Why'd we take our foot off the gas in second half?

Data.

 

All your answers can be found in the the post game thread

 

Such as?

 

Better get used to it, shorten the game, run the clock ball.

 

Because we were up by 3 scores and in complete control of the game. It’s football.

It’s an incredibly young team. Let them have the moment.

 

Sure we want to see another 30 points but we won and no more major injuries.

 

1996 in Knoxville. HBC is Spurs. Team had Heisman QB Danny plus Ike, Riedel, Quez, etc.

We have good lead at half. UT QB is Peyton.

We threw only 10 passes in 2nd half. On key 3rd down we tan a Emory & Henry with Terry Jackson getting 1st down

Spurrier sat on the lead. Final 35-29

 

Because that's Billy's identity. I fully expected it.

 

Because we wanted to win. If this was some kind of dynamic O with a Heisman contender at QB, stud veteran OL, and veteran play makers at WR it may have been different. As it were, we ran clock and won the game by two scores. If it were different, you might have a legit concern.

 

Spurrier was a 50/50 coach with his playcalling, but his philosophy was to be 75/25 pass in the first half, stretch and tire the defense, then 75/25 run in the second half, pounding the ball with guys like Rhett.

I doubt Napier would have been as conservative had Mertz' hands been 100%

 

D was playing well and they only had 3 points in the second half. Running game used up more clock.

 

Exactly. Some folks haven’t quite come to grips with the new clock rules. Doesn’t matter what Spurrier did almost 30 years ago.

 

More possessions is more chances. They never got close

 

Pretty sure being hurt didn’t help in the confidence to open up the offenze

 

I think most would have liked to see more 1st downs in the second half but a win is a win.

 

Although as post # 8 notes, Spurrier DID do almost exactly the same thing in Knoxville. And I remember after the game Stoops responded to similar criticism by basically saying "we had the game well in hand, that's silly".

 

When was the team ever "pushing the ball downfield"?

 

Billy himself said he got too conservative in the second half. But you can’t blame him. Mertz hands were injured. He did what he had to do to win. We should all be ok with this. Not going to sneeze at a win when it’s so precious these days.

 

Also partly because they used two timeouts on their opening drive of the 2nd half and got zero points. Why risk any turnovers with such a large lead and defense playing well. They never got within a one score lead. It became a clock game at that point with the odds heavily in our favor, especially with the new clock rules.