FB: American Southwest Conference

[TxFight]

Concerning the LC vs ETBU game, I posted the following immediately after the game on Oct. 8.

The LC defense came up big by shutting ETBU out in the second half and the offense did just enough to pull out the win.

The LC defense was nowhere to be found in the first half. The Cats gave up 24 points and 308 yards of offense to ETBU. The result, LC found itself down by 10 at intermission. However, the second half was a different story. LC held the Tigers scoreless and limited ETBU to only 87 yards of offense. The Wildcats forced the Tigers to go three-and-out four times, held ETBU on fourth down once, and recovered a fumble on what would be the Tigers final possession of the game. Good come from behind victory for the Wildcats.

The game did not slip away from ETBU, rather the LC defense absolutely dominated the Tigers in the second half.

I guess it is just in the eye of the beholder 

From the ETBU fan point of view they saw ETBU get stopped on a 4th and 1 on an early drive in the 2nd half, fumble a handoff exchange on the last drive after they had marched down the field.  Also they didn't turn an LC interception into points after it was returned to midfield.  Not to mention only getting a FG at the end of the half when they had 1st and goal at the 1 ft line. 

So yes I completely see from the LC point of view how the defense buckled down and made stops, but from the ETBU point of view it was the offense not converting on chances to put LC away.

[Ralph Turner]

Thanks for the McMurry shout-out in the ATN Podcast.

It occurs in the "Lightning Round" at the last segment of the broadcast.

[CruGuy]

Ralph, I'd be interested to hear your opinion on the play calling at the end of your game. I know we hear grumblings once a year or so about UMHB running up the score, and it is always an ugly and difficult conversation. How can one defend throwing a TD pass with 30 seconds left and a 37 point lead? A knee there ends the game. I just went and looked at the game log to see if there were some odd circumstances or something, and after receiving the ball with 9:00 minutes left and a 30 point lead, McM called 14 pass plays and 6 rushes, and one of those two drives was with Mullin on the feild throwing 8 passes and only running twice. How do you feel about it?

[Bill McCabe]

I guess it is just in the eye of the beholder 

[/quote]

Agreed.  In 2008, UMHB beat W&J 63-7.  Someone said on the boards that an early W&J turnover changed the entire complexion of the game.   

[Bill McCabe]

Crukid, Who threw the TD pass?  If it is the 2nd team QB no problem.  If it was Mullen, then that stinks.

[Kelly Boggs]

I was at that game, Bill. It really slipped away from W&J. 

[CruGuy]

The second team QB threw a TD with 30 seconds left, it was his first and only drive of the game. Mullin threw his 4th TD pass of the game with 6 minutes left and a 30 point lead.

[Bill McCabe]

Crukid, I heard during the OU-Texas broadcast that Stoops is reluctant to pull his starters, no matter what the score.  I guess that it is up to the defense to stop the offense, but there is a fine line between playing and running up the score.

[umhb2001]

To me, throwing the ball and attacking in that form is over the top. If a team is lining up, running the ball, and the D can't stop it, then that is something totally differnet. At some point, the second team needs to be in there to run the ball. Thing is, UMHB subs their O-Line the entire game, so you can't really say they are running up the score. To me, though, if you are throwing, that is an aggressive attack that should be looked at differently.

[CruGuy]

There's also a difference between OU and Texas and D-3. A) Everyone is on scholarship. B) Oklahoma has to win popularity polls to get into the national championship. Polls are of 0 relevance in D-3....From my viewpoint I really don't have too much of a problem with anything other than the last pass. There is no reason to run a play when a knee will end the game. If I were the coach I probably would also have had my backup in for the last two series, but it's not a big deal. I was just interested to hear Ralph's opinion. He is a much classier guy than I am.

[Bill McCabe]

Crukid,  I probably wouldn't have had Mullen in the game either.  McM is playing for a Pool C bid, so maybe that entered their thought process.

[Toby Taff]

I would say it has more to do with the fact that the McM offense is a passing offense. Their running game is better than last year, but it still isn't very good and it isn't something they do often. It's the Air Raid offense,and that air raid rarely precedes a ground attack.

[baddog]

Seems to me that the point McCabe and umhb2001 are making is that the type offense has little to do with it -- if crukid is correct:
"The second team QB threw a TD with 30 seconds left, it was his first and only drive of the game. Mullin threw his 4th TD pass of the game with 6 minutes left and a 30 point lead." It could be that the 2nd string QB needs experience with the same offense (if that will be what they do in seasons/games to come).
Under head coach Keenum McM was pulling that kind of stuff back in 1999 with having Braxton Shaver in the game very late and with a several td lead. That came back to bite them. Big time. As for this year's McM and their future - we will see.
In any case, to have a record in sight for a player and to sub -- even under those circumstances -- may be tougher than some of us recognize.

[Ralph Turner]

Seems to me that the point McCabe and umhb2001 are making is that the type offense has little to do with it -- if crukid is correct:
"The second team QB threw a TD with 30 seconds left, it was his first and only drive of the game. Mullin threw his 4th TD pass of the game with 6 minutes left and a 30 point lead." It could be that the 2nd string QB needs experience with the same offense (if that will be what they do in seasons/games to come).
Under head coach Keenum McM was pulling that kind of stuff back in 1999 with having Braxton Shaver in the game very late and with a several td lead. That came back to bite them. Big time. As for this year's McM and their future - we will see.
In any case, to have a record in sight for a player and to sub -- even under those circumstances -- may be tougher than some of us recognize.

I guess I am not sure what came back to bite us. I am not angry or insulted by the comment.  I just need some clarificaition as to what bit us.

IMHO, the program went down hill with the loss of Marty Secord, offensive co-ordinator to Louisiana College where he re-started the program, and then the agaonizingly horrible death from metastatic colon cancer by the defensive co-ordinator, Coach Riddlehoover. Losing one key component to a quality staff hurts, but losing a great friend and colleague sometimes is too much.  Coach Keenum never came out of his tailspin at McMurry.

Now I don't believe in Karma.  That is not Methodist.   

[baddog]

The issues related to the other coaches were factors as well. But the back to back winless seasons were somewhat due to lack of experience on the parts of those who had to start. Sounds like a HUGE bite to me.
No insult intended. I was just inferring form what the othes posters suggested or observed -- and what I had seen at McM subsequent to the season I was noting.