Wetjen killing it

[Fryowa]

The criticism of Wetjen not keeping an eye on the clock while returning a punt is insane and stupid. Once he chose to return that punt, he needs to do everything he can to score, which is what he tried to do

Horrible take, IMO.

What he needed to do was get out of bounds on that play once we had a chip shot FG. That kind of situational awareness is coached (or should be) at the HS level even. A punt return you have plenty of time to communicate that to your guys, too.

"Hey, if they kick it to you and you break one past the 40 or so, make sure you get OB and stop the clock. You're still the hero there, bud."

Look at the odds of a punt return TD vs a field goal 30 yds inside your kicker's range and tell me what the EV of the points are between those two scenarios.

 

[ICHawk24]

Your examples are not comparable. None of them include a player who is supposed to look up at the clock while performing.

Once he started the return, his goal should have been scoring.

I could see him sliding to the turf as the clock expires, and every Hawkeye fan screaming how dumb he was.