Stoops supports gambling on college games (no, not that kind of gambling)
Published: 11/19/2009 12:00 AM
Last Modified: 11/18/2009 5:45 PM
In his defense of Patriots coach Bill Belichick's fourth-quarter, fourth-down gamble in a loss to the Colts on Sunday, OU coach Bob Stoops this week reminisced about a couple of his own late-game risks.
At Missouri in 2002, the Sooners got a touchdown off a fake field goal when Matt McCoy threw to Chris Chester and Oklahoma held on to win 31-24. And at Texas A&M in 2006, OU clinched a 17-16 victory when Paul Thompson turned a fourth-down sneak from the Sooner 29-yard line into a first down with 1:29 to play.
Stoops' initial recollection of the Missouri game was that the Sooners were ahead by a point at the time of the fake, but actually, they trailed 24-23. A field goal would have put OU ahead 26-24 with 6:33 to play. Instead, the touchdown and a two-point conversion put OU ahead 31-24.
"We forego what, a 30-some yard field goal to throw a fake field with our safety, with gloves on, to our blocking tight end, who catches it with his elbows, and get a touchdown," Stoops said.
Stoops said Tuesday he wanted the touchdown because Missouri quarterback Brad Smith "had been going up and down the field on us late in the game, and I didn't feel a four-point lead was gonna hold up."
Smith did have 391 total yards, but Stoops was quoted after the game as saying, "I didn't feel that any kickers were kicking very well off the grass as high as it was, as wet as it was."
On Tuesday, Stoops recalled that he told his coaching staff, " 'We need a touchdown,' and we run the fake field goal. And fortunately, we make it. Otherwise, I'm a knucklehead. What am I doing? You know, you could've went up (two) points. But the way (Smith) was moving, I just didn't feel he was — that's one of those decisions. I had in my gut that we had to get that to win the game. So that's the call you make."
Stoops said McCoy "didn't throw it to the right guy," choosing a contested pass to Chester in the end zone instead of a wide-open dump off to kicker Trey DiCarlo for a first down.
"That was an option," Stoops said. "(Chester) had to be wide open, and there were three guys on him. That was Chester's first and I think maybe only catch."
Soon after, Chester was moved to guard, where he now starts for the Baltimore Ravens.
"Well, we saw him in the paper with his elbows on the ball," Stoops said, "so that's when we quit throwing it to him."
Then there was the time at College Station, when OU jumped to a quick 17-0 lead, then had to hold off an Aggie rally.
"I didn't want to kick to 'em," Stoops said. "We were into a little bit of a breeze. I equated it, I said it on the phone (to the other coaches), 'It's a 10-yard breeze, it's a one-club breeze.' According to golf, that's an extra club. So they're gonna get it 10 yards closer, and the field goal would have been, they'd have had the breeze behind 'em. It's one of those, you make it, everything's right; you don't and everyone's gonna question it."
It worked out for Stoops. But not before A&M called timeout. And not before OU called timeout.
After the second stoppage, Thompson got up under center and executed the sneak for a first down — but not before Stoops called another timeout.
Thompson barely got it the second time.
I've never had six minutes to decide on a double-down.
— John E. Hoover
Written by
John E. Hoover
Sports Columnist
