Ohio Football Topic
Topic: Official Game 2 Thread: Pittsburgh
Page: 4 of 4
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Bobcat110
9/8/2019 9:31 AM
Bcat2 wrote:expand_more
Why do we fair catch punts at the 5?
Kids do the darnedest things. Pretty much every coach will have gray or no hair from them, those darnedest things.
I thought the first time we did it. We did it twice in a row. The first one almost resulted in a pick six and a safety during the 3 and out series. It ended with us punting from the back of our end zone. That punt was returned for a Pitt TD that was called back for a hold.

So, a couple of minutes later when we fair caught again at the 6 yard line on Pitt’s next punt, I was thinking it must be our preferred option over taking chance of not getting a touchback? The old rule was not to fair catch inside the 10. I was just wondering if there’s a new special teams theory?
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SBH
9/8/2019 10:14 AM
I don't recall a punt return for a TD. I believe he ran it back to the 25 or so.
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ytownbobcat
9/8/2019 10:17 AM
I was pleasantly surprised with the obvious gain in arm strength by Nathan. Cross field throws had lots of mustard. I love that he is dedicated to continuous improvement!
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Bobcat110
9/8/2019 10:43 AM
SBH wrote:expand_more
I don't recall a punt return for a TD. I believe he ran it back to the 25 or so.
I rewatched. It was returned to the 10. I was sitting on opposite side of field. The way Pitt fans were cheering, I assumed he went into end zone. My bad. Thanks!
Last Edited: 9/8/2019 10:44:43 AM by Bobcat110
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L.C.
9/8/2019 12:26 PM
71 BOBCAT wrote:expand_more
The game I saw left me with these thoughts'
1) We were hampered with Rourke sick and not able to run.
2) Our pass D needs improvement
3) Our tackling needs some work
As a final note.... I think had Rourke been healthy we would have won this game.
I have not lost any enthusiasm and the potential for this team is still great.

GO BOBCATS

I agree. Nothing really surprised me today, especially with Rourke sick. I said before the game he needed to have a great day for Ohio to win, and with him sick, that wasn't in the cards. There was a lot of improvement in various areas, and a lot was exposed by Pitt that needs to improve.
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CatsUp
9/8/2019 1:36 PM
Bobcat110 wrote:expand_more
Why do we fair catch punts at the 5?
Kids do the darnedest things. Pretty much every coach will have gray or no hair from them, those darnedest things.
I thought the first time we did it. We did it twice in a row. The first one almost resulted in a pick six and a safety during the 3 and out series. It ended with us punting from the back of our end zone. That punt was returned for a Pitt TD that was called back for a hold.

So, a couple of minutes later when we fair caught again at the 6 yard line on Pitt’s next punt, I was thinking it must be our preferred option over taking chance of not getting a touchback? The old rule was not to fair catch inside the 10. I was just wondering if there’s a new special teams theory?

At least one of the times, and I believe both, Pitt had a defender who had already positioned himself between the punt returner and the goal line as the ball was coming down. He was well balanced and may have downed the ball even closer to the goal line. Of course how the ball would bounce and whether or not the defender could have reacted in time is a good question. Perhaps this affected our punt returner’s decision making.
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Buck.Cat
9/8/2019 1:43 PM
Bobcat110 wrote:expand_more
I was just wondering if there’s a new special teams theory?
I don't know why but this made me laugh. Alternate strategies from the most tenured staff in college football. Actually, do they still have this claim to fame due to Burrow's retirement?
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Pataskala
9/8/2019 2:31 PM
CatsUp wrote:expand_more
Why do we fair catch punts at the 5?
Kids do the darnedest things. Pretty much every coach will have gray or no hair from them, those darnedest things.
I thought the first time we did it. We did it twice in a row. The first one almost resulted in a pick six and a safety during the 3 and out series. It ended with us punting from the back of our end zone. That punt was returned for a Pitt TD that was called back for a hold.

So, a couple of minutes later when we fair caught again at the 6 yard line on Pitt’s next punt, I was thinking it must be our preferred option over taking chance of not getting a touchback? The old rule was not to fair catch inside the 10. I was just wondering if there’s a new special teams theory?

