LITTLE ROCK — Bielema quizzed by some
Bret Bielema made the right call but Wisconsin lost, so many fans aren’t thrilled with the coach the day after the Badgers’ first defeat of the season.
Tommy Tuberville reverted to his Riverboat Gambler instincts a few too many times in Texas Tech’s upset of Oklahoma, but his team won so the Red Raiders coach has far fewer critics.
Let’s review.
The college football season finally had its first shakeup Saturday, with Wisconsin and Oklahoma slipping to the back of the pack in the national championship race. The Badgers lost 37-31 to Michigan State after a miracle 44-yard touchdown pass on the last play of the game. The Sooners fell behind by 24 points against Texas Tech and their rally fell short in a 41-38 loss.
Bielema is taking heat from some Badgers fans for his decision to call timeouts during Michigan State’s last drive.
“The debate began in the press box, after Bielema called the second timeout with 30 seconds left and the Spartans facing thirdand-8 from their 36, and likely will continue until Wisconsin faces Ohio State. I understood the call,” Jeff Potrykus of the Journal Sentinel in Milwaukee wrote on his Badgers blog. “The reporter sitting next to me did not.”
And the readers who posted comments were generally on the side of the reporter who did not understand his strategy, but Bielema should not be blamed.
Wisconsin stopped the clock with 42 seconds remaining after Michigan State quarterback Kirk Cousins fumbled and the ball was recovered by the Spartans at their 24 for a 10-yard loss.
“We were going for the win,” Bielema said afterward.
And you can’t win without the ball.
Knowing Michigan State was facing a second-and-20, calling the timeout forced the Spartans to try to get the first down. So Bielema accomplished two things: Michigan State now had to throw the ball deep in its own end, increasing the chances for a turnover that could set up the Badgers for a victory. And if Michigan State couldn’t convert, it would have to punt, giving Wisconsin a shot at a block or a big return.
There was no reason for Wisconsin to concede and let Michigan State control the last 42 seconds. Overtime in college, with each team taking possession 25 yards away from the end zone, is too much of a crap shoot and the odds were on the Badgers’ side that the worst-case scenario would be overtime.
The second timeout came after a 12-yard pass to B.J. Cunningham set up Michigan State with a third-and-8 at the 36 with 30 seconds left.
The problem was Michigan State converted on the next play for a first down to its 47. The Spartans completed one more pass to get to the Wisconsin 44 and called their own timeout with 10 seconds left.
The next play was incomplete and the next ended up being the play of the season — a desperation heave by Cousins that bounced off Cunningham’s helmet and into the arms of Keith Nichol, who barely pushed across the goal line for the winning score. Michigan State came away with a well-deserved victory because it had played a good game against a very good team, but the winning play was a fluke. Neither the Spartans nor the Badgers need to apologize for that.
Tuberville, however, would have had some serious explaining to do if his Red Raiders had lost.
Texas Tech led 31-14 in the third quarter, but Tuberville passed on a 23-yard field-goal attempt and went for it fourth-and-goal at the 6 when he should have been padding his lead.
Later in the third, with Texas Tech facing fourthand-1 at its own 41 and leading 31-17, Tuberville called for a fake punt that didn’t work. Again, the Red Raiders were giving the lagging Sooners life.
It all worked out for Texas Tech and Tuberville could smile if asked about some of those moves and simply say, ‘We won.’
It won’t be so easy for Bielema to defend himself.
By Mike Leach
If former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach can’t land another college gig, maybe he could become a full-time author.
Leach’s first book, an autobiography called “Swing Your Sword,” came out right before the football season and at last check was No. 38 among Amazon.com’s bestselling sports books.
Leach has another book available called “Sports For Dorks. He co-authored that one with Ferhat Guven, a real estate investor and graduate of Texas Tech and the London Business School.
Leach is keeping busy but he wants to get back into college football. Unless his lawsuit against Texas Tech, which fired him after he was accused of mistreating a player, gets in the way, there should be opportunities.
Arizona is already open and UCLA’s Rick Neuheisel seems to be on his way out. Leach always seemed as if he would be a good fit in the Pac-10 with his wide-open offense and atypical — for a football coach — interests.
Another possible spot is Mississippi if the Rebels part ways with Houston Nutt
Quick hits
Penn State Coach Joe Paterno, 84, reached another milestone, earning his 408th victory to tie Hall of Famer Eddie Robinson for the most in Division I history. More important, Paterno’s Nittany Lions are 7-1 and 4-0 in the Big Ten. Penn State’s last four games are tough — Illinois, Nebraska, at Ohio State and at Wisconsin — but JoePa has a spot in the first Big Ten championship in his team’s control.
Southern California receiver Robert Woods is second in the nation in catches (72) and yards receiving per game (128.86). He was the difference — along with Notre Dame’s turnovers — in the Trojans’ 31-17 victory in South Bend, Ind. Lots of good receivers around, but none better than the USC sophomore.
If the Big 12 isn’t stable enough for Missouri to stay, why is it a step up for West Virginia or Louisville? That’s the message Big East Commissioner John Marinatto should be conveying to the Mountaineers and Cardinals.
Looking ahead
No. 10 Kansas State, the most surprising undefeated team this season, hosts No. 11 Oklahoma. If Wildcats coach Bill Snyder can win this one, Kansas State can legitimately start sizing up its chances to play for a national championship.
No. 6 Clemson puts its unbeaten record on the line against ACC rival Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets have lost two consecutive after a 6-0 start.
Sports, Pages 21 on 10/24/2011