Your big high school game is nothing compared to a national audience....but I digress cause it doesn't matter...

If you want to discuss the merits of whether an ejection is worthy or not, that's fine. Going down the path you and HLN are going...is not.

I kinda get the feeling this is one of those "we'll support a non call, but we would've supported a call" type situations, but I have no evidence to back that up other than my gut feeling.

It'll be interesting to see if Rogers says anything about in the next CFO video.

From a mechanics perspective, this just makes me wonder why the Center Judge is responsible for hatching the ball in these situations anyway... seems like the Umpire would be better able to get to the ball/prevent the snap without getting in the way. Thoughts?

Isn't that the truth! No disagreement from me here.

Fair enough. I'll keep it to myself.

I am going to guess, that he got paid for that game more than you or I would make an entire season of varsity football. He obviously proved his worth to someone, because he was on National TV and you and I were sitting at home commenting on the situation.

Peace

We get accused all the time of what we do based on who is involved and in the comments we have people commenting about "who" was involved rather than what we would do if this happen to anyone else. IT is actually sad and I am saddened by our community with the tone of these comments here and in other places.

Peace

The view from behind makes it look like the player is interfering with game administration. But the fact that the official he was shoving didn't throw a flag -- nor did any other official -- or stop play seems to say that the official did not consider it such interference.

Was the offense trying to conserve time? In that case I could understand officials' being reluctant to stop play, although my understanding is that a time penalty is an available tool in NCAA to handle such situations.

Otherwise I think you've got to either immediately flag & whistle it for UC (or at least delay of game), or else acknowledge it as a nothing.

I'm fine with a 15 yarder. There probably wasn't any malicious intent to do harm so no need to eject and no way Mr. Heisman Trophy would get ejected in any event. He was trying to move him out of the way. He knew what he was doing. The CJ was just trying to do his job according to the NCAA rules.

Its just the politics indicative to big time NCAA football that allows this to happen. One level up or down, there is going to be a flag. One level up, a fine also. The NCAA buries their head in the sand, just like knee pads and the restricted area, and tells us all to move along, nothing to see here.

It wouldn't bother me so much but somewhere on a Friday night in the not so distant future some dipstick teenager is going to try the same trick.

Rant over, apologies to TPTB.:o

This goes to jrut's point. It has to either be a foul or not be a foul, with clear criteria. Intentionally contacting an official is either always a foul or it isn't. Otherwise, we have to hear blah, blah from the likes of Kanell.

This is one of those situations where I wonder if Doug Rhoads' public comments match his private comments. In either case, I'm glad he's publicly supporting his guy(s).

My take, as a non-football official but a football fan is this should have been a penalty, but it was caused by the positioning of the official as much as by Winston. This is a positioning problem because it does not allow the offense to get set up like they should be allowed to set up.

If I understand the rules correctly, the offense is prevented from snapping the ball until the defense has made their substitutions. There is nothing in the rules that prevent the offense from being able to get set up for the play. The actions of the official by nature of his positioning impact the play of the offense, so I understand Winston trying to move him out of the way. My problem with Winston's actions aren't the first contact, it is when he pushed him over into the left guard. That to me was unsportsmanlike conduct.

I suspect the officials would be a little scared to throw a flag in that situation because of the ramifications of such a penalty on something that is truly a borderline call.

My understanding of the rule is that if you rule the action to be unsportsmanlike conduct for contacting an official, the ejection is required, no if's and's or butt's. There is no grey area. In this case there should have been grey area allowed. I think 15 yards, but not an ejection.


For the record: I am as much of a Winston hater as their is. I think he is a punk kid who thinks he can do whatever he wants when he wants, and there are no consequences to his actions. I think his coach looks like a complete moron for defending the indefensible as well.

There is a lesser option, though, but it's a bit of a stretch: 3-4-2b.8, "Action clearly designed to delay the officials from making the ball ready for play." That'd be a delay of game foul, just a 5 yarder, but you'd have to say it's clearly deliberate & for that purpose.

How can you justify that when his obvious intent was the exact opposite?

By rule, is it possible to flag him without ejecting? Or is the penalty for contact with an official 15 yards and an ejection by rule?

Every single penalty that does not involve targeting and fighting can result in just a 15 yard penalty.

Peace