Southern Miss elected to "kick" during the coin toss

[No Fair Catch]

Up here in Canada I can not tell you how many times I have heard the coin toss go that way this season! In fact, during a CFL game the winner of the coin toss chose to defer, and the other team chose an end to defend apparently due to wind conditions......P.S. The flags on the uprights were straight down....lots of wind eh...

[Mike L]

Don't always assume it's the kids fault. I've had to explain to coaches that they probably want to defer on their first half choice rather than choose to kick.

[JugglingReferee]

22-Sept-07:

University of Western Ontario Mustangs vs. University of Guelph Gryphons. My thoughts in red.

• UWO chooses heads.
  • Heads is one of the possibilities.
• Coin comes up tails.
  • It happens 50% of the time.
• UG elects to defer.
  • No worries - I often think if I was a coach, I would always defer; but as a rule, I hear defer less than 50% of the time.
• UWO chooses the south end.
  • Fair enough - they want the wind now to help get out to an early lead.
• Guelph chooses to kick.
  • LOL - we (the whole crew) were all stunned.

This in a CIS game!

[No Fair Catch]

Originally Posted by JugglingReferee

22-Sept-07:

University of Western Ontario Mustangs vs. University of Guelph Gryphons. My thoughts in red.

• UWO chooses heads.
  • Heads is one of the possibilities.
• Coin comes up tails.
  • It happens 50% of the time.
• UG elects to defer.
  • No worries - I often think if I was a coach, I would always defer; but as a rule, I hear defer less than 50% of the time.
• UWO chooses the south end.
  • Fair enough - they want the wind now to help get out to an early lead.
• Guelph chooses to kick.
  • LOL - we (the whole crew) were all stunned.

This in a CIS game!

Maybe it wasn't such a bad choice though....did UW not fumble the opening KO and Guelph run in it for a TD?!?

[JugglingReferee]

Originally Posted by No Fair Catch

Maybe it wasn't such a bad choice though....did UW not fumble the opening KO and Guelph run in it for a TD?!?

I don't remember that. Sorry.

[boboman316]

I just let them know that their choices are to receive, defened a goal, or defer to the second half. At no time do I give them the kicking option. If they choose kick, I will do as most do, and reiterate their choices two more times, after that we're playing football.

[FredFan7]

We've had two captains choose "kick" this year. It seems to be a growing trend. They quickly changed their minds after we gave them the options again.

I've heard that the Madden video games may have something to do with this. If you choose "kick" on Madden then you get the ball in the second half.

I've never played a Madden video game, so I'm just passing this along second hand.

[insatty]

The officials must have asked the coaches for their coin-toss choices during pregame. Officials shouldn't allow the players to make this mistake. A little preventative officiating would have avoided all of this notoriety and controversy.