The art of an upset
Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2004 11:57 amInteresting story on ESPN.com:
Ambush leads to upsets for underdogs
By Jim Donnan
Special to ESPN.com
Fans, players and coaches are constantly amazed at what they deem improbable or unbelievable victories by teams that seemingly had no chance. We saw some notable upsets last week -- Notre Dame over Michigan among them -- and it's likely there will be more this weekend.
What goes into those victories? I will go over the coaching philosophies I used when preparing my teams for a so-called upset when no one else gave us much of a chance.
We'll focus on game week, of course, but everyone knows the development of a team starts in the spring, carries over into the fall and through the season itself. Every member of the program must commit to team victory. All individual goals must be centered around the team's ultimate goal. As the saying goes, "There is no greater reward than team victory."
Team members must know their roles and know that whether they are a starter or on the scout team, they are part of the bigger picture.
Coaches have to be realistic in their delivery to the team. They have seen the tape. They know the size and skill of the opponent. Coaches must have a plan that acknowledges an underdog will need help from the opponent. "We'll have a difficult time beating this group, but they could lose to us."
I stressed that protecting the ball, taking calculated risks and avoiding major mental mistakes and penalties would give us a shot. Sell the team on fighting for every inch of field position, seizing the moment and protecting your own territory with good decisions on the little things (hidden yardage in the kicking game, no lost yardage plays, no major penalties).
The theme I liked to use -- an ambush -- came out of a Western movie. No one is expecting us to win, no one is worried about our poor little team, and no one is prepared for what we are about to do. We have a battle plan and will fight to protect it at all costs. Sell them on that, the players will not even consider that the plan will not accomplish the goal. The trap has been set, now they have to execute.
At the pregame meal I would ask each player to stand up and dedicate his performance to someone -- parents, siblings, friends -- who would receive his game ball after the win. By doing so he was committing himself, saying there is no way he would let that person down without giving his best individual performance ever. I asked them to visualize how great the moment would be when they were sharing the victory with teammates and that game ball with someone they love.
During practice that week we focused on situational work. We knew what won for us last year or last week, and we knew what got us beat. It is important to learn from success, but more importantly how to react in those situations where we were beaten. We did not say "if only" we would have done this or that. Instead, the words "next time" were on our lips. We were ready for the next time.
Teams suffer through tough losses because of inability to react to the pressure, but they have to expect to win because they're prepared to win. Victory does not always go to the bigger, stronger, faster man, but often to the one who believes he can win.
I've been involved in some big wins and gut-wrenching losses, but the few games we won against seemingly insurmountable odds stand out more than the Oklahoma national championship team on which I coached and my Marshall team that won a Division I-AA title because of the tremendous belief that the group as a whole would not be denied.
Ambush leads to upsets for underdogs
By Jim Donnan
Special to ESPN.com
Fans, players and coaches are constantly amazed at what they deem improbable or unbelievable victories by teams that seemingly had no chance. We saw some notable upsets last week -- Notre Dame over Michigan among them -- and it's likely there will be more this weekend.
What goes into those victories? I will go over the coaching philosophies I used when preparing my teams for a so-called upset when no one else gave us much of a chance.
We'll focus on game week, of course, but everyone knows the development of a team starts in the spring, carries over into the fall and through the season itself. Every member of the program must commit to team victory. All individual goals must be centered around the team's ultimate goal. As the saying goes, "There is no greater reward than team victory."
Team members must know their roles and know that whether they are a starter or on the scout team, they are part of the bigger picture.
Coaches have to be realistic in their delivery to the team. They have seen the tape. They know the size and skill of the opponent. Coaches must have a plan that acknowledges an underdog will need help from the opponent. "We'll have a difficult time beating this group, but they could lose to us."
I stressed that protecting the ball, taking calculated risks and avoiding major mental mistakes and penalties would give us a shot. Sell the team on fighting for every inch of field position, seizing the moment and protecting your own territory with good decisions on the little things (hidden yardage in the kicking game, no lost yardage plays, no major penalties).
The theme I liked to use -- an ambush -- came out of a Western movie. No one is expecting us to win, no one is worried about our poor little team, and no one is prepared for what we are about to do. We have a battle plan and will fight to protect it at all costs. Sell them on that, the players will not even consider that the plan will not accomplish the goal. The trap has been set, now they have to execute.
At the pregame meal I would ask each player to stand up and dedicate his performance to someone -- parents, siblings, friends -- who would receive his game ball after the win. By doing so he was committing himself, saying there is no way he would let that person down without giving his best individual performance ever. I asked them to visualize how great the moment would be when they were sharing the victory with teammates and that game ball with someone they love.
During practice that week we focused on situational work. We knew what won for us last year or last week, and we knew what got us beat. It is important to learn from success, but more importantly how to react in those situations where we were beaten. We did not say "if only" we would have done this or that. Instead, the words "next time" were on our lips. We were ready for the next time.
Teams suffer through tough losses because of inability to react to the pressure, but they have to expect to win because they're prepared to win. Victory does not always go to the bigger, stronger, faster man, but often to the one who believes he can win.
I've been involved in some big wins and gut-wrenching losses, but the few games we won against seemingly insurmountable odds stand out more than the Oklahoma national championship team on which I coached and my Marshall team that won a Division I-AA title because of the tremendous belief that the group as a whole would not be denied.
), so I'm sticking to it!