Sark Malpractice - Going for it on 4 and 1 right before Half

[BillP880]

1. Did anyone on the sidelines consider our success rate over last 2 (3, 4) years running the ball on 3rd or 4th and short?

2.  Why didn't somebody, anybody, call time out to discuss the merits of going for it?

3. The play call - running out of shotgun with "light" running back.  Arch should have called time out, trotted over to the sidelines and asked "...are you sure this is the right call?"

4. The result - gave Gators plenty of momentum going into halftime, and Gators receive 2nd half kick-off.

5.  There was very little upside even if we make it.

6. This bone-head decision is 100% on Sark.

[CJ Vogel]

I asked Sark about the decision to go for it in the postgame presser:

"We felt like we were an aggressive operation, we felt like we had something that could be effective to execute. You run a run and you don't block a guy in the A gap, it's going to be hard. Again, not very good design, not very good execution."

[CJ Vogel]

God forbid you force a first time starting quarterback to drive the length of the football field in a 2-minute drill on the road against a defense that had eaten his lunch all day prior to that moment.

[JMarquette]

10 minutes ago, CJ Vogel said:

I asked Sark about the decision to go for it in the postgame presser:

"We felt like we were an aggressive operation, we felt like we had something that could be effective to execute. You run a run and you don't block a guy in the A gap, it's going to be hard. Again, not very good design, not very good execution."

Wonder who designed the play

[Alex Butler]

17 minutes ago, CJ Vogel said:

God forbid you force a first time starting quarterback to drive the length of the football field in a 2-minute drill on the road against a defense that had eaten his lunch all day prior to that moment.

Yes, exactly. Maybe get another stop with good field position or another return…

[ClubWhatever]

Sark absolutely hates to have momentum 

[Alex Butler]

11 minutes ago, Alex Butler said:

Yes, exactly. Maybe get another stop with good field position or another return…

 

31 minutes ago, CJ Vogel said:

I asked Sark about the decision to go for it in the postgame presser:

"We felt like we were an aggressive operation, we felt like we had something that could be effective to execute. You run a run and you don't block a guy in the A gap, it's going to be hard. Again, not very good design, not very good execution."

This is such a load of crap we’re an aggressive unit. You wanted the glory and you underestimated Florida and their defensive ability to bow up. You had very little to gain and a LOT to lose. As it turns out the best thing would’ve been for arch to throw that int down the field on second down. Or I don’t know, run the screen to bishop on 2nd down?! 

[Deep in the heart]

At the time, I didn't hate the call. But looking at it hind sight and knowing what I've confirmed about Conner Robertson, it was a bad call.

[Hookem72]

He wants to be Kirby so bad.  But he aint Kirby.  

[Stevekap]

Even if we picked up 1st down no guarantee of points it was an extremely bad decision 

[tsip92]

2 hours ago, ClubWhatever said:

Sark absolutely hates to have momentum 

Sark fundamentally doesn’t believe in complimentary football.  Nor does he recognize that his offense’s primary responsibility at this point is to not leave an elite defense consistently exposed by their ineptitude.

[charlie990]

If you can’t get a 4th and 1 reliably you might as well throw in the towel on the season, so I get it

[CoachBobbyFinstock]

Both of Sarkisian’s 4th down attempts got stuffed and led to two Florida TDs off short fields.

Not understanding the situation that you have a team led by your defense and a first time starter. Going 80-95 yards as opposed to 50 or less is common sense.

A week prior he didn’t go for it and kicked a FG that missed. 
 

Sarkisian hasn’t learned from anything. 

[Assistant Regional Manager]

Almost all coaches are going for that. It’s 4th and 1 foot at midfield and you had moved the ball well up to that point and just picked up 14 yards the play before. 

[TexasLonghorns]

5 minutes ago, Assistant Regional Manager said:

Almost all coaches are going for that. It’s 4th and 1 foot at midfield and you had moved the ball well up to that point and just picked up 14 yards the play before. 

Context matters. You’re up 17–3 with under three minutes left in the half against a freshman QB making his first start. You fail on fourth down at midfield, hand Florida a short field, and they score before halftime. They then score 17 more unanswered points and turn a 17–3 deficit into a 27–17 lead. That’s 24 straight points. The issue isn’t whether other coaches go for it. It’s understanding the game situation, managing risk, and recognizing when you don’t need to gamble. That’s coaching.

[TexasLonghorns]

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Edited 1 hour ago by TexasLonghorns

[Assistant Regional Manager]

4 minutes ago, TexasLonghorns said:

Context matters. You’re up 17–3 with under three minutes left in the half against a freshman QB making his first start. You fail on fourth down at midfield, hand Florida a short field, and they score before halftime. They then score 17 more unanswered points and turn a 17–3 deficit into a 27–17 lead. That’s 24 straight points. The issue isn’t whether other coaches go for it. It’s understanding the game situation, managing risk, and recognizing when you don’t need to gamble. That’s coaching.

All the more reason to go if you trust your defense and are facing a backup QB. A Florida drive starting at midfield shouldn’t scare you.

And the decision would have worked out either way if said defense didn’t allow a 4th and 12 conversion to that backup QB right after.

[Steamboat Willie]

More curious about why the snap wasn’t taken under center. 

[DRAG69]

I don’t mind going for it but I hated handing the ball off five yards deep.

Arch should have been under center.

[TexasLonghorns]

3 minutes ago, Assistant Regional Manager said:

All the more reason to go if you trust your defense and are facing a backup QB. A Florida drive starting at midfield shouldn’t scare you.

And the decision would have worked out either way if said defense didn’t allow a 4th and 12 conversion to that backup QB right after.

If you trust your defense against a freshman QB, why hand him the ball at midfield with under three minutes left? Make him drive the length of the field. And the fourth and 12 conversion doesn’t excuse the original decision. Two bad plays don’t somehow make the first one a good coaching decision. That’s situational football, something Sark has repeatedly struggled with. And it’s exactly why his decision making and play calling responsibilities are under serious scrutiny.