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There’s nothing bigger thrill in College Football than winning a close game. When a game goes down to the wire, capturing a victory in the final seconds is the ultimate high.
In turn, a loss is all the more heartbreaking when it comes in a close game. SEC coaches shared their experiences with Greg Ostendorf of ESPN.
Florida’s Jim McElwain and Tennessee’s Butch Jones both reflected on last year’s 28-27 game in the Swamp, which was ultimately decided on a 4th down touchdown by Antonio Callaway to give the Gators their 11th consecutive victory over the Vols.
“It’s all of us,” McElwain told ESPN.com this offseason. “It’s everybody on the team. It’s everybody in preparation. I think a lot of it has to do with how you prepare for those situations, putting your guys in as many simulated ways as you can throughout the year, throughout two-a-days, throughout spring. I think that’s important.
“I think clock management itself is something that we constantly went over with Coach [Nick] Saban. It’s ultimately how you can win a game but more so how you can lose it based on poor clock management.”
The Florida game wasn’t the only close loss for Jones’ Vols. Tennessee’s four losses combined for a margin of 25 points.
“First of all, it’s learning from those experiences,” coach Butch Jones said. “We really dove into the 25 points. What could we have done better? And understanding that one play, two plays can change the outcome of a game. It may not be in the fourth quarter that everybody looks at. It may have been a play in the first quarter.
“And I also think it’s making critical plays in critical moments of the game. It’s easy to point back and point fingers and blame at one thing. It’s never one or two things. It’s a combination of a lot of things that go into it.
“That was the frustrating thing from my end. The two previous years, we were one of the best teams in the country in that moment.”
Auburn also experienced its share of close losses in 2015. Four of the Tigers’ six losses were by eight points or fewer, including an four-overtime shootout at Arkansas.
“From a coach’s standpoint, you’ve got to have your guys prepared,” Malzahn said. “It comes down to execution at the end of the game. In our league, there are always two or three plays that usually determine a close game, and if you execute and you’re prepared, you have a chance. And last year we didn’t do that.”
You can read more about SEC coaches’ experiences in close games at ESPN here.
Jason covers SEC football for Saturday Down South.
