Why didn't we accept the holding penalty on Gurley's 3rd down run with 1:20 left?

#1
AboveAllNations

AboveAllNations

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#1
With about 1:20 left, Gurley got an 8-yard gain on 3rd and 11 but Georgia was flagged for holding. After an extensive conversation with Butch Jones, the refs announced that we were declining the holding penalty. After that, Georgia let the game clock run down to 40 seconds before calling a timeout, and then converted the ensuing 4th and 3 to win the game.

So here's my question: why decline a holding penalty that would have stopped the clock and put Georgia in a 3rd and 21 situation with 1:20 left? We could've stopped them on the replayed 3rd down and gotten the ball back after a punt with about 30 seconds left.
 
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#2
#2
I've been asking the same question since it happened. I'd rather have 3 and 13 than 4 and 3 against the best RB I've seen since AP. We has numerous coaching mistakes that cost us this game.
 
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#5
#5
Because it would have still been third down and we had no timeouts. Simply stated, if we take the penalty, the game is over right then because Georgia can just run out the clock on downs.
 
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#10
#10
govols2008 said:
I've been asking the same question since it happened. I'd rather have 3 and 13 than 4 and 3 against the best RB I've seen since AP. We has numerous coaching mistakes that cost us this game.
Click to expand...

Then you get :02 with a 80 yard Hail Mary
 
#13
#13
Clock? What is so hard to understand about this? Clock simply wasn't on our side.

At some point, your defense has to get a stop. They didn't on the downs before the holds; they didn't on that fourth down.
 
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#15
#15
Okay we accept the holding. Georgia runs the play clock down to 40 and runs the ball. Lets say there is now 35 seconds on the clock. They run it down to 10 seconds before snapping on fourth down and call a timeout. Then they run it again leaving us a few seconds with our offensive line to throw the deep ball.
 
#18
#18
Couldn't afford for them to run two more plays....obviously then ran it on 4th down and game was over.....
 
#19
#19
It's not a hard decision. If you take the penalty, the clock runs, AND they get to replay 3rd, AND run the rest of the time off before 4th down is even snapped.

Or decline, they run the 3rd down clock and are forced to run a 4th down with 40 tics.

One gives TN 0% chance to win, the other gives the slightly more than that. Buy a new armchair...
 
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#20
#20
As has been said, you are giving them two more plays to run time off the clock. There would have been next to 0 time left had we stopped them on 4th down after giving them another 3rd down.
Tough either way, but Butch made the correct call.
 
#22
#22
As it was the clock started when the ball was spotted. Would the penalty have started teh clock on the snap?
 
#23
#23
I wondered that myself. I guess he was hoping for a field goal attempt from Georgia. Maybe he just had condidence in his D to get a stop.
 
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