[teejers1]

To CI, a 37-yard FG from a college kicker - particularly one who is coming off an injury and has already missed a FG earlier in the game - is NOT the same thing as asking an NFL kicker (who was 90+% from 35-45 yards on the season) to make a 40 yarder.  In addition, Shaw didn't just decide "to not pass" and run the ball in the Fiesta Bowl - he stopped playing offense altogether. . . in the middle of a drive where Stanford was going through the Cowboys D like $hit through a goose! 

As I said at the time (and still believe today), the decision to stop playing offense altogether failed to put Stanford in the best position to win.  If you're worried about a pick or a sack, then hand the ball off and get as close as you can for your kicker.  Shaw just decided to stop, and as we watched the clock tick down (and Cowboys fans in the stands murmur with hope), a sense of dread descended on many/most in the Stanford section.

Having said all of the above, I don't put the Fiesta Bowl in the same category as at Utah, the pass play against SC late, or the failure by Harbs to take a knee (or two) against ND because . . . well, at least I can see a smidge of an argument in the Fiesta Bowl (even if I think it is weak and doesn't put the team in the best position to win).

[teejers1]

To CI, a 37-yard FG from a college kicker - particularly one who is coming off an injury and has already missed a FG earlier in the game - is NOT the same thing as asking an NFL kicker (who was 90+% from 35-45 yards on the season) to make a 40 yarder.  In addition, Shaw didn't just decide "to not pass" and run the ball in the Fiesta Bowl - he stopped playing offense altogether. . . in the middle of a drive where Stanford was going through the Cowboys D like $hit through a goose! 

As I said at the time (and still believe today), the decision to stop playing offense altogether failed to put Stanford in the best position to win.  If you're worried about a pick or a sack, then hand the ball off and get as close as you can for your kicker.  Shaw just decided to stop, and as we watched the clock tick down (and Cowboys fans in the stands murmur with hope), a sense of dread descended on many/most in the Stanford section.

Having said all of the above, I don't put the Fiesta Bowl in the same category as at Utah, the pass play against SC late, or the failure by Harbs to take a knee (or two) against ND because . . . well, at least I can see a smidge of an argument in the Fiesta Bowl (even if I think it is weak and doesn't put the team in the best position to win).