Blowout Game Management

[TexDoc]

There was a good article on game management for blowout games in TASO's latest newsletter.  It dealt with blowouts in all sports.  I want to pick some of your minds about how to manage blowouts in Texas high school football games, mostly game management for R's but all positions are worth talking about for sure.

I had a blowout game this last week.  One team was down over 40 points starting in the 4th quarter so we became very liberal with letting the clock run, but had not done this before the beginning of the 4th.  I prefer to not embarrass a team by running the clock if I don't have to or actually asking the losing coach if he agrees.  90% of the time, the losing coach is fine with it as long as we do it discretely.  The losing coach in this game waited until just over half of the 4th quarter had run before raising a concern.  I told him that I understood his concerns and would "do my best" to run a normal clock, but that we would still try to "move the game along."  That was my signal to him that we would not openly run it as we had been, starting the clock on incompletions or tries, but would certainly keep everything in-bounds and be very slow with the rfp with both teams.  The winning team was very good on helping us run the game out on their last possession.  They burned about 4 minutes remaining and ran about 6 or 7 plays.  I have had games where the winning coach says he doesn't agree and he wants to continue to score.  That's when I really have issues.

Discuss.....

[Rulesman]

...I have had games where the winning coach says he doesn't agree and he wants to continue to score.  That's when I really have issues.

In the eyes of many, those are the situations where every snap by the winning coach's team had better be picture-perfect.

[Getting Fat]

I may be in the minority here, but my crew doesn't ask or run the clock until requested to do so.  This past week we had a blowout, 40 - 0 at half and the losing team didn't have more than 2 first downs.  At halftime, the losing coach opened the door to our locker room and said, "Anything you guys can do to expedite this is okay with me."  Enough said.

We informed the winning coach who said he didn't agree to it.  The response was, "We are not asking you coach, just letting you know what's going to happen."  47 - 0 with 10:00 left in the 3rd.  Winning coach proceeds to yell and scream about how his bench players aren't getting needed playing time, yet leaves the starters in until the 3rd quarter was over.  Classy.

My attitude is, if the losing coach is throwing up a white flag, the winning coach should not have the option to continue to pile it on.  Yeah, it isn't in the rulebook. 

[Coby]

I have had 22 games the past 2 years and only 1 of them has been decided by less then 33 points.  I think that makes me the official guru of blowouts. 

Rule 1
Unless they get tackled by a member of the band all plays are inbounds

Rule 2
Run the clock on all extra points

Rule 3
Get all unsportsmanlike penalties quickly

Rule 4
If a coach complains tell him tomorrow morning is a SAT or ACT date and doesnt he want his Sr's to do well on that test.

[allen]

I've always only ran the clock if both coaches agree.  If the winning coach doesn't agree, I make sure to let the losing coach discreetly know WHY we aren't running it.

Not that I am against us enforcing sportsmanship, but in points positive districts I don't want to affect a teams playoffs chances cause we tried to keep one team from getting more embarrassed.  At the same time, anything close is in bounds.

In non points positive districts, I would hope the AD or someone else would help show the coach a bit of sportsmanship when they try to run it up.

[rickref]

Run when you can and if allowed and agreed on. Close sideline play is inbounds. Slow RFP on running clock situations.

[TampaSteve]

Perhaps a phenomenon round these parts, but when a team is up 40 in the 3rd Q with starters still in and passing the ball,  for whatever reason the linemen get more grabby than norm.
Strange, very strange.

[TxSkyBolt]

When I white hatted back in the dark ages, I never asked (seemed to embarras a coach to ba asked) just ran the clock until one or either of the coaches complained.  Have very little of that.

[TexDoc]

I'm with you Brad, just do it and if one dislikes it, okay.  That's what happened here, but we still found ways to move it along.  When the clock was running that ball got very dirty and had to be changed every play and I had to visit with my umpire between each play as well. 

As for the positive points districts, which I think just about all of them are now, I've never seen one where the points over 20 or so count, so if one team is up 40, move it along.

It serves no purpose for either team to continue with a normal clock.  If the winning team complains that they want to get more players in, well, they should have thought about that earlier.   They can still play them, but it will be with game moving along quickly.

