Clock management

[icantfindausernamethatisntused]

First off, I want to give some praise to Kirk:

• I recognize that coaching can be a thankless job at times because it is a lot easier to criticize coaching decisions than it is to recognize all the good things a coach does to prepare a team day-to-day. Kirk has done an incredible job, especially since the summer of 2020, at keeping everyone on the team engaged and bought in even though there's been a lot of frustration. They've dealt with a pandemic, racial bias investigation, offensive struggles that have made Iowa a media spectacle, a gambling investigation, and numerous injuries. You see how easy it is for coaches to lose the locker room and have the players effectively quit once things get hard.

But the real point of this thread is to give yet another criticism about clock management. I am amazed that coaches (not just Kirk) are not better prepared to deal with clock management. It shouldn't be that difficult, yet coaches continually screw up easy decisions. I would think the easiest decision a coach would ever have to make is knowing when they can simply kneel the ball and win the game. Kirk was guilty of this against Illinois last Saturday.

• We already saw Miami blow a game this year where they could have just taken a knee. Instead they tried to run the ball, fumbled, and gave up a game winning touchdown. Mario Cristobal must be a huge idiot, right??? Well, yes that was dumb. But..
  • In the very same weekend, Alabama got a first down with less than 2 minutes left, a 6 point lead, and their opponent (Texas A&M) was out of timeouts. Alabama could have taken a knee and ran out the clock. But they pass the ball on first down and throw an incompletion! Luckily for them, they could still run the clock out by running the ball on 2nd and 3rd down, winding the clock down to 7 seconds for 4th down. They then had their QB roll out of the pocket, launch a deep pass into the sidelines to run out the clock. This is Nick Saban we're talking about. Probably the best college football coach of all time. This was every bit as dumb as Cristobal's decision, but nobody noticed because it didn't end up hurting Alabama.
• Fast forward to Iowa vs. Illinois last Saturday. Kaleb Johnson ran for first down with 2:50 to play and Illinois was out of time outs.
  • With 4 fresh downs, a running clock, and an opponent that is out of timeouts, you can run a bare minimum of 2:40 (i.e., 160 seconds) off the clock. You can kneel the ball 3 times, and each time take about 4-5 seconds before taking a knee and having the 40-second play clock start again. On 4th down, you can have your QB roll out and throw a deep pass out of bounds and run off at least 7 seconds. Add all this up, and anytime you have a first down with a running clock and an opponent out of timeouts, you should always be taking a knee with anything less than 3:00 minutes left.
  • Yet Iowa ran the ball two times before taking a knee on third down. Not incredibly risky, but this is exactly what everyone blasted Mario Cristobal for. You're risking a fumble and giving your opponent a chance to score again, when it is completely unnecessary to do so.

 

[Steamboat529529]

I didn’t want to say anything because we won but the clock management and time out management was horrendous Saturday.

1. That missed field goal in the first half was all on the coaches. Unorganized. Not sure what unit was supposed to be out there. I don’t even think we got the kick off, it should have been a delay of game penalty. Take a time out. It’s the first half. And make sure everyone is settled before the kick.

2. Taking a second timeout to chastise the refs in a game you are losing can’t happen. Sure. You can do it in the first half, but not the second half of a football game like that.

3. To your main point. How do we not have a guy with the time and time-out chart for end of game timing situations???? I couldn’t believe we were actually taking snaps and running an actual play.

4. Do we not at least think about going for two after scoring our first touchdown? I know 99% of teams shouldn’t be chasing points that early. But we aren’t normal teams offensively. I thought for a long time the game was going to end 10 to 9.

 

[LIV4GOD]

I agree with the running the ball part. There was no good reason, and it can only lead to a fumble.

 

[HawkMachine]

No worries, Nebraska fans are complaining about the same thing with Rhule.

 

[BigDogHawkFan]

We wasted 2 timeouts in the second half. The first one was the play clock is running down on a second or third and very long. We have very little chance to pick it up. We call the timeout and then run the ball up the middle. Could have done that without calling the to.

 

[Steamboat529529]

We wasted 2 timeouts in the second half. The first one was the play clock is running down on a second or third and very long. We have very little chance to pick it up. We call the timeout and then run the ball up the middle. Could have done that without calling the to.

