At HRS, wings on the helmets, close game.


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The play that still gets to me about that game is the roughing the punter call. Whether it was a bad call or not, you simply cannot give a referee an opportunity to make that call.

3 point lead, 11 minutes to play, our offense has moved the ball consistently. You want them to punt the ball to you, you take over on your own 20 or so, have a patented Hatfield 8-minute touchdown drive, ball game. The only two things that hurt you are a fake punt or a roughing call. So you play safe punt. Your ends hold short, contain, and make him kick the ball. I can't imagine why any Owl would have been within 10 yards of the punter at any point, unless of course he decided to run. As long as he kicks the ball, we're fine, that's all we want at that point in the game.

(04-23-2020 08:54 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  The play that still gets to me about that game is the roughing the punter call. Whether it was a bad call or not, you simply cannot give a referee an opportunity to make that call.

3 point lead, 11 minutes to play, our offense has moved the ball consistently. You want them to punt the ball to you, you take over on your own 20 or so, have a patented Hatfield 8-minute touchdown drive, ball game. The only two things that hurt you are a fake punt or a roughing call. So you play safe punt. Your ends hold short, contain, and make him kick the ball. I can't imagine why any Owl would have been within 10 yards of the punter at any point, unless of course he decided to run. As long as he kicks the ball, we're fine, that's all we want at that point in the game.

Yes

This game shows up now and then on LHN. I keep waiting for it to show the 1994 game (which, like the 1997 game, was shown on ESPN), but for some reason it never does....

One of the dozens of reasons I suggested when we sold KTRU why we should have our own database/network and one of the reasons I don't oppose being independent (because as I understand it, conferences would generally prohibit this unless we pulled what UT did when they left the SWC to create the LHN). I realize ours wouldn't be on cable... but it could be on the internet.

I think a lot of Aggies and other TU haters would love to watch the 94 game... not as much as would want to watch their own victories, but more than attend our average games now.


This would be a PERFECT time to be creating outreach and getting those casual fans that we might get out to see us one day... Tens of millions of sports fans, many of them not working and digging deep into the Netflix catalog.

(04-24-2020 12:02 PM)Hambone10 Wrote:  One of the dozens of reasons I suggested when we sold KTRU why we should have our own database/network and one of the reasons I don't oppose being independent (because as I understand it, conferences would generally prohibit this unless we pulled what UT did when they left the SWC to create the LHN). I realize ours wouldn't be on cable... but it could be on the internet.
I think a lot of Aggies and other TU haters would love to watch the 94 game... not as much as would want to watch their own victories, but more than attend our average games now.
This would be a PERFECT time to be creating outreach and getting those casual fans that we might get out to see us one day... Tens of millions of sports fans, many of them not working and digging deep into the Netflix catalog.

Speaking of the Aggies, their rugby teams broadcast on the Internet and have broadcast sponsors. Craig Coates (director of rugby there, and a horticulture professor) is a real go-getter. I'm guessing that our marketability right now is probably about the same as aTm rugby, so we should certainly be investigating that opportunity.

(04-23-2020 08:54 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  The play that still gets to me about that game is the roughing the punter call. Whether it was a bad call or not, you simply cannot give a referee an opportunity to make that call.

3 point lead, 11 minutes to play, our offense has moved the ball consistently. You want them to punt the ball to you, you take over on your own 20 or so, have a patented Hatfield 8-minute touchdown drive, ball game. The only two things that hurt you are a fake punt or a roughing call. So you play safe punt. Your ends hold short, contain, and make him kick the ball. I can't imagine why any Owl would have been within 10 yards of the punter at any point, unless of course he decided to run. As long as he kicks the ball, we're fine, that's all we want at that point in the game.

The two things that still get to me about that game are:

1. The roughing the punter, for the exact reasons you state; and

2. Time management on the final drive. We had something like 5 or 6 minutes to go 60 or so yards, and couldn't do it! Texas could not stop our option. The only call that needed to be made in the huddle was what direction we were going and the snap count. Instead, we repeatedly drained the play clock as though we were sitting on a lead. Ultimately, we needed another minute or so which we did not have, requiring us to try to make the last 10-15 years through the air, which did not happen. I think we were so conditioned to try to shorten the game, especially against a supposedly superior opponent, that we were mentally unable to save 15 seconds here and there when we desperately needed to. Failure of coaching.

