Riverboat Gambler

[Raven_tiger 5]

4th and 14 at your own 16??? Remember the same play killed us in 2002 (except on our own 8 yd line... now that was gutsy ) against UF, giving up a FG and ultimately losing in OT. It's bush. With the talent on the team there is no need for that garbage. When was the last time you saw Stoopes, Carrol, Brown or Saban pull a stunt like that? It's bush, no matter who calls it.

[saniflush 0]

4th and 14 at your own 16??? Remember the same play killed us in 2002 (except on our own 8 yd line... now that was gutsy ) against UF, giving up a FG and ultimately losing in OT. It's bush. With the talent on the team there is no need for that garbage. When was the last time you saw Stoopes, Carrol, Brown or Saban pull a stunt like that? It's bush, no matter who calls it.

We will have to agree to disagree on this point.

[Guest Tigrinum Major]

4th and 14 at your own 16??? Remember the same play killed us in 2002 (except on our own 8 yd line... now that was gutsy ) against UF, giving up a FG and ultimately losing in OT. It's bush. With the talent on the team there is no need for that garbage. When was the last time you saw Stoopes, Carrol, Brown or Saban pull a stunt like that? It's bush, no matter who calls it.

Pssstttt...your hatred is showing.

[Raven_tiger 5]

4th and 14 at your own 16??? Remember the same play killed us in 2002 (except on our own 8 yd line... now that was gutsy ) against UF, giving up a FG and ultimately losing in OT. It's bush. With the talent on the team there is no need for that garbage. When was the last time you saw Stoopes, Carrol, Brown or Saban pull a stunt like that? It's bush, no matter who calls it.

Pssstttt...your hatred is showing.

No, I think you missed part of my post...

[Guest Tigrinum Major]

No, I don't think I did.

I personally liked it. Herring was given the option, saw the defense was leaving the middle open and took it.

Did you know that was the first fake kick since 2002? Surprised?

[AUloggerhead 2,241]

4th and 14 at your own 16??? Remember the same play killed us in 2002 (except on our own 8 yd line... now that was gutsy ) against UF, giving up a FG and ultimately losing in OT. It's bush. With the talent on the team there is no need for that garbage. When was the last time you saw Stoopes, Carrol, Brown or Saban pull a stunt like that? It's bush, no matter who calls it.

Pssstttt...your hatred is showing.

No, I think you missed part of my post...

I did a little research, and fake punts aren't all that unusual amongst the coaches you listed:

Just last season, Stoops called 3 fake punts that resulted in two 1st downs & one TD.

Against uat in 2003, OU had seen uat drive 80-yds for a score in the 3rd Qtr to make the score 13-10 for OU, then saw the uat defense hold them on the next 3 plays to force a punt. The situation for OU was 4th & 11 from their own 31, and Big Mo' squarely behind uat with crowd going nuts. Stoops called for a fake punt pass play that resulted in a 1st down and ultimately contributed to a drive for the winning TD. He was hailed as brilliant, a genius, the "hottest coach in college football." All this against probation-ravaged uat with our favorite uat coach (shulla) at the helm.

In 2004, Pete Carroll ran a fake punt against ND with 7 minutes left in the game, up by 24 points with a 4th & 2 on the ND 29-yd line.

Mack Brown called for a fake punt on a stalled drive against N. Texas just last week. The result was a TD on the way to a 56-7 rout.

Not Lou Saban, but Les Miles called for a fake punt in his own red zone last year against ASU, and it was executed perfectly. He was called a genius by one writer: Link

[lukeduke 8]

It freaked me out when he ran it, but in the same drive, they ran the halfback pass that would have worked if Stewart took a little off the pass. I think he may have been giving a few purple and gold wearing coaches something to think about.

[AUesquire 1]

I still don't like the call.

So THERE. I said it...so what cha' gonna' do? Huh? Bring it fool.

[vatz22au 142]

I think it was a great call. At the time, Washington State's sideline, players, & fans were slowly getting alot of momentum built. When they stopped us on third down, everyone on their side started to go crazy.

Then all of a sudden it was all taken away with a fake punt on the next play. I believe coach Tubs called that play more for a momentum breaker than out of need. It worked out nicely.

[Guest Tigrinum Major]

I still don't like the call.

So THERE. I said it...so what cha' gonna' do? Huh? Bring it fool.

I'd take that chair and beat you with it, but I am afraid that I would feel the pain myself, you know, us being twins and all.

I alway like calls that produce first downs.

[AUesquire 1]

The only "First down" would be me hitting you with the chair FIRST and then you going DOWN...

Dang, that was good. I just made that up myself...just now.

Yea, the "Twins" thing kind of threw me too. I believe Mark had been gettin' oiled up for the game.

[Raven_tiger 5]

4th and 14 at your own 16??? Remember the same play killed us in 2002 (except on our own 8 yd line... now that was gutsy ) against UF, giving up a FG and ultimately losing in OT. It's bush. With the talent on the team there is no need for that garbage. When was the last time you saw Stoopes, Carrol, Brown or Saban pull a stunt like that? It's bush, no matter who calls it.

Pssstttt...your hatred is showing.

No, I think you missed part of my post...

I did a little research, and fake punts aren't all that unusual amongst the coaches you listed:

Just last season, Stoops called 3 fake punts that resulted in two 1st downs & one TD.

