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.

Jinxed

September 15th, 2013 at 4:28 PM ^

Taking the timeouts while your opponent is driving is statistically better than saving them up for when you're driving. If you're out of timeouts you get to hurry up, spike, ect. Your oponent isn't going to do that for you so you end up with more seconds of play if you burn all of them on your opponent's last drive. 

Some coaches have caught up to this fact but most coaches' metagaming is still back in the stone age because of the way promotions happen within the coaching world.

MGoBlue96

September 15th, 2013 at 2:29 AM ^

should have kicked it the play before, but that doesn't excuse that unreal display by the officials. Allowed an ASU player to lay on the ball for 10 or seconds, without making any attempt to spot it knowing Wisky needs to spike it. Pee-wee level officiating, and than they run off the field like cowards acting as if they didn't just screw up royally.

I thought at first that Stave may have placed the ball before taking a knee, but he did  in fact take a knee first. Not like the refs were ruling it a fumble either, so there is no reason not to spot it.

Just a ridiculous display.

I Like Burgers

September 15th, 2013 at 2:52 AM ^

I just watched the melt footage fed from the broadcast truck and on one of the angles with about 10s left in the game you can see Stave tell the head ref repeatedly that they want to spike the ball.  And you can see the ref acknowledge them.  Now what the other guy was doing allowing the ASU player to just lay on the ball is beyond me.  That's the guy that screwed Wisky.

umchicago

September 15th, 2013 at 11:54 AM ^

i'm guessing the umpire (who places the ball) thought that the play may have been a fumble, if he didn't see the QB take a knee.  I didn't see him take the knee during live play.  However, the Referee was clearly calling it down and Wisky ball.  The Referee should have taken control and told the Umpire to spot the ball for Wisky but didn't.  I blame the head Referee.  In any case, it's way too risky for Wisky to try that play with no timeouts.  the angle for the kick doesn't mean that much from that distance. 

snarling wolverine

September 15th, 2013 at 10:35 AM ^

It's weird - on the video, it doesn't look like he ever goes down.  I guess he maybe should have stayed kneeling for a second or two longer.  And he definitely shouldn't have tried to spot the ball himself.  Watching the video replay, it looks like he just rolls left and sets the ball on the ground, which would be a fumble.

 

 

rbgoblue

September 15th, 2013 at 2:50 AM ^

Exactly.  The correct way to manage that situation as a QB is to take a knee and hand the ball directly to the ref so that he can immediately spot the ball and you can spike it with time remaining for the FG.  Not sure why he spotted the ball himself, allowing the ASU DT to cover it as the clock ran out.  Probably should have been a flag for delay of game called on ASU.

gbdub

September 15th, 2013 at 2:30 AM ^

Wisky downed the ball with 18 sec left. No way it should have taken that long for the ref to set the ball.



That said, Wisky was pretty laggardly getting lined up when they should have known they needed to spike. But I think they get the spike in time if the ref isn't waving them off till the clock hits 1.

angry byrne

September 15th, 2013 at 9:02 AM ^

I dunno.  It's difficult to get lined up on the ball when the officials are first letting the ASU players play around with it for so long and then literally stopping Wisco players from touching it (watch the ref holding up his hand, telling the Wisco center to wait).  It seems to me that Wisco got jobbed here pretty bad.  

And the loss here only makes the big ten look even worse--they can do that themselves, they certainly don't need the refs to help.

enlightenedbum

September 15th, 2013 at 2:31 AM ^

It was both bad game management by the Badgers and an epic screw job.  If someone fails to get set on your spike attempt, the game is over.  That risk is greater than getting Stanford Band'd.

And then just holy shit officials.

Dilithium Wings

September 15th, 2013 at 2:32 AM ^

It was Staves dumb fault that the confusion even happened. He decided to showboat instead of simply rolling to the left and going down.



That being said, I can't wait to hear the PAC-12 officiating commission explain what his crew did. Clearly a delay of game by the ASU defender which wasnt called plus the Ump denied Wisconsins ability to spike the ball. Utter chaos.



BIG TEN!!!'

aiglick

September 15th, 2013 at 2:36 AM ^

Yeah in season the Badgers have pissed me off to no end in recent years. This was horrendous and the Big Ten should file a complaint. It was clear Wisconsin should have had a chance at a potential game winning field goal.

Just absolute garbage and those refs need to join the refs from the Texas Tech game and go back to Pee Wee where they belong. This is big boys football and the players, coaches, and fans deserve better than this atrocity.

Like I said before just the perfect capper to this day in college football.

As somebody else said at least we're not Texas.

Good luck Longhorns fans with Gerg and his beaver. He's not a bad guy or anything but he doesn't seem to have any schematic advantages coaching defenses.

Swazi

September 15th, 2013 at 2:38 AM ^

I'm not sure if he got his knee down or not.  Right as he's kneeling he gets bumped by his lineman.  

 

Regardless, they should've rushed to the line and got set for the spike even if the ASU guy was on the ball.

MGoBlue96

September 15th, 2013 at 4:45 AM ^

 until the official had spotted it and signaled that it was in play. The ref was actually signaling for Wisconson to stay back. The ref wasn't making an effort with any urgency to spot it in time, and the offense can't actually get over the ball until that happens.

DK81

September 15th, 2013 at 2:48 AM ^

Don't know why you even take a knee in the first place. Horrible officials though. They could have reviewed to see if it was a fumble, which would have allowed themto reset the game clock and try it again.... Or just run off the field after they clearly messed up.

I Like Burgers

September 15th, 2013 at 2:56 AM ^

The whole gamble to center the ball with no timeouts is just stupid.  Right before the play the announcer even says "its risky and there's a lot of things that can go wrong."  You need a FG to win, you have a great drive to get in range, so just kick the FG.  Wisky outsmarted themselves.