I think maybe the dumbest move of them all is the ND coaching staff not calling a time out. I think had they done so, USC might have just kicked the FG. At the very least, they could have prepared for the sneak or some other play. As we have said the clock was going to start on the snap, not the ready so other than allowing USC to plan a play, what did he have to lose? Everybody was very emotional after the fumble play (some ND players thought the game was over), and Charlie could have calmed them down, reset with a goalline defense package and play, and maybe stopped them. I know this fits more with a coaching site than official's site, but thats my take.
To bring it to a question of officiating, should this have been explained to both coaches more clearly (i.e. clock starts on the snap, exactly what happened, etc.)? It seems that other than to tell Weiss to get himself and his players/fans off the field, he wasn't told much. I could be wrong, but I never saw an official go to Weiss. They sure did to Pete Carroll, but maybe that's because he was down around the 5 yd line when this all came about (flag anyone?). This is just what I saw and remember, its 2 days later and I didn't record the game or anything.
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My job is a decision-making job, and as a result, I make a lot of decisions." --George W. Bush
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