No punting on 4th downs

[GoldenEagleHornet]

As some of you may know, San Diego St is my FBS team. A week or so ago, coach Rocky Long stated to the press that he's considering not punting on 4th down situations when the team has crossed the 50 yard line. I'm for it and would like to see how it's works out at the college level.

For those of you that don't know much about coach Long, who's also the DC, he runs an unconventional defensive, the 3-3-5. Only a handful of other CFB programs run that D scheme. So to many it makes perfect sense to some that coach Long would be the CFB HC to attempt the no punting on 4th downs experiment.

Like Sac St, SDSU lost games last season due to missed field goals. Including their bowl game. Although he has assigned one of his asst. coaches ST Coordinator duty, some think that he doesn't feel that kicking situation has improved. Even if last season's kicker is gone.

Coach Long has been in communication with Kevin Kelley who is the HC of Pulaski Academy high school in Arkansas. Coach Kelley has not punted the last 3 seasons at all on 4th downs. Apparently, this unorthodox style has increased PAHS' numbers in the W column significantly.

I have to ask my fellow hornet fans, after last season's kicking fiasco, how would you guys feel if Sperbeck decided to employ a similar game-plan?

 

[SactoHornetAlum]

As some of you may know, San Diego St is my FBS team. A week or so ago, coach Rocky Long stated to the press that he's considering not punting on 4th down situations when the team has crossed the 50 yard line. I'm for it and would like to see how it's works out at the college level.

For those of you that don't know much about coach Long, who's also the DC, he runs an unconventional defensive, the 3-3-5. Only a handful of other CFB programs run that D scheme. So to many it makes perfect sense to some that coach Long would be the CFB HC to attempt the no punting on 4th downs experiment.

Like Sac St, SDSU lost games last season due to missed field goals. Including their bowl game. Although he has assigned one of his asst. coaches ST Coordinator duty, some think that he doesn't feel that kicking situation has improved. Even if last season's kicker is gone.

Coach Long has been in communication with Kevin Kelley who is the HC of Pulaski Academy high school in Arkansas. Coach Kelley has not punted the last 3 seasons at all on 4th downs. Apparently, this unorthodox style has increased PAHS' numbers in the W column significantly.

I have to ask my fellow hornet fans, after last season's kicking fiasco, how would you guys feel if Sperbeck decided to employ a similar game-plan?

High school programs have more disparity than any other level, which is why it would work there. But not in Div. I level. Besides, Sperbeck has said Smith Heath has made great strides during the spring and so far in fall camp in the punting area. The issue last year was the kicker and he is gone and Sperbeck went and got a new guy who made a 52 yarder last week to end the first day of pads. So I think the kicking stuff from a year ago is behind us (I hope).

So to your question, not a chance in hell on every 4th down.

 

[SacHornet]

games are won and lost on field percentage. I remember back in my playing days the coaches always use to show us a break down of starting field position and what the percentages say the chances of scoring are from that starting spot. When a team starts inside their own 20 their chances of scoring are SIGNIFICANTLY lower then if they stared at say their own 40. In high school you can get away with not having a kicking game. But at any college level it is absolutely necessary. Hopefully we have the pieces we need in our specialist this year. We had quite a few years were we had solid kickers and punters so it was a very glaring weakness this last year when the kicking game struggled.

As a side note i would love to see SDSU try it out. But i would not want to see a team i root for to employ that tactic lol.

 

[GoldenEagleHornet]

SHA, no- not kicking on every fourth down. Only when the 50-yard line has been crossed.

SH, funny that you brought up stats. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/sports/aztecs/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; . Scroll down to the fifth article, you'll read that statiscians and economists have e-mailed coach Long and told him to go for it. hahaha

 

[superhornet]

I can sort of get this. When it comes to punting inside the 50, the big danger is touchbacks because most punters nowadays try to hang it up over the goal line, hoping the coverage team will save it, or try to get that crazy sideways bounce that keeps it out of the end zone. In my book, that is horsecrap football. Whatever happened to the coffin corner directional kick? I understand that people are afraid of getting penalized 15 yards by incompetent officials who can't tell where a ball goes out of bounds on the fly. So you kick a low line drive toward the corner and let it roll out. If they screw you on THAT, they really DO deserve to get fired.

Another factor to consider is when there's a talent disparity between your offense and their defense. If you have a team that can consistently convert 4th downs of any length (I know one team that can convert 4th and 30 with a sweep against certain opponents), it's hard to find a reason to use the kicking game, and that includes FGs.

Personally, I think you have to address ALL phases of the game. But if you truly do have a crappy punter who can't keep the rock out of the end zone, I can see this strategy. But it absolutely MUST be balanced with the FG game; if you have a great PK, that is a weapon that absolutely MUST be used....

 

[GoldenEagleHornet]

Update- Coach Rocky Long implemented, somewhat, his no kick on fourth-down policy. Converted 3 outta 4. It will be interesting to see if he continues to do this on Saturday when the Aztecs host Army.