Yea. I remember thinking that about the first timeout as well? Was that after the blindside block penalty? We had no chance of picking up that up and indeed we called a timeout and didn’t even try to.

 

[nelly02]

It's all throughout football at all levels. Last Saturday Maryland was backed up to the 3 against Michigan with under 5 minutes left and instead of taking a delay of game they wasted a timeout. What are you doing? I am starting to believe coaches should hire someone like one of us to make clock management decisions for them.

 

[hawkdo]

S

It's all throughout football at all levels. Last Saturday Maryland was backed up to the 3 against Michigan with under 5 minutes left and instead of taking a delay of game they wasted a timeout. What are you doing? I am starting to believe coaches should hire someone like one of us to make clock management decisions for them.

sure is easy to be an expert from your couch. I would take a guess that 99% of you experts have never coached a sport in your life.

 

[drew_hawk]

S

sure is easy to be an expert from your couch. I would take a guess that 99% of you experts have never coached a sport in your life.

So why not have a lower-level or graduate assistant specifically assigned as the clock management specialist?

 

[MikeyHawk]

S

sure is easy to be an expert from your couch. I would take a guess that 99% of you experts have never coached a sport in your life.

actually, it is pretty easy to understand clock management. Iowa is not great at it

Series before half is a good example. Iowa had the ball at the 34 with 1:!3 in the half with two time outs and managed to gain 11 yards while using 40 seconds and still had two time outs. Not good

 

[mthawkeyes]

S

sure is easy to be an expert from your couch. I would take a guess that 99% of you experts have never coached a sport in your life.

I coach 9th grade football. As soon as Iowa got the first down, I looked at the clock and immediately told the other people in our section that the game was over, and that we just needed to kneel three times. Apparently Iowa's sideline wasn't aware, which is definitely not good.

 

[hawkdo]

So why not have a lower-level or graduate assistant specifically assigned as the clock management specialist?

Understand the thought and would imagine that goes on to some degree. To the initial premise of 4-5 seconds off the clock on a kneel it is more like 1-2 seconds prior to 40 sec. clock restarting. I know as a sideline official we tell the team if you want protection taking a knee you need to go right down, not standing around waiting to see if you get hit. I do not ever remember Iowa not kneeling when there was no doubt the clock would run out. The wasted TO may not seem wasted to a coach who feels he wants to air his opinion even though he knows it won't change that call, but who knows about the next. What would have happened if we would have kneeled (afraid of a fumble) then leave them 2 seconds for a play that goes for a TD, can you imagine the Playing not to Lose crowd. Hard to be a coach!

 

[Steamboat529529]

I coach 9th grade football. As soon as Iowa got the first down, I looked at the clock and immediately told the other people in our section that the game was over, and that we just needed to kneel three times. Apparently Iowa's sideline wasn't aware, which is definitely not good.

Bingo.

 

[Steamboat529529]

Understand the thought and would imagine that goes on to some degree. To the initial premise of 4-5 seconds off the clock on a kneel it is more like 1-2 seconds prior to 40 sec. clock restarting. I know as a sideline official we tell the team if you want protection taking a knee you need to go right down, not standing around waiting to see if you get hit. I do not ever remember Iowa not kneeling when there was no doubt the clock would run out. The wasted TO may not seem wasted to a coach who feels he wants to air his opinion even though he knows it won't change that call, but who knows about the next. What would have happened if we would have kneeled (afraid of a fumble) then leave them 2 seconds for a play that goes for a TD, can you imagine the Playing not to Lose crowd. Hard to be a coach!

Understand the thought and would imagine that goes on to some degree. To the initial premise of 4-5 seconds off the clock on a kneel it is more like 1-2 seconds prior to 40 sec. clock restarting. I know as a sideline official we tell the team if you want protection taking a knee you need to go right down, not standing around waiting to see if you get hit. I do not ever remember Iowa not kneeling when there was no doubt the clock would run out. The wasted TO may not seem wasted to a coach who feels he wants to air his opinion even though he knows it won't change that call, but who knows about the next. What would have happened if we would have kneeled (afraid of a fumble) then leave them 2 seconds for a play that goes for a TD, can you imagine the Playing not to Lose crowd. Hard to be a coach!

