The most unofficial Bobcat gameday thread - UC Davis

[catscat]

Subjective PI is almost always going to go against the defense, especially in the BSC. Unfortunate, but true.

Had we not gone conservative on offense, we win by at least 3 scores. Disappointing finish, but clearly the better team, BSC champions, and home field for playoffs.

Honestly, that ending might have been a good thing for the coaches and players. Cannot let up against good teams.

Well, there's subjective and flat a$$ blind. This was the latter.

[nanacat]

Good god people shut The HELL up. We're 11-0. WE'RE 11-0!!!!

Yes

But also, you gotta recognize how AWFUL that was. You can't do that in the playoffs

Oh 100% Coaches have some introspection to do. Gotta be more aggressive. They can't control a perfect onside kick and bad tackling though in game though.

Onside kick, no
But the defense, as good as they can be, needs to take a long look at their fundamentals this week

Just talked to someone who was at the game. Evidently the big long pass where Ty thought they were calling offensive PI was just a completely egregious miss by the ref. Johnson pulled down with both hands by the WR. Hard to blame our team really. Without that play, the crap call in the end zone on us, and a perfect onside kick that game never gets close. Only thing I would do is RTDB up 15 on 4th and 2.

We were at the game, this happened right down the sideline to our left, even all of the Davis fans around us thought it was on them and coming back.

Yep! I'm reading this whole thread wondering where's the indignation from the TV viewers over that call. Instead, it's "we shoulda done this," "we shoulda done that." When actually, it's if the officials had correctly called that play, Davis is backed up even further and most likely game over.

What I saw was the Davis receiver push our DB down, catch the ball and take off. The flag came out and I said to myself alright, comin' back. I think half (or more) of our defense saw and thought the same thing. Then it's like "oh $hit, maybe we better get this guy." Then I, and all the other Cat fans, am flabbergasted when the PI IS ON US!! Vigen gave the officials an ear full.

So bottom line is, all you BN warriors blaming the coaches, back off. Hell, even apologize. Nothing wrong with the play calls or coaching, but just a perfect example of how poor officiating can turn a game.

And that needs to be reviewed by their superiors. I know they're only human, but turning a game in unacceptable. Someone needs to be held accountable.

On that note, could Vigen have demanded a review in a case like that? Or are you completely at the mercy of the call, bad or not?

[wbtfg]

Is not going for the kill shot on 4th and 2 from their 43 with 2:20 left a defining moment for Vigen? When the chips are down not to lean on Davis and your elite o line right there puts a bad taste in my mouth to an otherwise dominant game by the cats.

I don’t mind the call. 2 minutes left. Defense was playing great. Pin them deep and make them go the full field. Unfortunately we forgot how to tackle.

If we go for it and don’t get it and it plays out the exact same way, we’d be talking about “punt the ball and trust the defense”

You could argue punting it there is the definition of playing not to lose. I just don’t like that.

You could also argue that being up 15 with 2 minutes left and making them drive 90 yards against our defense that has only allowed 2 TDs in the first 58 minutes of the game was the right call.

I didn’t see enough of the long play down the sideline where we missed tackles, but Vigen sure thought it was offensive PI and so did Gregorak. That combined with a successful onside kick. And then Bryce grebe slipping in coverage on the long play to Larison to set up the last TD.

It was a 1/100 sequence of events that had to happen.

[VimSince03]

Is not going for the kill shot on 4th and 2 from their 43 with 2:20 left a defining moment for Vigen? When the chips are down not to lean on Davis and your elite o line right there puts a bad taste in my mouth to an otherwise dominant game by the cats.

I don’t mind the call. 2 minutes left. Defense was playing great. Pin them deep and make them go the full field. Unfortunately we forgot how to tackle.

If we go for it and don’t get it and it plays out the exact same way, we’d be talking about “punt the ball and trust the defense”

Yeah we went for it last year against NDSU and got stuffed entering the 4th quarter. Does Vigen get credit for being aggressive there or was that just a bad call?

