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Week 7: A Closer Look With Mark Miller
We called a great game on Friday night as the Hoover Vikings gave McKinley a real battle before losing in overtime, our first overtime game of the season. If Hoover would have won, I believe most people would have thought it was an upset. We see them every week at every level – where the team most fans expect to lose, rises up and beats the favored team. Why does that happen? Let’s discuss it. Upsets seem to occur more at the lower levels. For instance, high school has a lot of upsets, college somewhat less and the pros even less. I account that to the fact football is more consistent the higher the level is. However, we can all think of recent upsets across the board. For example, Vanderbilt beating Alabama on Saturday. If they played another 10 times, Bama most likely wins all ten. How about the Cardinals beating the 49’ers on Sunday? It was an upset in Vegas but the NFL is so even, anybody can win on any given day.
Let’s look at why upsets occur. In my mind the biggest reason is injuries – the great equalizer. Take a few good players out of the lineup and replace them with young, inexperienced players and the level of play is greatly affected. The second biggest reason I see is mistakes – penalties, fumbles, interceptions, assignments errors – these all play into the hand of a less talented team beating a better team. How many times do we see the stat page in favor of one team but because of some fumbles they lose. It really is true, It’s not the yards, # of plays or time of possession that is the most important, it is the number of points you score. Another equalizer is the weather. If I am playing a more talented team, I want rain, wind, snow, poor field conditions, anything to help “level the playing field”. The elements, while no fun for the players to
play in, are one of the great things about football. Players and coaches have to adapt to have success no matter what the weather is. Unlike basketball which is 72 degrees and dry every single game. (Fans no doubt like that better though.)
Now to the players and coaches, which actually have the most to do with upsets. Coaches can sometimes prepare the players to play above their normal level with great motivation or a great gameplan – so give coaches a lot of credit for an upset. But it is the players that are the biggest reason for an upset. Certain things motivate them to play harder and better on a given night. Maybe it’s a rival. Maybe it’s a winning season in the balance. Or parent’s night, or homecoming, etc. that heightens their desire to excel. I understand, coaches and players want to win every game but sometimes you are just inclined to go above and beyond what is normal. A personal example: my dad passed away just before my junior year I college. My #1 motivation for playing my junior and senior years was to make my dad proud. I focused on my memories of dad before each game and thought of him throughout the week of preparation and even during the games. My last two years at BG resulted in team MVP’s, many records and preparing me to get drafted into the NFL. Was the motivation due to my dad’s passing the only thing that allowed for my success, no. But it was the biggest factor for sure. Fans love upsets, at least half of them. They are fun to call on the radio. Maybe we will have some more this Friday.