Football coaches go to great lengths to protect game plans and signals.
Whether it's keeping practice closed to the media, not divulging how they plan on attacking the opposition or making sure playbooks stay in the hands of players and the coaching staff, coaches like to be guarded about what information gets out to the general public.
But what happens when one of your coaches happens to notice something through binoculars throughout the course of the game?
In the case of former Georgia Coach Jim Donnan, it's fair game.
When speaking at the Little Rock Touchdown Club Monday at the Embassy Suites hotel in Little Rock, Donnan told a story from September 2000 when Arkansas defeated Georgia 38-7 at Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville.
Donnan said the coaches booths at the Razorback Stadium are on the west side of the stadium which is where the Razoraback sideline is. During the game, one of the coaches in the booth told Donnan that through binoculars, they could see what adjustments the Razorback coaching staff was making. Donnan said the coach in the booth said the Razorback coaches were moving their linebackers over and after they saw the adjustment, they threw a post pattern for a touchdown.
"We weren't cheating," Donnan said. "We were taking advantage of the situation. I told [former Arkansas Coach] Houston Nutt afterwards to be careful about the signals because one of our assistants had binoculars and could see the signals."
Proving once again why coaches work so hard to protect their signals.
Halftime show
While football teams go in the locker room to make adjustments, the fans in the stadium are treated to entertainment, often in the form of the marching bands.
At the Orange Bowl, which often features a big halftime show with big-name entertainers such as Ashlee Simpson, the Goo Goo Dolls, or Dierks Bentley, it's understandable why sometimes the players and coaches might want to get out of halftime responsibilities to watch the show. Even if the game is a blowout, most coaches wouldn't dare try it.
Unless the coach is former Oklahoma Coach Barry Switzer.
According to then Switzer assistant Jim Donnan, such was the case at the 1987 Orange Bowl between Oklahoma and Arkansas. At halftime, the Sooners led the Razorbacks 28-0. Switzer told the team that they were taking off their pads and going to watch the halftime show. Donnan, who was the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma at the time, told Switzer that it would look disrespectful to do that, but Switzer insisted and the Sooners went out and watched the halftime show.
Turns out, it didn't affect them as the Sooners defeated Arkansas 42-8.
Web heads
Headlines from the website Fark.com:
• "Michigan high school team cancels it season over safety concerns. Jacksonville Jaguars immediately ask: "Can we do that?'"
• "Last-second blocked field goal keeps Jaguars' winless season intact."
• "Remember that trade back in 2011 when the Astros sold Hunter Pence to the Phillies for some magic beans? It's starting to look like the Phillies were the dumb party in that deal."
Sports quiz
At Georgia, which team did Jim Donnan record his first victory against?
Answer
Texas Tech, 15-12 on Sept. 12, 1996.
Sports on 10/14/2014