Crazy End to the Wisconsin Game

Submitted by TheGhostofChappuis on

I don't know how to embed videos, so here's the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-ELRub8n7s&feature=youtu.be

What in God's name happened here? Was this an enormous screw up from the officiating crew or just awful game management by the Badgers?  I'm not sure I have ever seen an ending that bizarre.

Asquaredroot

September 15th, 2013 at 2:48 AM ^

Wisconsin payed the price for being passive and placing their hopes in the hands of the refs.

With 18 seconds left,  Hoke would have had Gardbinson throw to Roundgallon in the endzone twice before thinking of settling for a FG.

The refs were about as gutless as the Wiscy kneeldown the way they handled this.  Terrible all around.  Wisconsin can blame the refs, but  they owned putting refs in that position.

 

clown question

September 15th, 2013 at 3:13 AM ^

QB kneels at 16 seconds ( a little akwardly as he get hits by his own lineman).

 

More importantly, head ref signals down at 11 seconds.

 

Obvious delay of game penalty, obvious ref screw up. Shouldn't take 11, yet alone 16 seconds to spot a ball.

Mccoy5to5

September 15th, 2013 at 3:03 AM ^

I go to Wisconsin and madison is currently erupting in rage.  It's plain and simple; laying on the ball for 10 seconds is a delay of game penalty.  It is unacceptable to not enforce a blatant and clear rule in the most crucial moment of the game. Unacceptable.

SDCran

September 15th, 2013 at 3:09 AM ^

but Stave was standing 3 yards back telling his team to get set with 3 seconds on the clock.  If they had been at the line ready with 10 seconds left and the foolishness with marking the ball ready to play was still going on, ok, but Wisconsin didn't even try to line up until 1-2 seconds were left.  This one is 80% on Wisconsin, 20% on the refs.

 

Jacoby

September 15th, 2013 at 3:27 AM ^

Interesting that the Arizona State guy sat on the football to run the clock. A very similar situation took place in 7th ranked Michigan's win over unranked Notre Dame in 1999. At the end if the game, jarious Jackson passed to bobby brown to take the lead, but a controversial taunting penalty forced them to kick from way back and Michigan marched down and A Train put us up. If I recall correctly (going on memory here), ND had another chance to score, but on a hairy play as time ran out and chaos all over the place, a Michigan linebacker squatted over the football to hide it and drain more seconds off the clock.



By the way, here is brown talking about that play, the "moose imitation penalty", the apology letter he received from the ref, and the entertainment company he named "excessive celebration".

http://www.herloyalsons.com/blog/2013/01/31/where-are-they-now-bobby-br…

Oscar

September 16th, 2013 at 4:38 AM ^

I'm not sure why you are pointing out what a Michigan player has done in the past has anything to do with what happened to Wisc.  Anyone who is blaming anyone except for the refs is a moron, players are out there to win games, coaches are out there to win games, refs are out there to make sure everyone is doing it within the confines of the rules.  Want to take a guess on who failed?

Caesar

September 15th, 2013 at 3:31 AM ^

(or whatever its called on SI.com) because I don't have the internet speeds to stream. The final score showed up, and I thought it was a glitch that Wisco didn't at least try to kick the field goal--for the win. 

Damn shame what happened there. 

MGoBlue96

September 15th, 2013 at 4:06 AM ^

Wisky did or didn't do I have no idea what was going through the minds of the officials. I mean they should know Wisky needed to spike it quickly, but yet they were acting with the same urgency to spot the ball that you would see in the middle of the second quarter. That is just mind boggling.

I am also highly suspicious about them being Pac 12 refs.

MGoCombs

September 15th, 2013 at 4:12 AM ^

I'm in Tempe for the night and nobody here understood. Just pure craziness. I think I witnessed either the worst officiating or worst clock management or both of all time.

KJ

September 15th, 2013 at 5:09 AM ^

It looked to me like when he went to kneel-down, he hit his lineman's leg, preventing his knee from touching the ground. He then put the ball down, and the ASU player jumped on it, thinking that it was still a live ball. I'm not sure how you can fault the guy for laying on what he thought was a loose ball. I don't believe he was doing it to intentionally prevent Wisconsin from being able to snap it, like some people are claiming. 

