That 2nd down goal line call

[CHorn427]

Officially on the Mount Rushmore of dumbest college football play calls of all time.

Should be in a textbook, high on a list of what not to do on the one yard line. 

Unfortunately, Sark now shares in his mentor Pete Carroll’s ignominy on goal line play calling. In goal to go situations, he should definitely try to think more like Saban and less like Carroll. 

[Realist Horn]

I’ve read a few blogs and seen photos where we were out matched on the left side and educated football guys said it should have screamed timeout to Sark. 

Edited January 12 by Realist Horn

[Alex Butler]

31 minutes ago, Realist Horn said:

I’ve read a few blogs and seen photos where we were out matched on the left side and educated football guys said it should have screamed timeout to Sark. 

Would’ve loved Quinn to see this and change the play to dive right or just call a TO

[TXFF]

Another opinion.

Edited January 12 by TXFF

[CHorn427]

8 minutes ago, TXFF said:

Another opinion.

A terrible one

[Robert Gilbert]

14 hours ago, CHorn427 said:

A terrible one

If you are referring to Dan Orlovsky’s opinion, you are wrong. Sark explained in the postgame press conference that the staff decided during prep that if in that situation, they wanted to try to go wide. Did it work? No, but the fact it didn’t work does not make it a bad call.

But to go back to your OP about that play being on the Mt. Rushmore of dump play calls, I believe you are also wrong. Sark is almost unanimously considered one of the best play schemers and callers in college football. Sometimes the bad guys just make good plays and calling out Sark for one call is just wrong IMO. 

[harveycmd]

That call don't mean nothing. I hope Arch took the loss to Ohio State personally, like Kobe took the loss to the Spurs personally in 1999.

[CHorn427]

1 hour ago, Robert Gilbert said:

If you are referring to Dan Orlovsky’s opinion, you are wrong. Sark explained in the postgame press conference that the staff decided during prep that if in that situation, they wanted to try to go wide. Did it work? No, but the fact it didn’t work does not make it a bad call.

But to go back to your OP about that play being on the Mt. Rushmore of dump play calls, I believe you are also wrong. Sark is almost unanimously considered one of the best play schemers and callers in college football. Sometimes the bad guys just make good plays and calling out Sark for one call is just wrong IMO. 

Pete Carroll is almost unanimously considered to be one of the best head coaches in football history. Does that make his Super Bowl decision to pass the ball on the goal line vs the patriots rather than run it with Marshawn Lynch any less stupid? No, it does not. Just like the overall opinion of Sark as a play caller (which I agree with) doesn’t change the fact that this play call was idiotic.

Orlovsky’s opinion doesn’t change it. The staff’s premeditation doesn’t change it. Your opinion doesn’t change it.  Even if it would have WORKED it doesn’t change the fact that it was not a smart play call. Sometimes players make good plays on bad play call. 
 

If you have the ball on the one yard line, throwing the ball backwards to the 10 yard line on the side of the field where defenders outnumber blockers (!) with zero accompanying tricks or misdirection is just a BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD play call. One of the worst of all time. 
 

That doesn’t make Sark one of the worst play callers ever, he is still a great play caller in my eyes and I’m sure most people’s eyes. I just think he is a great play caller that called one of the worst plays of all time. Not mutually exclusive. 

[Garrett Rapport]

Once they saw it was in Man and they had a numbers disadvantage, I think it should’ve been a timeout or audible. What’s the point of motion if you don’t use the info you get from it? 
 

I like Tre a lot, but he’s not dynamic, shifty or quick enough to get this play done with a numbers disadvantage. I mean, even Bijan might not score this. 

[Bobby_Batronic]

It was a terrible, terrible call whose cost benefit analysis made no sense. Getting stuffed and losing a yard to the 2 would have been far more preferable, and I was just sure as could be that some kind of PA to the flat was coming. 

Sark may have been fighting his own demons with the failure to punch it in against OU last year on his mind.

Looking at the numbers, the fact that running outside on OSU has proven to be near impossible all year and that their safeties wouldn't have to back up an inch with coverage responsibilities makes the decision to get wide with Tre even more ignominious.  

Having said that…I kinda get it. Maybe hoping they sell out in the middle and we catch them with the toss. You’d think Blue would be the obvious choice with that in mind, but perhaps that would have tipped intentions. Or maybe it was Tre’s turn in the rotation and they called it anyway. A weakness in this staff imoho is a penchant to make situationally inappropriate calls based on personnel, situation or opponent. We saw two terrible ones at the Cotton Bowl that was the difference in the game. Such are the margins. 

I also understand that we were playing with our backups at all skill positions save TE at that point in the game so options against a legit defense are limited. And Arch was probably dinged from the uncalled targeting on his lone carry. Still, that’s kinda when you want us to display Sark’s X/O acumen with alignment, motion or personnel to try and get that yard. Whether that was an extreme unbalanced alignment, jumbo TE PA pass to Agbo for example, two DT leading Juan Davis on the inside carry or just attempting a tush push with Helm rushing up to take the snap would have been fine.

We all knew we were going to struggle running inside as soon as Baxter went down, and it’s a credit to the staff that they reimagined their rushing attack into OZ  given what we had been emphasizing since last season up to that point and what Sark’s preferred run play is to set up his offense. We all just kinda expected something better considered than a basic toss play on the goal line against that defense.