Aggressive 4th-down attempts have put the MC defense in tough spots a few times this year, leading to some easy TDs as a direct result. I think MC’s current philosophy accepts that the defense will give up extra points as a trade-off for the belief that giving the offense more chances will ultimately pay off. It’s essentially a ‘first one to 40 points wins’ approach and the reality is, only a handful of schools are equipped to challenge that style without ending up with a one-dimensional offense after only a few possessions. If Rice is going to win, they’ll need to string together long, mistake-free drives, protect the football, and keep MC’s offense on the sideline while also winning the 4th-down battles when Carmel inevitably rolls the dice. Even something as simple as receiving the opening kickoff and setting the tone with a sustained drive would go a long way for BR. Anything less, and they’ll get dragged into a shootout they probably can’t win.
