Hail Caesar!
Just a final word on getting that stat change on the final touchdown of the USC-Virginia game. Virginia's stat crew ruled Mitch Mustain's pass to Marc Tyler a lateral, which made it a 10-yard run in the stats.
USC got it changed to a 10-yard touchdown pass on Monday. What's impressive is I watched USC officials bully the USC stat crew a couple years ago on more than one occasion to get the play changed in the stats.
But particular kudos are in order here because another school's stat crew changed its call. That's what happens when you are the No. 1 team in the nation.
And remember, it doesn't really matter if Tyler was behind the line of scrimmage or not on the video. What matters is whether the referee ruled it a lateral at the time. Because only a game official decides if it is a fumble if Tyler dropped the pass.
As a former football statistician for a NCAA school, I hope there was clear and overwhelming evidence that it was a forward pass and not a lateral. Otherwise, Virginia should have told the visiting team to "pound sand!" I have been bullied by a number of SID-types to change calls and would only do so if I had made a mistake. If it was a judgment call, then my judgment stood.
I thought that stuff only happened in the NBA when a team wanted its player to win a rebounding or assist title.
LOL!!!
Somebody finally told Scott what the rule was!
I was wondering how long it was going to take him to realize that a forward pass to a receiver behind the line of scrimmage is still a forward pass. He'd already made that mistake on two blog posts.
Kudos to whomever it is that informs Scott on the rules of football.
psst.. here's a clue... if the pass is 'behind' the quarterback then that is a lateral... if you look at the play at all, Tyler is behind the LOS but yards in front of Mustain. This is CLEARLY a pass. The VA stat people made a mistake.
This is no great bullying tactic, give me a break. LOOK at the play Joe caught for a TD.. almost exactly the same play!! Joe behind the LOS too. Didn't rule that a run did they? hmmmm?
But did you see the UCLA game. On last TD drive...clearly TE screen but in front of LOS, many linemen downfield--no call. And on previous TD drive, receiver drives DB back and second receiver catches a ball for HUGE first down. No pick called. Norm Chow offense famous for 'illegal' pick plays, but rarely are they called....must have been at the Rose Bowl.
I think Scott should have watched tape of play. This has nothing sinister about PC. There is no doubt on film it was a forward pass and not a lateral.
I taped the game. The ball Mustain throw is forward to Tylor. Open your eye, Scott.
Mustain's TD pass was clearly a forward pass. It was an obvious mistake by the statistician.
The center TE screen in the UCLA was legal. The play was designed to push the envelope on the rule, as a lot of plays from Chow do, as noted above on the clear, pick and hook play that Chow offenses have mastered over the years.
Ineligible recievers may immediately at the snap charge out and contact the opponent as long as contact is made not more than one yard beyond the nuetral zone. That contact should not be taken 3 yards beyond the nuetral zone (this is pretty close on the video). All bets are off though once the pass is made.
A couple things happened on that play. The linemen did fire out, but didn't exceed the 3 yard wall until the ball was thrown (but it was close).