Go for it, coaches. Yes, I'm talking to you Chris Petersen. And you, too, Gary Andersen at Utah State and college football coaches everywhere.

After careful examination of the rulebook, I've discovered amazingly that there is no rule requiring teams to punt on fourth down.

And yet coaches are so quick to send out the punter that you'd think they'd never heard of going for it.

"In football, there's so much old-school thought - punt it away, let them drive," Petersen said this week as the Broncos prepared for their Utah State road trip.

Le'Affaire Belichick shows why more coaches don't buck conventional wisdom and leave their offense on the field on fourth down.

Bill Belichick, the New England coach who has won three Super Bowls in the last decade, went for it on fourth-and-2 deep in his own territory late in the fourth quarter Sunday night against Indianapolis.

The Patriots didn't pick up the first down and the Colts won the game with a final drive.

Despite statistical research that indicates Belichick made the correct decision, he has been ridiculed in the press and by former players for going for it.

Had he punted the ball and lost, not one critical word would have been written or said about Belichick.

'There are books out there that really refute some of the football logic and say they should go for it more on fourth down and in the long run the percentages are going to work out in your favor," Petersen said.

Not that it has changed Petersen's thinking. If anything, the coach has become more conservative the longer he roams the Boise State sidelines.

In his first two seasons, Boise State went for it on 45 fourth downs, converting 30. In his last two seasons, the Broncos have attempted just 26 fourth-down tries and converted 17.

The statistical research in football - the same that has led to advances in understanding successful baseball and basketball strategies - concludes that coaches are playing it too conservative.

Air Force leads the nation in fourth-down tries, converting 18-of-28 attempts. UAB is last at 0-for-5.

"Every single serious study of fourth-down decisions has found that, in most situations, teams would be better off by going for the conversion attempt rather than kicking," writes Brian Burke, a former Navy pilot who runs NFL Advanced Stats and has conducted studies on fourth-down conversions.

And yet, Petersen followed the old-school thought twice against rival Idaho last week, opting to punt it away and play field position rather than go for it.

Leading 35-10 late in the first half, Petersen called for a punt on fourth-and-10 at the Idaho 36. Punter Kyle Brotzman made the decision look worse, booting a 19-yarder into the wind.

Idaho, even facing the long field, scored a touchdown on the ensuing drive.

In the third quarter, Petersen opted to punt on fourth-and-4 at the Idaho 48, despite protests from quarterback Kellen Moore. Brotzman had a 14-yard punt, giving Idaho the ball at its own 34.

"Kellen should have got it done on third down," Petersen said with a smile.

The numbers back up Moore, so go for it, coach.

They give you four downs for a reason.