Indiana’s bludgeoning of Top 10 Illinois was the most impressive performance of the weekend and the season.
Total. Domination.
When the sold out crowd arrived at their seats yesterday, there were crimson towels that read, “Fast Physical Relentless.” Which is how Curt Cignetti’s Hoosiers play.
IU blocks, tackles, pursues.
Cignetti is borderline insufferable. But, the fellow does win. I’ve given him grief for his scheduling, but he beat a legit upper echelon league foe as easily as Indiana State.
It says here, he’s as good a guy coaching in college as any these days. If he gets enough financial support, he might just end up in the conversation as one of the best of the century.
Indiana is fascinating to watch. And I have to tap the brakes a bit. IU still has to visit State College and Eugene. And goes to Iowa next.
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You ever pull this trick when playing in the sandlot back when?
One of your guys pretends he’s got to get home for dinner. Starts walking off the field in the direction generally of where he lives. You snap the ball and he takes off downfield with nobody covering him. Throw and catch. TD. Easy peasy.
Well Oklahoma tried the ploy yesterday in the Sooners’ home W over improving Auburn. And got away with it.
“Hideout tactic” the SEC called it in retrospect. While chastising their zebras for not calling the Unsportsmanlike penalty. Wideout jogged to the sideline like he was going out of game. Stopped right before the sideline. TD.
I dunno. Seems pretty clever to me. Just like playing in the park during my youth.
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I’ve started drafting this early Sunday evening. Just checked and as of now, no coaches have been axed yet after the weekend’s telling results.
Sam Pittman’s Razorbacks blew a three score lead late, losing to Memphis State.
Yo, Sam, you see your OC Bobby P taking a meeting by himself with your AD, be nervous, be real nervous.
Luke Fickell, the folks in Cincy aren’t overly pleased with your replacement. Maybe more roaming the Bearcat sidelines is in your future. Doubt you have a long one at Camp Randall, despite a $25 mill buyout.
Oklahoma State 12, Tulsa 19. The Cowboys first L to their instate rival since 1951.
Mike Gundy, fat cat Okie State booster extraordinaire T. Boone Pickens has passed on. But his estate is way flush. And charged with donating to TBP’s beloved school, when it’s in the university’s best interest. Or so I have to suppose.
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Scott Frost Rejuvenation Tour at Central Florida continues.
Frosties 34, Belichicks 9.
BB, how’s this college coaching thing workin’ for ya?
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Dabo Dabo Dabo.
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JM Atherton HS Rebels back to their winning ways.
JMA 28, Eastern Eagles 0.
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Rarely weigh in on the NFL, but Scott Hanson when there are several close games at the end of the early window is so fun to listen to. There were plenty today.
And what’s with all the blocked kicks that turned games late?
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The fast rising Texas Tech Moneybags are proving Cody Campbell’s money talks and walks. They crushed Big 12 favorite Utah in the Beehive State.
— c d kaplan

There was a team that pulled that same (or very similar) Oklahoma trick against us back when John L was coaching here. I think it may have been Southern Miss. They got away with it also, and John L was livid. He kept calling it “a play of deception”. I believe such plays are supposed to be illegal, as teams are not supposed to hide the fact that a player is participating in the game/play.
NCAA football Rule 9-2, article 2 is labeled ‘unfair tactics” with paragraph (B) stating
“No simulated replacements or substitutions may be used to confuse opponents. No tactic associated with substitutes or the substitution process may be used to confuse opponents. This includes any hideout tactic with or without a substitution.”
This play should not be illegal. Trick plays are designed to confuse opponents. This should be no different. Defenses should be able to pay attention.
Being legal to game the substitution process would create all kinds of chaos. Teams could have a whole bunch of players standing on the sideline and suddenly run in only certain players who had checked in with the refs. There is a reason that if one team substitutes, the opposing team gets and opportunity to counter with their own substitution. It’s to provide some structure to the game. A player faking that he is leaving the game is a violation of that structure. There are many ways to trick a defense that are illegal, such as illegal formations. Trick plays are fine, but if you eliminate the structure of the game you get free for all chaos and a game that would be very difficult to officiate fairly. Everything that’s a trick can’t be legal, or it would be a mess.
The “hideout” might have worked back in the day on that Highlands sandlot but it is indeed against the rules.
Illegal it may be, and is, but I still sort of like it. D needs to be paying attention. And it did work in Cherokee Park in the 50s,
The D isn’t supposed to be paying attention and watching out for a rules violation. The refs are supposed to do that, and these refs are getting sanctioned by the SEC for not doing it.
This really isn’t much different than UConn’s Larry Taylor not decisively waving his arm, faking a fair catch against us, and getting away with it. Running trick plays out of legal formations is one thing. Corrupting the structure of the game is a whole different ball of wax. Making fake substitutions legal would be crazy. It’s not legal in any sport that I am aware of.
Well…I guess it’s legal in sandlot football in Cherokee Park. But what isn’t legal there?
Fair catches, we never called for no stinkiin’ fair catches.
I guess calling for a fake fair catch wouldn’t do you much good if you were going to get drilled anyway. Legal under Cherokee Park rules as I understand them.