Ole Miss - Georgia

[ElvisLives]

Wildest finish I ever saw. Some folks wondered why put 1 second back on the clock after the safety. Well, because it was the right thing to do. I said they might try an onside, and hope they can recover it before it is touched by B.  Due to stupidity by Ole Miss, that’s exactly what happened. Then we get that multiple backward pass thing that went on forever.
Wild.

[MAFBRef]

And officiated to the end with a flag on Georgia during that wild finish.  Had there also been a flag on Ole Miss, we could have seen the down replayed.  Crew never stopped officiating.  Overall, a great job by the crew all night.

[ElvisLives]

I got a kick outta the stage dudes trying to set up the stage on the field three times. They’re probably demanding overtime pay!

[jra104]

So here’s the part that rubs me the wrong way. Kirby Smart already shook hands and “conceited” the game. I know it was a UIL game but Allen vs North. Crowley game was “called” with time on the clock. NC had a TOD and Allen’s coaches had the officials call the game. I don’t think Kirby would’ve would’ve been mad.

[ump_ben]

So here’s the part that rubs me the wrong way. Kirby Smart already shook hands and “conceited” the game. I know it was a UIL game but Allen vs North. Crowley game was “called” with time on the clock. NC had a TOD and Allen’s coaches had the officials call the game. I don’t think Kirby would’ve would’ve been mad.

I'm not sure that his concession should matter at all.  But he didn't concede the game.  He thought the game was over so he went over to congratulate Lane Kiffen.  I think the effort on the last play made it pretty clear that he was conceding nothing.  Had there been a foul on Ole Miss on the last play he would have tried just as hard to run that lateral play a second time.

[dammitbobby]

He thought the game was over so he went over to congratulate Lane Kiffen.

[dammitbobby]

I'm not sure that his concession should matter at all.  But he didn't concede the game.  He thought the game was over so he went over to congratulate Lane Kiffen.  I think the effort on the last play made it pretty clear that he was conceding nothing.  Had there been a foul on Ole Miss on the last play he would have tried just as hard to run that lateral play a second time.

Unpopular opinion I am sure but I've always been told the games ends when it wants to end, don't keep it on life support. Beginning with the egregious missed FMM with about 6 minutes left, then a flurry of relatively weak DPI fouls against Ole Miss, if Georgia had managed to score, this would forever and always be known as 'the Game The Refs Stole from Ole Miss and Gave to Georgia.'

Us officials can sit and nod our heads and say they followed the letter of the law (rules), but that unequivocally would not matter in the court of public opinion. Aa Georgia win in these circumstances would severely damage the perception of officials, and cement the idea in the public mind that officials have a vested interest in game outcomes, regardless of whether or not technical nuances of the rulebook were enforced correctly.

[ElvisLives]

So here’s the part that rubs me the wrong way. Kirby Smart already shook hands and “conceited” the game. I know it was a UIL game but Allen vs North. Crowley game was “called” with time on the clock. NC had a TOD and Allen’s coaches had the officials call the game. I don’t think Kirby would’ve would’ve been mad.

You’ve got me. “TOD”. Transfer On Death (a real term regarding bank accounts and things). Terribly Overrated Defense? Tropical Orange Drink?

If one team decides they don’t want to continue playing, that is their prerogative, and that, officially, results in a forfeit (for what difference that makes). Otherwise, the game must be played to its natural conclusion.
I don’t know what happened in the Allen/North Crowley game. If the game officials allowed the game to end without time expiring, they screwed up. The UIL probably doesn’t care. Historically, they routinely ignore rules and their own policies and procedures. So, if they accepted this result, I’m not surprised.
But, the NCAA is not forgiving. All games must be played by the rules. That’s what happened in the Ole-Miss/Georgia game.
Unless Georgia chose to forfeit with 1-second remaining on the game clock, the game had to be played to its natural conclusion. I have no doubt that the possibility of a forfeit was never broached by any of the pertinent parties. Obviously, the game officials (with, or without, input from the command center) took the necessary steps to ensure the game ended properly. I applaud all involved.

FYI, years ago a forfeit actually meant something. The final score was 1-0, regardless of which team forfeited.  Then, with scoring records and other external influences, the rule was modified to allow the score to be as it is, IF the losing team is the one forfeiting.

[ncwingman]

You’ve got me. “TOD”.

Turnover on downs?

Yeah, shaking hands at midfield isn't "conceding" the game. This isn't cricket. The final score wasn't 39 to 34(declared).

What happened was weird, but it was correct. The only way I'd argue to not play the final second was if game operations shot off all the confetti to the point where the field was unsafe to play on, or something of that nature.

[ump_ben]

Unpopular opinion I am sure but I've always been told the games ends when it wants to end, don't keep it on life support. Beginning with the egregious missed FMM with about 6 minutes left, then a flurry of relatively weak DPI fouls against Ole Miss, if Georgia had managed to score, this would forever and always be known as 'the Game The Refs Stole from Ole Miss and Gave to Georgia.'

