Miserable Miami Beach Bowl

[Eric]

I might be off, but I think there is something wrong with the turf at Marlins Park. Nobody on either team can cut with any kind of speed; they look like they're walking on glass, and then on their tiptoes. Advantage: offenses. BYU is getting killed with turnovers and field position, so they are begging to lose this game.

[Eric]

I just saw a punt drill the turf on the way down and it bounced up 15 or so feet in the air, literally. This can't be anything resembling real football turf.

This reminds me of an NFL game a few years ago with the Lions and Eagles. The snow was dumping like crazy and nobody could get any traction. You would think with the elements that it would be low-scoring, but the defense has to react to what the offense knows they're going to do. It turned out to be a really high-scoring game.

[donovan]

Just once I would like to back a team that didn't look like not only were they dragging up the rear, but they looked like they enjoyed it. I want a team that makes touchdowns, not excuses.

[Spence]

Just once I would like to back a team that didn't look like not only were they dragging up the rear, but they looked like they enjoyed it. I want a team that makes touchdowns, not excuses.

I'm right there with you. It is so hard to compare teams with very few like opponents and even of you can one individual mismatch can blow a whole game apart.

[..fanatic]

We could call this the Miami Beach Brawl. Lots of jawing and smack talking the whole game, and wouldn't you know it ended up in a brawl. Tainted the game terribly. I thought there was really bad coaching in this game, too. Officials missed 1 big call by not even going to a review of a BYU TD when the RB's knee was clearly down before he lunged to the goal line - the ball should've been marked at the 2. Overall though, the refs weren't as bad as other games I've seen this year.

[Spence]

Even if the refs were bad, you have to overcome it. Bad calls happen. If the refs can't keep control of the game, though, that is another story. It is the referee's job to keep the game under control and flowing. If they can't do that, they should not have the job.

[Eric]

I thought this game was hard to look away from, in a train wreck sort of way. Coaching was terrible for BYU, Fuente did fine for Memphis. You seriously spend two timeouts trying to freeze a kicker on an extra point when you have 45 seconds on the clock with three timeouts? Really? That is nuts, when all you have to do is get to the opponents 40 yard line to have a prayer. Disregarding what the stats say about freezing kickers, I would think it would be more difficult to kick the ball just seconds after your team scored the exhilarating comeback touchdown (see: New Orleans Saints vs. Jacksonville, Nevada vs. UCF 2005 Hawaii Bowl, etc.). I thought the kicker looked more poised the longer he stayed on the sidelines; the look on his face suggested he was thinking, "really, coach? You're trying to freeze me on this routine kick? " But to waste those assets that could give you a conceivable chance at going down the field while running your base offense is inexcusable. Officiating was bad on both sides of the coin too. Cooler heads didn't prevail at the end either. Plus there were a lot of stupid turnovers, 9 in total.

The grounds crew or whoever is in charge of making the field ready for play should receive some blame; it could just be me because I don't see anybody else talking about it, but I felt like nobody could get a good footing. These are two solid defenses and for them to be in a game like this is way out of character for both teams, especially Memphis. Maybe it was the camera angle, I don't know, but I saw a lot of extra steps in between strides and nobody could react at full speed. Players were tripping everywhere, defenses couldn't defend the sidelines all game either because they took forever to get there. But maybe I'm misinterpreting what I saw. Did anybody else notice this? Maybe the defenses were just asleep the entire game and didn't care. I don't know if they did anything special to the outfield grass or what, but it was weird.

[Spence]

I'm glad I didn't see this game. It cost me 26 points and I would have been having a fit.

[Eric]

I'm glad I didn't see this game. It cost me 26 points and I would have been having a fit.

I had something like a fit because I got stung by Re-do-itis....Last year I switched two picks (Syracuse and Navy) and went 0-2 in the games. This year, I've switched two picks (Memphis and Bowling Green), and I'm 0-2. If I left my first entry, I'd be 5-1 and Lafayette would have given me 20 more points than they did

I also feel like the referees let this thing boil over. They basically swallowed their flags all night. A lot of pass interference and holding never got called. All-in-all, if you took out the 55 yard bomb FG and the 4th quarter theatrics, this would have been one of the worst bowl games I ever saw. Even in shootouts without any defense, you can still get good coaching, exciting plays, good officiating, good sportsmanship, etc. This game had none of the above, other than Memphis' last TD and the 55 yard field goal bomb. It was atrocious at every level and I regret investing four hours of my holiday vacation into this steaming pile. I don't even know if I'm articulating my frustration into words.

[Eric]

Plus I'll never understand why some QBs choke the minute they get an opportunity to mount a comeback. Just like USA's Brandon Bridge on Saturday, Christian Stewart made a terrible pass on his first throw of the comeback drive, forcing a ball in where it ought not go as if it was a last second gasp. Note to those QBs: You have extra downs! If the throw isn't there, don't make it. On fourth down, yeah, you chuck the ball any which way you can get it out of your hand, but if you have time and downs, you can still run your offense.

I guess it's easier said than done, but the throws that these kinds of guys make are so errant it's hard to believe. It's one thing to choke, but to destroy what your team has been working for all day on a terrible pass, that's just a huge no-no.

[billybud]

I could not tell how much the field influenced the game. I did see the Memphis receivers having no difficulty making sharp cuts in the end zone for TD's. But I also saw some mincing steps but don't know if it was the turf.

The QB play was a little like the nursery rhyme...when it was good, it was very good and when it was bad, it was horrid.

[highfly24]

I watched most of this game and found myself shaking my head often. So many things just frustrating as a fan during this game, and then the end of the game came. I couldn't have been more disappointed in both teams. Memphis seemed like sore winners but I will say Fuente's response seemed more sincere and disappointed by his teams action than Mendenhall. Coach speak is just that tho I am curious what actions, if any will be taken by the schools/coaches.