The hand-wringing from our fans after last night's HUGE win is too bad. Ruins a pretty special moment for our boys.
They have no timeouts and 2 minutes to go down 15 and had to earn it against our D all night. I punt there 9 times out of 10 especially given how well our pass rush was playing. Two crazy plays happen (70 yard pass and onside kick) and suddenly our fanbase thinks we lost or something. I'm not here to tell anyone how to feel but I didn't see playing not to lose last night at all. The effort by our guys was there all night. Offensively we didn't have our best game by any stretch but the plus side is Tommy made plays with his arm, only had three carries, and other phases MADE PLAYS. That's what it takes to win these games...making plays. I saw two great teams trying to win the game and we were the one on top at the end. Go take care of business next week and we get to have home cooking for the playoffs.

[wbtfg]

Is not going for the kill shot on 4th and 2 from their 43 with 2:20 left a defining moment for Vigen? When the chips are down not to lean on Davis and your elite o line right there puts a bad taste in my mouth to an otherwise dominant game by the cats.

I don’t mind the call. 2 minutes left. Defense was playing great. Pin them deep and make them go the full field. Unfortunately we forgot how to tackle.

If we go for it and don’t get it and it plays out the exact same way, we’d be talking about “punt the ball and trust the defense”

Yeah we went for it last year against NDSU and got stuffed entering the 4th quarter. Does Vigen get credit for being aggressive there or was that just a bad call?

The hand-wringing from our fans after last night's HUGE win is too bad. Ruins a pretty special moment for our boys.
They have no timeouts and 2 minutes to go down 15 and had to earn it against our D all night. I punt there 9 times out of 10 especially given how well our pass rush was playing. Two crazy plays happen (70 yard pass and onside kick) and suddenly our fanbase thinks we lost or something. I'm not here to tell anyone how to feel but I didn't see playing not to lose last night at all. The effort by our guys was there all night. Offensively we didn't have our best game by any stretch but the plus side is Tommy made plays with his arm, only had three carries, and other phases MADE PLAYS. That's what it takes to win these games...making plays. I saw two great teams trying to win the game and we were the one on top at the end. Go take care of business next week and we get to have home cooking for the playoffs.

^ what this dude said.

[Common Cat]

Is not going for the kill shot on 4th and 2 from their 43 with 2:20 left a defining moment for Vigen? When the chips are down not to lean on Davis and your elite o line right there puts a bad taste in my mouth to an otherwise dominant game by the cats.

I don’t mind the call. 2 minutes left. Defense was playing great. Pin them deep and make them go the full field. Unfortunately we forgot how to tackle.

If we go for it and don’t get it and it plays out the exact same way, we’d be talking about “punt the ball and trust the defense”

Yeah we went for it last year against NDSU and got stuffed entering the 4th quarter. Does Vigen get credit for being aggressive there or was that just a bad call?

The hand-wringing from our fans after last night's HUGE win is too bad. Ruins a pretty special moment for our boys.
They have no timeouts and 2 minutes to go down 15 and had to earn it against our D all night. I punt there 9 times out of 10 especially given how well our pass rush was playing. Two crazy plays happen (70 yard pass and onside kick) and suddenly our fanbase thinks we lost or something. I'm not here to tell anyone how to feel but I didn't see playing not to lose last night at all. The effort by our guys was there all night. Offensively we didn't have our best game by any stretch but the plus side is Tommy made plays with his arm, only had three carries, and other phases MADE PLAYS. That's what it takes to win these games...making plays. I saw two great teams trying to win the game and we were the one on top at the end. Go take care of business next week and we get to have home cooking for the playoffs.

I see your side. I wanted to trust our nation leading rushing game to win it.

[VimSince03]

Is not going for the kill shot on 4th and 2 from their 43 with 2:20 left a defining moment for Vigen? When the chips are down not to lean on Davis and your elite o line right there puts a bad taste in my mouth to an otherwise dominant game by the cats.

I don’t mind the call. 2 minutes left. Defense was playing great. Pin them deep and make them go the full field. Unfortunately we forgot how to tackle.

If we go for it and don’t get it and it plays out the exact same way, we’d be talking about “punt the ball and trust the defense”

Yeah we went for it last year against NDSU and got stuffed entering the 4th quarter. Does Vigen get credit for being aggressive there or was that just a bad call?

