Fair catch fumble

[PJWhitfield]

Best angle I've seen. Looks like a block in the back, too. Is this a bad call or not?

 

[Irish YJ]

Critical blown call. 28pt swing if we would have got the ball.

 

[Gamec0ck]

Is this really the only point of concern for you from that whole game?

 

[Gamec0ck]

Critical blown call. 28pt swing if we would have got the ball.

I laughed pretty good at this one. I like your style.

 

[Irishnuke]

Doesn't matter. It wouldn't have changed the outcome. We played like *** all game.

 

[MNIrishman]

If you read almost anything on this forum, you'll notice that that is most certainly not the only point of concern for this game. A lot went wrong for us, not just a few bad calls. However, bad calls are frustrating in and of themselves, and as it is an ND forum, it is perfectly rational to question them. No one has suggested that we could have won that game if this call goes differently, but we can still discuss it.

 

[Rack Em]

Is this really the only point of concern for you from that whole game?

Is this the only board you troll?

EDIT: He must be a Jacksonville State Gamecock fan.
Jacksonville State University Gamecocks

 

[Rack Em]

It changes the momentum of the game and the flow of it in the 1st quarter. We would still have lost, but that play might have shifted the score some. Hard to tell how much of an impact it would have had.

 

[GreenSox04]

this was the point of the game where i had a bad feeling set in that only sunk much lower in my stomach.

 

[BGIF]

Is this really the only point of concern for you from that whole game?

It was a block in the back, wasn't it?

Which was the OP's question.

 

[phgreek]

Best angle I've seen. Looks like a block in the back, too. Is this a bad call or not?

yes, bad call...and block in the back

Eifert catch, bad call...


PAC 12 officiating crew....they are better than they were 2005-2010, but they still seem to be the worst officials most years...

I sure would have liked to get an early TD...but I don't think ole' mo stays with ND for long evn if those two calls are made correctly...Bama TOOK ole' Mo...would have taken it back no matter what.

 

[irishtrinity]

Such BS i was about to break down walls after that the Bobbled catch, and then the fumble with no reply... We we Funked dropping punts, and everything.. We again were screwed on every call That mattered also.

 

[Irish To The Core]

Horrid call. Absolutely a huge momentum changer. I think without this horrid, inexplicable call we only lose 35-21...maybe 35-24.

'Bama was a well oiled machine and that blown call just turned a sound beating into a crushing.

In retrospect, I think there was one team playing who were not satisfied with their season yet and another who were wildly ecstatic about what they had achieved. Notre Dame did not fear losing like 'Bama. 'Bama was like a mother bear defending it's cub...Notre Dame was the unsuspecting tourist saying: "Get a picture of me with this cute Teddy Bear."

 

[JadeBrecks]

It was a bad call. More than likely not enough to change the game. Bands brought it and we didn't. I just wish officials would be penalized for these calls. The bigger the game the bigger the punishment. Who else has a job that they can mess up something like this and have nothing to worry about?

 

[phgreek]

'Bama was like a mother bear defending it's cub...Notre Dame was the unsuspecting tourist saying: "Get a picture of me with this cute Teddy Bear."

...The imagery makes me laugh...change bear to elephant, and you nailed it!

 

[Rocky2820]

I said in the game thread that I thought it was an illegal block. Certainly agree with others that it likely didn't change who won/lost that game. But at that point you'd be talking about at least a 7-3 game, and I doubt the final score would've been as lopsided.

 

[BurningRiver]

Would it have changed the momentum of the game? Yes. Would the game have been closer? Yes, probably. Would it have made up for the whole 28 point difference? No. We were simply outclassed and one extra possession, no matter how much of a momentum swing it would've been, wouldn't have changed the fact that Bama was far and away the better team.

 

[PLACforever]

It does matter, the game started with three bad calls. That will really take the wind out of your sails.
Not saying in the end we would have won, but momentum is a hell of a thing.

 

[ubet49]

It was a bad call. ND,IMO, was sitting back on their heals on defense letting the action come to them instead of taking the action to Bama. Same for the offense. Thought kelly was to give us the run and shoot type game. Haven't seen that yet.

 

[chadder20]

This is a huge call and turning point of the game. You could really see the air let out of the sail after the drive after this. WE all know college FB is played and won with momentum and this could have changed everything. This was the second obvious bad call of the game and even Herbie and Brent Mushmouth were very surprised of the slanted calls against ND. Very seldom do you hear the broadcast team talk about bad calls as they did. I believe that says it all.

