[WideRight05]

You are up 21-19 with seven minutes to go in the game. Your school has the ball on the 40 yard line of your opponent in a 4th & 3 situation. Your teams stats:

QB (Sophomore) - 7/15 for 119 yards, 1 score, and 1 pick.
RB (Junior) - 21 rushes for 90 yards and 2 scores. He is a speedster but struggles at time running the ball up the middle.
Star WR (SR) - this target has 4 catches for 46 yards.

Your TE positions have been a weak point all season, and your offensive line is slightly above average. Defensively, you have given up close to 300 yards to a team with a balanced attack.

BGR Coaches! Do you punt, and if you go for it, what type of play do you run?

[Bub Lewis]

Freeze check with me...hard count them see what the defense gives you. If they jump then you have a first...if they give you what you want then check to that play. If none of it happens call a time out and then punt and hope that your defense holds the offense out. Note there is plenty of time on the clock and from the looks of it the defense is holding up decently verses the opposing teams offense. Just my 2 cents.

[Jarons]

Punt

[Jumper Dad]

Freeze if it doesn't work, spread it out in the gun with two RB's in the back field. Motion one to the strong side to get D leaning that way then run QB on a counter back to the weak side using other RB as a decoy.

I know most coacheswould agree with Bub but I think it is easier to convert in HS than at any other level...go for it and drive a nail into them.

[Strikeout King]

^ That's what I'd have to go with

[Stardust]

4th and 1 I might roll my QB back, but since I have only given up 19 points in 3 quarters to a team that has ONLY scored 19 points, I'm trusting that they will fail to score just like they have all game! You don't only score 19 points on 300 yards without having serious trouble in the Red Zone!

Easy decision, I'm punting!

[toussaints]

how did the other team get their 19 points?

[WideRight05]

^ The quarterback has a 12 yard touchdown pass, runningback has an 8 yard run for a score and a 5 yard run for a score. Two extra points were missed.

[tomcatfan722000]

Kick it in the corner. If they can go 90 yards to beat you then so be it. If they got a kicker that can make 40 yard fg then I probably change my thinking a little bit. That's a weapon most h.s teams don't have. But if they do I roll my qb out on a run pass option and trust him to make the correct read.

[cctiger]

Depending on how good my special teams are and the punter I would punt. If they aren't very good then i go for it. I line up in gun left and I hard count them. If they don't jump I fake zone to the running back sprint the quarterback out and throw a throw back screen to my speedster running back to get him on the edge. Most defenses will bite hard on that play fake and you have your athlete out in space and he should get the 1st and probably a whole lot more.

[toussaints]

Line up in ace, star WR lined up to the right. fake the sweep to the right, drop straight back. throw it to star wr on a stop and go down the sidelines.

[cj2561]

there is 7 mins to go. punt it, and play D...no matter if they score or not, there will still be time for you to score.

[RunItUpTheGut]

I know what Whitley would do. Calls like these have killed us thus far this year :HitWall:

[Norm Peterson]

If they have blown two extra points they will have to beat me with a touchdown. Hard count. If unsuccessful punt and play defense.

[honestjchsfan]

I look at this situation a little differently. I try to make the move that gives me 2 or more ways to win. Punting does only one thing, it forces the other team to go a longer distance to score. Going for it is the smartest play the RB is averaging 4.2 yards a carry for the game and we only need 3 yards and if we punt and they go on a long drive and score the odds are at some point I will be forced to go for it on 4th down to try to win the game, it might be a 4th and 10 the next time. Plus, common sense tells use if we punt and the other team has to go 90 yards that will eat up more time than having to only go 60.

[BIGman88]

1)In my opinion, I would try to get them to jump with a freeze. if not call timeout. Go on a long count. See what the defense lines up in and then have my qb quick punt it catch them off guard.
2) I would look at my defense, if they look tired I may go for it. Especially if they scored on their last possession. Big Mo can make you a little unnerved. I would have called timeout and tell the pulling guard and Tackle what they have to do. But would run counter to short side of field. Shot gun full back field and then counter to short side.
3)All of this depends on what we have been doing offensively the last few possessions. And what kind of push they are getting from their front guys.

[I Rule The World]

Run a 26/27... Pull the guard and tackle on the backside and get my speedster to the edge.