[fencewire]

This is one place where I wish the UIL would step in... they already have the 45 pt mercy rule in 6man, now I am not advocating any such thing in 11 man, but in this case they would take this out of our hands if they instituted a rule that after 40 points, or some such, that the clock runs except on change of possessions, timeouts, etc... and if the differential got back under 40, in this example, the clock would revert to normal...

This is going to be even a larger problem when and if we go to a 40 sec clock... because then, we can't hold RFP...

[TexDoc]

This is one place where I wish the UIL would step in... they already have the 45 pt mercy rule in 6man, now I am not advocating any such thing in 11 man, but in this case they would take this out of our hands if they instituted a rule that after 40 points, or some such, that the clock runs except on change of possessions, timeouts, etc... and if the differential got back under 40, in this example, the clock would revert to normal...

This is going to be even a larger problem when and if we go to a 40 sec clock... because then, we can't hold RFP...

Agree!

[Etref]

Changing balls frequently while the clock is running is another good time killer.

[blindref757]

Changing balls frequently while the clock is running is another good time killer.

My favorite tactic...and it doesn't have to be 40 points!  I've never been yelled at by a coach for changing out a ball in a 28 point game.

[JasonTX]

I've always only ran the clock if both coaches agree.  If the winning coach doesn't agree, I make sure to let the losing coach discreetly know WHY we aren't running it.

Not that I am against us enforcing sportsmanship, but in points positive districts I don't want to affect a teams playoffs chances cause we tried to keep one team from getting more embarrassed.  At the same time, anything close is in bounds.

In non points positive districts, I would hope the AD or someone else would help show the coach a bit of sportsmanship when they try to run it up.

There is a cap in positive point districts.  The most I have seen a team be able to use is 19 points.  So a 56 to 0 win is no different than a team that wins 19 to 0 in that district.

[Hondo]

My mechanics seem to break down:
I forget to stop the clock on first downs and forward progress seems to be stopped before running out of bounds.

[Wettstein]

I feel both coaches should have to agree.  If I am coaching the winning team, I'm putting in as many subs as I can.  If the losing team wants more time in order to get his players in or to hopefully score, I will even use my time outs for him (but I ask him first).

If I am coaching the losing team, I am going to continue to coach the game the best I can.  I'm not asking for any special considerations unless safety becomes an issue.

 

[Joe Stack]

I disagree that coaches should have to agree. Putting in subs is usually NOT what they have in mind. The losing coaches sometimes want to teach their kids a lesson by having them endure a beat down. The winning coaches might be seeking payback against a team or another coach. Often, the winning coach has a team that has had a lot of blowouts and thinks his teams' conditioning will suffer if they don't keep the pedal to the metal. Then, kids get hurt in meaningless play situations. I've seen serious injuries happen in these situations.

Coaches like to use the "my kids safety is at stake" club to beat us over the head that mean nothing more than creating a competitive advantage for them, yet behave in other ways that illustrate total indifference to safety. UIL needs to step in and resolve this. Coaches have way too much damn power as it is and requiring an agreement between two coaches is futile. You might as well not bother.

[clearwall]

UIL needs to take TAPPS' lead and mandate a running clock(for ALL games, not just var) where the score exceeds 35 pts.

[tflip5]

I had a blowout the last game of last year and after a team had scored about 50 straight points, I took it upon myself to work the clock.  It didn't register with the coach until we ran some time off during a try!  During the next kickoff time-out, he came screaming at me down the sidelines telling me that I had no right to run the clock.  He needed to get his subs in!  There was about 5 minutes left in the game with over a 45 point lead and HE NEEDED TO GET HIS SUBS IN!!  I'm pretty sure he had time before that.  I told him that I was going to continue to work the clock.  He in turn threatened to call the UIL and report me.  I told him that I had their number if he needed it.  I guess he realized at that time that I was going to run the clock, and he went on about his merry business.  Not really what I wanted as far as the confrontation, but it really gets to me that some coaches don't have the respect for the players on both sides of the ball to keep from embarrasing them.

[GameWillTravel]

Last Friday night, Halftime score 69-0. The first half lasted 1 hour 40 mins. Thats right boys and girls you read the score right. The second half lasted 24 mins and 30 secs. Final Score 84-0