At least one of the times, and I believe both, Pitt had a defender who had already positioned himself between the punt returner and the goal line as the ball was coming down. He was well balanced and may have downed the ball even closer to the goal line. Of course how the ball would bounce and whether or not the defender could have reacted in time is a good question. Perhaps this affected our punt returner’s decision making.
Because we use the pistol almost exclusively there's a good chance that a ball downed inside the five would lead to a safety. We had that happen at Fiami last year and it was the difference in the game. At least we have more operating room at the five. Plus with the backspin most punters have on their kicks these days, a ball that hits at the five probably won't make the end zone.
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bobcatsquared
9/8/2019 2:55 PM
What if . . . ?

What if our LB intercepts the ball near the goal line in a scoreless game and Pitt doesn't end up with a 3-0 lead after the dropped INT that resulted in a Pitt FG?

What if our frosh WR doesn't drop a perfect pass from Rourke in the end zone in the 3rd qtr and Ohio comes away with 7 points instead of 3?

We're talking a 17-14 score instead of 20-10. Teams like Ohio can't afford such miscues when playing up v. a P5 school.
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rpbobcat
9/8/2019 3:29 PM
I didn't get to see or hear the game so I'm coming in a bit blind.

Does anyone if the stories of Nathan being sick were true ?

If he was,I'm surprised they didn't rest him for a series here and there.
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Pataskala
9/8/2019 3:32 PM
bobcatsquared wrote:expand_more
What if . . . ?

What if our LB intercepts the ball near the goal line in a scoreless game and Pitt doesn't end up with a 3-0 lead after the dropped INT that resulted in a Pitt FG?

What if our frosh WR doesn't drop a perfect pass from Rourke in the end zone in the 3rd qtr and Ohio comes away with 7 points instead of 3?

We're talking a 17-14 score instead of 20-10. Teams like Ohio can't afford such miscues when playing up v. a P5 school.
What if two Pitt defenders don't collide going after an easy pick six? It's 24-14 Pitt.

The missed opportunities were pretty even yesterday.
Last Edited: 9/8/2019 3:34:40 PM by Pataskala
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Pataskala
9/8/2019 3:41 PM
rpbobcat wrote:expand_more
I didn't get to see or hear the game so I'm coming in a bit blind.

Does anyone if the stories of Nathan being sick were true ?

If he was,I'm surprised they didn't rest him for a series here and there.
According to reports, on Friday he had symptoms of strep throat so they put him on antibiotics. His fever apparently broke overnight but he was still well short of 100%. He felt well enough to play, so my guess is that they felt there was a better chance of winning with him than with the backups. Plus with the O line being overwhelmed by Pitt's D, they probably didn't want the backups making lousy decisions that could let the game get out of hand. It sounds like with a few days rest Nathan should be ok for next week.
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Bobcat110
9/8/2019 5:35 PM
Pataskala wrote:expand_more
Why do we fair catch punts at the 5?
Kids do the darnedest things. Pretty much every coach will have gray or no hair from them, those darnedest things.
I thought the first time we did it. We did it twice in a row. The first one almost resulted in a pick six and a safety during the 3 and out series. It ended with us punting from the back of our end zone. That punt was returned for a Pitt TD that was called back for a hold.

So, a couple of minutes later when we fair caught again at the 6 yard line on Pitt’s next punt, I was thinking it must be our preferred option over taking chance of not getting a touchback? The old rule was not to fair catch inside the 10. I was just wondering if there’s a new special teams theory?

At least one of the times, and I believe both, Pitt had a defender who had already positioned himself between the punt returner and the goal line as the ball was coming down. He was well balanced and may have downed the ball even closer to the goal line. Of course how the ball would bounce and whether or not the defender could have reacted in time is a good question. Perhaps this affected our punt returner’s decision making.
Because we use the pistol almost exclusively there's a good chance that a ball downed inside the five would lead to a safety. We had that happen at Fiami last year and it was the difference in the game. At least we have more operating room at the five. Plus with the backspin most punters have on their kicks these days, a ball that hits at the five probably won't make the end zone.
Sounds reasonable. Thanks.
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