Leavitt Would Like Clarification

[Brad]

Leavitt Would Like Clarification

By Rick Brown

THE LEDGER

TAMPA | The Big East Conference issued an apology to the University of Louisville after the league’s officials blew a call in Friday’s game against Connecticut. During the game, a UConn player about to receive a punt put up his hand, signaling a fair catch. The Louisville players all stopped but the UConn player started running and scored a touchdown in UConn’s 21-17 victory.

South Florida coach Jim Leavitt doesn’t want an apology from the league, but a clarification on some issues involving replay after his team’s 30-27 loss at Rutgers on Thursday.

“There’s some discussion on our end that’s still going on, so that’s why I don’t know how much I want to go into it; things that I want to find out the truth,” Leavitt said Tuesday at his weekly news conference. “I think replay is good, I really do. I want to understand exactly what you can and cannot replay.

“I am still a firm believer in replay, to get calls right, to get calls correct,” he said. “But there’s no doubt I see things in a different way right now, and I’m still pursuing some things and clarifying certain things on why this is done.”

Leavitt was questioning whether replay should have been used on what turned out to be a pivotal portion of the game.

USF was leading 17-10 when linebacker Tyrone McKenzie blocked a 48-yard field goal by Rutgers’ Jeremy Ito. Mike Jenkins tried to scoop up the ball on the run but batted it forward. McKenzie got the ball and took a few steps before he appeared to flip the ball forward. Trae Williams then scooped up the ball and took it in for what was ruled on the field a touchdown.

The play was reviewed, and officials ruled that McKenzie illegally threw the ball forward, which wiped out the Bulls’ touchdown.

“That’s one, but there are many things that we can go on and on,” Leavitt said. “What is reviewable and what is not reviewable? What is intent? What are the specifics?”

In the 2007 NCAA Football Rules and Interpretations book, Rule 12-3, Article 2E says reviewable plays include: A forward pass or forward handing ruled when a runner is beyond the line of scrimmage.

“The game is over,” he said. “You can’t do anything about the game. But I just want to find out what (it) really is.”

Leavitt has caught some flack from the national media for being emotional on the sidelines – slamming his headsets down as well as screaming at officials. He said he wasn’t trying to put on a show.

“I’m an emotional guy,” he said. “I’m not a guy who’s going to be there and not react. I’m a battler. I’m a competitor, and I love our players. I’ll fight for our players. When I see things that are clearly to me . . . things I think we are teaching extremely well and they’re following through and doing things exactly the way I’m asking them to do and things are called, then I’m going to react. Usually not as much, but it had built through three calls, and I think I was at a point where I had had enough.”

[ Rick Brown may be reached at rick.brown@theledger.com or 863-802-7569. ]

Linkage

[TRUTH D. Antagonist]

good.

it won't have an impact on the game now--- it's in the books.

but CJL and our guys on the team deserve an explanation.

[Bull Matrix]

Yes because there are still more games to play, so I hope they explain what they can review and not review from the replay booth. I would have no issue with the play if the officials on the field called the flag, but to have the flag come from the both is pretty lame. Why not start review all plays to see if there are penalties or not???

[TRUTH D. Antagonist]

Yes because there are still more games to play, so I hope they explain what they can review and not review from the replay booth. I would have no issue with the play if the officials on the field called the flag, but to have the flag come from the both is pretty lame. Why not start review all plays to see if there are penalties or not???

i think that's the "slippery slope" that people are afraid of.

line calls (sideline, first down, LOS, goal line) are one thing...

but when u have officials in the booth reviewing and overturning plays on the field because of judgement call penalties, the potential is there of opening up a huge can of worms.

what are the limitations on that?

do we start overturning touchdowns because an official in the booth saw a holding call, or a false start, or illegal formation during a review?

we saw a similar situation in the Auburn/LSU game last weekend...  during a play that ended up being a TD, the refs threw a flag for too many players on the field.  but after the review, they picked up the flag and the TD was allowed to stand.

last i checked, replay was not supposed to be used to overturn penalties.  i think the penalty on the "illegal forward propulsion" in the Buttgers game was equally questionable. 

[Grateful Dad]

Yes because there are still more games to play, so I hope they explain what they can review and not review from the replay booth. I would have no issue with the play if the officials on the field called the flag, but to have the flag come from the both is pretty lame. Why not start review all plays to see if there are penalties or not???

Exactly!  Actually, the officials are extraneous (for UCF fans, that means unecessary).  Why not save the cost of officials and have the booth call the penalties?

I am not one to cry "foul".  I have never done it before.  And we didn't play well at all in that game.  But the replay showed, to me at least, that an elbow was hit and the ball fumbled forward.  To me, we lost a close one by a very questionable, and possibly illegal, call from the booth.  I stand by this one.  I back up fully CJL's intention to get clarification.  Just as any other team would.

Still proudly wearing my Bull's gear in Kansas!

[BullBullBullBullBull]

OH! MY! GOD!

It's over!

Just forget about it and move on!

Sheesh!

You want clarification?  What the hell is there to clarify?

Clarification #1:  You can't intentionally launch a ball forward.

Clarification #2:  If a ball is launched forward and the officials on the field don't notice it, the replay officials can correct that mistake.

[TRUTH D. Antagonist]

we didn't play well at all in that game. 

i beg to differ.

we had more first downs than Rutgers (20 to 18)

we forced more turnovers than Rutgers (3 to 1)

we outpassed Rutgers (247 to 230/ 50% to 41%)

we had nearly as many yards as Rutgers (362 to 400)

and had a questionable replay not called back a TD, we would have had more points than Rutgers.

[Brad]

OH! MY! GOD!

It's over!

Just forget about it and move on!

Sheesh!

You want clarification?  What the hell is there to clarify?

Clarification #1:  You can't intentionally launch a ball forward.

Clarification #2:  If a ball is launched forward and the officials on the field don't notice it, the replay officials can correct that mistake.

You're just too lost to even think about catching up.

[Brad]

It must be okay to talk about it now...

Bad Call?

 

Tampa, Florida - The University of South Florida football team had plenty of time to mull over its first loss of the season, and also plenty of time to consider some of the calls in the game against Rutgers.

The most controversial play of the game was a blocked field goal in the first half.  The Bulls blocked it, then Tyrone McKenzie fumbled the ball for a second time, and Trae Williams picked it up and ran it in for an apparent touchdown.

But the officials said McKenzie's fumble was actually an illegal forward pass.  Head coach Jim Leavitt was not happy about some of the calls.

Link

[Matt]

what bothers me about the call is that they are saying it was T-Mac that was illegal.  HOW can they seriously not see that the ball was knocked out from behind and it was a LOOSE ball.  that play is just a bad call.