Cards Win! Everybody F'In Panic!

We won! Everybody f'in panic! Teddy is arguably the best quarterback in the nation! Our defense is physically incapable of guarding screen passes! The offense is unstoppable! The defense cannot get pressure on the quarterback! Andrew Johnson is the man! The offense can't put away games by running the ball! Charlie Strong and Shawn Watson are the best coaches in the Big East! Charlie Strong and Shawn Watson need to develop their coaching stratagems! Charles Gaines is wow! The refs are atrocious! North Carolina never holds even though they do every play! We won!

Okay, you get my point.

The obvious debate is: why is this happening? Why are we taking our foot off the gas? Is it a conscious coaching decision? Is it an issue with seizing up and playing it safe? Is it "old school" thinking overcoming data and common sense? I mean, I understand you need to run the ball to keep the clock moving, but wait, your quarterback is uncannily accurate and has been picking apart opposing secondaries at will, so maybe you trust him to throw the ball on 1st or 2nd down in the 4th quarter? Also on 4th and 1, stop running the ball exactly the same spot everytime, UNC had 14 guys there.

Survive. Advance. Improve.

Want another 2006 comparison? How about the Cincinnati game? We dominated, had it won easily, but couldn't score a knockout blow and Cinci was throwing into the endzone with either a chance to tie or win the game, and Gavin Floyd knocked down the pass if memory serves.

Survive. Advance.