Very Questionable Call in LC / MC Finish

[Nutsy]

Good to know that was the official clock.


Nut

[RollTribe]

Knowing that the RSN clock is synched with the game clock makes it even more definitive. After the clock hits 0:00, the back judge who is positioned near the back of the endzone then takes four steps forward, THEN proceeds to wave his hands over his head to signal the clock to stop. This play didn't only take more than 5.1 seconds, it was probably closer to 7 seconds. Just not close. Life moves on and we appreciate the refs, but an egregious blown call that directly changed the outcome of the game.

[scarab527]

Are we sure it’s synced? Let’s just say I was at the Region Sports studio last Friday and everyone there was under the impression that the clock on the feed was not official.

[Nutsy]

Someone needs to check with CR... he will know what is official and what is not. Inquiring minds want to know.


Nut

[mman74]

The hudl focus film shows the actual game clock in the left corner...its not synced its a shot of the camera

[snrmike]

Not defending anything, just making an observation....

This can be the only possible explanation:

When the play started just inside the 20, it was 2 & 10. Ball was caught on the 1 where the receiver was tackled. IN HS football, the clock stops when the line-to-gain is reached. A team can call a timeout during that deadball time-frame while the ball is being spotted.

I don't know when the whistle blew to kill the play, but the clock should've stopped when a whistle was blown - if time had not expired, the clock should've been stopped when the whistle blew to kill the play

That's the ONLY possible reason why the crew may have justified the 1 second.

Everyone else commenting above has made some very good points and most are plausible.

I have a question: Did the HUDL video have an audio track (some do)? Maybe you can hear the whistle and see how much time was left when the whistle was blown.

[the dog]

Not defending anything, just making an observation....

This can be the only possible explanation:

When the play started just inside the 20, it was 2 & 10. Ball was caught on the 1 where the receiver was tackled. IN HS football, the clock stops when the line-to-gain is reached. A team can call a timeout during that deadball time-frame while the ball is being spotted.

I don't know when the whistle blew to kill the play, but the clock should've stopped when a whistle was blown - if time had not expired, the clock should've been stopped when the whistle blew to kill the play

That's the ONLY possible reason why the crew may have justified the 1 second.

Everyone else commenting above has made some very good points and most are plausible.

I have a question: Did the HUDL video have an audio track (some do)? Maybe you can hear the whistle and see how much time was left when the whistle was blown.

I had the snap in the quarterback’s hands at the 16 second mark; leaving the center about halfway between 15 and 16. Had the runner down at 22.

You are correct that clock stops on the first down, I just don’t see how he is down in 5.1 seconds. I’ve got the play at about 6 seconds.

[the dog]

The 15/16 and 22 numbers refer to the time on the game tape video. We know that the official clock was at 5.1 seconds, so if the video show it being more than 5.2 seconds long, the clock should have run out. At any rate, saying there was 1 second left is saying it took 4.2 seconds. No way that happened.

[snrmike]

Just my opinion agan:

I would like to see all varsity level football games to have licensed officials as the clock operators. I am not saying the clock operators for this game did a poor job at all. I am just making an observation that, as a whole, the school provided oprators run their clocks inconsistently across the Region - some might even argue across the state.

Off the top of my head, I know of at least two states - Tennessee and Georgia - have licensed officals running the play and game clock in varsity contests. This could make that part of the game more consistently managed and provide great experience to older officials who can;t work on the field any longer, or for newer officials who can gain knowledge and experience before working these games on a regular crew.

Quick questions:
Defense commits a foul - what is the play clock supposed to be set to? 25 or 40?
Same question for offensive penalties. 25 or 40?

[the dog]

Just my opinion agan:

I would like to see all varsity level football games to have licensed officials as the clock operators. I am not saying the clock operators for this game did a poor job at all. I am just making an observation that, as a whole, the school provided oprators run their clocks inconsistently across the Region - some might even argue across the state.

Off the top of my head, I know of at least two states - Tennessee and Georgia - have licensed officals running the play and game clock in varsity contests. This could make that part of the game more consistently managed and provide great experience to older officials who can;t work on the field any longer, or for newer officials who can gain knowledge and experience before working these games on a regular crew.

Quick questions:
Defense commits a foul - what is the play clock supposed to be set to? 25 or 40?
Same question for offensive penalties. 25 or 40?

My son operates clock for a local team and I can tell you that they are so often at the mercy of the officials. It's not the job of the clock operator to stop the clock when a first down occurs -- they are to stop the clock at the referee's signal to stop the clock. Timing shouldn't be synced with how fast a clock operator decides to stop the clock -- it needs to be in sync with an official. Particularly on plays that are close to a first down, the clock operator should not be deciding whether or not a first down was earned. Rather, they should be responding to a signal.

In essence, a good clock operator is just an extension of a set of officials giving proper signals of time stoppage. In the LC/Michigan City game, I think the LC clock operator did his job. Seems like the clock was not ordered to be stopped prior to 00's on the board.