[cardcrimson]

1698547267[/url]']
What an unfortunate drop on 4th down to end the drive and cost us the game. If he would have made that catch, would have been room to run. It was a great play call.

 Tried to run before he caught it.  Got to understand the situation.  Only important thing was the catch. Tough break.  Daniels was terrific tonight.

Really feel for that receiver. He's going to remember that drop for the rest of his life.

I've told this story here before, so my apologies for those who remember it:

Our son was a walk-on running back at Wyoming. Was a tackling dummy scout team player for three and a half years. He was a big bruiser back in an up tempo offense, so he was not highly valued, but he worked his way up to being basically a fourth stringer, who got no game action, in his redshirt junior (i.e., fourth year). In a surprise, he got into a mid-season game at Nevada and got a couple of carries.

The next week, they put him in as a counterpunch (i.e., unexpected) starter in a home game against Air Force. [Not announced as a starter, but he was in for Wyoming's first possession.] They run him off tackle on the second or third play, and he gains about eight or so yards and a first down, iirc . . . .

But . . . an Air Force defensive back tackles him at the ankles. He flips upside down and lands on his head and shoulders. And fumbles. Air Force gets the ball. A fairly understandable fumble, but he rides the pine for the rest of the game and, one figures, for the rest of his career. When you are the fourth string running back, you don't get to fumble.

Fast forward to several hours later. Wyoming has lost. [I think this was the "Howdy Doody"/Fly Boy game where the Wyoming coach went nuts during the post-game handshake with the Air Force coach. But that part is irrelevant to the story, other than the losing of the game.]

Our son is living in an apartment at the time, but he comes to our home after the game. In times like that, a guy needs to feel his mother's love. We tell him we are proud that he worked hard all those years and got into a game. There are, after all, mighty few football players who get to play in a D-I game. Even fewer who get to carry the ball. And he accomplished all that through grit and hard work.

He wasn't having it. He turns on the television, which has the game recorded. It is killing me to watch him do it, but he sits there in the dark, running that play over and over and over. I want to tell him that no matter how many times he does it, the result is not going to change. But there are times when Dad should just keep his mouth shut, so that is what I do.

It is not hard to imagine what he is thinking: All that work all those years, for this? He knows he will probably never get a chance again.

After you see your son go through that, you feel differently when a kid that plays for one of your teams makes a key mistake.


The good news, in our son's case, is that though it seemed like it was at the time, it was actually not his last chance. By his senior year, he was the third string running back (due, unfortunately, to an injury suffered early in the year by one of his buddies). He got a little run. Not a lot, but enough to get him two 70 or so yard gains and five touchdowns. I am told he holds the Wyoming record for most yards gained by a running back without ever having a negative yardage carry. Might be a pretty specialized record, but what the heck. It is an accomplishment in my book. He remembers that fumble against Air Force, but it turns out it did not define him, even in the eyes of Wyoming fans.

Hang in there, young man. Don't forget that you also had a great catch. And remember that you can tell more about a person when they fail than when they succeed.

Great story. Thanks!

[cardcrimson]

1698547267[/url]']
What an unfortunate drop on 4th down to end the drive and cost us the game. If he would have made that catch, would have been room to run. It was a great play call.

 Tried to run before he caught it.  Got to understand the situation.  Only important thing was the catch. Tough break.  Daniels was terrific tonight.

Really feel for that receiver. He's going to remember that drop for the rest of his life.

I've told this story here before, so my apologies for those who remember it:

Our son was a walk-on running back at Wyoming. Was a tackling dummy scout team player for three and a half years. He was a big bruiser back in an up tempo offense, so he was not highly valued, but he worked his way up to being basically a fourth stringer, who got no game action, in his redshirt junior (i.e., fourth year). In a surprise, he got into a mid-season game at Nevada and got a couple of carries.

The next week, they put him in as a counterpunch (i.e., unexpected) starter in a home game against Air Force. [Not announced as a starter, but he was in for Wyoming's first possession.] They run him off tackle on the second or third play, and he gains about eight or so yards and a first down, iirc . . . .

But . . . an Air Force defensive back tackles him at the ankles. He flips upside down and lands on his head and shoulders. And fumbles. Air Force gets the ball. A fairly understandable fumble, but he rides the pine for the rest of the game and, one figures, for the rest of his career. When you are the fourth string running back, you don't get to fumble.

Fast forward to several hours later. Wyoming has lost. [I think this was the "Howdy Doody"/Fly Boy game where the Wyoming coach went nuts during the post-game handshake with the Air Force coach. But that part is irrelevant to the story, other than the losing of the game.]

Our son is living in an apartment at the time, but he comes to our home after the game. In times like that, a guy needs to feel his mother's love. We tell him we are proud that he worked hard all those years and got into a game. There are, after all, mighty few football players who get to play in a D-I game. Even fewer who get to carry the ball. And he accomplished all that through grit and hard work.

He wasn't having it. He turns on the television, which has the game recorded. It is killing me to watch him do it, but he sits there in the dark, running that play over and over and over. I want to tell him that no matter how many times he does it, the result is not going to change. But there are times when Dad should just keep his mouth shut, so that is what I do.

It is not hard to imagine what he is thinking: All that work all those years, for this? He knows he will probably never get a chance again.

After you see your son go through that, you feel differently when a kid that plays for one of your teams makes a key mistake.


The good news, in our son's case, is that though it seemed like it was at the time, it was actually not his last chance. By his senior year, he was the third string running back (due, unfortunately, to an injury suffered early in the year by one of his buddies). He got a little run. Not a lot, but enough to get him two 70 or so yard gains and five touchdowns. I am told he holds the Wyoming record for most yards gained by a running back without ever having a negative yardage carry. Might be a pretty specialized record, but what the heck. It is an accomplishment in my book. He remembers that fumble against Air Force, but it turns out it did not define him, even in the eyes of Wyoming fans.

Hang in there, young man. Don't forget that you also had a great catch. And remember that you can tell more about a person when they fail than when they succeed.

Great story. Thanks!