I think he means this one
There’s also the Flutie drop kick PAT.
Back to the matter at hand. I can guarantee that Alabama will defend every missed FG from now on. Even after Saban leaves.
As an SEC hater, it warmed the cockles of my heart to see Alabama lose one, and if this gives us an SEC-free title game, so much the better. Of course, I’d much rather see my beloved Spartans beat OSU, even if it lets Auburn sneak into the title game.
On the plus side, this clears the way for Saban to flee to Texas.
Yeah I’m not sure what play you are watching. He blew past much slower players. A couple came close but did not have the speed. Alabama had their big line in to defend against a blocked kick. They had no one to defend against a run back. The fault rests on the kicker who didn’t put enough boot in. Or on the coaching staff if they knew he barely had enough strength for the kick and a short one was a possibility.
At the time I thought "Why fight for that last pathetic second when you’re so far away from the goal? Just go to OT and let the best man win. I think Alabama would have won that battle… maybe.
When you have such a stud QB why not try the good old Hail Mary? Sure those can be picked, but with a normal offense on the filed it would end up in OT 9 out of 10 times easily.
A field goal?!? From 56 yards out? After your started failed on 3 attempts, and this is the third attempt EVER for the kicker about to decide your fate? See how the defense has a guy waiting in the end zone? Guess what he’s there for?
Hubris I say. Going to OT would have been the sane move given their kicking game at that point.
I still think the most remarkable thing about the last play was that it was an astonishing series of events that garnered zero flags, penalties, reviews, challenges, stoppages whatsoever. The previous 10 minutes of on air game time were noting but nit picking, and all of the above. For the game to end so decisively on such a fluke was the real jaw dropper for me.
Side note: While watching the OSU Michigan game with my Dad, he said “Uh oh, looks like they might tie it” on their last possesion before the TD. I said “No, their gonna try to win it.”
“Going for two? That sounds risky?” I said " Have you seen the crazy shit they’ve been pulling out of their ass this whole game?" Sho 'nuff, they gambled and thankfully lost.
I put that loss completely and utterly on Nick Saban. From his decision to not go up by two scores with 6:19 left to having his players unprepared for the return of a missed field goal, the loss should be completely on Nick Saban. I fully admit to having little to no respect for the guy, but I’m actually a bit surprised that there seems to be a lot more vehement hatred toward the kicker than at the coach.
People are stupid. You’re entirely right. This one is on Saban.
I haven’t heard any hatred towards the kicker - they knew it was a long shot and he didn’t better than expected IMO. Sure it was short but not by much. The fault lays in Alabama not thinking past the point where the kicker’s foot hit the ball - and that’s mostly on Saban.
Not the backup kicker, who attempted the long field goal. I meant Cade Foster, the kicker who missed the earlier field goals. Foster has gotten death threats for missing those field goals.
Ah, well, that’s different. I can see that happening, even if the abuse is completely beyond the pale. Heck, one Alabama fan was shot by another Alabama fan because she wasn’t sufficiently upset at the loss. My brother lives just outside of Tuscaloosa and the people there are completely nuts. The only place I’ve seen comparable insanity is the Michigan/OSU rivalry but I haven’t spent too much time in big college football land.
I live in the heart of Red Sox/Yankees land and while we’re insane, we’re not nuts.
Yeah probably. I don’t know the kicker so I made allowances. If he is a boomer who routinely kicks it out of the end zone then I could understand it not being a likely outcome. If they knew this was at the outer limit of his range 100% of the fault is on the staff.
Apparently no Alabama fans were watching the game.
http://www.theonion.com/articles/nobody-at-university-of-alabama-caught-saturdays-g,34727/
It was a 57 yard attempt. That’s the limit of everyone’s range. The longest field goal kicked in the NFL this season was 58 yards, and that set a Bears franchise record. There was also a 57 yarder by Mason Crosby, which was one yard off (his) Packers franchise record.
Saban (being a robot) probably went through the options like this:
Hail Mary: 3 possible outcomes.
(1) Complete: We win. Probability: 2%
(2) Incomplete: Overtime. Probability: 80% Chances of winning in OT: excellent
(3) Intercepted: Probability: 12%
(a) Down in the end zone. Probability: 99.9%
(b) Returned for a TD. Probability 0.1%
FG attempt: 3 possible outcomes.
(1) Made: we win. Probability: 5%
(2) Missed: Overtime. Probability: 94%. Chances of winning in OT: excellent.
(3) Blocked: Probability: 1%
(a) covered at line of scrimmage: see (2) Probability: 99.9%
(b) returned for a TD. Probability: 0.1%. Mitigation: insert All-Fatties FG Unit
Which makes perfect sense, if he forgot the 4th possible outcome on the FG attempt.
Even the all-fatties unit should have been able to stop the runback. The problem was nobody told them to be prepared for it, so they all stood around in blocking formation instead of spreading out on return coverage.
NFL kickers routinely kick the ball through the end zone from the 35. There are quite a few (relatively) kickers that have the distance. Accuracy at that distance is a different story. But with 1 second left it’s an easy call. Unless you don’t have the leg.
Kicking the ball off a tee with an unlimited run-up =/= kicking a field goal from scrimmage. That’s why there are only 12 made field goal attempts of 60+ yards in NFL history even though every kicker in the league can put the ball through the back of the endzone from the 35.
But this wasn’t an NFL kicker. it’s a 19 year old kid who isn’t even the primary kicker.
A coach should know, but how many fans knew you even *could *return a FG attempt? That was literally the first time I’d seen one in at least ten years.
I’d never seen one. I knew it was possible, only because my Cal football record book lists the longest kick return with the parenthetical comment (“missed FG attempt”).