Crazy Ending - Colorado - Hawaii

[TXMike]

Multiple issues...the "standard" mechanic of swapping out the ball everytime it becomes dead in the side zone (never understood that), an apparent slow response by the ball person, an accidental interference with the ball relay from official to official,  & the fact there even had to be that relay thanks to the 8 man crew.  Live and learn from others tribulations.  Now that I have seen this, if there is any delay at all in getting the ball in to the inbounds spot after a play when time is critical and that delay was caused either by us or the ball persons, I am shutting it down.

http://www.businessinsider.com/colorado-hawaii-clock-2015-9

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R90K4-9OLJc

[JasonTX]

Just spot the ball.  I've seen a number of NFL games and they just put the ball on the ground without even looking to see if the spot is the same as the wings are giving.  Put it down and move back.

[Osric Pureheart]

Whatever happened to "the umpire/designated spotter must be the only official to handle a ball when the clock is running and time is critical"?

[Kalle]

IFAF mechanics are pretty clear on this, fortunately. In a hurry-up situation the umpire (we don't really have 8-man mechanics, I think it would be C then) is responsible for getting the ball and spotting it. No way should the ball be changed in this situation, the wing should have just thrown it to the relayer.

I agree with TXMike, if there is this much delay caused by "us", shut it down. Granted, the ball carrier should have thrown the ball to the U/C and not the wing, but I don't think that warrants this kind of an ending. Team B obviously will complain, but I rather take that heat, no matter what the outcome.

[Dakota Dan]

this came from a "power 5" supervisor talking about this play:
"Under no circumstances would we have wanted the game stopped on this play and any time put back on the clock. "

[TXMike]

Wonder if RR will say the same?  It would not be the first time a major soup said something RR did not agree with.   Right is right and that ain't right

[mardunn]

If the crew had been operating at that level of speed the entire night, why would they change their pace because one team is under time pressure?  Obviously Colorado would've wanted them to move as quickly as possible, but Hawaii certainly didn't!  It would've benefited Colorado to stop the clock, but Hawaii would've been incensed.

This is why we're encouraged to work at a rapid but steady and consistent pace the entire game.  There's usually one team that wants us to move faster and one who wants us to move slower.  If this had happened on a 3rd quarter play, we wouldn't shut down the clock if a C bobbled the ball for a second.  Consistency is the most important thing, I think.

[TXMike]

It was more than just an official bobbling the ball.  The ball actually was thrown into a player causing further delay.  That is the only reason I suggest shutting it down. 

The argument  that "we don't do it in the 3d qtr - we don't do it now" is not supported by the philosophy that absolutely does permit and encourage doing things differently at critical time points.

[mardunn]

It will be interesting to see if the MWC comes out and says anything about this situation. I maintain that they shouldn't have stopped the clock and it was handled well. Unfortunate the way it happened, but I think stopping the clock would've been unfair to Hawaii, even more so than it seems unfair to Colorado to have the game end like this.

[TXMike]

"The Mountain West came out on Friday to announce that the right call was made to have the clock run out and let the game come to an end, and the Hawaii player did not purposely get in the way."

"After a thorough review via the standard procedures of the Mountain West/CFO West infrastructure, it has been determined the MW officiating crew employed the appropriate mechanics on the final play of the Colorado at Hawai'i game and were in no way deficient in the proper execution of their responsibilities," the Mountain West told ESPN. "There is also no evidence the Hawai'i player intentionally interfered with the placement of the ball and thus no action by rule was warranted."

[mishatx]

Time to get rid of the hashes and go back to spotting the ball where it became dead.

[Rulesman]

Time to get rid of the hashes and go back to spotting the ball where it became dead.

You cannot be serious?

[justaLJ]

This is a 3-4-3 situation IMHO, hard to just say tough luck to the offense in this situation, especially when the ball not getting down was the result of "tough luck" ball mechanics.

[Rulesman]

If golf we call it the rub of the green.

[hefnerjm]

It will be interesting to see if the MWC comes out and says anything about this situation. I maintain that they shouldn't have stopped the clock and it was handled well. Unfortunate the way it happened, but I think stopping the clock would've been unfair to Hawaii, even more so than it seems unfair to Colorado to have the game end like this.

I think this makes the point well...it would have been unfair to Hawaii to stop the clock...the Colorado player had every right to pop up after the tackle and personally run the ball to the U.  Instead he got up and flipped the ball to the wing, and did some sort of strut...he didnt seem in too much of a hurry, and that is what cost his team.

When we frame the conversation in that way, I think most would agree that it doesn't make sense to punish Hawaii for the lack of awareness by the Colorado player.

[justaLJ]

Another observation - did the crew's sense of urgency match the game situation?

I'm glad the conference supported the crew, but there are lessons to be learned here.

[DallasLJ]

Another observation - did the crew's sense of urgency match the game situation?

I'm glad the conference supported the crew, but there are lessons to be learned here.

  I think it absolutely did.  In fact, they may have "over hustled" which cause the muffed toss from the U to the C.  Just an unfortunate set of circumstances.  Colorado threw the ball into the middle of the field with less than 20 seconds on the clock.  You hope to get the ball for another play -- but nothing is guaranteed.  Colorado could have made a better play call --- they knew it was TD or bust -- a FG would not do.  Let us not "blame the offcials" which the game is full of mistakes by players and coaches all game long. 

[Osric Pureheart]

Once again I ask, is "when time is critical, the designated spotter must go get the ball wherever it is and be the only official to handle it" not the universal mechanic I'd thought it was?  This incident could have been specifically set up as a case play for why it's a good idea.

[justaLJ]

Not casting blame at all, only pointing out the learning aspects of the play.  It's like IWs, where there are two kinds of officials - those who have already had one, and those who will. Similarly, there are plays others have that we can learn from, and plays we have that others will learn from.

My take away on this play is one ball mechanics are needed in this situation, and no need to spot the ball in the side zone.

[Joe Stack]

My first instinct as R would have been to stop the clock as soon as I saw the Hawaii player run into the C -- intentionally or not, but very quickly start it as soon as the C had the ball and WAS GETTING READY TO SPOT IT. Not when he actually spotted it. Thus, the likelihood of a play going off would be very slim. However, I don't fault the view of the conference at all. If the runner wants time, he needs to get out of bounds.

I think the clock hit 14 just as the player was down, so at worse, the play clock is at 26 -- nowhere near when we MUST have the ball down. I would, as LJ, toss that ball back in, but I honestly don't see a mistake here. If a call in the first quarter is a call in the fourth, why isn't a spot (or more precisely, the time it takes to spot a ball) the same?

[bossman72]

Why was the LJ spotting the ball at his feet like it was 8 minutes left in the 1st qtr?  He needs to get the ball into the U ASAP!!!