Late 4th down calls

[ucfjosh2000]

I think Heup will be thinking about the two calls he made for awhile. Up 3 with 8:50 to play, 4th and 2 from the Pitt 15. At the time I liked his call to go for it and my thinking was this - it’s only 2 yards, if you get it, you might score a TD, if you don’t, you force them to drive the length of the field on our defense that has been playing great. If you kick the FG, you go up 6 and almost make Pitt have to go for the TD and not even have to think about kicking a FG with a shaky kicker.

Then we had 4th and 7 from the Pitt 11, up 3 with only 4:30 to play. And this time he opted to kick the FG to go up 6 which essentially took the decision of kicking a FG to tie or going for a TD away from Pitt. Easy to 2nd guess now, but I think if you don’t kick the FG the first time, stay with the same logic and go for it the 2nd time too. Even though the odds are lower of getting it, I still think that’s the way Heup’s gonna wish he called it now. If he had decided to kick it the first time, then it’s an easy call to kick it and go up 9 the second time.

If we were up only 3 instead of 6 on Pitts final drive, they would have kicked the FG, or at least attempted it on 4th and 2 from the 3 yard line with 59 seconds left and the game likely goes into overtime where I like our odds with a better kicker.

It’s easy now to 2nd guess, but all things he will learn from and continue to get better at the more experience he gets.

Can’t wait to see how the team and he responds the rest of the way. Still had a blast sitting front row right behind our defensive players. Love watching them respond to adversity early. Special unit. Go Knights!!!

 

[Endeavor.]

if you kick the fg when theres 8:50 left on the clock we go up 6 and puts pressure on their struggling kicking game, or they score a TD and go up 1 with still enough time for us to control the last possession and win with a fg.

The second time was a lost situation, you have to go for it. Worst case we don't make it and they get a fg to go to overtime, but to go up 6 doesn't seal the game as you can see.

Had we went for it and missed, I would say that Pitt would rather not take the risk and just kick the fg to go to overtime on 4th and 5. But we were up 6 we forced their hand to go for the TD even though that was not favorable for us.

It is what it is, but this was three years worth of momentum that went down the drain today.

 

[BlakNGoldAllDay]

I agree. I was saying if you went for it a few plays earlier go for it now. If you kick it earlier, there was still more time on clock if they scored the TD. Plus why were we calling timeouts? We were helping them.

 

[GeniusParks]

going for it on 4th and 2 was the correct call. The actual PLAY was NOT. Running up the damn middle when the whole game showed that wasn't working was a boneheaded (but predictable) move by Heupel. There was a MAJOR gap to the right side of the field. All they had to do was give McRae or Killins some space to run to their right and it would have been an easy pick up.

Heupel should be fired for that play call alone. I'm warning you guys. As an FSU fan, winning can disguise subpar coaching that can have lasting damage. Look at our 2014 season where we were 13-0 but our D was like swiss cheese where Jameis had to come back from behind almost every game. It was clear Charles Kelly was in way over his head as DC and it finally got exposed when we were crushed by Oregon. Then the following year we were annihilated by Louisville and started choking leads away to the point we're at now in 2019. This is what subpar coaching will get you if it doesn't get addressed fast.

FSU loses so often that it doesn't bother me anymore. Since I adopted UCF as my second team, the feeling from yesterday, I haven't felt since the FSU-Oregon game. This loss really makes me mad. There's no way to sugarcoat it. Pitt is NOT a good team. The D made their offense look stellar. And the O's play calling made the Pitt D look like world-beaters.

 

[Lurky]

if you kick the fg when theres 8:50 left on the clock we go up 6 and puts pressure on their struggling kicking game, or they score a TD and go up 1 with still enough time for us to control the last possession and win with a fg.

The second time was a lost situation, you have to go for it. Worst case we don't make it and they get a fg to go to overtime, but to go up 6 doesn't seal the game as you can see.

Had we went for it and missed, I would say that Pitt would rather not take the risk and just kick the fg to go to overtime on 4th and 5. But we were up 6 we forced their hand to go for the TD even though that was not favorable for us.

It is what it is, but this was three years worth of momentum that went down the drain today.

Bingo. Going up 6 put us on a worse position, IMO. Should have gone for it that second time, though I'm not convinced they still wouldn't have gone for the win on 4th down with their shaky kicking game.

 

[UCFootball14]

I’m fine with what coach did. I mean he’s got big balls. We probably won the away Memphis game last year due to a 4th and 1 on our end of the field.

 

[Central Floridave]

I blame my wife for the ending and not bad play calling. I asked her to stand up from the couch and watch the end standing up the entire time. I was and it made their kicker miss the field goal. But, she was cheating and had her knee leaned up on the arm-rest of the couch. I told her she really needed to stand. She didn't and thus we lost. I'm bringing her to the UCONN game next Saturday. I'll make sure she stands the entire game or at least until the game is out of hand. I never want to lose because of that again.

 

[Finance2000Knight]

I’m fine with what coach did. I mean he’s got big balls. We probably won the away Memphis game last year due to a 4th and 1 on our end of the field.

Yes, but that play call wasn’t something we were doing all day against Memphis and wasn’t working. Also if you go for it there and have big balls, then They shrunk when it mattered when we settled for a field goal. At that point you guaranteed PItt was going to use all 4 downs until the end of the game. You are better off going for the win and if we don’t get it a field goal only ties and a TD still beats you.

 

[Colonel Mortimer]

As much as I've defended Heup since the lost. I agree the 4th down playcalling left a lot to be desired.

 

[hemightbejeremy]

Narduzzi played Heup like a fiddle with his fourth down decision last week against Penn State. Heupel no doubt figured Pitt would drive down and settle for a field goal to cut it to a one possession game.