Centering the ball for the winning field goal?

[BleedsRedUte]

Anyone else wondering why they ran the play to center the ball?
I thought it was tempting all the things that could go wrong for very little pay back. Any mishandling of the Center to QB snap could squander away the 5 seconds of time, and leave the Utes with no chance to kick the winning field goal.
When Whit initially sent out the field goal team, I thought great call, the extra downs we had would give us a cushion if there is any mishandling of the snap to the place holder.
In the end, everything went as it needed to and the kick was good. Great! What a win!

[EagleMountainUte]

I think it was he wanted to leave 3 seconds. 5 seconds forces a kickoff. Which if you remember all game were covered well but crappily kicked.

[SalUteopia]

After what happened in the Miami – GaTech game (very different reasons, but still), I was very wary of this. But given that our kicking is not elite, it made sense. It also ran down the clock to 0 and gave no chance for a KO return, which was a bigger risk IMO.

[Calgradutedad]

Best not to leave a college kicker kicking from the hash. Odds better from middle of field especially at that distance.

[UtesRule]

Nope, not wondering this AT ALL!

1. It’s a SIGNIFICANTLY easier kick straight on versus from the hash.

2. It ensured it was the last play of the game.

3. Most importantly, it worked!!

Why are we continually questioning the most successful coach in Utah Football history??!!

[pedro]

Keep in mind Becker is still not 100%

[Ghost of the HEB]

Higher chance of the kick being impacted by being on a hash than chances the snap gets fumbled moving the ball to the middle. It’s worth the risk.

[Charlie]

Centering the ball is the only play close to a kneel down in terms of easy. The OL doesn’t even have to move. At that point it is the kickers preference. Giving him basically a longer extra point is the highest percentage option, holder and kicker. Then there is the whole thing about which things cause a 10 second runoff but then a runoff can be canceled with a timeout. Myself, I like the center kneel down inside the tackle especially with a TE.

[EagleMountainUte]

As long as Mokofisi doesn’t false start.

[Utah]

My wife stated in the USC game: “The fact that a false start has been called and I immediately asked if it was #52…that’s bad, right?”

[EagleMountainUte]

I am wondering what the final grade is on him. Haven’t looked yet. USC arguably better dline than Cal. I like what I am seeing from Utahs’s Oline. But damn those critical first starts when you need a fg to win can’t ever happen.

[The Miami Ute]

I had no problem with Barnes running to center the ball. What he did was little more than a glorified kneel-down. Because all he was doing is running a couple of yards laterally and then going down immediately, the odds of him fumbling or even getting touched by a USC defender were very, very small. It was a judgment risk/reward call and it turned out just as planned.

[2008 National Champ]

Becker is coming off an injury and missed one against CAL to the right. If he’s centered, he doesn’t need to try to bend it in.

On replay, it looks like SC came close to blocking the kick. I’d love to see a side angle to see if it was an optical illusion.

[GameForAnyFuss]

I was watching this with my son, who was a college kicker (D2, but it still counts, right?). I asked him if that was the right move.

His answer: In college, yes. Chances of a mishandled snap are lower than the chances of a right-footed kicker pulling it from the right hash.
In high school, no. Mishandled snaps are much more common. You would definitely want the extra time, just in case.

[belli1976]

Hey there is a straw.

[PNW Ute]

I think the likelihood of there being a bad snap or some other type of mistake is small enough that the increased percentage of making the field goal from the center of the field is more than worth it.

With the tighter hashes in the NFL no, probably not worth it. But in college with the wider hashes? Yes.

[Author]

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