Seven Game Maxims – Pitt vs BC

General Robert Neyland first introduced the “Seven Game Maxims” to his University of Tennessee Volunteer football team in the 1930’s and many high schools and colleges are still using them seventy years later.

Restated over and over throughout the season as a method of reminding players what they have to do to win, they are:

1. The team that makes the fewest mistakes will win.
2. Play for and make the breaks. When one comes your way, score.
3. If at first the breaks or the game go against you, don’t let up. Put on more steam.
4.  Protect your kicker, your quarterback, and your lead.
5. Oskie. Aggressively pursue the ball and yell “Oskie” when you intercept it. Block and gang tackle, for this is the winning edge.
6. Press the kicking game for it is here that the breaks are made.
7.  Carry the fight to your opponent and leave it there for the whole game.

A closer look at the Pittsburgh-Boston College game played on November 1, 2003 will show how those Seven Maxims held up.

MISTAKES: With the score 17-13 in Pitt’s favor early in the fourth quarter, a breakdown in coverage on a half-back pass left a receiver wide open and the Panthers took advantage of it to score and seal the victory. BC had only two more penalties than Pitt, but one of them negated a go-ahead score.

BREAKS: A 41 yard touchdown run by Boston College that would have given the Eagles the lead in the second half was called back. Pitt took advantage of the break and stiffened on defense.

Don’t let up: BC scored first, fell behind, caught up, and when Pitt went ahead in the fourth quarter for good, the Panthers stifled any hope of an Eagle comeback with alert defense and a ball control, time consuming offense.

Protect your QB, your kicker, and your lead: Both quarterbacks were afforded good protection with only one interception out of 67 passes thrown, but Pitt completed twice as many as the Eagles, 25-12. Punt protection was good for both teams and although both lost early leads, when Pitt regained it, they held on for good and won.

Oskie and Gang Tackle: It was the inability to put a good rush on Pitt and force interceptions which gave the Panthers a huge 178 yard advantage in the aerial game (364-186). Conversely, timely gang tackling by Pitt limited BC to 11 fewer first downs and accounted for a huge 13 minute time of possession edge for the Panthers.

Press the kicking game: Punting three fewer times than the Eagles, Pitt owned a favorable five yard per kick average over BC.

Carry the fight for the whole game: Pitt, down twice early, came back and so dominated play in the second half that BC managed only one first down for the entire third quarter. The difference in the game was sophomore wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald (7-156-1 TD) who set an NCAA record by catching a touchdown pass in his 14th straight game.

Jim Reese was a quarterback and assistant coach at the University of Minnesota. He is now retired and lives in Tampa, Florida, where he reports on sports for a local newspaper.

Jim writes for the CompuSports Network search sites periodically, sharing the wisdom he has gained during his career in coaching.

Learn about and download Jim’s eBook, How to Win at Flag Football