Try to limit it to the one, if possible. The absolute worst, in your opinion.
Please EXCLUDE anything to do with officials' calls or non-calls. This is only about coaching calls..
And go.
Forums:
DISCLAIMER: Forum topics may not have been written or edited by The Key Play staff.
Comments
I have a feeling the fake punt against Michigan is going to get a lot of votes here...
It's got my vote, we all saw it coming, and we all knew that it was doomed.
funny, i don't remember ever playing michigan?
edit: oh yeah, the sugar bowl where danny coale atoned for his fake-fake-punt attempt with a diving touchdown catch in overtime
Let's not forget that our All-ACC RB ran backwards for 20+ yards on 1st and Goal and we had to settle for a FG.
I guess it wasn't technically the play call, but JFC - this game was cursed from the beginning.
The last time we were actually relevant
My personal one, is going prevent defense against BC in the Thursday night game. Fuck Matt Ryan!
This is the right answer.
This is the first one that came to mind for me, but maybe not the worst and maybe not a "big game". Still painful to watch though.
Prevented us from going to the national championship that year. It's big enough for me.
I just remembered we went on to play them again in acc championship later that year. I didn't add my comment because I thought you were wrong to call it a big game, I just wasnt sure if there were bigger flubs in bigger games (which I think there have been). Like I said, it was the first game I thought about. I was there in the rain watching it happen, so it sticks out in my memory for sure. Us losing by over 40 points to LSU earlier in the season prob didnt help our cause to go to nc either. But then we lost to Kansas in orange bowl which is mentioned in this thread too. Either way, GO HOKIES!
Field an onside kick were not talking about it.
The entire Kansas Game and not running the ball?
Fake punt against Michigan.
Those just off my head in carpool line.
That Kansas game couldn't have been more infuriating.
I'm ignoring that the call had to be in a big game.
Literally any time the Stinespring offense lined up with stacked WRs.
Attempting a 67 yard field goal at the end of regulation in the Duke 4OT game.
Oh god. It has to be this.
that one screen pass that one time that went for no gain on third-and-7
sobs
"One time"
Not a single occurrence, but in the early Beamer years, we used to do this thing of trying to draw the other team off sides, snapping the ball, and then spiking it. Biggest waste of a play ever. Why not run a play and see what you get out of it?
The QBs practiced it often when I was with the team in the early 2000s.
That wasn't limited to the early years. I remember seeing it often in the 2000s
3rd and 6 QB draw - because we can't pass set and protect - against GT with the coastal on the line. Scared, chicken shit give up play call.
The quarterback draw on 3rd and 31 against Florida State back in 2007. How the hell should a true freshman quarterback pick up 31 yards running the ball on one play?
To be fair, that play call is basically saying "We have no hope of converting this 3rd and 31, so run your most talented player up the middle to get some sort of positive yardage without turning the ball over. Maybe he breaks it for 15 and we gain some field position."
It's a "give up" play call.
Of course, T-Mobile made it look like something totally different.
Prevent against BC (though, ultimately, it could have been prevented by recovering an onside kick that hit a certain sure-handed WR in the chest).
Continuing to let Sean Glennon throw in the 2nd half of the Georgia CFA bowl.
Fake Punt against Michigan
2017 GT Triple Threat Special:
-Going for it on 4th and 2 when we absolutely should have taken points in the first quarter from the GT 8
-The above decision forced us to go for 2 when we shouldn't have after the Stroman pick 6. Second bad call.
-3rd and 1 AND 4th and 1, low percentage downfield passes against GT just outside of the RZ. This alone is one of the most frustrating coaching moments I have ever endured. However, we would have been able to win with a FG on this drive if not for the two mistakes listed above. So in the context of the previous bad decisions, this becomes an exponentially more frustrating outcome.
God, that game still gives me heartburn.
My lasting memory from that game is my friend's dad saying "I'm going to rip my hair out" after another Glennon interception, and my friend, after five seconds of silence, saying, "Cool."
Two years later, we were all watching the Orange Bowl vs. Cincinnati. My friend's dad says "I'm going to rip my face off." The entire room, in unison, says "Cool." It was hysterical.
2 of the turnovers were on Sean Glennon. One was on the O-line. Whoever our LT was completely missed a block and Sean got crushed.
We didn't have anyone behind him though. It was Sean or nothing. Coaches weren't very big on Cory Holt, and Ike Whitaker was a mess at the time.
