Chryst has done a great job continuing the culture and respectability that the program had when he arrived as HC, but his in-game strategic stuff continues to make it hard to win the close ones.
1. When you are in a close game or behind, try to prolong the contest, not shrink it, ESPECIALLY when you are the better team. Run plays that either get you decent yardage or stop the clock (ie. passing). Incompletions don't hurt. The clock is the primary opponent when you are the better team. A run heavy, grind the clock approach creates too small of a margin for error. Only consider that if you are a big underdog or if your QB is horrific - neither the case here. Mertz dropped back to pass 12 times in the second half (penalties included). Deserve to have the clock run out on you with that approach.
2. The kicking game was mismanaged. Attempting the 51 yard FG early was bad. Kicking is more mental than anything else. Calvaruso, who's been hurt and is new and couldn't win the job at Ark, can't be expected to come in cold and hit drill a long kick like that. If you want a long attempt like that, do it after a kicker has converted shorter kicks and has some confidence. Or do it at the end of half/game, where there are no other options. Here, Mertz had been essentially perfect on the season up until that point, and was more likely to convert 4th and 5 than Calvaruso from 50+ (wisc 7-14 on 3rd down illustrates this). And it's quite possible that Calvaruso missing badly from 50+ led him to miss again on the shorter, more important kick late , because again its a mental game for a kicker more than anything else.
3. Don't call timeouts on offense to save penalty yards in the second half in a game you are losing, EVER. That timeout is likely the difference between an extra possession or not. It prob was Saturday. The 5-10 yards saved matters less.
Penalties happen, turnovers happen and are largely beyond a HC's control. But in-game strategy matters and we lack it at the top. Rears its head in close games.
1. When you are in a close game or behind, try to prolong the contest, not shrink it, ESPECIALLY when you are the better team. Run plays that either get you decent yardage or stop the clock (ie. passing). Incompletions don't hurt. The clock is the primary opponent when you are the better team. A run heavy, grind the clock approach creates too small of a margin for error. Only consider that if you are a big underdog or if your QB is horrific - neither the case here. Mertz dropped back to pass 12 times in the second half (penalties included). Deserve to have the clock run out on you with that approach.
2. The kicking game was mismanaged. Attempting the 51 yard FG early was bad. Kicking is more mental than anything else. Calvaruso, who's been hurt and is new and couldn't win the job at Ark, can't be expected to come in cold and hit drill a long kick like that. If you want a long attempt like that, do it after a kicker has converted shorter kicks and has some confidence. Or do it at the end of half/game, where there are no other options. Here, Mertz had been essentially perfect on the season up until that point, and was more likely to convert 4th and 5 than Calvaruso from 50+ (wisc 7-14 on 3rd down illustrates this). And it's quite possible that Calvaruso missing badly from 50+ led him to miss again on the shorter, more important kick late , because again its a mental game for a kicker more than anything else.
3. Don't call timeouts on offense to save penalty yards in the second half in a game you are losing, EVER. That timeout is likely the difference between an extra possession or not. It prob was Saturday. The 5-10 yards saved matters less.
Penalties happen, turnovers happen and are largely beyond a HC's control. But in-game strategy matters and we lack it at the top. Rears its head in close games.
