Impactful Coaching Moves: The best and worst decisions from Week 4

Another exciting weekend of SEC football is in the books, one filled with blowouts (Georgia’s 66-0 win over Troy), statement wins (Alabama’s 42-21 win over Florida), unexpected results (Mississippi State’s 34-29 win over LSU in Death Valley) and devastating losses (Missouri’s 31-27 loss at home to Indiana).

As always, some coaches managed to push all the right buttons, while others made critical errors that cost their teams a chance at victory.

Here were the best and worst coaching decisions from around the SEC in Week 4:

Good Call

It seems Steve Spurrier appears in this piece every week for one reason or another, and lucky for him it’s on the good side of things this week. Spurrier and his South Carolina team were nearly stunned by the bumbling Vanderbilt Commodores in Nashville last Saturday night, but the Head Ball Coach did make one call on the opening drive of the third quarter to help the Gamecocks pull out a victory.

On a third and 15 just inside Vandy territory, South Carolina’s Dylan Thompson completed a 16-yard pass to Pharoh Cooper for a first down, only for Cooper to fumble the ball near the end of the play. It remained in question who had recovered the fumble as players from both teams battled for the loose ball while also flirting with the sideline.

After a lengthy delay it was determined the Gamecocks would maintain possession with a new set of downs, and Spurrier wasted no time in calling for a deep pass to wideout Shaq Roland in the end zone on the very next play. Thompson connected with Roland for a 29-yard score to extend the Gamecocks’ lead to 10 points at the time. Spurrier knew an average Commodores’ defense would be out of rhythm after the delay and likely very discouraged after not being awarded a turnover. He took advantage of the situation and called for a big play to one of his best athletes, resulting in seven points.

The Head Ball Coach knew exactly how to handle the unusual situation, and it paid off in a game that was close well into the fourth quarter.

Bad Call

Gus Malzahn completely mismanaged Auburn’s quarterbacks late in a close game last Thursday against then-No. 20 Kansas State, and it may have cost Auburn valuable points on the scoreboard.

Midway through the fourth quarter of the game, with starting quarterback Nick Marshall finally getting in rhythm after a rocky start, Malzahn inserted Johnson into the game as a decoy wide receiver while Quan Bray ran a Wildcat package. Then, one play later, Johnson seemed unsure whether or not he was supposed to remain on the field after the Wildcat play (he was not, Marshall returned), and the whole misunderstanding really threw the offense out of sync.

Auburn had been gelling on the drive to that point, but the offense stalled and the result of the drive was just three points. The Tigers led by three at the time, so extending the lead to six points instead of 10 left the door open for Kansas State to pull the upset.

The Wildcats fell short in their upset bid as Auburn survived a 20-14 scare, but Malzahn showed he still has no science for when to use both his quarterbacks, which will do more to harm the offense than to help it.

Good Call

After Todd  Gurley carried the ball six times for 73 yards on Georgia’s opening drive in its win over Troy, head coach Mark Richt elected to sit Gurley for the remainder of the game rather than allow him to pad his stats for a potential Heisman campaign.

Richt was smart to pull Gurley from a game the Bulldogs’ could clearly win without him, keeping his body fresh for the stretch run in the SEC. Georgia has seven SEC games remaining this season and already owns a conference loss to SEC East foe South Carolina. In a wide open division, Georgia cannot afford another loss to a team from the East, making Gurley’s presence down the stretch vital to the Bulldogs’ postseason hopes.

Additionally, sitting Gurley allowed Richt the opportunity to give the rest of his talented running backs a hearty workload, keeping them happy and allowing them to better prepare for the rest of the season. Georgia has plenty of depth at tailback, but with Gurley leading the pack, it can be difficult for all of the Bulldogs’ talented runner to get consistent carries.

That was not a problem for Richt against Troy, as he managed his stable of backs to perfection in the Bulldogs’ highest-scoring performance of his tenure in Athens. Gurley should return fresh as a daisy for this weekend’s game against Tennessee, which could be bad news for the Volunteers.

Bad Call

A lot went wrong for Missouri in a discouraging 31-27 home loss to Indiana (yes, Indiana does indeed have a football team), but Mizzou coach Gary Pinkel could have done a better job managing the clock in the final minutes of the game.

Indiana, trailing by three at the time, was marching down the field in pursuit of a game-tying field goal or game-winning touchdown. The Hoosiers moved inside the Tigers’ 10 yard line with less than 90 seconds remaining, and rather than call a timeout to preserve time for a drive by his own offense, Pinkel let the clock run, likely in hopes the Hoosiers would cost themselves points with a late mistake.

Indiana never made that mistake, and after scoring the go-ahead touchdown, Missouri was left with just 22 seconds to overcome a four-point deficit. Quarterback Maty Mauk moved the offense 27 yards before a last-ditch Hail Mary fell short, and Tigers fans have to wonder what Mauk and the offense could have done with an addition 20-25 seconds on the clock.

One could argue Pinkel was putting the game in the hands of his defense, but he should have preserved time and put the game in Mauk’s hands instead.

Ethan Levine

A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.