From: jones@venus.iucf.indiana.edu (William P. Jones)
Subject: Re: ND vs UM
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.3-4   
Keywords: Holtz
Reply-To: jones@venus.iucf.indiana.edu
Organization: NASA-Ames Research Center
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1992 14:13:20 GMT

In article <1992Sep14.133501.22139@wl.com>, 
wyborsr@wl.com (Russ Wyborski) writes...
>	The only problem that I have with the play calling at the
>end of the ND-UM game was that the Irish weren't ready to run their
>secoond down play right after the 1st down play. Was that because they
>were playing for a tie or because they don't know how to run a 
>2-minute offense? I think that it was more the latter because if you
>look at the end of the 1st half a simliar thing happened. After the UM
>touchdown, ND started with the ball around the 25 yard line (better field
>position than at the end) and made very little effort to get the ball
>down the field for a field goal attempt. Why has no  one mentioned that
>in all the conversation of the game. 3 points there would have meant the
>same as 3 points at the end.
>	Let's face it, whether ND was going for a win or a tie they
>couldn't afford to give Michigan the ball back by punting from the 15
>yard line. If you remember, ND punted I think 3 times and two of those
>snaps skipped to Hentreich. Something about the long snapper being injured.
>The last thing that they wanted to do was to have a lousy snap, a lousy
>punt, and give Michigan a chance to win at the end.
>	Michigan was in a different position at the start of their 
>last drive. They started on the twenty and had 6 minute to go. So even
>if they punted and ND scored they might get the ball back again. And 
>correct me if I am wrong but there first 3 plays in the drive were runs
>and before the interception I think that there was only one pass. So I 
>really don't think that they were pulling out the stops to move up the
>field. This is pure conjecture, but do people really think that if the 
>situation was reversed, Moeller would have started throwing the ball from
>his own 12 yard line?
>	Lost in all the talk is the fact that in situations like this you
>go with your strengths. If you are Miami, you throw the ball. If you are
>BYU, you throw the ball. But if you are ND you run the ball to get some
>room and then you think about passing to get it up field. The big mistake
>that ND made was 1) not being ready for the 2nd down play, and 2) losing
>the first down to a penalty.
>	As an aside, when ND tied MSU in '66 it wasn't like ND sat on the
>ball the whole 4th quarter. In fact they scored in the 4th to tie it up.
>They sat on the ball at the end mainly because they had lost the whole 
>starting backfield and it was the prudent thing to do.
>	Did Lou play for the tie? Did he tell the truth by saying he 
>looking at defensive coverages? There is one person who knows and to me
>it doesn't really change the outcome.
The most interesting thing was that the tv "experts" didn't comment on the fact 
that after the penalty which made it 2 & 10 at the ND 10 with about 35 seconds 
to go Gary Moeller was waving his arms to the officials to make sure they 
started the clock. Why in the world didn't he use one of his 3 remaining 
timeouts to try and force ND into a punting siutuation? And nobody even 
questions his judgement. I certainly agree that Holtz screwed up by not getting 
the clock stopped, but can anyone who has watched Bettis run over people 
criticize giving him the ball against a prevent defense. Ask the Florida 
secondary how easy it is to bring him down in the open field.

Chris Collinsworth is certainly an improvement over Bill Walsh but he kept 
talking about ND turning the ball over in the "Red Zone" when in fact their 
fumbles were in the vicinity of the 35.
Newsgroups: rec.sport.football.college