Why did the University at Buffalo’s coach pull out Jaret Patterson and keep him from possibly breaking the TD and yardage record?
Jaret Patterson was having himself a day against Kent State. He was only 18 yards shy of breaking the rushing record for a single NCAA game and one touchdown away from a record-breaking TD total for a game. Then, with the Bulls close to the redzone, coach Lance Leipold pulled him from the game and put in RB Kevin Marks Jr. who scored an easy TD.
According to Leipold, he didn’t know Patterson’s numbers for the day when he pulled him. They were beating Kent State soundly at that point, so you’d think someone would have told him about the records. For his part, Jaret Patterson said he wasn’t focused on records, only on the team winning. Still, I’m sure he’d have liked to have those records under his belt.
Leipold is facing lots of anger over his decision and you have all these armchair coaches questioning his move. Maybe he thought there was no need to risk an injury to Patterson since they were winning so convincingly. Or maybe he wanted to get Marks Jr. some playing time.
Coaches and GM’s have to make quick time-decisions based on what they deem best for the team. But that leaves them open to criticism. Just ask Kevin Cash. He faced serious heat for his choice to take Blake Snell out when he was pitching in game 6 of the World Series this year.
In either of these situations, it could have gone the other way. Leipold could have left Patterson in there, someone lands wrong on his leg, and he’s finished. Then it would be a conversation about why didn’t he pull Patterson, instead of worrying about records? Same with Kevin Cash. Snell could have easily thrown a pitch that Mookie Betts was looking for and then chalk up a home run. Everyone then would have said Cash shouldn’t have let Snell pitch a third time to the Dodgers’ top of the batting order…
We’ll never know how these games might have gone if players had been left in. But, it’s sure easy to be angry when you’re not the one on whose shoulders’ the win or loss rests.
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