Ole Miss @ Kentucky Game Thread.

[Joneslab]

I haven't had a chance to read the entire thread yet but judging by Jones' postgame show, most are talking about the play calling.

The one three-and-out we had right after we took the 10-point lead, the one where we tried to run it up the gut three times in a row, was awful. Expected but awful.

BUT for me the loss comes back to our secondary. And maybe the linebackers. It was just easy catch after easy catch all night for Ole Miss. Hard to win when your offense essentially has to score every time they have the ball. I'm sure there's a reason our defensive backs want to play 10 yards off the receivers and then rush up and tackle after they've caught the ball, but heck if I can figure out what it is.

[johnkyblue]

You give more cushion to faster guys, so that would make it likely they aren't as fast.

[johnkyblue]

Get over yourself. Why in the world should we trust your opinion? They showed a replay of the holding call but not the fumble that they reviewed for five minutes? Give me a break. It was a hold. It was a fumble. You aren't a better judge than the referee.

If they showed a replay of the fumble on the big screen it was once.

[johnkyblue]

There was holding on the kickoff. Unless you are capable of focusing on all 22 players at once (you aren't) or they showed a replay of each player from the beginning of the play to the end (they didn't) then you can't say there wasn't holding

I did see a replay of that on the big screen and if there was holding it wasn't on the player and spot they called it on. How is that for clarification? THAT was a not a hold. Somewhere else on the field, I don't know, and if I typed words out to make it seem like I knew there was no holding anywhere on the field then I'm terribly sorry, PLEASE forgive me. PLEASE!!

[Blue Heaven]

But, we've won 6. Do the coaches get credit for those?

Sure they do. But we've won 6 by the skin of our teeth. I just don't like the "play not to lose" mentality. The offense was clicking yesterday until we got a 10 point lead, then it was pee wee league play calling after that. 4 straight 3 and outs and the play calling was 2 straight runs and a 3rd down pass. THAT is our M.O. when we get a lead. And it is unacceptable. Just one man's opinion on it.

[Matt Dillon]

Sure they do. But we've won 6 by the skin of our teeth. I just don't like the "play not to lose" mentality. The offense was clicking yesterday until we got a 10 point lead, then it was pee wee league play calling after that. 4 straight 3 and outs and the play calling was 2 straight runs and a 3rd down pass. THAT is our M.O. when we get a lead. And it is unacceptable. Just one man's opinion on it.

Make that two men's opinions.

[TrueblueCATfan]

Sure they do. But we've won 6 by the skin of our teeth. I just don't like the "play not to lose" mentality. The offense was clicking yesterday until we got a 10 point lead, then it was pee wee league play calling after that. 4 straight 3 and outs and the play calling was 2 straight runs and a 3rd down pass. THAT is our M.O. when we get a lead. And it is unacceptable. Just one man's opinion on it.

And I agree with you 100%....yesterday was unacceptable to me

[Lighthouse]

Sure they do. But we've won 6 by the skin of our teeth. I just don't like the "play not to lose" mentality. The offense was clicking yesterday until we got a 10 point lead, then it was pee wee league play calling after that. 4 straight 3 and outs and the play calling was 2 straight runs and a 3rd down pass. THAT is our M.O. when we get a lead. And it is unacceptable. Just one man's opinion on it.

I would rather win them by the skin of our teeth that lose them that way like we used to. We have a better football team and they are competing. Not winning all, but certainly more. I agree the move to a conservative game needs to stop, and hopefully it will.

[40bill]

Switching to such a conservative attack and NOT GETTING RESULTS and staying with it is open to question. It seemed to take all the air out of the stadium and team. If you were popping four, five yards a pop on average it's not a bad move. Four straight three and outs kind of seemed like two too many given the success up to that point. Plus the fact this is now a pattern, not just an occasional thing.

[Spiritof96]

Switching to such a conservative attack and NOT GETTING RESULTS and staying with it is open to question. It seemed to take all the air out of the stadium and team. If you were popping four, five yards a pop on average it's not a bad move. Four straight three and outs kind of seemed like two too many given the success up to that point. Plus the fact this is now a pattern, not just an occasional thing.

Did we not on our final scoring drive impose our will and run it down their throats? I honestly couldn't tell a play calling difference besides the fact that it worked in one instance and didn't in the other. It's all about execution.

[40bill]

Did we not on our final scoring drive impose our will and run it down their throats? I honestly couldn't tell a play calling difference besides the fact that it worked in one instance and didn't in the other. It's all about execution.

Now that's a good point.
and you are absolutely right. At the end of the day the difference between a great game plan and a bad one is if it works.
thanks Spirit.

[Spiritof96]

Now that's a good point.
and you are absolutely right. At the end of the day the difference between a great game plan and a bad one is if it works.
thanks Spirit.

I think I am frustrated that players seem to loose intensity and focus a bit when we go up 10 or so...

I just want one game where we are good for 4 quarters.

[johnkyblue]

[johnkyblue]

The refs on the field had this one right, how the booth messes it up, I'll never understand.

Also, everybody that watched this game on TV thought something was true that is clearly not true. How does this happen?

[SBCatMan]

First, the fumble. TECHINCALLY, and by rule, it was NOT a fumble. In reality, of course it was. But, one of the greatest lies in all of football is this: "The ground cannot cause a fumble." Well guess what -- the ground can and does cause fumbles. I suppose without such a definition the calls on fumble vs no fumble would become hopelessly subjective. Still, in this case, the runner really did not have full control of the ball to the ground, but technically it was still in his right hand when the left wrist/elbow hit the ground. No fumble is the correct call, if not exactly the truth.

Secondly, the play calling. After reviewing the sequences on replay, there was only one really bad call, and that was the third down run up the middle on the first series that lost 3 yards. Everyone in the stadium and watching on TV at home could see that massive blitz coming right up the gut. Johnson needed to check out of that play or call time out. We ran the play, lost 3 yards and essentially lost the game.

On another of the three and out series he had Juice Johnson wide open for a big gain with running room and momentum, and he threw the ball behind him. Juice had to stop and lean back and could not make the catch. Another series had a dropped pass for what would have been a first down.

I, too, thought the play calling was atrocious, but, after review, it was not that bad at all.