Poll Results: Was going for 2 points against Boise State the right decision?

Bronco Mendenhall’s decision for the Brigham Young Cougars to go for a two-point conversion, and the win, against Boise State was NOT the right decision according to 72 percent of poll voters. There were 22 percent of voters who thought the two-point conversion was the right decision, and four percent of voters were undecided.

Over one week later, I am still having a hard time coming to a definitive decision.


The way the question was posed, I guess, you can say it was obviously the wrong decision because it didn’t work, but we never know how the game would have ended, let alone overtime, if BYU took the 8-7 lead. If you interpret “the right decision” as “a good decision” or “a smart decision” then the answer is not so definitive.

The first thing to remember is that there was still 3:37 left in the game. If BYU took an 8-7 lead or tied the game 7-7, then Boise State would not have come out and run out the clock. They would have been trying to score. 

The Cougar defense played a great game, but they weren’t lights out. If you listened to the post game podcast, you would have heard me explain that Boise State had nine plays of 10 yards or more, and five drives of 25 yards or more. This matters more to the outcome in overtime, since both teams start at the 25-yard line, but it also could have had implications on the rest of regulation.

I have seen several games where one defense dominates, but when the clock is running out, and the opposing offense is forced to move the ball and score, all of a sudden, that impotent offense can move the ball and even scores. In a sense, that is exactly what happened with BYU driving 95 yards for the touchdown. While I love the BYU defense this year, I wouldn’t have been surprised to see Boise State “magically” flip a switch and start moving the ball really well.

As for overtime, BYU could have easily lost the momentum that they had at the end of the game. As I have explained in the last two MoMoments for some unknown reason, momentum doesn’t seem to carry over very well from the end of the game to overtime. In 2009, Utah scored the final 14 points of regulation, but BYU was the team that scored the touchdown in overtime and won.

When the decision was made, I was surprise. I had assumed BYU would kick the extra point and tie it. Unlike Mendenhall, I hadn’t even considered going for two and the win. Since that was my response in the heat of the moment, I guess that makes my vote “No” it wasn’t the right decision.

Thank you to everyone who voted. Don’t forget to come back and vote in the new poll question that will be posted shortly following the Hawaii game.

Go Cougars!

The Editor appreciates all feedback. He can be reached via email at bluecougarfootball@gmail.com

Comments