In the Gene Stallings/Pat Dye era they played not to lose. Spurrier, on the other hand, played to win. That was what I was talking about. Spurrier hated kicking FG's and he hated punting. And he said so. That was what I meant.
1) Gene Stallings and Pat Dye coached when games could end in ties. Stallings' last year was the first year of overtime. So even making this comparison is borderline absurd.
2) How many times at Florida did Spurrier even play a game close enough that it really mattered?
I had to look over the details for Spurrier because I didn't watch a lot of his Florida games unless they involved us. I know that in 1994, his team blew a 31-3 fourth quarter lead and wound up with a tie to FSU. The 1999 Swamp win that we got was US playing not to 'lose even worse' and we got bailed out by a fumbled punt.
Spurrier rarely played a close game. Even when he lost, it was usually a rout (like the 1999 SECCG and the 1996 Fiesta Bowl). Stallings, on the other hand, coached THIRTY games in seven years where the final result was eight points or less. That's 4-plus games PER SEASON where it came down
3) Kicking Game Results That Have Affected Alabama Since 2006 Via The Field Goal (Hit or Miss)
a) Alabama-Arkansas 2006
b) Alabama-LSU 2008 (LSU blocked FG and we had to go to OT)
c) Alabama-Vols 2009
d) Texas-Nebraska 2009 (if Lawerence misses the FG, we don't play Texas)
e) LSU-Alabama 2011
f) Okie State-Iowa State 2011 (if OSU kicks it.....)
g) Oregon-USC 2011
h) Boise St- TCU 2011 (missed FG costs Boise the game)
WITHOUT THE LAST THREE, Alabama does not play LSU in a rematch.
i) 2012 Alabama-UGA (if Saban doesn't go for two early, UGA has a shot to tie it on that last drive)
j) 2012 Oregon-Stanford (Oregon went for two early and later missed a FG that cost them the game)
k) 2013 Alabama- Auburn (I don't blame Griffith for the miss, but if we TCB, he's not even in the game)
l) 2014 LSU-Alabama (remember that entire bizarre sequence?)
m) 2015 Mich St-Ohio St (if the Spartans don't kick that FG and the Buckeyes win in OT.....we may not make the playoff.......but even so, Ohio St would have been more of a challenge than Sparty)
n) the botched snap at Michigan on the final play that gave Mich St the win.......we don't play them if that doesn't happen.
And what about the insane return where Miami beat Duke last year?
I'm sorry, but basing this on statistical rating is ridiculous. It's about like saying a team can't win because their Time of Possession is sorry. But what if it's sorry because they score in less than two minutes MANY times?
