Post by coachdoug on Sept 11, 2011 11:11:10 GMT -6
As expected, things got a lot tougher for us. We managed to squeak out a tough 6-2 victory. It was a 0-0 tie at halftime. We got the ball just before the start of the 4th quarter and went on a very slow, extended drive (with a lot of our MPPs on the field due to poor planning). We finally scored on 4th and goal from about 6 inches out on a QB sneak with about 2:30 left in the game. We then gave up a couple long runs before they fumbled and we recovered around our own 15-20 with about 1:39 left. They had a timeout left, but our HC called a QB kneeldown for some reason. So, 2nd and 12 with about 1:34 and we gain about 4 yards, but get a penalty for an illegal formation (our wideout didn't check with the official, ughhh), which they smartly declined and it stopped the clock for a little bit (yes, it restarted on the ready, but that probably cost us 10 seconds). 3rd and 8 and about 1 minute left we bust around the corner for about 15 yards and a first down, but our RB goes out of bounds (ughhhh!!) and we get another flag for an illegal formation (same player ... ughhhh!!!). So, 3rd and 13 with about 50 seconds, we run up the middle for a few yards to get to 4th and 8ish with the clock running. We call timeout with 1 second left on the play clock to stop the clock with 11 seconds left. BTW, we have no scoreboard so the time is being kept on the field. We line up in punt formation (at about the 20) and have our punter run into the end zone, where he evades the first defender, then breaks a tackle and runs around some more before finally going down for the safety. We thought it took at least 15 seconds, but the officials said there was still one second left, so we had to kick off from our 20. I told the HC to onsides, but instead we squibbed, and it bounced straight through to the deep guys. Fortuntately, we tackled the guy and ended the game. Unfortunately, one of their guys got hurt on the play. Anyway, it was a very sloppy ending to an otherwise good game.
We have a lot of work to do - I thought we should have been able to score a bunch against this team - we have a lot more athleticism than they do, but they did a good job of game planning for us and shutting down the edges. They also moved the ball pretty well against our defense, but we forced 4 turnovers, which obviously made a big difference. I'm sure their coaches and players feel like they should have won the game.
Next up we play a very good team (they beat our last opponent 36-0) and I'm sure no one outside our team expects us to win. We're 3-0 now, but I'm still not sure if we're any good. This will be a good challenge for us, but I'm not sure if we're ready. We have a lot of things to fix. I just hope that we're competitive enough that our kids don't get discouraged and work to get better by playoff time. We'll see.
We have a lot of work to do - I thought we should have been able to score a bunch against this team - we have a lot more athleticism than they do, but they did a good job of game planning for us and shutting down the edges. They also moved the ball pretty well against our defense, but we forced 4 turnovers, which obviously made a big difference. I'm sure their coaches and players feel like they should have won the game.
Next up we play a very good team (they beat our last opponent 36-0) and I'm sure no one outside our team expects us to win. We're 3-0 now, but I'm still not sure if we're any good. This will be a good challenge for us, but I'm not sure if we're ready. We have a lot of things to fix. I just hope that we're competitive enough that our kids don't get discouraged and work to get better by playoff time. We'll see.
