Let's Start From the Beginning

[Sexecutioner]

How is it possible that Iowa can lose the coin toss and still be going into the wind in the 4th quarter? Wouldn't the team that loses the coin toss have the option of picking the field? Some clarification needed on this one if you please.

 

[Xerxes]

Iowa had the choice of kicking, receiving, or field direction to begin the 2nd half.

They choose to to receive. ISU then chooses field direction. They chose to go against the wind in the 3rd quarter, thus giving Iowa the ball and the wind to open the 2nd half, but giving themselves the wind in the 4th.

Some coaches don't do that. So do.

 

[Sexecutioner]

So did Iowa State defer on the opening coin toss?

 

[Xerxes]

So did Iowa State defer on the opening coin toss?

I believe the announcers said that ISU won the coin toss and choose to receive the opening kick. Iowa then got to choose field direction. They chose to take the wind the first quarter. Kirk rarely gives the team the ball and the wind to start a game or 2nd half.

 

[Sexecutioner]

So wouldn't Iowa automatically get the ball in the second half if ISU took the ball on the coin toss? Wouldn't it make more sense to make sure you have the wind in the 4th quarter instead of the 1st?

 

[bighawkeyedaddy]

So wouldn't Iowa automatically get the ball in the second half if ISU took the ball on the coin toss? Wouldn't it make more sense to make sure you have the wind in the 4th quarter instead of the 1st?

And in hindsight, the wind really didn't stop ISU on that first drive.

 

[nileclarke]

There is no such thing as "automatically getting the ball" in the second half. The choices are the same as in the first half minus the ability to defer to the second half. If Iowa chose the wind then ISU would have had the choice of kicking off, which obviously they would have chosen.

 

[gohawkz]

Iowa had the choice of kicking, receiving, or field direction to begin the 2nd half.

They choose to to receive. ISU then chooses field direction. They chose to go against the wind in the 3rd quarter, thus giving Iowa the ball and the wind to open the 2nd half, but giving themselves the wind in the 4th.

Some coaches don't do that. So do.

So the announcers were wrong? Though they said ISU won the toss and took the ball.

 

[Xerxes]

So the announcers were wrong? Though they said ISU won the toss and took the ball.

Maybe I'm not following the question properly. Honestly don't know.

Here is what I'm am sure of:

ISU got the ball to begin the game going against the wind. Either they won the toss and choose to receive or Iowa won it and deferred to the 2nd half, its not important. ISU had the choice and they choose to get the opening kickoff. Iowa then chose to have the wind in the 1st quarter giving ISU the wind for the 2nd quarter.

Iowa had the choice to begin the 2nd half. They chose to receive. ISU chose to give Iowa the wind in the 3rd quarter, thus getting the wind in the 4th.

 

[Sexecutioner]

So in theory, if a team wanted to they could pick a direction to start the second half and it would mirror what happened in the first half? I'm totally confused. It seems like in a situation where the wind is blowing like crazy, if you don't win the opening toss you are totally screwed in terms of playing with the wind at your back.

 

[WhitUp]

Dude what's your point, you think Iowa should of took the wind in the 4th quarter and give ISU the ball to start the 2nd half? It's fairly simple ISU won the toss in first half they took the ball and we took the wind in the first quarter. Start of the 2nd half we had the choice we took the ball and Iowa state chose to take the wind in the 4th quarter. It's not complicated

 

[Sexecutioner]

My point is this, and apparently it was a misunderstanding on my end, but I was confused from the outset. The way I understood the coin toss was that it determined who started with the ball and the direction each team would go each quarter for the duration of the game. If a team deferred, that was basically the team saying we want to play with the wind at our back in the 2nd and 4th quarters. If a team took the ball, then they lost the right to have the wind in the 2nd and 4th quarters. Today, ISU got the ball first and had the wind at their back in the 2nd and 4th quarters, which I assumed was someone on the Iowa coaching staff not schooling the captains up on the process. I guess I didn't understand the process.

 

[bitmap]

My point is this, and apparently it was a misunderstanding on my end, but I was confused from the outset. The way I understood the coin toss was that it determined who started with the ball and the direction each team would go each quarter for the duration of the game. If a team deferred, that was basically the team saying we want to play with the wind at our back in the 2nd and 4th quarters. If a team took the ball, then they lost the right to have the wind in the 2nd and 4th quarters. Today, ISU got the ball first and had the wind at their back in the 2nd and 4th quarters, which I assumed was someone on the Iowa coaching staff not schooling the captains up on the process. I guess I didn't understand the process.

The winner of the toss at the beginning of the game can choose one of the three options.

1. Receive the ball to begin the game
2. Defend a goal to begin the game
3. Defer the choice of what you want to do until the second half. If you defer the other team has two options.

