Hmmm.
That might be because Mumme’s system focused so much on flat passes, quick screens, and dump offs behind the LOS.
I was working in Hyden the day Couch’s county team played Cov. Catholic in the state playoffs in 1994, Couch’s Junior year in HS.
He was already a legend, and by pure happenstance, a guy I had to talk to that day was his offensive coordinator, a high officer in the local bank. He invited me to watch the game from the “Quarterback Club” area, high above the field on what some would call a mountaintop.
Cov. Catholic beat the brakes off them, getting consistent pressure on Couch.
But in warmups, Couch stood in the endzone, throwing pass after pass past the opposite 40 yard line, 65 to 70 yards. He was in the middle of the endzone, at the plane, and his receivers were catching the passes right against the Cov. Catholic sideline, so those were angled 65 to 70 yard passes.
The other distinct recollection I have of that night is that the Cov. Catholic student body —all male— and hundreds were bussed in for the game—loudly and accurately sang the National Anthem, until the song ended. They then substituted “Home of the COLONELS” (or what ever the f@&k their moniker is) for “Home of the Brave,” utterly pissing off the home crowd.
Another odd recollection: the school was on top of the mountain, but the field was in the valley, with a small creek on one end. Because the school was so much higher in elevation, the teams went behind the respective end zones, instead of walking 200/300 feet upwards in elevation to the school building. They had porta potties and heaters for each team’s halftime “area.”
I asked a local why Couch’s team used the end nearest the small creek.
He said it was so “Tim can walk on the water.”
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