Running Up the Score

Every week in college football there seems to be a debate on some team running up the score on their opponent. It’s a legitimate debate. On one hand should you show sportsmanship and pull the rains back when you are up 35-0 in the second half? Or should you ease up and run the ball 3 times in a row and punt?

It’s a tough thing. You don’t want to embarrass the other team and their players, but in today’s world where you have one loss teams trying to impress the pollsters to climb over other one loss teams you can’t blame a coach for trying to do what's best for his school. Truth is no matter how much pollsters deny it style points matter.

I’ve been on rooting ends of both sides as a fan. I’ve seen my team fighting for position in a national championship race and whip a team by 50 points and I’ve also been on the receiving end of one of those same beat downs. It makes you mad and embarrasses you as a fan. You want to reach your hands through the TV and choke the opposing coach. You wish for their starting players to break something so you can yell “that’s what you get!”

I think there is a fine line there. The way I look at it is this. It’s all fair game until the team that is getting their brains beat down accepts that it’s not their day. If you have your starters in there trying your best to score, its fair game that I have my players in there trying to stop you. Look, if you want me to stop you have to stop. That’s the mentality you should have.

Coaches can’t have it both ways. If you feel the game is over and you are on offense, take out your starters or run the ball and punt. It shows you admit that you have lost the game. It’s a gesture to the other sideline that says "you win". "Good game and good luck next week". You can’t expect the other team to stop trying if you’re not willing to stop.

You can argue that the team that’s getting blown out needs to work on their offense and correct their mistakes or gain some momentum for next week and that’s why they should keep their starters in there and keep fighting. To me that’s a poor argument. How is your team, that’s getting beat 56-0, improving itself if you are expecting the other team to lay down for you while you try and score? Bottom line is if you’re in there punching me I have the right to punch back. That should be the unwritten rule in sports. It will end the debate once and for all. At least it would in my eyes. When a coach cries foul, all he has to do is look in the mirror.