Don't forget 2nd and 1 as well in that GT game, we could've easily ran it and picked up that 1st down.
The going for it on 4th down in field goal range pisses me off way more (and not only because we often run it from shotgun, especially if we're on the goal line, which fucking burns me up just typing this.) The rationale behind it is not sound. The idea is if 4th down conversion is around 50% (I don't know the exact the number so don't quote me) then the expected points value (assuming you get a touchdown) is 3.5 instead of 3. This means going for it is "smarter" than kicking the field goal.
But this logic is inherently flawed. Getting a first down doesn't mean you'll end up getting a touchdown. But even if it did, expected values only work if you get an insanely large number of tries. During a game you'll get maybe 3 or 4 of these situations tops. Missing out on 3 points and giving the ball back is a huge momentum swing, and you have to account for the field position difference as well. Could go on and on with specific examples but the fundamental point is take the damn points unless it's 4th and 1 or 2 or your offense is literally unstoppable. Getting stopped all night then going for it on 4th is the equivalent of jacking covered threes on an off shooting night. We've dug more holes than we've got out of with that philosophy and I hope to see a change in that these coming years.
2012 @ Clemson - we are down two touchdowns with 7 minutes left in the fourth and decide to call a reverse to Marcus Davis who throws an interception. We probably don't come back and win, but I'm still not over that boneheaded play call.
The time management on the last drive of regulation against Duke 2015. We should have had plenty of time to get down and kick the winning FG, rather than lose in 4OT.
I will never forget all of Lane screaming, pointing at the clock, and losing their mind while the coaches didn't seem to realize the clock was still running.
Final offensive drive against Boise
The defensive play call for the last play against Cincy in 2012(?)
Jim Mora telling Zumwalt to take LT3 out of the game.
The worst non-call by refs was to not call that hit targeting.
This. And how many times did they show the replay of it happening and then the announcers just praising Zumwalt and how it was close but not illegal and all that bull.
It wasn't bull. That was a legal hit. Sucks it happened to our guy, but there is no problem with the hit itself. I don't know why we constantly reference it this far removed from it. Plenty of other actually dirty hits to complain about.
If we are going with bad ref calls then the targeting against stroman where he was driving for the ball and the WR wasn't. Luckily replay showed it wasnt even close. I was going to stop watching football that season if they didnt overturn it. It was the worst call by a ref since the phantom Dirk foul on Wade.
You can't be serious.
If you honestly think that was a legal hit... wow.
Clearly launches himself into the helmet of LT3. LT3 does not duck, his head stays on the same plane.
Not only that, but the hit is late (and was flagged for such).
I'm sorry- I'm not trying to be rude, but that play has no part in the game nor does the attitude that it is legal.
Here is the film breakdown to prove my point:
Zumwalt is 2-3 yards away when LT3 gets rid of the ball.
Zumwalt lowers himself and launches into the head area of LT3. He clearly leads with the crown of the helmet.
Helmet to helmet contact is obvious. With the crown of the helmet (again).
What are the NCAA rules on the matter?
Furthermore, the crown doesn't even have to be used. Targeting is also:
What is a defenseless player?
Targeting. End of story. I will politely ask you to edit your post, because it is completely wrong according to the rules then, and especially now. Zero question about it.
And I will politely refuse, because that isn't the crown of the helmet, and he hit LT3's chest. Though you're right on it being late. Forgot about that aspect, which is valid, because everyone is always whining about targeting, which is invalid.
I take solace in the fact that Zumwalt has floundered in the NFL and is currently a free agent while LT3 has found a niche as a TE. Screw em
That hit is the definition of targeting. I really don't see any argument against that unless you're the guy that says "did the ref throw a flag? no, so it's not a penalty". I hope thats not the case because that guy is the worst.
All of these bad play calls < Offensive Play Calls in the 2014 Wake Forest Game.
How in the world does Loeffler call a great game against OSU and then they come and just take a dump at BB&T field in Winston-Salem?
The same reason the VT secondary was all over OSU and confused Urban Meyer in front of 106K only to turn around and give up big pass play after big pass play to EC Fucking U the next week.
Don't forget that Shane was handed the WF play book before that game as well
God, every time I heard the announcers say "Stinespring called a pretty good game" simply because we beat a pretty horrible team against which it didn't matter what was called, I wanted to reach through the TV and strangle the guy.
