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Coaching blunders in LSU history (current staff excluded)...
Posted on 3/29/10 at 12:12 pm
Posted on 3/29/10 at 12:12 pm
I'm excluding the current staff in hopes that this won't turn into yet another debate on Miles, but here are a few LSU football coaching blunders over the years that really stand out in my mind as head-scratchers (in each case, I'm listing the head coach regardless of whether someone else on the staff might have actually made the bad decision)...
1987 vs. Ohio State (Archer): We're tied 13-13 in the final minute of the game, and we have the ball inside the Ohio State 10-yard line. With super-reliable David Browndyke ready to kick a game-winning chip-shot FG, this one looks over...until LSU inexplicably calls a pass play to the end zone. Ohio State intercepts and returns it to about midfield, and we actually have to block a long FG attempt on the final play of the game to preserve the tie. When asked in the postgame interview why he didn't just run the ball on that last series inside the 10 instead of throwing to the end zone, Archer incoherently explained that he did not want to go for the tie. Huh?
1994(?) vs. Texas A&M(?) (Hallman): Having decided before the game that we wanted to be on defense to start the game, we win the toss, but instead of deferring we exercise our option...to kick off. A&M then has the option in the second half and they choose to receive, so we kick off to start both halves.
1988 vs. Ohio State (Archer): Leading by 6 with about 1:45 to go, we have the ball at about our own 30-yard line. Ohio State has two timeouts left. After two running plays for no gain, each followed by a Buckeye timeout, we face third and 10 with still about 1:30 to go, but OSU is out of timeouts. We call a pass play, and Hodson gets pressure and throws the ball away to avoid a sack, stopping the clock and saving Ohio State about 30-40 seconds. Not a good play call, nor a good decision by the QB to throw it away (he should have been instructed during the timeout to take the sack if the receiver wasn't open), but at least, we figure, we saved the 8 or so yards of field position for our punter to hopefully pin them in their own territory. But no...we make the field position irrelevant by taking an intentional safety instead of punting on fourth down, so we got zero benefit out of avoiding the sack. All we did was just give them a free timeout. With the benefit of the extra time, Ohio State drives for the winning TD, scoring with about 10 seconds left.
1993 vs. Arkansas (Hallman): At 5-5 on the season, we need to beat the Razorbacks in the final game of the season to secure our first winning season in five years and go to a bowl game. A tie is just as bad as a loss, though, because at 5-5-1, we will not be bowl eligible. Down 35-17 in the fourth quarter, we score a TD to make it 35-23. Instead of going for two points, which would allow us the possibility of winning with a FG and another TD and 2-point conversion, we kick the PAT to make it 35-24. Now, we need two TDs to win (which would have been the case if we'd gone for 2 and not made it), since all we can do is tie with a FG and TD with 2 point conversion. It ended up not mattering because we didn't score again anyway (and Arkie did to win it 42-24), but Hallman exposed his stupidity in the postgame interview. Commenting on the situation when it was 35-24, he said we were ready to score again and go for 2 points. At that point, the 2 points would have done no good, since we could only tie with a FG. He obviously didn't realize the math when we scored to make it 35-23, and still didn't understand it when it was 35-24 and we were hoping to score again.
1997 vs. Auburn (DiNardo): Herb Tyler's worst game as a QB. His two early interceptions handed Auburn a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. Fortunately, Cecil Collins and Rondell Mealey had monster games, rushing for a combined 380 yards and running all over the Auburn defense. Having recovered from our early deficit, we took a 28-24 lead on a spectacular TD run by Collins, then made a stop and got the ball back about midway through the 4th quarter. Everyone in the stadium knew what was coming. The Diesel and Mealey would tear off chunks of yardage, eat up the clock and put this one away. Just inside Auburn territory, we faced third-and-2. The options were a Collins run (27 carries, 237 yards to that point), a Mealey run (144 yards on about 15 carries to that point) or a Tyler pass (5 for about 20 for 115 yards with two interceptions to that point). So, naturally, we chose the Tyler pass. It was incomplete, then we punted (another bad decision, IMO), and Auburn drove for the winning TD, scoring with 30 seconds left.
And of course...
1994 vs. Auburn (Hallman): With a two-touchdown lead in the fourth quarter, Auburn's offense struggling to gain a yard, let alone a first down, against our defense, we call a Jamie Howard pass on third down. Auburn intercepts and returns it for a TD, pulling within one touchdown. On the next series (after another 3-and-out forced by our defense), we do the same thing, and so do they. Now it's tied. On the next series, we drive for a FG to regain the lead by three. On the next series (after having forced yet another 3-and-out for Auburn), now with under two minutes to go and Auburn out of timeouts, we again face a third down...we call another pass by Jamie Howard. It's intercepted, and Auburn returns it for the game-winning touchdown. Howard tacks on two more interceptions for good measure in the desperation drive that follows (Auburn fumbles the first one back to us on the return to give him another chance).
I'm sure there were many more, but those were a few that stood out to me over the years.
