June, this one is on you.

by **Glenn Sosbee** » Mon Sep 05, 2011 1:35 pm

Hey Coach, why didn't you just keep going with a ground game on that first drive? Give the guys a chance to settle into the road atmosphere and move the chains with a heavy dose of Zach Line, while chewing up some clock. Even if the ground game stalls, we back them up a little with a punt and have established an early field position advantage.

But no, you just couldn't help yourself, could you? After a couple of solid runs by Line, it was time to start slingin' it around. Coach, it was NOT time to do that. Not under those present circumstances. You knew KP was probably a little jittery and an early interception would be devastating, but you did it anyway. Undeterred, you decide to continue to be risky with the football and lo and behold, another early catastrophic pick.

Then, after the offense (Zach Line) is able to settle down and promptly cut the lead in half, you apparently go completely insane and decide it's a good time for an onside kick. WHAT? You are going to risk giving the Aggies the football on our side of the field yet one more time for a third consecutive series? Seriously?

That play right there might be the most embarrassed I have ever been as a Pony fan. Furthermore, the way it was executed, or should I say botched, was pretty much a new low point. It looked like a play from an Junior High game. Did I hear correctly that this kicker was basically plucked from the general student population in some sort of try-out? I guess it's true, judging from that onside attempt. What a joke. We can't get a real kicker in here?

Obviously, A&M capitalized again on another early SMU blunder and the outcome was pretty much decided from that point on. Game over.

Coach, I would like to think you learned something from this, but you seem so stubborn and set in your ways that I'm not so sure. Your decisions in this football game were mind-numbingly terrible, including your decision to bench KP so early. I thought we were through playing musical chairs with our QB's. I thought KP was the man. Good, bad or ugly. The whole thing is just disgusting and I honestly don't see how we bounce back from this. Hope I'm wrong.

by **03Mustang** » Mon Sep 05, 2011 1:42 pm

June throwing those two picks and not being able to man up on D really did cost us the game. Given that our team is so much more talented and was playing at such a friendly venue there was really no excuse for that performance.

Good call.

by **mrydel** » Mon Sep 05, 2011 1:46 pm

Didn't that general student population kicker (which he was not when he came to us) used to kick for a little school called Texas Tech? Yes, he botched an onside kick. Crap happens.

by **sbsmith** » Mon Sep 05, 2011 1:46 pm

His worst call of the game was deciding to punt on 4th and 6 from A&M's 39 when were down 20-14. We only pushed them back 26 yards and gave up momentum, once they went down and scored again it was over.

by **mrydel** » Mon Sep 05, 2011 1:48 pm

sbsmith wrote:His worst call of the game was deciding to punt on 4th and 6 from A&M's 39 when were down 20-14. We only pushed them back 26 yards and gave up momentum, once they went down and scored again it was over.

June has been consistent in doing this since he came which I find a little odd from a man that was quoted as saying he does not punt.

by **sbsmith** » Mon Sep 05, 2011 2:04 pm

mrydel wrote:
sbsmith wrote:His worst call of the game was deciding to punt on 4th and 6 from A&M's 39 when were down 20-14. We only pushed them back 26 yards and gave up momentum, once they went down and scored again it was over.

June has been consistent in doing this since he came which I find a little odd from a man that was quoted as saying he does not punt.

Probably the biggest indicator of his lack of confidence in the offenses he has fielded here.

by **GiddyUp** » Mon Sep 05, 2011 2:11 pm

defintely not his best coached game. However, I don't see how we could have possibly won the game regardless of any of this.

by **sbsmith** » Mon Sep 05, 2011 2:17 pm

GiddyUp wrote:defintely not his best coached game. However, I don't see how we could have possibly won the game regardless of any of this.

True, even if we had went up 21-20 we weren't going to stop A&M with that junk zone Mason had the defense playing. Just didn't like how he chickened out yet again on a 4th and manageable in plus territory.

by **The PonyGrad** » Mon Sep 05, 2011 2:24 pm

sbsmith wrote:
GiddyUp wrote:defintely not his best coached game. However, I don't see how we could have possibly won the game regardless of any of this.

True, even if we had went up 21-20 we weren't going to stop A&M with that junk zone Mason had the defense playing. Just didn't like how he chickened out yet again on a 4th and manageable in plus territory.

I wonder if the botched osk affected his decision to go conservative?

by **sbsmith** » Mon Sep 05, 2011 2:31 pm

The PonyGrad wrote:
sbsmith wrote:
GiddyUp wrote:defintely not his best coached game. However, I don't see how we could have possibly won the game regardless of any of this.

True, even if we had went up 21-20 we weren't going to stop A&M with that junk zone Mason had the defense playing. Just didn't like how he chickened out yet again on a 4th and manageable in plus territory.

I wonder if the botched osk affected his decision to go conservative?

That and the fact that the defense got a stop on the previous A&M possession.

by **Junior** » Mon Sep 05, 2011 2:42 pm

mrydel wrote:Didn't that general student population kicker (which he was not when he came to us) used to kick for a little school called Texas Tech? Yes, he botched an onside kick. Crap happens.

Yes, he's played against more B12 teams than the rest of our whole team. Just bad execution of a poor-timed call.

by **Glenn Sosbee** » Mon Sep 05, 2011 2:46 pm

03Mustang wrote:June throwing those two picks and not being able to man up on D really did cost us the game. Given that our team is so much more talented and was playing at such a friendly venue there was really no excuse for that performance.

Good call.

We all know June didn't suit up for the game, but he is the man in charge and is compensated well for that responsibility. His decision making in this extremely important game was just awful. There is just no other way to put it.

I like June Jones and have a tremendous amount of respect for what he has done with this program. All I'm saying is that he did not put his players in a position to win that game last night and I'll bet he would probably agree.

by **ClassOf81** » Mon Sep 05, 2011 3:00 pm

There's a reason most coaches rarely go for it on fourth down.

If you go for it and it doesn't work, you give the opponent a short field. It already was evident that giving Cyrus Gray and his guys a short field is something best avoided.

by **smuuth** » Tue Sep 06, 2011 11:05 am

Everybody makes mistakes including great coaches. If it works you are a hero! However, when you are on the road with 86,000 in atendance with a pretty good veteran team and you are moving the ball in chunks on the ground ....you keep pounding it which will build confidence and demoralize their team. Field position was paramount in the early going and killed us in the second half. Not a bad idea to keep Fuller, Gray and Michael on the sideline. The onside was devastating, especialy to the defense and there confidence in a head coach who continually puts them in a bind. Happened against Navy a couple of years ago. Anybody notice the "pounding" effects of A&M? Keep doing what works with an occassional safe pass to keep the d honest. Anybody else think that Cyrus Gray fumbled early on his own 10? His knees didn't touch. Also the early pass interference on our corner against Fuller was pretty bad. What a great sport with it's peaks and valleys...remember early in the season last year the aggies were floundering and although well-liked, a Sherman buyout was just a matter of time. A switch at qb saved their season and his job and now look where they are.

by **ender3** » Tue Sep 06, 2011 11:12 am

ClassOf81 wrote:There's a reason most coaches rarely go for it on fourth down.

If you go for it and it doesn't work, you give the opponent a short field. It already was evident that giving Cyrus Gray and his guys a short field is something best avoided.

I noticed absolutely no difference if they had a long field or a short field.