OREGON DUCKS 2-POINT CONVERSIONS AGAINST THE CORNHUSKERS
September 17th, 2016
Whilst talking to the press before Saturday’s game against the Oregon Ducks, Nebraska Cornhuskers head ball coach Mike Riley described them in one word. Bold. That premonition turned out to be prophetic in nature. The Oregon coaching staff did something I have never seen before in a Division I college football game. They went for 2-point conversions after all 5 of their touchdowns (TDs). This was indeed quite bold. The Ducks offense has been likened to “basketball on grass.” It would seem they decided to take this literally and shoot for two points every time.
In 2007, Former Oregon offensive coordinator (OC) Chip Kelly introduced the concept of the “swinging gate” play going for a 2-point conversion after the first TD was scored. When he became the Oregon Ducks head coach (HC) in 2009 he continued the practice. Mark Helfrich was hired as the OC when Kelly took the helm. The Ducks retained the new tradition when Helfrich was promoted to HC in 2013.
So when the Ducks scored the first touchdown of the game and went for two, everyone knew it was coming. Ten seasons of scouting reports. Hhhhhmmmm……..I think I may have found a trend here. This first conversion was successful, putting them up 8-0 in the first quarter of the game. But when Oregon decided to go for two on all of their consecutive TDs, observers were understandably perplexed. I have seen high school and middle school teams go for two after every TD but this was because there was literally no one on the team good enough at kicking to even make an extra-point. However, Oregon had scholarship first team kickers available during the game. We also witnessed this same strategy employed in the opener against UC Davis on September 3rd. That was UC Davis. It also kept working over and over again. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Continuing to go for two after each TD is balls-out bold. It was as if someone set up a dare of only going for two between Riley and Helfrich, but then conveniently forgot to tell Coach Helfrich that it had been called off. This tenacious penchant for being bold and going for two should continue. (The gentle reader most likely is saying to one self, “My God, we’ve seen this coming for some time now but that last screw appears to have come loose.”) Ah, allow me to clarify. The new tradition of being bold can continue as long as new commandments are brought down from on high. The team can continue going for 2-point conversions until one fails. Upon the next TD, the team must kick extra-points unless the famous 2-point conversion table tells you to go for two (i.e. you were down by 11, just scored a TD for 6, and now need a 2-point conversion to make it a 3 point game so that a field goal could tie). So in other words, keep going for two until you miss one, then go back to business as usual.
The swinging gate certainly swung the door closed on victory. Oregon fell to Nebraska by a 35-32 margin.
By the way, I salute Coach Riley for taking the job in the Land of the Corn. It appears to have manifested his new-found power to see into the future. Hopefully he continues his benevolent ways and only uses it for good. We shall see………..