Hi all,

I was announcing the Princeton vs. Yale football game earlier today on the radio, and the officials totally blew a call. They somehow blew the whistle as if the running back for Yale was down before he fumbled even though it was blatant fumble with the benefit of instant replay. The Princeton coach went nuts, and the refs talked it over for a few minutes.

Finally they announced something to the effect of: "We are not entirely sure whether or not the runner was down before losing possession of the football. Therefore, we will replay the down."

Have any of you ever seen a doover in college football before? Is that actually part of the rulebook?

I'd love to know if this has happened before and if it is legitimate purely out of curiousity.

If any of you are curious how it turned out - Yale fumbled the snap on the next play and Princeton recovered. (Yale won the game, however).

thanks!

Football has do-over as you call them all the time at all levels. If there’s a double foul or an inadvertent whistle the play is usually replayed. Sounds like the officials got it right to me.

I was watching the BC/ W Virg game yesterday when the BC QB threw to his reciever on the sideline, who made the catch and then went OB. The announcer then went on to say how it was clear that the BC player had gone out of bounds before he came back in to make the catch and that the officials had "flat missed it". He even stuck to this after the replays were shown. He then went on to explain the rule regarding offensive players going OB and being the first to touch the ball blah blah blah...

A few plays later, the sideline reporter reported that he was at that part of the field during the play and that the FJ had nailed it - the reciever was real close, but had stayed inbounds, therefore legal play.

Have any of you guys ever heard of or seen a commentator being absolutely wrong, even after seeing the play again, or misstating a rule?

Ha! Reporters are wrong more than you can imagine.

Had a high school game couple weeks ago where the radio announcer complained about an intentional grounding call by SCREAMING multiple times that "he was out of the pocket." I nodded and said "well, yes sir, he was".

What he was saying. without saying it, was that they had an inadvertant whistle while the ball was loose and they're going to replay the down.

It sounds like the officials got it absolutely correct. Of course the Inadvertant whistle isn't something any of us look forward to but the rule provides us with something to do. By rule the team last in possession can take the ball at the spot where the fumble occurred and count the down or replay the down at the previous spot. All this IS in the rule book.

bklabe21,

They were wrong and then right. Wrong by blowing an IW and right by applying the rule for an IW.

A wrong made right, doesn’t make it right. If they had not been wrong they wouldn't have had to make it right. Right!

This is great.

This isn't a do over. It's an inadvertant whistle and they happen from time to time.

The team that had the ball at the time of the whistle is entitled to take the ball where it was when the whistle blew or replay the down. If the ball was loose when the whistle was blown, then the down has to be replayed.

There are two types of officials:
1- Those that have had an IW
2-Those that will have an IW.

The officials handled the play correctly. Seems to me that if you're going to announce games on the radio, you might want to invest some money and time in a rule book. Contrary to popular belief, most coaches and announcers do not know the rules. None of that is meant to be critical of you, it's just fact.

Am I the only one having a hard time believing that's what the referee actually said?!?

Speaking of announcers who don't know the rules- anyone catch Sunday Night Football last night? That Theismann gets dumber every week!

Opening kickoff, Bills player appears to catch the ball on the 1 then his momentum takes him into the EZ where he kneels it. Officials appeared to correctly place the ball on the 1 using the momentum exception and JT goes off on a rampage saying he can't for the life of him figure out why it's not a touchback... "he took a knee in the EZ!!!"

The Bills challenge it and the ref determines the catch wasn't completed until the second foot came down- at that point the ball was in the EZ. Touchback.

Joe T was dumbfounded for at least 10 minutes on that one.

In HS or college, the ball on the 1 was the correct call here with one foot down.

It was the Bills' best play all night.

He went to the same announcer school as John Madden and Chris Collinsworth and I think he is the worst of the bunch.

REPLY: And here is the most apropos title for a book in the history of Western literature:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...glance&s=books

Now THAT's funny. :O

OK, game was at Yale so probably bklabe21 is an Alumni, could probably rewrite the book in 3 languages and yet when it comes to stating the rules for a game he enjoys, I'm guessing since he's an announcer, it's easier to bad mouth then actually reading the rules. This is a fine example of someone who should be respected, kicking the officials in the nuts for no reason.

If you all noticed, this is bklabe21's first post on this board.

He is coming to the horse's mouth (so to speck) to learn if the official’s ruling was correct. Obviously he's making an effort to learn from the guys who know the rules, us, so if it happens again he can report to his audience what the officials have ruled.

Some here might be taking out on (bklade21) their dissatisfaction about having heard other comments, that announcers have made.

He’s here the learn and look how he was treated. Will he open this door again, I doubt.