Pigskin Pundit: Let’s Talk Coaching

Coach Prime, meet Will Stein.

Unless you checked out some parochial school football during your stint on the Redbirds, you probably weren’t really aware of the former U of L Cardinal QB before this Saturday past.

One must presume you know his name now.

Stein’s Oregon Duck offense whomped your Buffalo D up one side of the head, then the other. A few shots to the solar plexus after that.

35 zip at the half. Then Will called off the Quack. Down 42, your guys finally put one in the endzone late, very late, garbage time.

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Speaking of coaching, how ’bout that Marcus Freeman?

Up in the battle with the Buckeyes, his Irish were backed against their own goal line with just a few ticks left.

When with no timeouts left, the ND HC realized, because of substitution gaffes, he was a man short on the D line.

Yet he didn’t call a timeout to rectify the situation, even though the penalty wouldn’t have cost his team more than a couple inches.

Oh yeah, for two plays in a row.

Ryan Day and his staff finally took notice, and, at the buzzer, ran in the winning score exactly where that missing DL should have been.

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Speaking of coaching, how ’bout that Dabo Swinney?

Who perpetuated the reality of the glorious return of a heralded tradition we like to call clemsoning.

Ahead of league rival Florida State for the entire game, until right near the end of regulation, the Tigers still had time to attempt a go ahead score before OT.

Until, the Dabos, through serious inefficiency and poor clock management, allowed said timepiece to expire.

Given that Uncle Mo had already abandoned his stripes and put on face paint, the end was inevitable . . .

. . . i.e. the continued decline of the formerly great Orange, who now share the ACC cellar with BC at 0-2.

Speaking of Clemson coaches, wasn’t last year’s Flavor of the Month and alleged savant Garrett Riley supposed to be the offensive savior?

Asking for the woman who wears Clemson gear where I work out.

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Speaking of coaching, how ’bout that Brian Ferentz?

The ineffectual OC Son of HC at Iowa got skunked Saturday in Happy Valley.

His contractual requirement to average 25 ppg this season, or lose his job, is snarkily being called the Drive for 325.

Which designation was ignominiously whited out by the Nittany Lions.*

A lot of you readers I’m sure have no idea what White-Out correction fluid is. Well, my children, there was a time when typewriters were the norm. When you hit a letter, it immediately got printed on real paper. True. See image above. If you hit the wrong letter, you either pulled the sheet out of the cartridge and started over. Or you took this fluid and covered over the letter, and when it dried, typed the correct one.

Well, the Drive for 325 was covered over by the White Out throng at Beaver Stadium. To the tune of 31 to NOTHING. Iowa’s not so vaunted O fumbled six times, losing four. Got a total of 4 first downs, and 76 yards. On 13 3d down attempts, Ferentz’s charges lost 12 yards.

The Hawkeyes point total for season so far is 85.

Which makes one Brian Ferentz -15 for the year.

For sale signs expected soon.

 * * * * *

It took the Indiana Hoosiers four overtimes to finally best the Zips of Akron.

 * * * * *

Remember that essentially inconsequential play in U of L’s W over BC, when harried Jack Plummer fumbled out of bounds?

Did you notice the other way more interesting aspect of that play call?

There was some Brohm Trickeration® afoot.

Because, on the back side of the play, OL Willie Tyler, all 6-6 320 lbs of him, did a full cartwheel. One supposes for distraction. Duh, I guess.

Sweet.

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One more time: Speaking of coaching, how ’bout that Nick Saban?

Of course, he’s far from easy to root for . . .

. . . except when insufferable Lane Kiffin is on the other sideline.

The mouthy former Crimson Tide OC was schooled by the Master in Tuscaloosa.

A smile ensued.

— c d kaplan