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FSU Hail Mary and our handling of the Hail Mary in general

90scane said:
How about not playing close games?
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Hetherman starts talking about the second hail mary around the 4:30 mark, but some interesting thoughts where the clip starts on defending the first one and why we didn't treat it like a hail mary from the snap.
 
I swear if we tried to bat it down we'd just end up tipping it around and it'd be caught by the other team 50% of the time anyway.

I hate appealing to the supernatural, but just like FSU has kicking ghosts, this may just be "our thing."

Oh and a 6'6" WR on the other team definitely doesn't help. I can't wait until that guy is gone
 
It’s always been a problem and those of us who have been around a while still have PTSD from the Flutie-Dootie.

One of the best ways of handling it that I’ve seen was the Miami vs Syracuse game in 2003. I think it was Mo Sikes who basically jumped up and volleyball set the ball into the 3rd row of the stands next to the end zone where nobody could get it. That’s how you do it.
 
I think some of the mixup was because we were trying to cover the first down as well. There was no clock, so on both plays a first down extends the game just as much as the TD does. In a true Hail Mary scenario, there’s no need to have 3 guys 25 yards down the field.

That being said, we have sucked at covering Hail Marys for years. VT in 2024 was nearly a catch, Ole Miss last year, and twice on Saturday. I can’t think of a scenario in the last 3 years where we covered that play effectively, and this is a school whose lowest moments of all time include a play called ‘Hail Flutie’.

I don’t believe in sports curses other than the ones that are real, but maybe that short little demon hexed us forever in 1984.
 
kendallcanes said:
This is how it is done.

I was the first to say we need to use Aussies for punters. I will be first to say that this is how to defend a hail mary.

You use your fist to punch the ball at the high point. If a receiver is about to catch the ball in his hands, you punch the ball.
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FUXK PUNCH TWO HAND VOLLEYBALL SMACK DA FUXK OUT THAT FOOTBALL🏈 👐🏻
 
itsacanething said:
1) I know I am not objective but the amount of national media who seem to have seen something that did not exist on camera is shocking to me. listening to Andrea Adelson saying that it looked like Duece caught the ball and Rick N. saying clearly it looked like that frankly blows me away. I watched the video 20 times and I see more of an interception than I do anything else.

2) there have now been four Hail Mary plays against us in the last three years that I count (if I am wrong feel free to add). Va tech 2024, Ole Miss 2025 and 2 FSU 2026. Why do we have so much trouble defending these? Should we be doing something different like maybe batting the ball down? it is starting to get on my nerves.
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My initial reaction is to say "just bat it down." Upon reflection, I know that I've seen plenty of situations where the defenders tried to bat it down instead going for the INT and what happens is that the ball ends up batted in the air for a trailing receiver (either behind the intended target or a receiver arriving late to the play in front of the target) to grab it for a TD. Nothing is a sure thing. If the UM defender had deflected the ball to a FSU player, we would be complaining that he didn't hold onto the ball for an INT.
 
MedleyCane said:
I'm no expert on this but I would think the best move is to secure/catch the ball and then spike it downwards.
Punching the ball as another poster suggested potentially puts the ball up in the air, keeping it in play.
Likewise, attempting to catch it leaves you open to dispossession on your way down, especially if you're
twisting and turning (reference the call this year during PittvsVT game).
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Like your idea, but wonder if spiking it after securing the ball could be interpreted as a fumble. With ACC refs, anything is possible.
 
The Hail Mary attempts by FSU were not necessarily Hail Mary situations because they could have gotten a first down. It wasn’t a case of time being up and they only had one play to desperately try to score. So if you just run out a bunch of tall guys and line them up in the endzone, you’re giving them and easy first down on an underneath throw.
 
miamiphd said:
Like your idea, but wonder if spiking it after securing the ball could be interpreted as a fumble. With ACC refs, anything is possible.
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This is why I’m done with Fitz grabbing the ball and going to the ground with it in his bread basket like he did. Mission accomplished.
 
miamiphd said:
Like your idea, but wonder if spiking it after securing the ball could be interpreted as a fumble. With ACC refs, anything is possible.
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Couldn't be a fumble because a fumble requires possession and if it's determined that we possessed the football it's automatically an interception. It's either an interception or incomplete.
 
JayCane20 said:
itsacanething said:
1) I know I am not objective but the amount of national media who seem to have seen something that did not exist on camera is shocking to me. listening to Andrea Adelson saying that it looked like Duece caught the ball and Rick N. saying clearly it looked like that frankly blows me away. I watched the video 20 times and I see more of an interception than I do anything else.

2) there have now been four Hail Mary plays against us in the last three years that I count (if I am wrong feel free to add). Va tech 2024, Ole Miss 2025 and 2 FSU 2026. Why do we have so much trouble defending these? Should we be doing something different? it is starting to get on my nerves.
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Because we try to high point and catch the ball instead of knock it down.

There is not a reason in the world that Briggs and/or Parris shouldn't have been out there standing in the endzone.

Dress Shelton Henderson, Cyril, Robert Miller, or even the Birden kid from the basketball team just for this one scenario lol would be a great asset to have available in the playoff.
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Well it wasn’t necessarily the last play of the game. It was 4th and 31. They could’ve got a first down. So not a for sure Hail Mary situation
 
itsacanething said:
1) I know I am not objective but the amount of national media who seem to have seen something that did not exist on camera is shocking to me. listening to Andrea Adelson saying that it looked like Duece caught the ball and Rick N. saying clearly it looked like that frankly blows me away. I watched the video 20 times and I see more of an interception than I do anything else.

2) there have now been four Hail Mary plays against us in the last three years that I count (if I am wrong feel free to add). Va tech 2024, Ole Miss 2025 and 2 FSU 2026. Why do we have so much trouble defending these? Should we be doing something different like maybe batting the ball down? it is starting to get on my nerves.
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As for point 1...Duce knew he didn't catch it...he didn't celebrate, he didn't protest...he just got up and walked to the sidelines....should be all anyone needs to know
 
ddann said:
You underestimate the abilities of ACC officials.
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I know what you mean, I'm just saying you can't have a fumble on a reception/interception that is made in the endzone. Having said that, you're probably right that ACC refs could PHUKK UP anything! 😄
 
Our problems are always against taller receivers, like with ole Miss and FSU. We definitely need a tall package to use when it’s an obvious Hail Mary situation and jam the ****** at the line of scrimmage. We had more players contesting for the ball in both situations. What else can be done?
 
simplycanes said:
We struggle with situational football. It is very clear we have not spent a lot of time on this end-of-game scenario. It needs to be drilled into players heads that they're the defender, not the receiver. Knock the ball down into the dirt. The second issue, and probably the bigger one, is we allow the receivers to be exactly where we don't want them.
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Heatherman touched on this in his presser. Its repped every Thursday and Friday.
 
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