Topic: Do any of you think...

[herd2win]

We will see anything new from the offense?  We did not have any new wrinkles for WKU with extra time and I think with as good of defense as UConn has there needs to be something to keep them guessing?

I don't think we will but just hoping we do.

[wasbarryb]

What I don’t understand is in the FIU game where we were clearly in control we threw in a couple of trick plays. As I recall they worked. We didn’t do anything like that before the FIU game nor in the WKU game afterwards.
   
Why didn’t we try some of those plays against WKU when it could have made a difference? We didn’t need to do those plays against FIU; they might have helped against WKU.

Just doesn’t make sense to me.

[MUonium]

ya, i guess i'd tend to agree when you're getting beat and clock is ticking.  always a risk factor, esp depending on field position and has been said many times, you play what you practice.  and did you have confidence in practice?  hard to trick a D who is on top of their game.

[HerdHead]

I think requiring the quarterback to count "hats in the box" and then make the play call is about as tricky and in-depth as our offense can be.

Lord help us if a defensive team makes adjustments after the qb has counted hats (ex: Ohio U). 

[mu79grad]

Of course you always want to win.  But it's a bowl game, so I would hope that Doc throws caution to the wind and runs plays like transpired in the WKU-USF game.  Both teams were running trick plays, and for the most part, they worked very well.  It would be nice to see a 10-win season but if we lose and there is a bunch of things that we haven't seen this year, both offensively and defensively, then I'd be OK with that.

[chris88]

You don't need trick plays to be dynamic. MU's offense needs to ne more dynamic in a traditional way not in an exotic way

[svherd]

Not sure we beat the Huskies running a vanilla offense and playing not to lose. jmo.

[HerdHead]

A hearty "Amen!" and +1's to both chris and sv.

[LUVTHATHERD]

A hearty "Amen!" and +1's to both chris and sv.

Ditto!!

[gochneaur645]

What I don’t understand is in the FIU game where we were clearly in control we threw in a couple of trick plays. As I recall they worked. We didn’t do anything like that before the FIU game nor in the WKU game afterwards.
   
Why didn’t we try some of those plays against WKU when it could have made a difference? We didn’t need to do those plays against FIU; they might have helped against WKU.

Just doesn’t make sense to me.

I've always wondered this, and it's been the same during Doc's entire tenure. After an entire season of vanilla offense and trying to run the read option with Brian Anderson, we converted a fake FG in a meaningless game against Tulane to end 2010.

The trick play at the end of the 2011 St. Pete Bowl was one time it made absolutely no sense to be aggressive. The play was a disaster, but some great ad-libbing from Cato made it work.

When we're the underdog and have every reason to let it loose, we seem to play our most conservative and uninspired, and like you said, use the trick plays when we don't need them.

[herdfifteen]

A hearty "Amen!" and +1's to both chris and sv.

How can you give a hearty amen to both, they are advocating almost opposite solutions?

[LUVTHATHERD]

How can you give a hearty amen to both, they are advocating almost opposite solutions?

I think they are both saying we need to be creative on offense.  We don't need trick plays but we have to show some creativity.  We can't be predictable and on the defensive.  We have to be aggressive.

[HerdHead]

How can you give a hearty amen to both, they are advocating almost opposite solutions?

That's not my understanding at all.  I believe they are advocating almost the same thing.   

[herdfifteen]

Yes, I do see where you could second each of those, you saw them in a different light than I did. I wasn't trying to be a smart a$$, good analysis.

[The E-Man]

How can you give a hearty amen to both, they are advocating almost opposite solutions?

Because, she's a very special lady! that's why and I always got her back! :)