38 -Hold?

[Doctor44]

What the hell is Lester talking about.

http://www.syracuse.com/orangefootb...ern_is_health_odds_and_ends.html#incart_river

Praying for the '38-Hold'
While discussing his affinity for numbers, Lester touched on a play that we can only hope gets called this season, the '38-Hold.'

It's a play Lester said he would only up six points late in a game with his offense pinned against his own goal line.

Basically, the quarterback would take the snap and run around as long as possible in the end zone until he was pressure out of bounds. The offensive linemen would be asked to intentionally hold in hopes of knocking off another second or two and luring the opposing coach into accepting the penalty.

"I hope it happens," Lester said with a smile.

I've played and watched a lot of football. But the logic behind this play is pretty iffy at best.

Best I can figure you're trying to waste maybe 7 more seconds off the clock with a huge gamble. You're hoping that you're QB is a good enough athlete and smart enough to avoid a sack in the hopes of getting an extra play to waste maybe a few more seconds. But in general, we've wasted a play, hoped our QB avoided a safety and an intelligent D1 coach will obviously decline to hold and well be down another play to get out of our endzone to punt.

I really hope this isnt the type of play calling we have to look forward to this year. Please just line up in the wishbone and run it up the gut.

 

[FAL]

I read the article. Sounds like a set up. Reads like something that should have been written on April 1st.

Plus we won't be up by 6 late in the game. We'll be up by at least 18.

 

[ImperialOrange]

Think he's talking about running the clock out while taking the safety. Game can end on an offensive penalty, but not a defensive one correct?

 

[Jake]

Think he's talking about running the clock out while taking the safety. Game can end on an offensive penalty, but not a defensive one correct?

Yep. Pretty sure this is how a game ended last year or the year before. There is no downside to holding if your the offensive team trying to run out the clock. The penalty is a run off...

 

[Doctor44]

Alright- so we hope this is a standard last play of the game scenario.

 

[Full_Rebar]

Not sure I follow the logic, the opposing team would need to have a time-out, if you are risking the QB running around as opposed to taking a knee? If so, they could stop the clock regardless of a penalty...which leads me to assume SU would have to be on their own 1-yd line to bother calling the play, because what you are hoping to do is have Hunt run around until the clock expires right?

 

[OttoinGrotto]

I'd rather see the victory formation at midfield. I don't know though. I've never coached above the level of women's intramural football at a D1 school.

 

[TDTOrange]

The idea is to burn as much time as possible (thus the intentional holding) before the QB is pressured out of the end-zone to take the safety. Instead of punting from deep in your own territory, you take the safety, give up the 2 points and make the safety-kick from the 20. The opponent still needs a TD, it removes the possibility of a block in the end-zone, gives them worse field position while still needing a TD to win.

 

[Doctor44]

The idea is to burn as much time as possible (thus the intentional holding) before the QB is pressured out of the end-zone to take the safety. Instead of punting from deep in your own territory, you take the safety, give up the 2 points and make the safety-kick from the 20. The opponent still needs a TD, it removes the possibility of a block in the end-zone, gives them worse field position while still needing a TD to win.

Okay so thats one theory. Except Lester says in the article part of the point of the play is "trick" the opposing team into accepting a holding call. Accepting the penalty would negate a safety and thus the play isnt lets take a safety so we have more room to kick.

 

[TDTOrange]

Okay so thats one theory. Except Lester says in the article part of the point of the play is "trick" the opposing team into accepting a holding call. Accepting the penalty would negate a safety and thus the play isnt lets take a safety so we have more room to kick.

Accepting the holding call gives you the down over. So if we're in the position of running the clock out, it gives you one more chance to do it and to take the safety again.

 

[Doctor44]

Accepting the holding call gives you the down over. So if we're in the position of running the clock out, it gives you one more chance to do it and to take the safety again.

Not sure a pop warner coach would take a penalty over a safety

 

[TDTOrange]

Not sure a pop warner coach would take a penalty over a safety

Thus hoping to trick him. This is the weird instance where a safety helps the offensive team considerably more than the defense. Not a large window for this play to happen though.

 

[FrancoPizza]

Not sure how this cute talk even entered the conversation, but I'd rather lesticle focus on game scenarios that are actually going to happen in the next 5 years.

 

[SWC75]

Couldn't find a video but years ago there was a high school coach who thought he'd come up with the perfect play to run out the clock. His team was up by a field goal at about midfield with 6-7 seconds left. He told his QB to take the snap and retreat toward the end zone, zig-zaging back and forth and count 1000 one...1000 two..., etc. Just don't get tackled or go out of bounds. When he got to seven, take a knee. The QB executed it perfectly- until he decided to celebrate. Instead of taking a knee he ran into the end zone after the clock reached zero and spiked the ball. Then he ran to celebrate with the coach and his teammates. A defender for the other team fell on the ball and his team won. It was a playoff game, as I remember.

 

[Ringostar57]

3rd and 5 at your 7 yard line with 8 to 12 seconds left...ball at the left hashmark QB runs an option right...hback takes a step forward than starts to reverse left, gets forward hand off from QB, TE lined up left blocks his man DE into the right peels of to the left blocks lb or safety. Everyone on defense will be biting on original option right all the flow is right. Ultimately the play goes left into open space.

 

[LeMoyneCuse]

Not sure how this cute talk even entered the conversation, but I'd rather lesticle focus on game scenarios that are actually going to happen in the next 5 years.

So you'd rather the OC have no idea what to do in a specific situation?

 

[upperdeck]

not sure the play works unless you actually gain yds .. if you hold and hold and hold and then complete the pass or run for a 1st down then you force the other team to take the penalty, but i thought the run off time was optional? if you hold and still take a safety the D will just take the play.