re: Biggest strategic mistake of the game

quote:

---

Assuming it hits the wire in that scenario too.

---

Was this "hits the wire" ever confirmed? CBS says Maze was basically making that up. A 72yd punt slowed down by a wire? How long was the punt going w/o hitting the wire and HTH was Maze going to field it? Think about that.

Maze said it did. I'm taking him at his word. But a wire isn't exactly a jumbotron, like in Dallas. Just because it may, or may not have, hit it doesn't mean it would die immediately. Or even if it did, wouldn't necessarily mean that once it hit the turf it would commence rolling. For instance, the trajectory that rugby punts takes often leads to them hitting the ground after 20-30 yards, only to roll substantially more.

I have not seen a replay of the punt, but if I remember correctly, the punt rolled about 20 yards behind Maze, once it went over his head.

While I would go with this one-
1st & 10 inside LSU's 30, a tie game in the 4th quarter against basically an NFL secondary, and you have your WR throw the ball.

No matter which one you pick, as far as biggest strategic mistakes, it was one of Saban's.

I don't think it has anything to do with traveling further. It changed the trajectory of the ball. I believe the punt was around 50 yards in the air, but the trajectory messed with his timing of the catch. Once that was off, it was over. The ball hits the playing surface over his head, and bounces another 20 yards or so. 73 yard punt...

The punt was definitely a low trajetory one and I could see it catching the top of the wire on its way down with the back of the ball and that causing it to lurch one way or another without losing significant speed. It's definitely plausible. either way, the way he was gimping around on that ankle, he wasn't going anywhere and we don't know for sure that the 20 yards would have mattered.

quote:

---

The punt was definitely a low trajetory one and I could see it catching the top of the wire on its way down with the back of the ball and that causing it to lurch one way or another without losing significant speed. It's definitely plausible. either way, the way he was gimping around on that ankle, he wasn't going anywhere and we don't know for sure that the 20 yards would have mattered.

---

Just watched on Inside LSU on CSS the punt. Tiger Vision's footage followed the ball the whole way, and it did not look like it hit anything. There was no jerk or change of direction. If it hit the wire, it didn't change anything.

quote:

---

I would like to take his word for it,

---

Well I would too, but I believe we'd have many reports from those in the stadium who would have seen all the long sine waves in the cables. I haven't seen anything like that.

Mr L

Saban was afraid to take the 3 points. He was going to try to get 7.

He coached scared/aggressively, in that and other points of the game.

You can call it aggressive. We have hindsight.

If Ford did not step out of bounds on the way to the end zone untouched, then Saban's attempt to go for more than 3 would make more sense to you now.


The coin flip won that game. If LSU had to go first, and Saban KNEW that LSU only scored 3, he would have run up the middle like you said. Then we would be analyzing the 2nd OT.
Of course, with the ball on the 7, LSU might have thrown for the end zone themselves if they were not facing a team that had not scored at all in the first series.