Zebra Cakes 1.1 Stripes

Submitted by The Shredder on November 3rd, 2018 at 5:52 PM

Back with some more Zebra Cakes. My Zebra connection is pretty busy this time of year so I got what I could. Enjoy the Little Shredders!

JT Barrett Spot Call

Shredder: Is spotting just really come down to who's doing it? Tough to really be super accurate? Someone might have said he was short and another might give it to him? 

Zebra Cake: Spotting the ball comes down to the LOS officials who's side of the field the ball carrier is on.  Majority of the time they are damn good, but if there is a cluster of bodies or anything like that it's hard to tell where the ball really is. It's easier on the field than what the camera shows. Rarely is the camera right down the line of where the ball is downed. So if your behind where it's downed or in front of where it's downed you get a completely different angle/look.

My view on that play which won't go over well was it's a great spot. I thought it was a first down then and I still thinks it's a first down now after watching it again and you can't go by that yellow line. Either way one side isn't pleased with that call whichever way you call it. 

I trust the guys on the field more than all the TV angles. 

Shredder: You are fired from Zebra Cakes!....... Wait no! I have no other Zebra Cakes! Please answer more of my questions!

Late Hit On Chase

One last thing I’ll say about this weekend: I’m glad we have Mark Dantonio running this program. We’re lucky to have class in East Lansing.

— Spartan Avenue (@SpartanAvenueFS) October 22, 2018

Shredder: Dirty late hit? 

Zebra Cake: Yeah that's a missed foul. Umpire will never get it. It's gotta be the R probably. Maybe the LOS official.

Shredder: Why not? He's right there? 

Zebra Cake: He's WAY too close to the hit to throw on it. He could assume what happened, but w don't flag assumptions. That kind of stuff shouldn't be missed. It does happen, but it shouldn't be missed. 

Evaluation 

Shredder: Do you think that crew got a dinged for that terrible holding call in the Michigan vs Northwestern game? Don't they get evaluated or is that just a random thing or a not every game thing?

Zebra Cake: They get evaluated every game. The crew and the individual got nailed.

Shredder: So there is no fines,firing or taking first born sons like the fans would prefer? 

Zebra Cake: No capital punishment. It will effect what kind of games you will get and bowl games.

Holding call on touchdown

They called this holding which negated that DPJ touchdown reception. pic.twitter.com/wya82qSKH0

— Due# (@JDue51) October 7, 2018

Shredder: Michigan Wasn't happy with this call. Took a touchdown away.

Zebra Cake: No restriction to me. They may have been fooled cause he stumbles, but not a hold to me.

Chase Held

In this week's edition of WTH were the refs watching, Chase gets hog tied, fave mask yanked, and then thrown to the ground. pic.twitter.com/1vDdkj6JVz

— Due# (@JDue51) October 14, 2018

Shredder: Has to be some restriction here right?

Zebra Cake: Doesn't look great. I'm sure that got graded as a "Missed Call".

Cheeeeeeesssseman 

and then Wisconsin hands us a gift.

Roughing the snapper. 15 yards and a 1st down. pic.twitter.com/QWqC04ovqB

— Due# (@JDue51) October 14, 2018

Shredder: Why couldn't I get that call in the MSU 2015 punt game? 

Zebra Cake: We used to never call that.  Now, they want it called. It's a point of emphasis.

Shredder: Sorta odd how they pick and choose like that. " Damn, we haven't called roughing the snapper in years!... Better start calling it now..I guess."

Zebra Cake: Kinda how it works. 

Well we've smashed the whole box of Zebra Cakes. Want to thanks our White Hat Zebra Cake. Also @JDue51 for the clips I can't embed right.

 

Comments

xtramelanin

November 3rd, 2018 at 11:39 PM ^

thanks for posting these.  very interesting.

i can see his point of view about the JT was short bit.  that is a legit, could go either way kind of call.  what was far more eggregious were the PI calls and non-calls, the missed holding and personal fouls, and other calls that would've made huge difference in that game. 

Mgoscottie

November 4th, 2018 at 7:11 AM ^

Hey how come against Maryland we got screwed on the offsetting penalties but against Penn State the offsetting penalties after the blocked kick didn't reset the down?

Alton

November 4th, 2018 at 10:17 AM ^

Different rules apply if there is a change of possession on the play.  Think of the change of possession basically starting a new play:  that's why they throw the beanbag every time the ball changes hands during a play.

So Michigan commits a penalty before the change of possession.  Penn State declines it, for obvious reasons.

A "new play" starts when Penn State picks up the ball after the block.  Both Penn State and Michigan commit a penalty after the change of possession.  Those offset (I think the ref got it wrong when announcing it by not saying that), and the ball goes to the "previous spot," which in this case is the beanbag--the place where Penn State got possession.

I'm simplifying that a little, but that's the difference in the "offsetting penalty" rule between those two plays.

SCS100

November 5th, 2018 at 12:04 AM ^

Not positive but my guess would be someone on the sideline impeded the H (head linesman) from following the return and caused contact between the H and the bench. If I remember correctly, that usually gets flagged and skips the sideline warning stage.

joeyb

November 5th, 2018 at 4:02 PM ^

Technically, no one is allowed in that 3-yard white stripe along the sideline. Most of the time, refs ignore it because there are bigger fish to fry. In this case, the official running the sideline ran into a coach and that is an auto-flag.

joeyb

November 5th, 2018 at 4:15 PM ^

"If live-ball fouls by both teams are reported to the referee, the fouls offset and the down is repeated (A.R. 10-1-4-I and VII). Any player who commits a foul that mandates disqualification must leave the game.

Exceptions:

1. When there is a change of team possession during a down, and the team last gaining possession had not fouled before last gaining possession, it may refuse offsetting fouls and thereby retain possession after completion of the penalty for its foul (A.R. 10-1-4-II-VII).

2. When all Team B fouls that occur before possession changes are governed by postscrimmage kick rules, Team B may refuse offsetting fouls and accept postscrimmage kick enforcement."

So, exception 2 allows the receiving team to decline a penalty on the kicking team before the kick as long as there was not an offsetting penalty by the receiving team before the kick. This is so that they can choose to retain the ball seeing as they didn't commit a foul until after receiving the ball. They can also choose to accept the penalty if they don't like the spot or turned the ball over and want a rekick.

oldblue

November 5th, 2018 at 5:23 PM ^

At OSU in 2016, could you please ask your Zebra contact to look at the rules as they relate to what we normal folks call "forward progress?" On that play, Barrett bounced back off his own guy (we did not grab him and halt his progress), so I think he was not down until he hit the ground at which time the ball was about two yards short of a first down. I really want a ref's thoughts on this. Thanks.