 

And of course, ESPN failed to show a replay of the attempted kneel. Good job, good effort, WWL.

vablue

September 15th, 2013 at 5:23 AM ^

At first I thought Wisconsin got hosed, but than when I watch the replay I see the QB over talking to the referee, he never go to the line of scrimmage in time to spike it.  The confusion was his fault and either way he should have been at the line of scrimmage ready to spike the ball not talking to the referee.  Even if the other ref had gotten out of the way, they would not have got the snap off in time.  Major screw up by the QB.

mGrowOld

September 15th, 2013 at 6:51 AM ^

Anytime a B1G team plays on the west coast with PAC-12 refs they are going to get this type of treatment. Unlike the idiots who do our games, the PAC 12 officials view themselves as an extension of him field advantage and will knowingly and purposely stick it to us each and every game they can.

If Bo was still around you could ask him-he'd tell you the same.

#1979/1990RoseBowlneverforget

LSAClassOf2000

September 15th, 2013 at 7:14 AM ^

If Stave was trying to spike the ball, it seems like he certainly did it wrong by the rules. He should have just done it under center as normal and after the snap rather than roll out a few feet and realize that this is what he wanted to do / was supposed to do. Where he was, he really should have just taken the knee at that point (but I will say it isn't clear that he did anything other than put the ball on the ground, which would make it a fumble in this scenario), but yeah, the play was whistled dead at about 0:13 or so and nobody in a striped shirt seemed to realize it. 

DirkMcGurk

September 15th, 2013 at 7:34 AM ^

This is on Wisky. You don't take a knee to line up a field goal you need to win the game if you don't have a time out. You spike the ball, bring on the kicker and hope he does what he practices ever day.



Simply bone headed clock management by Wisky and it bit them

Greg McMurtry

September 15th, 2013 at 8:39 AM ^

Stave didn't clearly kneel down. It looked like he tapped the ball on the ground, then dropped it which is a fumble. Too bad. If you don't want a stupid result, don't make a stupid half-assed play. If I were the ASU defender, I would've jumped on the ball too.

WMUgoblue

September 15th, 2013 at 11:47 AM ^

This isn't true though, there are plenty of angles that show he took a knee and then placed the ball down. It wasn't a fumble it was Stave giving himself up, why do people keep insisting that he fumbled?



Edit: pic now included that show his knee clearly down, it's posted earlier in the thread as well.



bronxblue

September 15th, 2013 at 7:41 AM ^

While Stave should have been a little more proactive kneeling down and then handing the ball to the referee, the officiating royal screwed up by allowing the ASU DT to sit on the ball and then, once it was clear Wiscy was trying to get set, not spot the ball properly.  I'm usually not one for filing appeals for poor officiating, but this was a rather obvious flub that directly cost Wisconsin a chance to win the game.

m1817

September 15th, 2013 at 8:41 AM ^

Wisconsin and Stave only have themselves to blame.  They didn't have a sense of urgency, weren't focused, or whatever you want to call it.  The referees could have acted faster, but Wisconsin and Stave had control of the situation at 18 seconds and they were too casual on the play.  You can't count on the referees to do what you think they are "supposed" to do.  

Naked Bootlegger

September 15th, 2013 at 9:22 AM ^

I don't blame the ASU player at all for falling on the ball.  He obviously thought it was a fumble.   Other wags of my finger:

(1) The refs for not setting the ball immediately after whistling it down, even if it was debatable whether Stave actually put a knee down.   The ump needs to get the ASU player off the ball right away, otherwise whistle him for delaying the game.

(2)  Wisconsin players for not immediately setting up their offense for the next spike.   It's almost as if they all thought the clock had stopped.   Collective brain fart on their part.   They all needed to be on the line ASAP.  Instead, they all had panic looks on their faces w/ 2 seconds left as they hustle to line up.   Why didn't they line up at 10 seconds?! 

(3) Wisconsin coaches.  Seriously.  Why even risk this situation at the end of the game w/ no timeouts.   Take a shot at the end zone with the previous play or kick the FG.   I vote for kick the damn FG and not risk a sack.

Wisconsin fans moaned about Bret's penchant for late game time mismanagement.   They did get screwed by the refs, but the coaches and players both deserve some blame for this debacle, too.

 

Princetonwolverine

September 15th, 2013 at 9:45 AM ^

Even if he did not take a knee isn't the play dead if you touch the ball to the ground while holding it?

gbdub

September 15th, 2013 at 11:47 AM ^

Isn't there some degree of intent though, with an intentional kneel down? Stave "gave himself up". In the NFL, "taking a knee" shouldn't even make you down, since there's no contact. But there's special allowance for an intentional kneel.



Spiking should be intentional grounding - but there's a special rule for it. And consider fair catches, where any wave like motion is considered a signal. Doesn't taking a knee fall into the same category?