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deleted1562
Guest
I think the biggest mistake was Duke not throwing a hail Mary. Why would u punt from the 50 with 8 sec. Left?
That was my biggest concern and it's the biggest reason why it was a mistake by Golden not to call a timeout there.
Late last night in the Oregon State vs. USC game on ESPN, the exact same scenario occurred. OSU's Mike Riley, after his defense stopped them on third down, allowed the clock to run all the way down instead of calling a timeout. USC had the ball around midfield on fourth and long with under :10 remaining in the half.
Sarkisian decided to attempt a Hail Mary since it would be the final play of the half. USC's Darreus Rogers came down with it in the end zone to extend the Trojans' lead to 21-10 at the half. The chances of completing the Hail Mary are obviously slim, but you completely eliminate the opponent's willingness to attempt it if you call timeout in that spot. Calling a timeout forces the punt and then if you want to kneel down, so be it.
Luckily Cutcliffe opted to punt, but it was still another time management mistake by Golden.
Great point. Never thought of that.