Well, that’s why coaches that know time and score and timeouts (or have someone with the card or paper telling them) have their quarterback take a snap (either under center or out of the shotgun) and run backwards or sideways to kill clock and then just go down and not get hit. They know they need to kill an extra ten or fifteen seconds to get the clock to zero because it’s on the sheet.

 

[LIV4GOD]

What would have happened if we would have kneeled (afraid of a fumble) then leave them 2 seconds for a play that goes for a TD, can you imagine the Playing not to Lose crowd. Hard to be a coach!

Oh, good grief. Just walk backwards get a couple blocks and kneel before the defenders arrive. Far safer than running the ball into their defense.

 

[hawkdo]

Bingo.

In 9th grade I would agree, but college the 40 second clock is much more accurate and since the 1st down was made with 2:45 on the clock would at least needed to run one or two(which they did) plays and then kneel. Looks like they did it perfectly correct. Now that the 40 sec clock starts at the end of the previous play not as much time wasted as it was getting it ready for play.

 

[iahawks10]

Understand the thought and would imagine that goes on to some degree. To the initial premise of 4-5 seconds off the clock on a kneel it is more like 1-2 seconds prior to 40 sec. clock restarting. I know as a sideline official we tell the team if you want protection taking a knee you need to go right down, not standing around waiting to see if you get hit. I do not ever remember Iowa not kneeling when there was no doubt the clock would run out. The wasted TO may not seem wasted to a coach who feels he wants to air his opinion even though he knows it won't change that call, but who knows about the next. What would have happened if we would have kneeled (afraid of a fumble) then leave them 2 seconds for a play that goes for a TD, can you imagine the Playing not to Lose crowd. Hard to be a coach!

Iowa had about 5 seconds to spare to not run another play as it played out. That’s with running the ball twice and an Illini injury that gave Iowa an extra four (or so) seconds. Zero chance that Iowa doesn’t give the ball back to Illinois with time on the clock if they go and kneel. Also very unlikely that five seconds go off the clock after each kneel down.

I’m not one to stick up for Kirk’s clock management, but he got this one right at the end of the game.

 

[Birky]

So why not have a lower-level or graduate assistant specifically assigned as the clock management specialist?

I have been wondering this for 25 years.

 

[Birky]

Iowa had about 5 seconds to spare to not run another play as it played out. That’s with running the ball twice and an Illini injury that gave Iowa an extra four (or so) seconds. Zero chance that Iowa doesn’t give the ball back to Illinois with time on the clock if they go and kneel. Also very unlikely that five seconds go off the clock after each kneel down.

I’m not one to stick up for Kirk’s clock management, but he got this one right at the end of the game.

Yep, they had run it at least once, and then either run it, or have Hill back pedal for a bit on second down to be able to just kneel on third down.

They did this one correctly, for once.

 

[pistachio1999]

We are on to bitching and moaning about stuff that worked out okay. Bunch of fun people.

 

[hawkinarkansas]

Kirk’s poor clock management is legendary and goes as far back as the Tate to Holloway pass in the citrus bowl eons ago. What’s more problematic is that all the other coaches on staff appear to be equally clueless.

 

[BonzoFury]

It is a mystery...how someone at a high level can miss the simple things. But it happens a lot.

 

[artradley]

S

sure is easy to be an expert from your couch. I would take a guess that 99% of you experts have never coached a sport in your life.

Actually, clock management in these situations is easy and doesn’t take any football knowledge.

 

[nelly02]

actually, it is pretty easy to understand clock management. Iowa is not great at it

Series before half is a good example. Iowa had the ball at the 34 with 1:!3 in the half with two time outs and managed to gain 11 yards while using 40 seconds and still had two time outs. Not good

This. I'm not saying I'm a better coach than Kirk he has forgotten more about football in one day than I've ever known. But I watch a lot of games. It is pretty easy to catch on to how teams should best manage end of game situations and I honestly believe a fan who watches a ton of football could do better than some of these coaches. And it's not just a burn at KF this happens at all levels.