Leavitt Would Like Clarification

[Brad]

Can you review whether somethingl is a fumble or not? I know in the UF v. UK game they let an apparent fumble go to completion and then checked to see whether the ball was an actual fumble or not. This would make sense to me since it's often hard to tell in the heat of the moment and calling it dead is unfair if it was a true fumble.

Do I believe it was a forward pass? When it happened I thought it was but when seeing the review I took it back and thought it was clearly a fumble.

That being said we still lost.

Of course we lost, don't know why that comment plays into some people's ability to comment.  But I think you hit the nail on the head though (just before that comment).  It was ruled an illegal forward pass.  Based on the video, it seems hard to tell that McKenzie was attempting to pass the ball when

a) he did not have possession

  his left arm was being held by the defender while tackling him

c) his right arm sprung loose from the defender while he had no use of his left arm to take control of the ball

a pass?

From the ESPN broadcast

[hbryan]

I am as big of a fan as anyone, but it looked like that it was totally intentional and scripted.

If we would have gotten away with it...it would be a bit like cheating.  We didn't deserve a TD on that play so I don't feel about about.

We had our chance to win or tie the game and couldnt get it done so we lost.  Thats all.

Obviously you haven't seen a replay either.  You realize of course we were taken out of any chance to convert on that play with two straight penalties as well and had to give it right back to Rutgers, a team that held ALL NIGHT LONG and was called once.  Our chances to win were all colored with flags from refs calling penalties that were vague at best - so I strongly disagree with your comments.  There was cheating going on alright and it was on the other side of the ball.  End of Story.

[hbryan]

I wish someone would compile screen shots of the obvious holding in this game by Rutgers.  Everytime they ran off tackle, their tackles would grab the jersey inside, hook their outside arms around our tackle/end and pull him into the center of the field.  It was so evident to everyone who watched the game with me, that we screamed on nearly every off tackle run but no holding was ever called except towards the end of the game after Rice had already rung up 175 yards. Pathetic officiating in this game cost us the game and that is a fact that is clearly evident on tape in many facets of the game.  Stay on this issue or we can get jobbed again by officiating crews with hometown allegiances.  Shine enough light on their shenanigans and they will find it tough not to call a game evenly.  I'll personally give it a rest when Friday rolls around but not till then, if anyone has a problem with it, bite me > >

[Who'sYourData?]

illegal QB passes involve a LINE PLAY-- crossing the line of scrimmage, which video evidence can indisputably confirm or disprove.

This is the simple crux of the issue to me.  No one questions that the ball was *propelled* forward twice in the recovery attempt.  This particular foul, however, is based on the *intent* of the fumbler.  That makes it a judgement call.  Just like a holding penalty, those are never reviewable. 

Further, the intentional fumbling rules were put into place for the end of halves and end of games when there is incentive to fumble the ball forward.  In the middle of the second quarter, you'd have to be an idiot to try and intentionally fumble the ball forward and risk having the other team pick it up.  Common sense would tell you that the USF players were not intentionally pushing the ball forward.

[Brad]

But according to Craig James, Doug Flutie and a band of goofballs here, we certainly practice that fumble forward... 

:Bang

That's what I can't get...look at the video above..slo-mo clips of McKenzie.  It looks even harder to control the ball at full speed!  Saying that could be a practiced, controlled and intentional play is ridiculous.  That is why one of the yahoos said that there did not need to be intent for the infraction to be called.  Then, with all the fumbles in football wherein the ball bounds forward, you'd expect to have seen this call much more often.

Common sense solves this one.

modified to correct Craig James' name

[USF_Jimbo]

On another note, if the Star-Ledger wants to tweak Leavitt for acting up on the sidelines, surely they could mention that Schiano was screaming and yelling and running towards an official every time USF did anything that looked remotely like it could be a penalty.

Amen Jaime!  Schiano was the one running 40 yards down the sidelines acting like the idiot...

And it's the same people who say...eh...it's the old ballcoach...when Superior Spurrier does the same...freakin' double standards.  

Whatever...I don't want an apology...I just want a 'W' this weekend at UConn.

[Brad]

This is my Schiano=Bluto clip (love those white socks Greggy):

See, I have a sense of humor.

Beat UConn.  Fair catches, fair calls.  Go Bulls.

[mikebeau]

This is my Schiano=Bluto clip (love those white socks Greggy):

See, I have a sense of humor.

Beat UConn.  Fair catches, fair calls.  Go Bulls.

I knew there was something crazy going on.  You can see right there that ref and Schiano are gay lovers.  He ran right up to him and grabbed his ass.

[Who'sYourData?]

Couldn't he have gotten a penalty for running on the field?

[smazza]

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.â€Â

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?â€Â

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.â€Â

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.â€Â

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

Linkage

LEAVITT NEEDS TO KEEP HIS COOL

Aditi Kinkhabwala from The Record wrote: "The South Florida coach looked like a madman. At one point he was racing down the sideline to scream at one of his defensive players, who started screaming back before heading to the bench.

"Then you had Schiano. When that freshman lineman (Anthony Davis) got flagged for a late hit on the 6 yard line, all you saw was Schiano looking at the kid and giving the "keep chopping" sign. in other words, 'you know you screwed up, now go fix it.'

"I've had some experience in management in the news business. You can yell at people and get them to do things for you, but if you do it too much, it only builds resentment. Leadership involves getting the people working under you to buy into the goal, to want the same things you do. You know how it is: you hear something at the end of your shift or after your shift's over that would be a good story, but if you tell your editor, they're going to want it and you really wanted to go do dinner or the movies. You know no one else will have it and it could keep until tomorrow; and even if someone else has it, you know there's no way they can blame you for not having it. What do you do?

"Now, I'm not going to kid myself and believe Schiano won't tear into a player who screws up consistently. But that episode with the freshman lineman could pay dividends three years from now. If the lineman was playing just to avoid getting screamed at, he'd play only so hard; if he's playing to reach a goal, he'd play harder."