And that is the whole point. It’s not that they should never have a triple option. That would be dumb at the D1 level in a P5 league. For 1st down, just have a running play option. It’s not about Retzlaff being a “rookie.” He’s not. He’s played plenty of football. It’s about dumb calls. And, I really don’t care if Robbins runs the ball because he had a touchdown stolen from him? How do you know he would have scored? And why not put a real bruiser in like LJ for the 2 yards? Those good runs by Robbins may have ended up as touchdowns with LJ. Just saying.
Oklahoma did a good job with watching film. They knew our tendencies inside the red zone and especially inside the 5. They did not stack the box to stop the run. The DB knew there was the pass option by the way he jumped the pass. He knew it was a pass somehow and exactly which side of Epps the ball was going to be thrown. How? Had we set up for run only, the defense would have set up for it and there would have been a question whether we could run it in or not.
Matich is someone who is not EMPLOYED by BYU, is an outsider and so can give a more objective view. Hans on the other hand is paid by BYU and is wrong more than he is wrong when he states his opinions.
As for your source inside, did they say “Why” it was the wrong call?
I have always questioned ARod’s decision making it. But also, I know for a fact that in order to run a play from short yardage, you have to run between the A or B slots. What has our success rate been for the O-line for opening a hole for the RB to run it? How many times have WR’s whiffed blocks on sweeps?
To be honest, I am not sure there is a clear answer to the problem.
Not as long as you are on a lake or river fishing, that is “being close to God” in my opinion. Watching the current BYU team doesn’t allow that closeness.
Now if I can just get out of my own way, when learning how to catch those big ones!
You want to know something? I watched that pick 6 again. I was wrong about Epps. He did try to run him down but had 10 yards to make up. However, the reason is where I’m in error. Epps was in fact moving out to the sideline. He was going in the direction of the open spot. The pass was inside and with Epps moving out to the sideline, there’s no way Epps could have fought for the ball. Not a chance. It simply was a bad pass. Not a bad play call. Throw to his right and it’s a touchdown. Yes, they could run. But, the Oklahoma defense wasn’t ready and set. Throw to the right shoulder, touchdown. Retzlaff did not see the second defender in the back of the end zone that moved up.
You will notice frame by frame that Epps can see both the ball and the db coming. Instead of stepping forwards towards the ball, Epps takes a step back. This might be due to momentum of his run, but I think it more to do with Epps just not going to fight for the ball.
Too me it pretty clear that Epps saw the DB cutting, so he should have done something to prevent the pick six.
I also noticed this was a timing play, where the ball was launched before Epps even made his cut.
I watched it again and he’s stepping not backwards but to his right after pivoting on his left foot. The ball is thrown to his left shoulder as if R thought he was going to stay put. Play it in normal time. The ball was thrown to the wrong shoulder. To the right shoulder it’s a touchdown because the defender is running forward at full speed for the interception. The play that might have been.
It’s also true that Oklahoma was not ready for a run either. That would have worked as well. But, for people to say take the ball out of the hands of the QB at this level, with his experience, and his 3rd start is just not what P5-D1 coaches are going to do. So, I have to agree with Matich that it’s not the coaches fault and Retzlaff owned up to the mistake and that tells me a lot about him.
I did my share of QBing. Doomed from the start. Epps moving away from the ball, Safety moving to the ball. Ball fake to get him bite, then see if Epps is open. or throw to Epps where only he can get it (Wide Out had vacated that entire goal line area, taking his guy to the back of the enzone) Epps had the fade route all day. But why in the hell wouldn’t you just hand it off up the middle, no yardage lost and get that ball in or on the one then timing call QB sneak. easy peasy.
I think you said what I did. He threw the ball too soon. It’s clear when you run the video on real speed that Epps was doing a pivot on his left foot stepping to the right for either a quick pass to his right shoulder or more of a fade. That was the play. Good play in my mind. Touchdown. Why he threw it to his left shoulder is because he didn’t see the second defender coming up. That is inexperience at the D1 level. However, had he completed the play that was called, touchdown.
