General Robert Neyland introduced the seven "Game Maxims" to his University of Tennessee football team during the 1930s. Many high schools and colleges still can use them 70 years later. Restated throughout the season, the maxims remind players what they need to do to win. Each Friday, the Times will apply Neyland's seven maxims to a previous week's game to see how they hold up.
By Times staff writers
Published October 3, 2003
The Maxims
No. 1: The team that makes the fewest mistakes will win.
No. 2: Play for and make the breaks, and when one comes your way - Score!
No. 3: If at first the game or the breaks go against you, don't let up - put on more steam.
No. 4: Protect your kicker, your quarterback and your lead.
No. 5: "Oskie." To alert teammates, yell "Oskie" when you intercept, cover, block and gang tackle, for this is the winning edge.
No. 6: Press the kicking game for it is here that the breaks are made.
No. 7: Carry the fight to your opponents and leave it there for the whole game.
Applying the maxims
A closer look at Friday's Plant City-Wharton game (which Plant City won 28-14) displays how the maxims hold true:
No. 1 - MISTAKES: Wharton lost the ball on three fumbles and an interception while Plant City played errorless football. Wharton also had a breakdown in punt protection, which led to a Raiders score.
No. 2 - BREAKS: Down by two touchdowns late in the first half, Plant City made its own break when it blocked a punt in the end zone and recovered it for a score. That allowed it to head into the locker room down only one touchdown.
No. 3 - DON'T LET UP: Wharton scored the first touchdown, the second touchdown and led at halftime. (A Times study of 314 area games in 2002 showed teams leading at the half won 95 percent of the time.) But Plant City hung tough. Their first touchdown was the first of 28 unanswered points.
No. 4 - PROTECT YOUR QB, KICKER AND YOUR LEAD: Once Plant City got the lead, it didn't give it up. Although it completed only three passes, Plant City had none intercepted. Plant City protected its placekicker, who made all four extra points. The Raiders punted six times for a respectable 39.5 average. Also, no Raiders kicks were blocked.
No. 5 - OSKIE: The Raiders returned an interception for a touchdown. (A Times study shows in 2002, teams that had more returns for scores in a game won 81 percent of the time.) Gang tackling during the second half held the Wildcat rushing game in check, and an aggressive pass rush led to four sacks. No. 6 - PRESS THE KICKING GAME: When Plant City needed a lift, it got it from the kicking game. The blocked punt and touchdown changed the complexion of the game. The Raiders were 4-for-4 on extra points and solid in punting.
No. 7 - CARRY THE FIGHT FOR THE FULL GAME: Down two touchdowns early, Plant City kept battling, taking advantage of mistakes and pulling off a rare come-from-behind victory. Of the 12 county games Friday, the teams that had the first and second scores won 10 times.
