Photo by Keyli Chisesi | Go Big Blue Country
Benny Snell didn’t have his best night, but it didn’t help that his opportunities to run the football were limited.
Texas A&M held the Heisman hopeful to 60 yards on just 13 carries, both season lows.
Despite only gaining 178 yards of total offense, No. 13 Kentucky still had a chance to leave College Station with a victory. A 40-yard scoop and score by Darius West evened the score at 14-14 with 4:17 remaining in the fourth quarter. A last second heave to the end zone by A&M fell short and the two teams were forced to settle things in overtime.
The Aggies won the toss and decided to play defense first. Kentucky’s first play in overtime was a quick throw to Lynn Bowden and the second was a quarterback keeper from Terry Wilson to set up a manageable 3rd and 2 at the 17-yard line.
In that situation, you hand the ball to Benny Snell Jr. every single time. However, Kentucky used a timeout and decided to change the play call.
At first glance, it appeared the tight ends were late moving on the snap. Wilson looked to the flat and then the corner before both he and the pocket collapsed. That set up a 43-yard Miles Butler field goal that bounced off the cross bar. A&M punched it into the end zone a few plays later and emerged victorious.
“We’ve run that formation probably six times on film,” offensive coordinator Eddie Gran said. “It’s 13-jumbo, it’s one hundred percent run. We snapped the ball too quick; I got to see it because it looked like it wasn’t all in cahoots because there was no reason to hurry.”
Prior to making the call, Stoops and Gran discussed running the ball, but in the end, Gran elected to go away from Snell on 3rd and a couple.
“I did, I did,” said Mark Stoops when asked if he and Gran discussed running the ball. “So, it didn’t happen. I’ll have to look at the film…I don’t know if it was there or not.”
Even though Snell didn’t have his best game of the season, one that will take him out of the Heisman discussion for the time being, you still give him the football in that situation. One hates to second guess the coaching staff, but even Gran is second guessing himself.
“It looked great in practice,” said Eddie Gran. “Looking back on it, I wish I would’ve handed it to 26 (Benny Snell). If it works we’re asking a different question but when you got 26 back there, you probably should’ve handed him the ball.”
As for Snell, he still trusts his offensive coordinator to make the right call.
“We had the play called,” said Snell. “It was going to be a run play…called a timeout…switched it. It is what it is, I trust Coach Gran and what he calls.”
The call was significant because it brought into play the possibility of losing yards on a quarterback sack, which is what happened. Butler’s field goal attempt would’ve been much shorter and from the middle of the field.
Kentucky lost the game in other areas, specifically in the trenches on the offensive line. However, you don’t lose without giving the best running back in school history a touch in overtime.
