ESPN.com has a nice article about a high school team that got out to a 72-0 first quarter lead. Surprisingly, this was not a matter of running up the score.
November 1, 2007
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1968. No. 1 Ohio State vs. lowly Michigan (pre-Bo era).
Late in the game, OSU scores its final touchdown and makes its two-point conversion to make the final score 50-14.
After the game:
Reporter: "Why did you go for two?"
Woody Hayes: "Because I couldn't go for three."
Why are people so afraid of running up the score? Running up the score is great. Maybe it's not "classy" but it's fun.
Running up the score is great when there is a purpose to it. Humiliating your biggest rival (and recruiting competition) is a good reason (so long as you aren't afraid of next year). Beating up a team for the sake of doing it, and risking injury to your own players doesn't seem to make much sense.
If the Pats have the chance to really run it up on the Colts, do you think they should or should not? I think the Colts count as a rival and if they could do it in Indy that'll really prove a point.
Oh, sure, it will give Indy motivation for the playoffs, but that won't matter because the Pats will just stick it to them again.
The Evil Empire cannot be stopped.
By the way, regarding your "as long as you aren't afraid of next year" comment, please allow me to complete the Michigan-OSU story.
1969, Michigan hires Woody Hayes protégé, Bo Schembechler. Every practice the whole season ends with preperation for the OSU game.
Defending champs and undefeated OSU goes to Ann Arbor as the huge favorite. Woody later said he believed 1969 was his greatest team, but for the fact that they lost to Michigan in what was the beginning of the rivalry as we know it today.
Right, that's the downside of running up the score against a rival. For Pats-Colts, I don't think it matters. The players will be at top motivation in both games.
I guess you could make an argument that it makes more sense to run up the score against an NFC team you know you won't play in the Super Bowl (like the Redskins). It sends a message to the league and it'll be four years (and a new roster) before they get any retaliation.
Right. Correct. Your comment made me realize you had a valid point. I was supporting your claim.
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