[WideMiddle03]

Quick curl route to the WR for a first down.

[chap88gt]

waggle 60% of the time it works everytime! lol... seriously get in an I use that descent running back as a good decoy get your outside line backer to bite trust your fb to make the catch

[ballboy]

Punt the ball. Pin them deep. If your smart.

[free ride]

i would line up in the bone and run a dive play up the six hole .
qb reads the hand off if not there the full back would be coming
around the end for the for the pitch.46 dive go on sound.

[Ike Cooter]

With seven minutes to go in the game, I don' think this call will make you or break you. You will probably get the ball back again, maybe even twice. However I would punt and then make that critical decision on my next posession when I'm either still up 2 or down 4 or 5.

[ekff]

You are up 21-19 with seven minutes to go in the game. Your school has the ball on the 40 yard line of your opponent in a 4th & 3 situation. Your teams stats:

QB (Sophomore) - 7/15 for 119 yards, 1 score, and 1 pick.
RB (Junior) - 21 rushes for 90 yards and 2 scores. He is a speedster but struggles at time running the ball up the middle.
Star WR (SR) - this target has 4 catches for 46 yards.

Your TE positions have been a weak point all season, and your offensive line is slightly above average. Defensively, you have given up close to 300 yards to a team with a balanced attack.

BGR Coaches! Do you punt, and if you go for it, what type of play do you run?

Seven minutes is along time.... Most likely get the ball back no matter what anyways.... Need to know the timeouts as well....

But...

PUNT

[running_clock]

In high school football you don't gain much by punting from the opponent's 40 yard line. I would go for it but it would have nothing to do with the information given in this situation. Unless I have a kicker that could pooch punt this one inside the 5 I wouldn't punt.

[nky]

Go for it. Make it only to get stop in the red zone. Come onto BGR and complain about the officiating later in the night:ref2:

[HonestJohn]

I know what Whitley would do. Calls like these have killed us thus far this year :HitWall:

He said you have the ball on your opponents forty, not in your own territory.
Sorry I couldn't help it---and I was just kidding.

[running_clock]

If I was going to go for it

Three yards is too risky to pound it up the middle or hand it off. I would first try to draw them offsides (the obvious thing to do). I would line up under center with two backs in the backfield in an offset I formation. Playaction bootleg with a fake to the first back who goes left. Tailback heads to the flat with the QB rolling out following him.I would probably have slants flooding the right side of the field and the WR on the right would be streaking down the sideline. The defense would have to respect the slants and the WR going deep and that should open up a little space for the running back in the flat and the QB always has the option of trying to run for them.

[BIGman88]

Man, You guys must have QB's with stones for the hangie down things. Lots of pressure on the qb to make that kind of throw. You should have a bread and butter run play.. Dive, counter, powerslam, pitch, option.

[Iam4thecats]

Man, You guys must have QB's with stones for the hangie down things. Lots of pressure on the qb to make that kind of throw. You should have a bread and butter run play.. Dive, counter, powerslam, pitch, option.

I once coached a QB who checked to a fade on 4th and 1 in the state championship game. When the ball was in the air I wanted to murder him.

#1 he was a sophomore at the time!
#2 he hit it for a TD!

#3 Biggest stones I have ever seen on anyone EVER.

[EKUAlum05]

Freeze if it doesn't work, spread it out in the gun with two RB's in the back field. Motion one to the strong side to get D leaning that way then run QB on a counter back to the weak side using other RB as a decoy.

I know most coacheswould agree with Bub but I think it is easier to convert in HS than at any other level...go for it and drive a nail into them.

I like this.

The other thing I was thinking is line up in the I, three tights, and fake the RB on a stretch and have him carry out the fake to the side of the double tights, roll the QB on a sprint down the line, drag the interior TE on the side of the playfake behind the LB's along with the QB.

At the HS level the odds are you will suck the DE/LB in long enough for the QB to get the angle and pick up 4-5 yards and the first, but if for some reason the DE can react enough in time and take an angle that would potentially stop your QB, you should have a short/simple 5 yard toss to a TE who is instructed to secure the catch and immediately get to the ground. The LB will certainly flow with the sprinting QB and will have no shot to get inside of the TE to break up the pass.