1987 vs. Ohio State (Archer): We're tied 13-13 in the final minute of the game, and we have the ball inside the Ohio State 10-yard line. With super-reliable David Browndyke ready to kick a game-winning chip-shot FG, this one looks over...until LSU inexplicably calls a pass play to the end zone. Ohio State intercepts and returns it to about midfield, and we actually have to block a long FG attempt on the final play of the game to preserve the tie. When asked in the postgame interview why he didn't just run the ball on that last series inside the 10 instead of throwing to the end zone, Archer incoherently explained that he did not want to go for the tie. Huh?
1994(?) vs. Texas A&M(?) (Hallman): Having decided before the game that we wanted to be on defense to start the game, we win the toss, but instead of deferring we exercise our option...to kick off. A&M then has the option in the second half and they choose to receive, so we kick off to start both halves.
1988 vs. Ohio State (Archer): Leading by 6 with about 1:45 to go, we have the ball at about our own 30-yard line. Ohio State has two timeouts left. After two running plays for no gain, each followed by a Buckeye timeout, we face third and 10 with still about 1:30 to go, but OSU is out of timeouts. We call a pass play, and Hodson gets pressure and throws the ball away to avoid a sack, stopping the clock and saving Ohio State about 30-40 seconds. Not a good play call, nor a good decision by the QB to throw it away (he should have been instructed during the timeout to take the sack if the receiver wasn't open), but at least, we figure, we saved the 8 or so yards of field position for our punter to hopefully pin them in their own territory. But no...we make the field position irrelevant by taking an intentional safety instead of punting on fourth down, so we got zero benefit out of avoiding the sack. All we did was just give them a free timeout. With the benefit of the extra time, Ohio State drives for the winning TD, scoring with about 10 seconds left.
1993 vs. Arkansas (Hallman): At 5-5 on the season, we need to beat the Razorbacks in the final game of the season to secure our first winning season in five years and go to a bowl game. A tie is just as bad as a loss, though, because at 5-5-1, we will not be bowl eligible. Down 35-17 in the fourth quarter, we score a TD to make it 35-23. Instead of going for two points, which would allow us the possibility of winning with a FG and another TD and 2-point conversion, we kick the PAT to make it 35-24. Now, we need two TDs to win (which would have been the case if we'd gone for 2 and not made it), since all we can do is tie with a FG and TD with 2 point conversion. It ended up not mattering because we didn't score again anyway (and Arkie did to win it 42-24), but Hallman exposed his stupidity in the postgame interview. Commenting on the situation when it was 35-24, he said we were ready to score again and go for 2 points. At that point, the 2 points would have done no good, since we could only tie with a FG. He obviously didn't realize the math when we scored to make it 35-23, and still didn't understand it when it was 35-24 and we were hoping to score again.
1997 vs. Auburn (DiNardo): Herb Tyler's worst game as a QB. His two early interceptions handed Auburn a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. Fortunately, Cecil Collins and Rondell Mealey had monster games, rushing for a combined 380 yards and running all over the Auburn defense. Having recovered from our early deficit, we took a 28-24 lead on a spectacular TD run by Collins, then made a stop and got the ball back about midway through the 4th quarter. Everyone in the stadium knew what was coming. The Diesel and Mealey would tear off chunks of yardage, eat up the clock and put this one away. Just inside Auburn territory, we faced third-and-2. The options were a Collins run (27 carries, 237 yards to that point), a Mealey run (144 yards on about 15 carries to that point) or a Tyler pass (5 for about 20 for 115 yards with two interceptions to that point). So, naturally, we chose the Tyler pass. It was incomplete, then we punted (another bad decision, IMO), and Auburn drove for the winning TD, scoring with 30 seconds left.
And of course...
1994 vs. Auburn (Hallman): With a two-touchdown lead in the fourth quarter, Auburn's offense struggling to gain a yard, let alone a first down, against our defense, we call a Jamie Howard pass on third down. Auburn intercepts and returns it for a TD, pulling within one touchdown. On the next series (after another 3-and-out forced by our defense), we do the same thing, and so do they. Now it's tied. On the next series, we drive for a FG to regain the lead by three. On the next series (after having forced yet another 3-and-out for Auburn), now with under two minutes to go and Auburn out of timeouts, we again face a third down...we call another pass by Jamie Howard. It's intercepted, and Auburn returns it for the game-winning touchdown. Howard tacks on two more interceptions for good measure in the desperation drive that follows (Auburn fumbles the first one back to us on the return to give him another chance).
I'm sure there were many more, but those were a few that stood out to me over the years.
Posted on 3/29/10 at 12:15 pm to Nuts4LSU
Are we just talking football here?
Posted on 3/29/10 at 12:16 pm to Nuts4LSU
2001 LSU vs. UAB
2004 LSU vs. Iowa
2004 LSU vs. Iowa
Posted on 3/29/10 at 12:21 pm to Choctaw
quote:
2001 LSU vs. UAB
2004 LSU vs. Iowa
what a surpirse you would bring those up, by all means detail the bad coaching involved
Posted on 3/29/10 at 12:21 pm to Choctaw
quote:
2001 LSU vs. UAB
We didn't play UAB in 2001. We played them in 2000. The team played badly, but I don't recall any big blunders in the coaching calls. The infamous interception, it turned out, was an audible by Booty to a play that wasn't even in the playbook.
quote:
2004 LSU vs. Iowa
Again, a bad performance overall by the team and a poor job of coaching in the preparation of the team leading up to the game, but no big coaching blunder during the game that left you wondering what the hell they were thinking. Yes, we gave up the hail mary TD, but we had the right defense called, it just wasn't executed (and the refs missed the obvious offensive pass interference infractions being committed all over the field on the play).
