[DC]

I like the poker analogy too.  Shaw's conservative play was the right one with an average kicker, as Luck could have been sacked out of FG range, the ball could have been tipped for an interception (it has happened to us), etc.

However, there is the possibility that our kicker wasn't average and Shaw may not have calculated the odds correctly as a result. 

--- He had not kicked in a game for 2 1/2 months.

--- He is a redshirt freshman.

--- He had missed a short FG early in the game.

--- He had kicked a kickoff out of bounds and nearly kicked another one out of bounds as well.

--- I don't know how he looked in practice.

Strangely, after the OSU timeout to ice the kicker, our kicker took a practice kicking motion which looked straight, true and decisive.  I felt at that point we would win.  Unfortunately, practice motions and the actual kick aren't the same thing.

This has got to be the most disappointing loss I have experienced as a fan in any Stanford sport.  Although a 41-38 OT loss vs. a 41-38 regulation win isn't that intellectually different in the scheme of things, it feels like a mountain of difference now.

:(

[DC]

I like the poker analogy too.  Shaw's conservative play was the right one with an average kicker, as Luck could have been sacked out of FG range, the ball could have been tipped for an interception (it has happened to us), etc.

However, there is the possibility that our kicker wasn't average and Shaw may not have calculated the odds correctly as a result. 

--- He had not kicked in a game for 2 1/2 months.

--- He is a redshirt freshman.

--- He had missed a short FG early in the game.

--- He had kicked a kickoff out of bounds and nearly kicked another one out of bounds as well.

--- I don't know how he looked in practice.

Strangely, after the OSU timeout to ice the kicker, our kicker took a practice kicking motion which looked straight, true and decisive.  I felt at that point we would win.  Unfortunately, practice motions and the actual kick aren't the same thing.

This has got to be the most disappointing loss I have experienced as a fan in any Stanford sport.  Although a 41-38 OT loss vs. a 41-38 regulation win isn't that intellectually different in the scheme of things, it feels like a mountain of difference now.

:(