Yes, Robbins may have scored. He may have gotten no yards. He may have fumbled as well for a fumble 6. Who knows. We assume Robbins would have scored. I assume Epps scores if it’s a fade to the sideline. Wait a half a second more and touchdown! So, I’m not going to continue to blame the coaches.
with all due respect…BS…OK was waiting for BYU, the safety jumped the route. Of course he was hiding and Ratliffe learned a costly lesion. Aro spelled it out, Tom spelled it out, JCoug spelled it out. 100% on AROD, Rookies don’t get to freelance until they have earned the right. Hand it off to the horse that got you there.
Now we get to go to Stillwater where OK St is waiting to stomp on us. They are playing for a place in the Big 12 Championship. They won’t be acting like OK Prema Donnas. It is all business. They will win by 3 scores. mark it.
That’s the point. The safety didn’t jump the route drawn up. The route was supposed to be to the outside as you even wrote. So don’t start saying it was different. And, as stated, Robbins may have fumbled. Also, Floyd is correct that Retzlaff is not a rookie freshman. There was no problem with the call nor the play. It was in the execution. Throw to the right shoulder, touchdown! Why do we have to run? Who says? You?
The more I look at the play the more it was a matter of miscommunication between Retzlaff and Epps. Retzlaff was expecting Epps to pivot inside and he pivoted outside. Epps was correct because that area would be open and was. Right shoulder throw and possible touchdown. The DB had watched this play on film and knew the throw would be at the goal line. Then, he took the chance of where it would be thrown and sold out to it. He could have handed it off or ran himself. But, our success inside the 5 running this year has been horrible. The pass was more successful even in this game. It’s true that if we run 4 times and don’t get in, the game is still tied. But, that’s playing not to lose ball. And, we know we don’t like that.
I am not defending Roderick but he may have been influenced on his play call by the OU goal line stand against Texas in their rivalry game. Texas got the ball on the OU one and tried 3 running plays and got nothing, on fourth down they tried a pass to a running back behind the line that ended up a yard short and they ended up losing by 4 points. All four plays they were relying on the belief they could overpower the OU defense and muscle the ball in. Even the 4th down pass looked more like a running play with a short pass rather than a pitch from the QB to the RB. Maybe Roderick was thinking about that and tried to get cute on first down.
I still say go with the safe play on 1st down and maybe again on 2nd down if you get half of the needed yardage. You still have a down or two to do something else if you can’t punch it in. At very worst if you get pushed back several yards you kick an easy field goal.
Playing offense inside the five can be real dicey because the D has much less area to defend on a pass. You better hope you can muscle it in when you get the ball 1st and goal on the 1 or 2 yard line.
I don’t have a problem with either of the 3 options anymore. You are right. With a short field the defense changes. We’ve tried doing the same thing as well without success. The triple threat gives the offense more advantage. We may have fumbled if we ran it. There may have been a holding penalty as well. There are so many ifs.
I finally came to realize Retzleff had been running options for the entire first half. He was checking down receivers as well. Doing a good job. The idea you don’t give him options after all that on the 2 yard line is weird. Why play safe then? That’s what gets us into trouble playing safe trying not to lose.
The play would have worked had he thrown the ball to the right shoulder in the direction Epps was pivoting to. Retzlaff must have had his vision blocked not to see the DB coming up.
not only the safe bet but the one that doesn’t get picked for 6 and a 14 point swing. BYU had em beat at home. My comment, “snatching defeat from the jaws of victory” happens way to often under Sitake.
Hence, he jumped the route, gambled and got a TD out of it. They practice all year on goal line D.
I remember a few years ago Seattle in the Super Bowl had first and goal from the one or two and they passed the ball and the NE DB intercepted the pass to seal the victory. Seattle had one of the games premier running backs and rather than playing the winning odds they got cute and blew it.
Oh no! Even the great coaches of the NFL make calls like that. Sitaki and Arod are in good company. Ya, you simply don’t just play safe. We know how that works out playing not to lose. Had he known Epps was going to pivot he wouldn’t have thrown the pick 6.
Stop waffling back and forth. We’ve been through this dozens of times. You don’t run the ball down the field at will, gashing the defense for big gains 4 or 5 plays in a row and then try to get cute on first and goal (from the 2 yard line no less) and throw a pass. It made no sense, even if they were trying to catch OU off guard. It was the worst possible thing they could have done. Even if they had scored on that play I would have been saying what a stupid call it was. Sorry, that’s truth.
