Crazy End to the Wisconsin Game
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.
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.
September 15th, 2013 at 2:58 AM ^
Hoke would have done no such things down by 2.
September 15th, 2013 at 3:16 AM ^
maybe Gardbinson would only throw to Roundgallon once in the endzone instead of twice.
Clock stopped, mission accomplished.
September 15th, 2013 at 3:46 AM ^
September 15th, 2013 at 10:24 AM ^
If you look what he did with the name of the QB, in addition to the WR, it makes sense.
September 15th, 2013 at 11:25 AM ^
Except I would have expected Gallon to be first given the order of the QB... so
September 15th, 2013 at 10:38 AM ^
September 15th, 2013 at 10:49 AM ^
But there was more time in this situation. In the NW game, there was only something like seven seconds left. Here, there were 18 seconds. I think Hoke may have taken one quick shot at the endzone. I don't think he'd have called any kind of a running play (including a kneel), though.
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.
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.
September 15th, 2013 at 3:33 AM ^
Karma for what? Fans bitching that her husband left?
September 15th, 2013 at 9:07 AM ^
Madison hates you, Jen.
September 15th, 2013 at 9:31 AM ^
enjoy Arkansas...besides, what did they do for you, except give your husband a job...and your ugly!
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.
September 15th, 2013 at 3:14 AM ^
yep, Stave is busy arguing with the refs because none of them know what the hell they called.
September 15th, 2013 at 3:20 AM ^
Wisconsin earned the refs incompetence. Fully agree.
September 15th, 2013 at 3:56 AM ^
with ASU player laying on the ball for 10 seconds. Also if you look at the ref he was actually telling Wisconson players to wait to get over the ball, if I was the Wisky center I would have been tempted to snatch the ball right from the ref.
September 15th, 2013 at 3:24 AM ^
what if Wisconsin wins out. Holy crap
September 15th, 2013 at 3:27 AM ^
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…
September 15th, 2013 at 10:30 AM ^
Don't blame the officials for Bob Davie's consistently bad clock management.
My recollection from that game is that your team foolishly threw over the middle of the field, despite having no timeouts, and couldn't line up for the next play in time.
September 15th, 2013 at 1:50 PM ^
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?
September 15th, 2013 at 3:30 AM ^
College football everybody.
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.
September 15th, 2013 at 3:47 AM ^
just awful. nobody deserves to lose like that
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.
September 15th, 2013 at 4:12 AM ^
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.
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.
September 15th, 2013 at 6:07 AM ^
September 15th, 2013 at 6:40 AM ^
September 15th, 2013 at 6:51 AM ^
If Bo was still around you could ask him-he'd tell you the same.
#1979/1990RoseBowlneverforget
September 15th, 2013 at 8:11 PM ^
Crap like this is why I never want Michigan to play an away game on the West coast ever again. It happens EVERY time you play a Pac 10/12 team. The refs cheat so bad for their home conference teams that it just isn't worth scheduling them.
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.
September 15th, 2013 at 10:36 AM ^
He wasn't trying to spike it with 18 seconds left. (There was no need - on the previous play, the UW receiver had gone out of bounds.) He was trying to center the ball for the field goal (and possibly burn a bit of clock as well).
September 15th, 2013 at 7:34 AM ^
Simply bone headed clock management by Wisky and it bit them
September 15th, 2013 at 8:39 AM ^
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.
September 15th, 2013 at 1:48 PM ^
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.
September 15th, 2013 at 8:31 AM ^
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.
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.
September 15th, 2013 at 9:37 AM ^
He was standing over the ASU DT for a good 5 seconds just politely waiting for him to give him the fall. Absolutely should've been delay of game on ASU
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?
September 15th, 2013 at 10:15 AM ^
September 15th, 2013 at 11:47 AM ^
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?
September 15th, 2013 at 10:20 AM ^
September 15th, 2013 at 9:48 AM ^
So much fail, so little time.