[stupac2]

I am bothered not just by the punts, but by the decision to go on 4th down at the 3.  It is a bit of stubbornness and reflects Shaw's philosophy that we should always be able to gain one yard even when the opponent expects it.  Yes, we had made 1 yard on the TD but barely, and this was shaping up to be a low scoring game.  But we are also not as well equipped at short yardage as we once were, and the SC defensive line is not a pushover.  Was it worth giving up  3 nearly certain points for the chance at 7?  I thought it was a bad trade when Shaw decided to go for it, although I recognize that it was a close call.

I would've been more angry had we kicked there. 4th and 1 inside the opponents 5 should really be a no-brainer, because you convert those some large percentage of the time, way more than the ~50% you need for it to be a smart choice. That we failed sucks, but I think Shaw made the right call for sure.

[stupac2]

I am bothered not just by the punts, but by the decision to go on 4th down at the 3.  It is a bit of stubbornness and reflects Shaw's philosophy that we should always be able to gain one yard even when the opponent expects it.  Yes, we had made 1 yard on the TD but barely, and this was shaping up to be a low scoring game.  But we are also not as well equipped at short yardage as we once were, and the SC defensive line is not a pushover.  Was it worth giving up  3 nearly certain points for the chance at 7?  I thought it was a bad trade when Shaw decided to go for it, although I recognize that it was a close call.

I would've been more angry had we kicked there. 4th and 1 inside the opponents 5 should really be a no-brainer, because you convert those some large percentage of the time, way more than the ~50% you need for it to be a smart choice. That we failed sucks, but I think Shaw made the right call for sure.