Yeah, but the opponent knows the only logical reason Miles would try the trick play is to buy that 1-2 second delay. So what do they do? They pin their ears back, leaving the lanes covered and playing the trick play on their way to the kicker. Miles of course knows this. He knows he can't do a trick play because it's covered. He knows a field goal is in danger of being blocked. What, oh what, does he do? He's probably pondering that very thing right now.
Still . . . every opponent has seen film of us tossing the ball backwards to the kicker who runs outside of coverage for TD's and first downs. Now they've seen that we have a holder who can run for 8 yards right up the middle. So . . . now they can't just line up a bunch of speedsters on the corners and go hard for the blocked kick. They have to keep some big men in the middle to stop the inside holder fake and the ends have to lay back enough to inhibit the outside kicker fake.
The kicker wasn't the runner. It was the holder #48 Fruge. He is a leading special teams tackler and big hitter. You know it is funny if it had succeeded it would have been called a great call. The margin is very thin between success and failure. You take risks for many reasons. I am glad to see Les have faith in his team to take risks like that. It shows more of what he thinks the team is capable of than anything. It is also a warning to future opponents that anything is possible.
It says a lot that you can run that play and still get 8 yards out of it. Normally, teams only get a few yards out of it, if they even dare try it. I still say we executed it very well, just in the wrong situation. 4th and 9 is too much for a run in the gut on a fake. But agree with Red, adds another wrinkle for UGA and others to gameplan for. Les knows what he's doing...the other coaches don't. These are calculated risks that have been practiced many times. The odds will be in our favor more often than not because of that.
First there is no such creature as a fake field goal, that you really need. If you really need 7 instead of 3, you don't line up to kick on 4th down, you line up and go for it. Next, just because they have used that fake once, doesn't mean the play is now obsolete. That is the plan. If a team wants to try an sellout for a block, they'll see this exact same play again. It is called keeping the defense honest. .If the Mad Hatter BS had gone to Les' head it was in 2011 when it seemed he was trying to shed that persona. You said it not me. If you don't know why complain? You don't know. What is the solution? You don't know.
This is a classic Catch 22 for Miles. Many folks say he's abandoned the Mad Hatter role, except when it doesn't work (like the fake), and then he's too much of a Mad Hatter. This dude cannot win with his own fanbase. Charlie Mac, part two, with a much, much more impressive record.
The solution is kick the damn field goal and go up by 4 possessions, instead of going for a long shot fake goal, that didn't work by the way and usually doesn't ( Yeah, I know, one time in 2011, blah. blah, blah ...). The field goal was little more than a chip shot. Yes, I think he is trying to live up to the "Mad Hatter" personna. I haven't seen him chew grass for the camera yet, thank goodness. That's my opinion. You don't like it? You deal with it!!!!
I'm not against trick plays, but you can do too many of them and I know they have to be a surprise but you have to pick a good time for them (Yeah I know. Some wag will come along and say if it's a good time then the defense will expect it), but Saturday night was not a good time. Those probable 3 points (one possession) would have been comforting toward the end of the 4th quarter.
You sound like someone who is pissed off over losing a bet where those 3 points would have made a difference. It is about winning games and working on improving every chance you get. Sure those extra points would have been nice, but they weren't not needed at all and those points may very well been worth losing for opportunity to practice a fake in a real game situation. It isn't our job to determine if they got a good return on the points they wagered. On the scoreboard, yeah they lost, but this play could pay out huge by the end of the season even if you don't see it again. If you can't find any merit in this fake even though it failed, then you are incapable of looking at the big picture and are only concerned with the current point spread or personal comfort over hanging on to a precarious 21 point lead.
