What's the Big Deal About Running Up the Score?

OK, football fans, you need to lose the diapers and start wearing your big boy pants.

What is such a big deal about playing four quarters of football? The fans who complain about a team running up the score are the ones whose "feelings got hurt" by a bigger, badder team beating them up. Newsflash: Either root for a better team or spend your Saturdays at a bowling alley.

Les Miles is getting grief because he pulled a fake punt in the fourth quarter of the Chick-fil-A Bowl when the game was in hand, 38-3. Good for him. Seriously. At least the fans that stuck around got to see something more exciting other than 23 blast, 32 blast, 23 blast, punt.

Let me put this in words that everyone can understand: Some teams can't help it if the other teams sucks.

Take Pete Carroll as an example of someone who allegedly runs up the score. Against Washington, an 0-12 team by the way, Pete was ahead by over 60 points in the fourth. He ran simple running plays, making sure the clock ran as much as possible so the game would end. The Huskies kept letting the running backs run unimpeded through the line. No wait, they practically escorted the Trojans running backs into their secondary.

At one point, you could see the agony on Pete's face, and the television commentators actually commented on it. What do you do when you're on the five yard-line with lots of time left on the clock? Take a knee? Are you kidding me?

Pete actually struggled with a third down call—he didn't look happy about the predicament he was in and the commentators actually said (paraphrased), "He can't take a knee here, if he runs the ball, they will score, this is just a really uncomfortable situation for him."

So they run a blast play, and the team scores. Pete was not smiling. What a shame. A coach can't even be happy for his third-stringer scoring a TD. It was third down, keep in mind. Kicking a field goal would actually be more insulting because at least with the running play, there was a chance the Huskies could stop the Trojans, "forcing" them to kick a field goal.

Part of the reason for Pete's success is that he puts second and third stringers in the second half if the game is in hand—a quarterback just handing the ball off really isn't getting any real game-time reps, is he? Let him throw the ball. Get that game-time feeling. Get some experience under their belts. It's called reloading for next season.

Back to Les Miles, and his fake punt call. Oh whaaah, poor Georgia Tech. Guess what? Too bad your darn team couldn't figure out what he was doing. Next time, don't throw in the towel and assume another team is going to play soft and not hurt your wittle feelings.

Any team that plays four quarters demands respect. These players are not trained to "let up" during a game, and if they are, the coach is a lousy coach. Keep playing your game, and too bad if the other team can't keep up. Maybe the embarrassment of it all will teach that losing team to play harder.

As far as the fans, OMG, you sound pathetic. Don't tell me that if your team had 65 points on the board with an entire quarter left, you wouldn't be yelling, "I want 70." We know better, you aren't fooling anyone.

Quit whining about poor sportsmanship. The only poor sports are the ones who got their butts handed to them and then whined about it.

If you are an FCS team's fan and your team is playing a big time FBS school who is beating you 70-0, what are you complaining about? And what the heck did you expect?

Your school took in at least $250,000 from the FBS school to be their punching bag. If you can't stand the embarrassment, then tell your greedy AD to quit scheduling these powerhouse football teams who beat your team into a pulp. Your team got paid to be a patsy.

Then there is this: style points count in the BCS, whether they admit it or not. Look at Oklahoma—No. 1 in scoring offense. They are a passing team and passed a lot. Did they run up scores? Probably. Did their prolific offense get them chosen to play in the BCS Championship Game? Yup. Good for them.

Speed impresses pollsters. Blow-outs impress pollsters. Large margins of victory impress pollsters. Don't kid yourselves.

The BCS has done this. Don't blame the coaches. Blame the BCS. It's their fault. And in the meantime, don't leave blowout games in the fourth quarter. Gone are the days of coaches sitting on the ball and running the clock out.

Hey, I'm all for it. Maybe I'll start winning more bets on the spread. Last year I hardly ever covered on the Trojans because Pete would send in the scrubs, sit on a lead and run a pass zone coverage that allowed the other team to cut the lead. D'oh.

If you are on the receiving end of a team running up the score, well, too bad. Your team, whether you choose to admit it or not, stinks.

Be honest with yourself—isn't that the real reason why you have such sour grapes?

Yo, Les. Let 'em eat cake.