Against uat in 2003, OU had seen uat drive 80-yds for a score in the 3rd Qtr to make the score 13-10 for OU, then saw the uat defense hold them on the next 3 plays to force a punt. The situation for OU was 4th & 11 from their own 31, and Big Mo' squarely behind uat with crowd going nuts. Stoops called for a fake punt pass play that resulted in a 1st down and ultimately contributed to a drive for the winning TD. He was hailed as brilliant, a genius, the "hottest coach in college football." All this against probation-ravaged uat with our favorite uat coach (shulla) at the helm.

In 2004, Pete Carroll ran a fake punt against ND with 7 minutes left in the game, up by 24 points with a 4th & 2 on the ND 29-yd line.

Mack Brown called for a fake punt on a stalled drive against N. Texas just last week. The result was a TD on the way to a 56-7 rout.

Not Lou Saban, but Les Miles called for a fake punt in his own red zone last year against ASU, and it was executed perfectly. He was called a genius by one writer: Link

I'm not sure if any of the fakes called were inside their own 20 yard line. Want to change MO??? Try making a defensive stop or maybe a time consuming 80 yd drive. Just a thought. Wazzu is coming off a 4 win season, not exactly a powerhouse. 2 of the 4 wins last year were at the expense teams with losing records.

[AUloggerhead 2,241]

I'm not sure if any of the fakes called were inside their own 20 yard line. Want to change MO??? Try making a defensive stop or maybe a time consuming 80 yd drive. Just a thought. Wazzu is coming off a 4 win season, not exactly a powerhouse. 2 of the 4 wins last year were at the expense teams with losing records.

Les Miles's fake punt call was from his own red zone last year.

Read what the Texas folks think about it on Burnt Orange Nation: Link

*Did anyone see Tommy Tuberville's fake punt call? Auburn had the lead 26-14 midway through the second quarter but were about to punt the ball back to Washington State. WSU had switched quarterbacks on the previous series and were starting to gain momentum. That was when Coach Tuberville decided to roll the dice. The Tigers ran a perfect fake punt on 4th and 14th from their own 16 yard line. It is one thing to fake a punt from your opponents' 45 yard line on fourth and a couple. It requires balls of a totally different size to call a fake punt inside your own red zone. Call of the weekend.

I'm not believing this: the only people that can't acknowledge CTT's fake punt call was a good one are Auburn people! Jesus H.

[Ryan Sanders 123]

Go Tuberville!!

[GoAU 1,600]

It requires balls of a totally different size to call a fake punt inside your own red zone. Call of the weekend.

The quote of the weekend!!!

[Tiger in Spain 0]

Well, like so many, including apparently all of the WSU defense, I didn't catch on to the fake until after Herring had already passed the first down marker, so I had no palpatations other than excitement. Had I caught onto the fake earlier, I proabably would have at least stopped breathing.

Same here. I was thinking, "Man, that Will Herring is just flying up the field. Holy ****, he's got the ball!" Of course, he was already 25 yards up the field.

I'm not believing this: the only people that can't acknowledge CTT's fake punt call was a good one are Auburn people! Jesus H.

Some of them are, but some of the others are well known CTT bashers. It's always a lose-lose situation with them.

[AURaptor 1,125]

That was a

It worked but that was the wrong place and the wrong time to pull something like that.

If it worked, then it was the right time and place. That's why it's called a 'gamble'. Just when the D is being lulled into the predictability of the next play...WHAM! Think of all the times those plays should have worked, and didn't ! A decent thrown ball vs UT or UF, and who knows how those games in the early CTT era would have turned out.

One of his greatest calls was a fake fg vs LSU, back in '99, I think. Short kick, around the 5 yrd line of LSU. Ball gets snapped, holder sets the ball down for a nano second,then flips it over his shoulder to the kicker, who is by this time running full speed toward the right side of the line. It was such a fluid play, yet so unexpected, we had scored the TD before anyone knew what the F was going on.

Simply beautiful.

[vatz22au 142]

I'm not sure if any of the fakes called were inside their own 20 yard line. Want to change MO??? Try making a defensive stop or maybe a time consuming 80 yd drive. Just a thought. Wazzu is coming off a 4 win season, not exactly a powerhouse. 2 of the 4 wins last year were at the expense teams with losing records.

Les Miles's fake punt call was from his own red zone last year.

Read what the Texas folks think about it on Burnt Orange Nation: Link

*Did anyone see Tommy Tuberville's fake punt call? Auburn had the lead 26-14 midway through the second quarter but were about to punt the ball back to Washington State. WSU had switched quarterbacks on the previous series and were starting to gain momentum. That was when Coach Tuberville decided to roll the dice. The Tigers ran a perfect fake punt on 4th and 14th from their own 16 yard line. It is one thing to fake a punt from your opponents' 45 yard line on fourth and a couple. It requires balls of a totally different size to call a fake punt inside your own red zone. Call of the weekend.

I'm not believing this: the only people that can't acknowledge CTT's fake punt call was a good one are Auburn people! Jesus H.

I definitely agree. When do you call a fake punt? On 4th and 2 when everyone thinks your going for it?

It was a momentum buster.... Look forward to these in the season. It may be a flea flicker, half-back pass, etc, but dont doubt the coaches. They made the right call at the "perfect" time.

[quietfan 233]

You just have to love how CTT announced he would do it again.

Now every time they line up to punt I am going to get all sweaty and scared.

But opposing coaches are also going to deal with those same feelings from now on. No, it's not something I'd want to see often, but it's a valuable threat to keep in the quiver and hold over opposing DC's head.

Don't know if Stat or anyone has these statistics, but I'd be curious see some numbers on how often CTT has "gambled" over the year (faked kicks, going on 4th down, trick plays, etc.) and how successful he's been.