(04-24-2020 06:20 PM)MJY Wrote:  

(04-23-2020 08:54 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  The play that still gets to me about that game is the roughing the punter call. Whether it was a bad call or not, you simply cannot give a referee an opportunity to make that call.
3 point lead, 11 minutes to play, our offense has moved the ball consistently. You want them to punt the ball to you, you take over on your own 20 or so, have a patented Hatfield 8-minute touchdown drive, ball game. The only two things that hurt you are a fake punt or a roughing call. So you play safe punt. Your ends hold short, contain, and make him kick the ball. I can't imagine why any Owl would have been within 10 yards of the punter at any point, unless of course he decided to run. As long as he kicks the ball, we're fine, that's all we want at that point in the game.

The two things that still get to me about that game are:
1. The roughing the punter, for the exact reasons you state; and
2. Time management on the final drive. We had something like 5 or 6 minutes to go 60 or so yards, and couldn't do it! Texas could not stop our option. The only call that needed to be made in the huddle was what direction we were going and the snap count. Instead, we repeatedly drained the play clock as though we were sitting on a lead. Ultimately, we needed another minute or so which we did not have, requiring us to try to make the last 10-15 years through the air, which did not happen. I think we were so conditioned to try to shorten the game, especially against a supposedly superior opponent, that we were mentally unable to save 15 seconds here and there when we desperately needed to. Failure of coaching.

One other question about that game. Suppose we had scored on the last drive. Do you go for one to tie or two to take the lead?

Ken was asked that at the time, and said two. He figured our chances of winning on one play with our offense against their defense were better than winning in overtime with both teams having to play both offense and defense. Since our offense was having a better game than our defense, I am inclined to agree.

‘94 game second half with Ken Hatfield commentary is on YouTube.

(04-25-2020 09:39 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(04-24-2020 06:20 PM)MJY Wrote:  

(04-23-2020 08:54 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  The play that still gets to me about that game is the roughing the punter call. Whether it was a bad call or not, you simply cannot give a referee an opportunity to make that call.
3 point lead, 11 minutes to play, our offense has moved the ball consistently. You want them to punt the ball to you, you take over on your own 20 or so, have a patented Hatfield 8-minute touchdown drive, ball game. The only two things that hurt you are a fake punt or a roughing call. So you play safe punt. Your ends hold short, contain, and make him kick the ball. I can't imagine why any Owl would have been within 10 yards of the punter at any point, unless of course he decided to run. As long as he kicks the ball, we're fine, that's all we want at that point in the game.

The two things that still get to me about that game are:
1. The roughing the punter, for the exact reasons you state; and
2. Time management on the final drive. We had something like 5 or 6 minutes to go 60 or so yards, and couldn't do it! Texas could not stop our option. The only call that needed to be made in the huddle was what direction we were going and the snap count. Instead, we repeatedly drained the play clock as though we were sitting on a lead. Ultimately, we needed another minute or so which we did not have, requiring us to try to make the last 10-15 years through the air, which did not happen. I think we were so conditioned to try to shorten the game, especially against a supposedly superior opponent, that we were mentally unable to save 15 seconds here and there when we desperately needed to. Failure of coaching.

One other question about that game. Suppose we had scored on the last drive. Do you go for one to tie or two to take the lead?

Ken was asked that at the time, and said two. He figured our chances of winning on one play with our offense against their defense were better than winning in overtime with both teams having to play both offense and defense. Since our offense was having a better game than our defense, I am inclined to agree.

I am also inclined to agree, although Texas' defense may have been more gassed than ours. Not sure who had the better kicker, probably them.

Do you remember that on the kickoff after we went up 14-0, we caused a fumble, and were a whisker away from having the ball inside their 20, looking to go up 21-0. That game was a rollercoaster.