[CTcard]

I liked the 2 pt conversion call as well...while the obvious call pre-snap from TV, I truly expected the usual straight ahead power run approach that hasn't worked all year.  Had to be tough for Shaw to give-in, especially in light of the penalty-aided short distance to goal.  Showed some flexible thinking, the ability to try optimize the limitations at OL.

Except ...

It has worked this year. In that very game, we had already had two third and ones where we ran the heavy package and Scarlett ran for two yards - and hadn't missed on a third and short.

It is also a fairly standard play for Stanford, we've run it several times over the past few years. It's not new.

But, it is a play that ONLY works if the defense is completely fooled. Otherwise you have the back out all alone with nobody blocking and it's set for being blown up. And the defense is only fooled if they have reason to believe you're going to blast away.

The one worrisome thing to me is that we had Love in at tailback, and I think he has never carried the ball on one of those straight ahead blast shots. That could be a tipoff.

[CTcard]

I liked the 2 pt conversion call as well...while the obvious call pre-snap from TV, I truly expected the usual straight ahead power run approach that hasn't worked all year.  Had to be tough for Shaw to give-in, especially in light of the penalty-aided short distance to goal.  Showed some flexible thinking, the ability to try optimize the limitations at OL.

Except ...

It has worked this year. In that very game, we had already had two third and ones where we ran the heavy package and Scarlett ran for two yards - and hadn't missed on a third and short.

It is also a fairly standard play for Stanford, we've run it several times over the past few years. It's not new.

But, it is a play that ONLY works if the defense is completely fooled. Otherwise you have the back out all alone with nobody blocking and it's set for being blown up. And the defense is only fooled if they have reason to believe you're going to blast away.

The one worrisome thing to me is that we had Love in at tailback, and I think he has never carried the ball on one of those straight ahead blast shots. That could be a tipoff.