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Saban really screwed up.

Personally (and as an adoptive Bama fan) I think Saban was scared to death of OT. A kicker with zero confidence who clanked earlier, relatively easy FGs; a road game with a rabid crowd that would give a decided advantage; and, quite frankly, an Auburn running game that looked fantastic. It's not like Alabama hasn't lost in a big OT game before, either.

It was a tough Saturday night in our house, but I give all the credit in the world to Auburn. What a game, and what an ending (as painful as it was).
 
I think Alabama is the better team, if the normally reliable field goal kicker hadn't had his worst career night, then Bama wins the game. If I think I've got the better team, I'm going to take my chances in overtime rather than taking my chances with a backup kicker making a 57 yard field goal. Look at it this way, if Bama had lost in overtime, would anybody really be saying "Saban really messed up by not letting his backup kicker try that 57 yard field goal?"

I know Lundquist and Danielson really seemed shocked when Bama lined up for the FG.
 
liveanddiedeac said:
I think Alabama is the better team, if the normally reliable field goal kicker hadn't had his worst career night, then Bama wins the game. If I think I've got the better team, I'm going to take my chances in overtime rather than taking my chances with a backup kicker making a 57 yard field goal. Look at it this way, if Bama had lost in overtime, would anybody really be saying "Saban really messed up by not letting his backup kicker try that 57 yard field goal?"
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"If my aunt had balls..."

If Nick Marshall hits a wide open Ricardo Lewis in the first quarter, Auburn blocks the punt clean he dropped, and Tre Mason doesn't fumble, Auburn likely would have lead 21-0 in the first half.

I also think Alabama is the better team with more talent, but you can play the "if" game all day.
 
wakedeac98 said:
"If my aunt had balls..."

If Nick Marshall hits a wide open Ricardo Lewis in the first quarter, Auburn blocks the punt clean he dropped, and Tre Mason doesn't fumble, Auburn likely would have lead 21-0 in the first half.

I also think Alabama is the better team with more talent, but you can play the "if" game all day.
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Sure you can, I just still think that was a bad decision to try that FG, but again I didn't have to make that decision in a very short amount of time. Still think Saban is a great coach though.
 
it just wasn't Alabama's night. Sometimes, unfortunately for Tide fans, Saturday was one of them. Running defense (thanks to great effort by Auburn) was subpar, and special teams, obviously, were atrocious (missed FGs, dropped snap on punt, game ending play). AJ missed wide open Amari Cooper, and Bama WRs dropped at least a few passes. One of the few times I've seen a Saban team look nervous. Auburn was responsible for that. Kudos to them.
 
I'm surprised that that kind of play doesn't happen more often considering a FG unit has at least 7 to 8 guys on it that would almost never be able to make an open field tackle against a speedy return guy. 5 fat offensive lineman, 1 kicker, 1 holder (often times a punter, but at best a backupQB). You might have some tight ends or fullbacks lined up as ends on the formation that could possibly make a tackle but even then it might be tough. I sure Grobe has that return play in his playbook....not really.
 
SC DEAC said:
I'm surprised that that kind of play doesn't happen more often considering a FG unit has at least 7 to 8 guys on it that would almost never be able to make an open field tackle against a speedy return guy. 5 fat offensive lineman, 1 kicker, 1 holder (often times a punter, but at best a backupQB). You might have some tight ends or fullbacks lined up as ends on the formation that could possibly make a tackle but even then it might be tough. I sure Grobe has that return play in his playbook....not really.
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Well, it's pretty rare you have a FG attempt that is short enough to return. Usually if the FG is missed it still lands out of the field of play. I heard Doug Flutie on a radio show yesterday talking about it and he was talking about how in Canadian football it happens all the time because the endzone is 20 yards deep and the goal posts are at the front of the endzone, so just about any missed FG can be returned in Canada.
 
Saban definitely fucked up Saturday.

Wins since Bz was hired as Wake coach:

Saban 46
[Redacted] 40

Look out Saban, Bz is closing fast!
 
qcdeac said:
Saban definitely fucked up Saturday.

Wins since Bz was hired as Wake coach:

Saban 46
[Redacted] 40

Look out Saban, Bz is closing fast!
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Might happen this season. Saban can only win one more game this year, Bzzz still has what 5 winnable non-con games and surely even Bzzz can get 4 or 5 wins in the ACC this year.
 
liveanddiedeac said:
They keep showing the last play of the Iron Bowl and the more I see it the more I think it was an incredibly stupid decision to try to kick the field goal by a great coach. If you look at the odds of making that 57 yarder with a back up kicker and compare it to the odds that it could get blocked and returned for a TD and then add the odds that it could be returned for a TD, I just don't think it made any sense at all. It really makes me question whether they were even aware of the possibility that Auburn could return the thing, because as has been talked about, the personnel you put on the field for a FG team is ill-suited to cover a kick return. I guess at least we can say that for one second of game time, Alabama wishes they'd had our coach instead of theirs, because we all know Grobie would've took a knee and gone to OT without even trying to get in FG range...:thumbsup:
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Grobe would have just punted.
 
Little context..a make would have been the longest made field goal in FBS this year.

Even if you agree with the decision (I get the logic, still seems like the odds were in favor of a knee or even a pass into the end zone), the team was clearly not prepared for the possibility of a return attempt, which was fairly likely given the length.

I think a hail mary type play had a greater likelihood of success and also a lower downside.
 
TBR said:
Little context..a make would have been the longest made field goal in FBS this year.

Even if you agree with the decision (I get the logic, still seems like the odds were in favor of a knee or even a pass into the end zone), the team was clearly not prepared for the possibility of a return attempt, which was fairly likely given the length.

I think a hail mary type play had a greater likelihood of success and also a lower downside.
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Some stats guy said a hail mary had a 2% chance of success (but less risk), while a 56 yard FG had a 28% chance, FWIW
 
Was it the back up kicker, or the long-distance kicker. Lots of college teams have a long-distance FG kicker that is not the normal kicker.
 
siff said:
Some stats guy said a hail mary had a 2% chance of success (but less risk), while a 56 yard FG had a 28% chance, FWIW
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Don't buy 28%..you have to figure there's some selection bias. And obviously the environment / pressure was as tough as it gets (huge part of it).

Wouldn't most kickers be able to make that kick in practice?
 
BillBrasky said:
Yep. Not letting his senior kicker attempt a 30-yard FG when he was up 7 with 6 mins to go was another horrible decision. Yes the kid had missed two earlier but something tells me he would of buried that one, and gotten his confidence back. No doubt Saban opting to go for it led to Cade missing the 45 yarder on the next possession.
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Keep telling yourself that while you're eating your Auburn branded steak.
 
qcdeac said:
Did hear Saban throw the long kicker under the bus by saying he made 60 yarders in practice all the time and that he popped this kick up.
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He was probably afraid to really drive it low for fear of the block.
 
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