Us officials can sit and nod our heads and say they followed the letter of the law (rules), but that unequivocally would not matter in the court of public opinion. Aa Georgia win in these circumstances would severely damage the perception of officials, and cement the idea in the public mind that officials have a vested interest in game outcomes, regardless of whether or not technical nuances of the rulebook were enforced correctly.

But they didn't follow the letter of the rule on the facemask.  By rule that was a facemask.  Had Georgia come back to win that would have been a legit argument from the Ole Miss team and fans (ignoring what happened after).  If Georgia had won by scoring legally because the clock was corrected to indicate the game wasn't over that would have been a ridiculous argument for Ole Miss fans to make.  The solution is not to cheat for these hypothetical Ole Miss fans; I promise that won't convince people that refs are just trying to enforce the rules correctly.  The solution is to make sure that these hypothetical Ole Miss fans complaining because the officials got the calls right get ridiculed.  Society is actually doing a pretty good job of that.  Take a look the start of the winning drive from last year's BYU-Utah game.  Twice Utah thought the game was over, twice the crew got it right.  Utah fans whined like the world had ended.  Their athletic director ran out onto the field to harangue the crew during the last play.  They were mocked incessantly in social media for how bad they took it.

(Insofar as it was Georgia you have an interesting point because calls that actually were missed have aided their run this year but again the fix would have been to for replay to admit that there was enough evidence that it was a catch not to end a game earlier ;-)  [I kid, I wouldn't have overturned on that either, just wish they'd called it a catch live.])

[Kalle]

Do remember that the game can end "early" if both HCs and the R agree to shorten the game. Technically you could play the first kickoff with 15:00 on the 1st quarter on the clock and score of 2-0 6-0, and end the game.

[ElvisLives]

Do remember that the game can end "early" if both HCs and the R agree to shorten the game. Technically you could play the first kickoff with 15:00 on the 1st quarter on the clock and score of 2-0, and end the game.

Kalle, I have always understood that to mean that the length of the remaining unplayed period(s) could be shortened, but they still have to be played. The only time in my life that I know this rule was used was earlier this season, right here in Lubbock, when the 3rd and 4th periods of the Texas Tech-Arkansas Pine Bluff game were reduced to 8 minutes each (due to a badly overmatched opponent AND weather concerns) after half-time. But the periods were played, to their natural, albeit shortened, conclusions.
But, admittedly, this is a good question for Shaw to address: Can the remaining time in a period(s), currently under way, be shortened? And further: Can it/they be reduced to “0:00”?

Now I’m gonna be a wise guy.
Not sure how you can get to 2-0, AND 15:00 in the 1st period?

[Kalle]

Not sure how you can get to 2-0, AND 15:00 in the 1st period?

Argh, confused myself, meant 6-0.

[ElvisLives]

Argh, confused myself, meant 6-0.

Hmm. So, Team A kicks off from the A-35, and the kick bounces along the ground (or flies very, very high) untouched, with Team A in hard pursuit, and A88 manages to grasp and firmly hold the previously untouched ball in flight beyond the plane of B’s goal line (having not touched the ground in the end zone) while going to the ground, completing the recovery/catch for a TD, with the clock, correctly, never starting. Then, both teams and the Referee agree to shorten all four periods to 0:00. Game over. Team A wins 6-0 (without a forfeit).
If the first period can be shortened after it has begun, then, as Judy Tenuta would say, “It could happen!” 

About as likely as the US discontinuing minting of pennies, or capturing a foreign dictator for trial. 

[ump_ben]

Now I’m gonna be a wise guy.
Not sure how you can get to 2-0, AND 15:00 in the 1st period?

R1 receives the ball in the endzone planning not to advance it but then changes his mind.  While R1 is running laterally in the endzone, R2 clips K1.  R1 slips and his knee hits the ground before the ball can leave the endzone.
Attempting an onside kick in a fierce wind, K1 pops the ball up into the air.  The wind carries it out the back of A's endzone.
Attempting to recover an onside kick, K1 hits the ball before it goes ten yards the ball squirts away and multiple K players attempt to recover the ball unsuccessfully until it finally comes to rest in the endzone where K falls on it.
R1 fair catches the kickoff in the endzone.  And subsequent hijinks ensue.  As a result of the shenanigans and the coaches UNS displeasure about the resolution thereof the ball ends up on the 1.25 yard line.  The quarterback calls for the snap in shotgun and the center snaps it over his head at maximum speed.  With lightning like reflexes the clock operator manages to stop the clock as the ball hits the gooseneck of the field goal standard before a full second has elapsed and the clock has run but still shows 15:00. 

In all cases, the coaches agree to shorten the remaining quarters to 0:00 and the game ends 2-0.