 

[Tylurrr]

PAC-12 refs giveth (Stanford)

and PAC-12 refs taketh away (Alabama)

 

[Jerry]

I thought what eventually made this call back breaking for ND was the 15 yd personal foul penalty. Bama then got the ball at the 40 (or 39) and was in business. People may say that you could put Bama at their 1 yd line and they would have scored but it would have put pressure on them and the more yards they need to cover the more chances for a misstep, like when they finally got a holding penalty on their 4th drive and were forced to punt.

 

[gkautz10]

Bottom line is... whether it had any outcome on the final score of the game (I don't believe it did), it was still a terrible call. I am a huge believer in if you are going to officiate at this level, you have to get calls like this right. It was still a bullshit call however you look at it.

 

[Rack Em]

PAC-12 refs giveth (Stanford)

and PAC-12 refs taketh away (Alabama)

Difference: They made the right call against Stanford

 

[Domina Nostra]

Alabama was the better team, no doubt. But it's crazy to argue that single plays like that at crucial moments don't turn the tide of games. How many times have you seen a team been stopped in three downs, but then get their possession extended by a bad call or non-call and go down and score?

In fact, it seemed that the main lesson of ND football over the past 3 years has been that those kind of mistakes are often the differnce in ball games. I remember watching Armando Allen's long run get called back against Michigan, and then the bum call against Rudolph in the same game, but thinking "NO prbolem we are dominanting." Guess what, we lost. Eventually I got the picture. The fumble by Jonas, the fumble by Crist, bad calls, etc. Those kind of things are toxic, those things matter. When they happen at the beginning of games, it is a bad sign.

To me, football is one sport where ever play counts, and momentum is huge. We were outmatched by Alabama, but outmatched teams play competitive games all the time. The one-two punch of the Eifert call and then non-fumble cost ND points and the crowd, and created a sense that everything was going Alabama's way- no matter what. It allowed Alabama to do exactly what it does best: play action.

That was a big call.

 

[fitz_bu47]

At the time I was furious, missed the block in the back, and there should have been no penalty on Matthias. Should have been ND's ball. If they go in and tie it right there, who knows, but the way the rest of the game went it made those early breaks seem less important. I do think momentum is a huge thing with college sports though, and like other guys have said, would have made it a better game in my opinion.

 

[IrishLax]

No, would not have affected the outcome of the game.

Yes, it was definitely the wrong call.

Yes, if we had scored there, the appearance of a blowout would have at least been tempered a little bit. Assuming everything else stays the same we probably eat up about 2 minutes on that drive and head into half down 21-7... and eventually lose 35-21. Would look better in a box score but the game never would've actually been close.

I told a friend on Tuesday "thank God Alabama was so much better than us because if we had lost by 3-7 points after that call I might've lost my mind." It's kinda nice that it was completely irrelevant.

 

[theclassickiller]

I thought what eventually made this call back breaking for ND was the 15 yd personal foul penalty. Bama then got the ball at the 40 (or 39) and was in business. People may say that you could put Bama at their 1 yd line and they would have scored but it would have put pressure on them and the more yards they need to cover the more chances for a misstep, like when they finally got a holding penalty on their 4th drive and were forced to punt.

The missed holds p1ss me off more than the punt call. The whole "battle to watch" in the weeks leading up to the game was Nix vs. Jones. Jones took Nix and pulled his jersey up his back (almost hockey-style) play after play after play and no call. I can't bear to go back and watch it, but I'd be interested to see just how many times Nix bullrushed and Jones pulled his jersey and held his head down like that. It was atrocious. Considering this was where the "game would be won," it's startling that somehow the refs couldn't see any of this. Or just intentionally disregarded it.

 

[Irish Houstonian]

Not to mention it was compounded by being right after the blown Eifert catch.

 

[C!C!4oND]

From my interpretations of the rules and watching the replays, there are multiple penalties on the play, from both teams.

Block in the back on Bama #13
Kick-Catch interference on ND #8 Moore

The rule states that if the punt returner signals for a fair catch, and muffs the punt, he is allowed an unmolested opportunity to recover the ball until it touches the ground. There was contact made and Moore touches the ball before the returner has the opportunity to recover it.

Now, I dont know how these two penalties would interact. Id assume it would just become Bama ball since the kick-catch interference illegally allowed ND to recover the football. But they wouldnt move back from the block in the back because the penalties cancel out. Again, just my interpretation and assumptions.

The problem with the entire play is the late fair catch signal. I think they need to amend the rules so that the returner has to give more time for the signal. We are talking a matter of seconds here of reaction timing running at full speed. Farley was literally ~3 yards away when he makes the signal yet he still makes the appropriate adjustment given the timing and side steps him to avoid contact. Theres no way he shouldve been flagged.