You know the games I'm talking about. We ran the same play every time and you're wondering why the other team doesn't adjust, then realize they don't have the talent. Who couldn't call a great game under those circumstances?
I remember one game during Sean Glennon era, where we couldn't pass the ball for crap, but got 5 or 6 yards every time we did a QB sneak because the line was pretty dominant that year. It got to the point where I remember turning to my buddy and saying, we should just QB sneak the rest of the game. They can't stop it, even knowing it's coming. I wish I could remember who our opponent was that day.
...Bowden letting Peter "Grand Theft" Warrick play in the 1999 BCS championship.
Well, this put me in a good mood.
2nd half against Kansas. Ore ran all over them in the first half and we came out in the 2nd and called plays like Peyton Manning was our QB.
Not a specific call, but when the announcers are calling the next play ahead of time with nearly 100% accuracy, that's some shitty play-calling. You know if the announcers know what's coming the DC does.
This thread is actually mentally ruining a very good Monday, so I am turning to my right to look at my panaroma of Lane with the title "Classic Comeback: QB Keeper Wins It VT 38 Miami 35."
That was a ballsy play call and makes me feel a bit better.
Mike Patrick's call of the last play which still makes me go from six to midnight...
Literally 90% of the bullshit that ever came out of Stinespring's head.
I swear I can remember a season where on the first drive of every game it was a TE-motion, off-tackle through the 5/6 gap that was so blatantly obvious it would piss me off to no end.
More of a botched play rather than a play call, Michael Vick not converting first down on opening drive against FSU in championship game or maybe take the field goal there.
Time Cop, Nov. 24, 2012
Pretty much all of that Pitt game where they were pass interfering on every play
The 4th and 1 play against Cincy. The play was not something we normally run or ran all game, why would we want to continue to do something that was working f when we could run a play that we have no idea if it would work.
They all just blur together after a while
Throwing a Hail Mary to Cam Philips at the end of the GT game.
I was never a big fan of the jump balls to Cam. He made a few catches in 2017 off jump balls, but it didn't look as good as Isaiah Ford or even Eric Kumah doing it.
Going for it on the goal line in our first posession against FSU in the BCS and not kicking the fieldgoal
4th and goal against Auburn in the Sugar Bowl where we threw a crossing route to Jessie Allen....a fullback with only a few catches that season (if any). Would have been a great call if he had caught it, but you know we can't have nice things.
Jessie Allen is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet. He beat himself up over that for a long time.
The play call was fine, and the pass hit Jessie where it needed to be to be caught.
I couldn't tell you what the reads for that play were, but I doubt Jessie was the go too.
On the flip side, we ran a bunch of gadget plays in practice that week like a reverse to Eddie Royal who then throws it deep.
I'm pissed we didn't even try one of those. It would have loosened them up a bit.
That was a great play call. Hit him in the chest, and he dropped it. Not on the coaches.
Now, I'll go back to later in the game when we stopped throwing the ball. We had Auburn that night.
I just commented on that in the thread below. Had Randall thrown that ball just a little better thats a sure touchdown.
From 2003-2009, if we were on offense first, our first play from scrimmage was always a play action deep post.
Throwing to Jesse Allen on a two point conversion... 😡
My memory must be fading... I remember the 4th & goal pass attempt against Auburn in the Sugar Bowl that was dropped (granted, it was thrown behind him) but I dont remember a dropped 2pt conversion.
At the time I was furious at the call and just wanted the points, and in hindsight it would have changed the end of the game at least a little bit. Looking back at it now, I like the call that was made and had it been executed just a liiiiiitle bit better then we tie the game on that play and likely take the lead on the PAT, and the rest of the game is totally different.
I will never forget that slow motion replay...however, I had forgotten the name. Damn you.
I don't know about you, but the worst play call in a big game is the one where we pass the ball for a touchdown instead of running it.
Found Tommy Tuberville's account.
I still can't believe he actually said that while commenting on the game.
Not a play call, but I'd be remiss to pass on the opportunity to say again how bullshit the PI penalty was in the VT vs USC game (skins stadium game). We had the momentum and this IMO changed everything!
For those to young to recall :-P
https://youtu.be/ja230pGWYvA
That time where we thought it was a good idea to let Peter Warrick field a punt.
Fake punt against Michigan.
Opening drive of mnc game. Kick the fg instead of acalling an option on 4th and goal to see your an turn the wrong way.