Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh was asked twice during the Pac-10 coaches teleconference Tuesday about his decision to go for two when Stanford took a 48-21 lead over USC with 6:47 left in the game.
The first time, he was asked if he was trying to send a message. Replied Harbaugh: "We were just trying to win a football game. ... The only reason we went for two was we really thought we could get it."
Harbaugh
The second time, he was asked to clarify: So it was a strategic decision?
Said Harbaugh: "Yeah, exactly. ... I've been reading some people's opinion that somehow this is something personal with coach [Pete] Carroll. That couldn't be further from the truth. There was nothing personal. I'm not trying to make any enemies. Life's too short for that. The way our relationship has been is it's been very competitive. And I really enjoy especially pregame with Pete Carroll. He's very loose. He's funny. We kind of yuck it up before the game. We kind of always end it with 'time to go to war.' And then you go out and try to gouge each other's eyes out. You do the same thing in recruiting. It's great competition. But these games are decided on the field by the players. We enjoy watching it. We enjoy being a part of it. From my end, and I'm pretty sure from Coach Carroll's end ... from my end, it's nothing but respect for him and his program. Certainly there's nothing personal involved in this."
Hmm.
Harbaugh concluded by pointing out that his neighbor is a USC graduate: "She's been very defiant since the game and assures me that next year will be different."
Hmm.
What is the subtext here?
Feel free to reach your own conclusion, but know that the cheat sheet that all coaches use to figure out when to go for two doesn't say, "Go for two when you're up 27 with 6:47 left." In terms of logical strategy, in fact, both the point differential and the odds say the PAT is the correct choice.
We will leave you with three quotes that seem appropriate.
"This is business, not personal," Tom Hagen, "The Godfather."
"If your opponent is temperamental, seek to irritate him," Sun Tzu, "The Art of War."
"Always compete," Pete Carroll.
The first time, he was asked if he was trying to send a message. Replied Harbaugh: "We were just trying to win a football game. ... The only reason we went for two was we really thought we could get it."
Harbaugh
The second time, he was asked to clarify: So it was a strategic decision?
Said Harbaugh: "Yeah, exactly. ... I've been reading some people's opinion that somehow this is something personal with coach [Pete] Carroll. That couldn't be further from the truth. There was nothing personal. I'm not trying to make any enemies. Life's too short for that. The way our relationship has been is it's been very competitive. And I really enjoy especially pregame with Pete Carroll. He's very loose. He's funny. We kind of yuck it up before the game. We kind of always end it with 'time to go to war.' And then you go out and try to gouge each other's eyes out. You do the same thing in recruiting. It's great competition. But these games are decided on the field by the players. We enjoy watching it. We enjoy being a part of it. From my end, and I'm pretty sure from Coach Carroll's end ... from my end, it's nothing but respect for him and his program. Certainly there's nothing personal involved in this."
Hmm.
Harbaugh concluded by pointing out that his neighbor is a USC graduate: "She's been very defiant since the game and assures me that next year will be different."
Hmm.
What is the subtext here?
Feel free to reach your own conclusion, but know that the cheat sheet that all coaches use to figure out when to go for two doesn't say, "Go for two when you're up 27 with 6:47 left." In terms of logical strategy, in fact, both the point differential and the odds say the PAT is the correct choice.
We will leave you with three quotes that seem appropriate.
"This is business, not personal," Tom Hagen, "The Godfather."
"If your opponent is temperamental, seek to irritate him," Sun Tzu, "The Art of War."
"Always compete," Pete Carroll.
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ABOUT THIS BLOG
Ted Miller
Miller has been covering college football since 1997, starting with Auburn and then heading West to Washington and the Pac-10. His columns for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer won first place in 2007 APSE Best Writing contest. The Atlanta native and University of Richmond graduate presently lives with his wife in Scottsdale, Ariz.