The hand-wringing from our fans after last night's HUGE win is too bad. Ruins a pretty special moment for our boys.
They have no timeouts and 2 minutes to go down 15 and had to earn it against our D all night. I punt there 9 times out of 10 especially given how well our pass rush was playing. Two crazy plays happen (70 yard pass and onside kick) and suddenly our fanbase thinks we lost or something. I'm not here to tell anyone how to feel but I didn't see playing not to lose last night at all. The effort by our guys was there all night. Offensively we didn't have our best game by any stretch but the plus side is Tommy made plays with his arm, only had three carries, and other phases MADE PLAYS. That's what it takes to win these games...making plays. I saw two great teams trying to win the game and we were the one on top at the end. Go take care of business next week and we get to have home cooking for the playoffs.

I see your side. I wanted to trust our nation leading rushing game to win it.

I completely see your side too. It's a weird zone in that area of the field and decisions have to be based on feel. Obviously Vigen felt our defense could close the door and it ended up being a bad call...but a lot had to happen after the 4th and 2 for it to be a bad call and boy did a lot happen.

[rivercat]

I won't point to a single play in the 4th. Rather the offense didn't make enough plays to stay on the field. Vigen alluded to the same thing so I won't say it was a coaching decision not to lose.

MSU had played better for 3/4's of the game and that gave sufficient cushion to still win. That's how it goes sometimes.

I think next week after leading the gris by 28 points in the second half, MSU keeps pounding them for practice closing out a game.

[wbtfg]

Is not going for the kill shot on 4th and 2 from their 43 with 2:20 left a defining moment for Vigen? When the chips are down not to lean on Davis and your elite o line right there puts a bad taste in my mouth to an otherwise dominant game by the cats.

I don’t mind the call. 2 minutes left. Defense was playing great. Pin them deep and make them go the full field. Unfortunately we forgot how to tackle.

If we go for it and don’t get it and it plays out the exact same way, we’d be talking about “punt the ball and trust the defense”

Yeah we went for it last year against NDSU and got stuffed entering the 4th quarter. Does Vigen get credit for being aggressive there or was that just a bad call?

The hand-wringing from our fans after last night's HUGE win is too bad. Ruins a pretty special moment for our boys.
They have no timeouts and 2 minutes to go down 15 and had to earn it against our D all night. I punt there 9 times out of 10 especially given how well our pass rush was playing. Two crazy plays happen (70 yard pass and onside kick) and suddenly our fanbase thinks we lost or something. I'm not here to tell anyone how to feel but I didn't see playing not to lose last night at all. The effort by our guys was there all night. Offensively we didn't have our best game by any stretch but the plus side is Tommy made plays with his arm, only had three carries, and other phases MADE PLAYS. That's what it takes to win these games...making plays. I saw two great teams trying to win the game and we were the one on top at the end. Go take care of business next week and we get to have home cooking for the playoffs.

I see your side. I wanted to trust our nation leading rushing game to win it.

I completely see your side too. It's a weird zone in that area of the field and decisions have to be based on feel. Obviously Vigen felt our defense could close the door and it ended up being a bad call...but a lot had to happen after the 4th and 2 for it to be a bad call and boy did a lot happen.

If I’m coaching there, I punt it away every time. Defense is playing great. Davis has done a good job against our run game. Don’t want to risk a fumble or a pick 6. Getting stopped on fourth down near midfield is a big momentum changer for the crowd.

Punt it and play defense.


We are 11-0, just beat the #4 team in the country on the road and won the big sky conference.

Let’s appreciate the moment.

[BgCATfan]

So, anyone watching on TV cannot answer this, only someone that was actually at the game and was paying attention (no TV angle showed what happened). On the deep pass with 2:00 left, they called PI on the DB. Was this the correct call? All you see on the TV broadcast his him standing back up from the sideline, which to me makes it seem like he was pushed by the WR.

It looked to us (the PI was just down the field to the left of us) that it was CLEARLY offensive, even all of the UCD fans around us thought so and new it was coming back. We were all stunned that it was called defensive.

[technoCat]

Is not going for the kill shot on 4th and 2 from their 43 with 2:20 left a defining moment for Vigen? When the chips are down not to lean on Davis and your elite o line right there puts a bad taste in my mouth to an otherwise dominant game by the cats.

