The Flying Fickle Finger of Fate

[SWC75]

If Kielan Whitner holds up and Zaire Franklin doesn't grab that face mask, we might be 5-1 right now and talking about making a bowl game or even winning the ACC.

Instead we're talking about who will be the next head coach, OC or DC and how the team doesn't have any talent.

 

[bcubs9497]

...or if the refs didn't redefine the rules concerning the "fumble" of a forward pass...

 

[br801]

If Kielan Whitner holds up and Zaire Franklin doesn't grab that face mask, we might be 5-1 right now and talking about making a bowl game or even winning the ACC.

Instead we're talking about who will be the next head coach, OC or DC and how the team doesn't have any talent.

Funny how that works. It always good to remember that the difference between champion and also-ran, hero and goat, and genius and idiot is often quite slight.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

If Kielan Whitner holds up and Zaire Franklin doesn't grab that face mask, we might be 5-1 right now and talking about making a bowl game or even winning the ACC.

I don't know. Even if Whitner doesn't get that flag we still need two scores to win that game. That's not guaranteed.

 

[NineOneSeven]

I don't know. Even if Whitner doesn't get that flag we still need two scores to win that game. That's not guaranteed.

This is my favorite. Was the play big? Yes. But I'm sick of people saying "if we don't have that penalty we win". Uhhh, wrong. Tons of game after that.

 

[TheCusian]

I don't know. Even if Whitner doesn't get that flag we still need two scores to win that game. That's not guaranteed.

Are you sure? We were down 7 in late 3rd Q. I thought that play happened in that window.

I thought the Franklin face mask had a much larger impact. They would have punted down 3 with like 2 min left.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

This is my favorite. Was the play big? Yes. But I'm sick of people saying "if we don't have that penalty we win". Uhhh, wrong. Tons of game after that.

It's like how after Central Michigan people shrugged over limping to the finish line because we would have rolled if not for Dungey getting hurt.

Well, yeah. But this offense even with Dungey has shown it can stall. Maybe we don't roll. Fandom breeds optimism, but at a certain point you're dealing with unknowns and not all of them are going to work out to be best case scenarios. It's OK to acknowledge that.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

Are you sure? We were down 7 in late 3rd Q. I thought that play happened in that window.

Yeah, being down 7 means we need two scores to win. Unless you think our staff would get a TD with time remaining and try to go for 2 and the win.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

Are you sure? We were down 7 in late 3rd Q. I thought that play happened in that window.

I thought the Franklin face mask had a much larger impact. They would have punted down 3 with like 2 min left.

10:00 left in 4th.

 

[longtimefan]

10:00 left in 4th.

And the face mask happened with about 5 minutes to go.

 

[SWC75]

I don't know. Even if Whitner doesn't get that flag we still need two scores to win that game. That's not guaranteed.

Which is why I used the term "might".

Many people have said that the wind seemed to go out of our sails after that penalty in the USF game and Iagree. It was surely a big turning point in that game as we'd come back from 3TDs down to get within 1 and would have gotten the ball back.

And I like our chances vs. Virginia if they are forced to punt from deep in their own territory with 5 minutes left.

My point of course, is that sometimes there's not a lot of difference between wondering which bowl we're going to and wondering who our next head coach will be.

 

[TheCusian]

Yeah, being down 7 means we need two scores to win. Unless you think our staff would get a TD with time remaining and try to go for 2 and the win.

By definition 7 is one score.

I don't think they go for it.

 

[TheCusian]

And the face mask happened with about 5 minutes to go.

Thanks - obviously didn't check.

 

[gocusecaz]

 

[AAM62]

The biggest thing holding them back thus far is the defense's inability to get off of the field on 3rd down and overall lack of consistency.

 

[Millhouse]

The biggest thing holding them back thus far is the defense's inability to get off of the field on 3rd down and overall lack of consistency.

Third down is when teams throw. We are terrible when teams throw