#1 ranked team in 3A goes down

[doctor_d]

Found this interesting in my readings…

Princeton, who pushed IC to OT last year and was top ranked by the AP, scored late to take a 20-19 lead. They subsequently kicked a PAT to go up 21-19. Opponents (Morrison HS) drove down and kicked a game winning FG. 22-21 final.

Why not go for 2?

 

[SouthofI80FootballFan]

Confidence. It's the food of the wise man and the liquor of the fool.

I bet they thought a team with their two best players sidelined would not be able to drive the field and have a freshman who has never kicked in game before kick a last second field goal.

Princeton was confident that their D would stop Morrison so they went for 1. That confidence backfired. Great win for the Stangs on the last season of them in the conference

 

[Wilmatucky]

Confidence. It's the food of the wise man and the liquor of the fool.

I bet they thought a team with their two best players sidelined would not be able to drive the field and have a freshman who has never kicked in game before kick a last second field goal.

Princeton was confident that their D would stop Morrison so they went for 1. That confidence backfired. Great win for the Stangs on the last season of them in the conference

But it doesn't matter....the one point or two point lead is the same end result.......if they go for two they have a three point lead.....odd choice

 

[olderbytheminute]

Confidence, huh? There is zero reason to go for a PAT kick rather than a two-point. play up by one point after a late TD.
Zero.
A coach can have confidence that his defense will get a game-clinching stop with a 1 point lead, a 2-point lead or a 3-point lead. Nothing changes from his defensive side.
Strictly a guess, but I would believe that the Princeton coach and the entire bench area was ecstatic to take the lead with a late TD and the PAT options never came to mind. I can easily see a coach holding up one finger after the clutch score in absent-minded fashion and perhaps the PAT kicking team ran onto the field naturally with the key score.
I fail to see where confidence in the defense is even a factor. I mean, to heck with the defense. What if the kick returner on the ensuing kickoff returned it 70 yards to the Princeton 20? Or what if the extra-point kick attempt was blocked and returned to the house for a two-point play putting Princeton behind 22-20?
I will buy the idea of the coach being overly excited. But that's a mistake that if it occurs in a 2:30 p.m. TV game on Saturday or a 7:20 p.m. TV game on Sunday and the result is a loss, the coach is never going to be able to explain the decision. Ever.
It will be interesting if there is any media account by a Princeton reporter and what the coach said of such a bonehead mistake,

 

[stl705]

Obviously it was a mental mistake, to say it was due to confidence seems completely overboard. We’ve seen bad coaching decisions in last 2 minutes on Sundays, we see them on Saturdays. Sometimes we’ll see them on Fridays. Princeton will regroup, but Morrison is my favorite in 2A right now no question. Princeton has an excellent coaching staff, this one just got away.

 

[colin2229]

Obviously it was a mental mistake, to say it was due to confidence seems completely overboard. We’ve seen bad coaching decisions in last 2 minutes on Sundays, we see them on Saturdays. Sometimes we’ll see them on Fridays. Princeton will regroup, but Morrison is my favorite in 2A right now no question. Princeton has an excellent coaching staff, this one just got away.

Good post.

Princeton coach is a great coach and outstanding man. Simply a mental mistake.