I don’t mind the call. 2 minutes left. Defense was playing great. Pin them deep and make them go the full field. Unfortunately we forgot how to tackle.

If we go for it and don’t get it and it plays out the exact same way, we’d be talking about “punt the ball and trust the defense”

You could argue punting it there is the definition of playing not to lose. I just don’t like that.

Our offense had just peeled 4 minutes off the clock and made them use up all the TOs. They literally needed like 3/4 of the biggest plays they had all game to have a chance. We get one sack or tipped ball for an int over the last 2 minutes and no one is that worried. Heck if the refs decide to not take over the game we win by 22. Everything looks worse in 20/20 when things go perfectly against you. As another posted mentioned, if they stop us on 4th and 2 there is a lot more momentum than booting it and making them go 90 yards.

I think one play that could have really put this game away is that pass to King. Perfect throw and he did not make the play(and no PI of course). On the other hand, when Davis' receivers had a chance to make a play(the last TD was almost perfectly contested) they did. Players gotta make plays and they made a lot of them but O'Reilly made the one that counted.

[KIX]

Good god people shut The HELL up. We're 11-0. WE'RE 11-0!!!!

Yes

But also, you gotta recognize how AWFUL that was. You can't do that in the playoffs

Oh 100% Coaches have some introspection to do. Gotta be more aggressive. They can't control a perfect onside kick and bad tackling though in game though.

Onside kick, no
But the defense, as good as they can be, needs to take a long look at their fundamentals this week

Just talked to someone who was at the game. Evidently the big long pass where Ty thought they were calling offensive PI was just a completely egregious miss by the ref. Johnson pulled down with both hands by the WR. Hard to blame our team really. Without that play, the crap call in the end zone on us, and a perfect onside kick that game never gets close. Only thing I would do is RTDB up 15 on 4th and 2.

We were at the game, this happened right down the sideline to our left, even all of the Davis fans around us thought it was on them and coming back.

Yep! I'm reading this whole thread wondering where's the indignation from the TV viewers over that call. Instead, it's "we shoulda done this," "we shoulda done that." When actually, it's if the officials had correctly called that play, Davis is backed up even further and most likely game over.

What I saw was the Davis receiver push our DB down, catch the ball and take off. The flag came out and I said to myself alright, comin' back. I think half (or more) of our defense saw and thought the same thing. Then it's like "oh $hit, maybe we better get this guy." Then I, and all the other Cat fans, am flabbergasted when the PI IS ON US!! Vigen gave the officials an ear full.

So bottom line is, all you BN warriors blaming the coaches, back off. Hell, even apologize. Nothing wrong with the play calls or coaching, but just a perfect example of how poor officiating can turn a game.

And that needs to be reviewed by their superiors. I know they're only human, but turning a game in unacceptable. Someone needs to be held accountable.

On that note, could Vigen have demanded a review in a case like that? Or are you completely at the mercy of the call, bad or not?

The BSC officials will keep getting passes on horrible refereeing across the board every week. There is NO accountability from the top down. No review process or discipline. Never has been. I believe it has to do with a shortage and nobody wanting to do it as you see the same faces every year.

[Catprint]

After sleeping on the game and not watching it a second time (definitely not a game I wanted to watch again at midnight), I have a much more optimistic perspective.

1) We are 11-0 and the only FCS undefeated team and one of only 4 undefeated teams in all of Division 1.

2) We are Big Sky Champions and likely undisputed/unshared champions.

3) We played the #4 team in the nation on the road and we won. Defense was the key for both teams as other than the last two miracle drives by Davis, neither team was on queue offensively.

4) SDSU played the #1 team on the road (NDSU) earlier and lost in a close game where the defense was the key. Both NDSU and SDSU under performed on offense.

5) We have now won the two close games where as last year we lost all three. This is a huge improvement and exactly what we were all asking for at start of the season. Have to win the close ones.

6) I can second guess all night and day long about play calling but the odds of the sequence of events that led to Davis's comeback a handle of once in a lifetime of penalties, missed penalties, perfect storms. I am ok with it.

7) Now we have four home games going 1-0 in each one of them.

[onceacat]

Is not going for the kill shot on 4th and 2 from their 43 with 2:20 left a defining moment for Vigen? When the chips are down not to lean on Davis and your elite o line right there puts a bad taste in my mouth to an otherwise dominant game by the cats.