This is about coaching blunders, not stupid mistakes or failed execution by players. If we do a list of those, there are many, many more. Hell, you could make a short novel just out of missed last-second FGs in the Arnsparger years alone.
Posted on 3/29/10 at 12:23 pm to Doc Fenton
quote:
Are we just talking football here?
I was, but of course anyone is free to mention any they want. But surely you're not suggesting Dale Brown or John Brady ever made a coaching blunder?
Posted on 3/29/10 at 12:26 pm to Nuts4LSU
As I started reading, I knew he was saving the best for last...
Posted on 3/29/10 at 12:34 pm to Doc Fenton
Saban giving up the long pass to Iowa.
I am married to an Iowan who she has five brothers. I relive that play 12 times a year.
I am married to an Iowan who she has five brothers. I relive that play 12 times a year.
Posted on 3/29/10 at 12:37 pm to Minnesota Tiger
quote:
Saban giving up the long pass to Iowa.
please exlain how that is a coaching blunder? See the OP for guidence
Posted on 3/29/10 at 12:38 pm to Nuts4LSU
quote:
But surely you're not suggesting Dale Brown or John Brady ever made a coaching blunder?
certainly not in the 1987 elite 8 against Indiana
Posted on 3/29/10 at 12:38 pm to Doc Fenton
Also, an interesting side note on the 1987 Ohio State game. In Archer's rambling explanation after the game about not wanting to go for the tie, he actually said that he wanted to assure LSU fans that he would never go for a tie. Two years later against Florida, he did just that, kicking a FG on 4th and short in the final minute to tie the game. Karma apparently remembered the promise from two years earlier, though, and Florida got a break on the ensuing desperation drive when a controversial clock dispute put one second back on the clock after it had appeared to run out, allowing them to kick the winning FG as time expired.
Posted on 3/29/10 at 12:41 pm to Nuts4LSU
quote:
Two years later against Florida
I don't think I've ever been that mad after a game before or since. Maybe the 1990 UGA basketball game when we missed the front end of a 1 and 1 11 times in a game we lost in OT.
Posted on 3/29/10 at 12:45 pm to Choctaw
quote:what were the coaching blunder here??
2001 LSU vs. UAB
2004 LSU vs. Iowa
Posted on 3/29/10 at 12:55 pm to H-Town Tiger
quote:
please exlain how that is a coaching blunder? See the OP for guidence
No thanks. Arkansas in 2002 scored from 81 yards away on 3 total plays in 31 seconds, knocking LSU out of the SECCG.
This post was edited on 3/29/10 at 12:59 pm
Posted on 3/29/10 at 12:57 pm to Nuts4LSU
lsu vs uab in the 2005 ncaa tournament.
lsu looked as unprepared for a tournament game as ive ever seen. and we had just beaten uab a few months earlier.
lsu looked as unprepared for a tournament game as ive ever seen. and we had just beaten uab a few months earlier.
This post was edited on 3/29/10 at 1:01 pm
Posted on 3/29/10 at 1:04 pm to Sammich
quote:
Arkansas in 2002 scored from 81 yards away on 3 total plays in 31 seconds, knocking LSU out of the SECCG
if you can't explain the coaching blunders it means you are just looking for a way to bash Saban.
Posted on 3/29/10 at 1:07 pm to H-Town Tiger
quote:
what a surpirse you would bring those up, by all means detail the bad coaching involved
quote:
if you can't explain the coaching blunders it means you are just looking for a way to bash Saban.
So you don't undersrtand what a "Defensive Back" does do you? Where should we start then?
Posted on 3/29/10 at 1:11 pm to Nuts4LSU
We seem to have bad coaching games against Auburn. I believe it was 2004, Randall drives down the field in an impressive mix of running and passing. We score a touchdown. Of course Gaudet misses the extra point which doesn't help. Then we hold Auburn to a field goal. Then from some pregame call they bring in Russell in the second series and he doesn't play bad but it seemed like Randall was never the same that game. Russell gets a field goal and we lead Auburn 9 to 3 from like 14 minutes left in the first half until Auburn scores with like a minute left in the game. The whole game I sat there thinking why did we take out Randall after one series that he played really well. Never did anything on offense after Russell drive that ended in a field goal. After auburn scored we drove the ball well down the field to the 44 before throwing a pic but the big mistake of that game was taking out the hot quarterback. It's okay to say we want to get so and so in the game but if somebody comes out hot you should let that play out. Losing 10-9 hurts really bad when your first two possesions got you to 9. I just remember looking at that 9 thinking that isn't going to hold up if it stays like that.
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