the emphasis on "foot".
Since no coach can control the outcome of any single play, the only thing you can do is increase your odds of success...i.e. statistics. Statistics are what dictates just about every play call in every game.MJMGator;n264797 said:Statistics don't win football games.
Zambo;n264967 said:Since no coach can control the outcome of any single play, the only thing you can do is increase your odds of success...i.e. statistics. Statistics are what dictates just about every play call in every game.
lagator;n264772 said:SOS used to go for it on 4th at a much higher percentage than the other SEC coaches during his Florida reign. He didn't need any statistics other than saying something like "if we use 4 downs while the opponent only uses 3 that's a pretty big advantage for our offense".
Instigator;n264713 said:HBO Sports ran a segment on a high school coach who very rarely punts the ball. He had all sorts of statistics that showed the risk vs reward of "giving up possessions" favored going for it on 4th down, no matter the field position. He also kicks onside kicks most of the time using wild formations. It was a very interesting segment and the bottom line was that he is a winning coach and several NFL teams have contacted him to learn his strategies. Professional statisticians even backed up his philosophy
While I don't think his philosophy applied to the same extreme could work in the SEC, and the numbers don't consider human emotion/momentum, I do think we could be much more aggressive with 4th down attempts. Not only does it make sense to try for points whenever possible, it gives the offense a much needed infusion of confidence. In watching the LSU game replay from last year, Muschamp had 2 opportunities to go for it on the opponents side of the field and went with the safe option (shocking, I know). It was sickening even though you felt that we had little chance of getting the needed yards with our junk offense.
I hope Mac will be much more aggressive, even if it means bad field position. I just don't know if all gator fans have the stomach for such risk? Has anyone seen his tendencies on 4th downs from CSU?
Go Gators!
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MJMGator;n264982 said:If it was a sound strategy, many would be doing it. You're basically trying to win games with nothing but offense and saying to hell with playing defense or special teams.
joeblow;n265175 said:I am not a fan of Muschamp, and agreed with the decision to fire him because he didn't win enough games, but this is getting ridiculous with the questioning of now going for it on fourth down, etc. It's like the criticism directed at him for throwing the ball on every down against FSU at the end of the game. It's not like UF was able to run the ball a lick against FSU. Now this. How about him being given credit for running a fake punt against Georgia? That was the key play in the game, and without that bold play call, I think UF would have lost to Georgia. That one call turned around the game and was the spark that led to victory. I know he is despised by many of you, but it's getting to the point of being at ludicrous speed with the "expert" wisdom of hindsight. UF didn't start it's decline with the hire of Muschamp. It began with the departure of Tebow, something that is totally forgotten it seems.
GatorJB;n265243 said:This is from 2013, but here is a link with a video of the high school coach in Little Rock that never punts.
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1849595-high-school-coach-who-never-punts-explains-his-strategy
Zambo;n265498 said:The world is chock full of people who do stuff simply because that is what they know or have been taught, and they do it despite statistics saying that is is smarter to do otherwise.
MJMGator;n265543 said:Still doesn't mean it's a sound strategy. Get a job coaching and go make millions like this guy has.