I don’t mind the call. 2 minutes left. Defense was playing great. Pin them deep and make them go the full field. Unfortunately we forgot how to tackle.

If we go for it and don’t get it and it plays out the exact same way, we’d be talking about “punt the ball and trust the defense”

Yeah we went for it last year against NDSU and got stuffed entering the 4th quarter. Does Vigen get credit for being aggressive there or was that just a bad call?

The hand-wringing from our fans after last night's HUGE win is too bad. Ruins a pretty special moment for our boys.
They have no timeouts and 2 minutes to go down 15 and had to earn it against our D all night. I punt there 9 times out of 10 especially given how well our pass rush was playing. Two crazy plays happen (70 yard pass and onside kick) and suddenly our fanbase thinks we lost or something. I'm not here to tell anyone how to feel but I didn't see playing not to lose last night at all. The effort by our guys was there all night. Offensively we didn't have our best game by any stretch but the plus side is Tommy made plays with his arm, only had three carries, and other phases MADE PLAYS. That's what it takes to win these games...making plays. I saw two great teams trying to win the game and we were the one on top at the end. Go take care of business next week and we get to have home cooking for the playoffs.

Good post. Also, worth remembering that even with all the breaks Davis got, they were still on the hook to get a 2 pt conversion which is at best a 50-50 play.

AND THEN, even if they get the 2 pt conversion, Cats have 30 seconds to get into FG range.

And THEN, if not, I think the Cats are built to win OT possessions, Davis much less so.

Davis had to have a lot of things go their way to get to the 50-50 2 point conversion...and then it STILL would have been a tie. This game wasn't as close as people think it was.

[BelligerentBobcat]

Is not going for the kill shot on 4th and 2 from their 43 with 2:20 left a defining moment for Vigen? When the chips are down not to lean on Davis and your elite o line right there puts a bad taste in my mouth to an otherwise dominant game by the cats.

I don’t mind the call. 2 minutes left. Defense was playing great. Pin them deep and make them go the full field. Unfortunately we forgot how to tackle.

If we go for it and don’t get it and it plays out the exact same way, we’d be talking about “punt the ball and trust the defense”

Yeah we went for it last year against NDSU and got stuffed entering the 4th quarter. Does Vigen get credit for being aggressive there or was that just a bad call?

The hand-wringing from our fans after last night's HUGE win is too bad. Ruins a pretty special moment for our boys.
They have no timeouts and 2 minutes to go down 15 and had to earn it against our D all night. I punt there 9 times out of 10 especially given how well our pass rush was playing. Two crazy plays happen (70 yard pass and onside kick) and suddenly our fanbase thinks we lost or something. I'm not here to tell anyone how to feel but I didn't see playing not to lose last night at all. The effort by our guys was there all night. Offensively we didn't have our best game by any stretch but the plus side is Tommy made plays with his arm, only had three carries, and other phases MADE PLAYS. That's what it takes to win these games...making plays. I saw two great teams trying to win the game and we were the one on top at the end. Go take care of business next week and we get to have home cooking for the playoffs.

I see your side. I wanted to trust our nation leading rushing game to win it.

In fairness, UC Davis is a very good tackling team, played well against the run, and our only back that consistently runs through contact was injured. So I get it.

[aucat]

I'm an old guy and I remember a great game I watched when I was a kid in the 1963 Rose Bowl. USC was dominating but then Wisconsin scored 23 straight points in the fourth quarter. USC still won the game 42-37 but everyone focused on the fourth quarter comeback, and the fans were so excited about that comeback that you would think Wisconsin won the game. All anyone remembers is the Wisconsin band playing "On Wisconsin" for the entire fourth quarter. I think that's the way we are feeling about the Bobcat game last night. It seemed that the Bobcats were the dominant team but then the tables turned and UC Davis gained all the momentum and appeared to be the better team down the stretch. UC Davis outgained us in yardage. Good thing we had the turnovers and the punt return! Granted our guys held on there at the end and we eked out the win. A BIG win as it guarantees at least a share of the Big Sky Championship. All I can say is, after watching UC Davis score 20 consecutive points on us, I'm thankful that we are playing the griz in Bobcat Stadium. After watching our fourth quarter performance last night, I now think the Brawl will be a very tough game for us to win. By that, I'm expecting a close game. But at least we are home where we are hard to beat.