1. Receive the ball to begin the 1st quarter
2. Defend a goal to begin the 1st quarter

So if you defer you get to make your choice in the second half from the same two options.

1. Receive the ball to begin the 3rd quarter
2. Defend a goal to begin the 3rd quarter

The sides of the field are swapped at the beginning of the 2nd and 4th quarters.

So if you want the wind in the 4th and you win the toss then you defer and then choose to defend the goal against the wind in the 3rd quarter.

So, if you choose not to decide you still have made a choice.

 

[Sexecutioner]

The winner of the toss at the beginning of the game can choose one of the three options.

1. Receive the ball to begin the game
2. Defend a goal to begin the game
3. Defer the choice of what you want to do until the second half. If you defer the other team has two options.

1. Receive the ball to begin the 1st quarter
2. Defend a goal to begin the 1st quarter

So if you defer you get to make your choice in the second half from the same two options.

1. Receive the ball to begin the 3rd quarter
2. Defend a goal to begin the 3rd quarter

The sides of the field are swapped at the beginning of the 2nd and 4th quarters.

So if you want the wind in the 4th and you win the toss then you defer and then choose to defend the goal against the wind in the 3rd quarter.

So, if you choose not to decide you still have made a choice.

If that is the case. ISU won the toss, took the ball. Then Iowa elected to have ISU go into the wind in the 1st and 3rd quarters. Why would Iowa make that choice. Wouldn't everyone in their right mind want to have the wind at their back in the 4th quarter? That is what I'm confused about, how ISU got the ball to start the game and the wind in the 4th quarter. It didn't really affect the outcome, I guess, but was a really peculiar situation.

 

[UIHawkGrad]

If that is the case. ISU won the toss, took the ball. Then Iowa elected to have ISU go into the wind in the 1st and 3rd quarters. Why would Iowa make that choice. Wouldn't everyone in their right mind want to have the wind at their back in the 4th quarter? That is what I'm confused about, how ISU got the ball to start the game and the wind in the 4th quarter. It didn't really affect the outcome, I guess, but was a really peculiar situation.

WOW! I am not sure if you are truly not getting this or are messing with the poster giving you the answers!

The decisions at the beginning of the game and to start the 2nd half are independent of one another and only impact what happens during that particular half of play. A coin toss decision at the beginning of the game has no bearing on what happens in the second half other than what team has the choice at the beginning of the 2nd half.

 

[thejumper5]

The winner of the toss at the beginning of the game can choose one of the three options.

1. Receive the ball to begin the game
2. Defend a goal to begin the game
3. Defer the choice of what you want to do until the second half. If you defer the other team has two options.

1. Receive the ball to begin the 1st quarter
2. Defend a goal to begin the 1st quarter

So if you defer you get to make your choice in the second half from the same two options.

1. Receive the ball to begin the 3rd quarter
2. Defend a goal to begin the 3rd quarter

The sides of the field are swapped at the beginning of the 2nd and 4th quarters.

So if you want the wind in the 4th and you win the toss then you defer and then choose to defend the goal against the wind in the 3rd quarter.

So, if you choose not to decide you still have made a choice.

For clarification: technically, the team that wins the coin toss can also choose to kick at the start of the game, but it is very rare and almost always a mistake. If a player says to the ref that they want to kick instead of saying they want to defer, it almost always means that their team will kickoff at the start of both halves, something that happened in a Nebraska game just a couple of years ago.

 

[Xerxes]

If that is the case. ISU won the toss, took the ball. Then Iowa elected to have ISU go into the wind in the 1st and 3rd quarters. Why would Iowa make that choice. Wouldn't everyone in their right mind want to have the wind at their back in the 4th quarter? That is what I'm confused about, how ISU got the ball to start the game and the wind in the 4th quarter. It didn't really affect the outcome, I guess, but was a really peculiar situation.

ISU choose to recieve the ball in the first half. Iowa chose to defend the goal in which ISU would have to go into the wind in the first quarter. I suspect this decision was made by KF because many coaches will not kick off to a team and give them the wind even if that means you don't get the wind in the 2nd quarter. Kirk rarely gives the team the ball and the wind to begin a game or a 2nd half.

In the 2nd half the choices started all over. Iowa chose to receive. ISU chose to defend the goal in which Iowa would have the ball and the wind to begin the 2nd half (the exact opposite of what KF did in the first half) because some coaches will give the ball and wind to an opponent to begin the 2nd half in exchange for having the wind in the 4th quarter.

Iowa had NO control over wind choice in the 2nd half once they chose to receive the kickoff.

No coach will chose the wind over the ball unless its a dramatic wind. I've only seen it once, and it happened in a NFL game in overtime. DET chose to defend a goal instead of receive the kick, they lost, and their coach got fired.