[technoCat]

I'm an old guy and I remember a great game I watched when I was a kid in the 1963 Rose Bowl. USC was dominating but then Wisconsin scored 23 straight points in the fourth quarter. USC still won the game 42-37 but everyone focused on the fourth quarter comeback, and the fans were so excited about that comeback that you would think Wisconsin won the game. All anyone remembers is the Wisconsin band playing "On Wisconsin" for the entire fourth quarter. I think that's the way we are feeling about the Bobcat game last night. It seemed that the Bobcats were the dominant team but then the tables turned and UC Davis gained all the momentum and appeared to be the better team down the stretch. UC Davis outgained us in yardage. Good thing we had the turnovers and the punt return! Granted our guys held on there at the end and we eked out the win. A BIG win as it guarantees at least a share of the Big Sky Championship. All I can say is, after watching UC Davis score 20 consecutive points on us, I'm thankful that we are playing the griz in Bobcat Stadium. After watching our fourth quarter performance last night, I now think the Brawl will be a very tough game for us to win. By that, I'm expecting a close game. But at least we are home where we are hard to beat.

So, you're assuming the refs will be wearing maroon and that they will make every play they need to have a 50/50 shot of tying us at the end?

[Bobcatsinmso]

I'm an old guy and I remember a great game I watched when I was a kid in the 1963 Rose Bowl. USC was dominating but then Wisconsin scored 23 straight points in the fourth quarter. USC still won the game 42-37 but everyone focused on the fourth quarter comeback, and the fans were so excited about that comeback that you would think Wisconsin won the game. All anyone remembers is the Wisconsin band playing "On Wisconsin" for the entire fourth quarter. I think that's the way we are feeling about the Bobcat game last night. It seemed that the Bobcats were the dominant team but then the tables turned and UC Davis gained all the momentum and appeared to be the better team down the stretch. UC Davis outgained us in yardage. Good thing we had the turnovers and the punt return! Granted our guys held on there at the end and we eked out the win. A BIG win as it guarantees at least a share of the Big Sky Championship. All I can say is, after watching UC Davis score 20 consecutive points on us, I'm thankful that we are playing the griz in Bobcat Stadium. After watching our fourth quarter performance last night, I now think the Brawl will be a very tough game for us to win. By that, I'm expecting a close game. But at least we are home where we are hard to beat.

So, you're assuming the refs will be wearing maroon and that they will make every play they need to have a 50/50 shot of tying us at the end?

Handwringers are going to wring, they just cannot help themselves. The Bobcats will help by winning big against the gris and beyond, but that fearful mentality is usually deeply seeded.
I can not wait for Saturday, it will be legendary...12 wins, no losses, it is uncharted territory.

FTG Go Cats Go!

[TomCat88]

Is not going for the kill shot on 4th and 2 from their 43 with 2:20 left a defining moment for Vigen? When the chips are down not to lean on Davis and your elite o line right there puts a bad taste in my mouth to an otherwise dominant game by the cats.

I don’t mind the call. 2 minutes left. Defense was playing great. Pin them deep and make them go the full field. Unfortunately we forgot how to tackle.

If we go for it and don’t get it and it plays out the exact same way, we’d be talking about “punt the ball and trust the defense”

You could argue punting it there is the definition of playing not to lose. I just don’t like that.

You could also argue that being up 15 with 2 minutes left and making them drive 90 yards against our defense that has only allowed 2 TDs in the first 58 minutes of the game was the right call.

I didn’t see enough of the long play down the sideline where we missed tackles, but Vigen sure thought it was offensive PI and so did Gregorak. That combined with a successful onside kick. And then Bryce grebe slipping in coverage on the long play to Larison to set up the last TD.

It was a 1/100 sequence of events that had to happen.

Trusting your defense in that situation is the right call. Probably 99.99% of coaches do that. I cant think of a coach that wouldn’t. Oh, wait. Pete Carroll vs Texas is the only one. Did not go well for him.

[84CatGrad]

Good god people shut The HELL up. We're 11-0. WE'RE 11-0!!!!