Michigan Wolverine Football: Anatomy of a Blown Call

After Michigan #82 Amara Darboh lost control of the ball as he falls out of bounds on what would have been a first down catch late in the fourth quarter, officials reviewed the call and it was upheld. Rutgers held on to defeat Michigan 26-24 in the Big Ten football game at High Point Solutions Stadium. 10/4/14 Piscataway, NJ (John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

Posted at 4:00pm — 10/8/2014

Michigan Wolverine Football: Anatomy of a Blown Call

Go ahead, brand me as a sore loser, or “typical whining Wolverine fan.” You’ll be as incorrect as the officiating crew of Saturday’s Michigan-Rutgers game, whose misinterpretation of NCAA rules almost certainly changed the outcome of the contest.

THE SITUATION: Michigan trailed Rutgers 26-24 with 3:12 remaining in the fourth quarter, facing 3rd down and 8 at the Scarlet Knights’ 38-yard line.

THE PLAY: From the shotgun formation, Wolverine QB Devin Gardner rolled to his right and hit WR Amara Darboh on an out pattern at the Rutgers 31 yard-line. Darboh left his feet to catch the ball, then landed in bounds with the ball securely in his possession. Darboh then turned upfield, taking two additional steps as he headed out of bounds, diving across the 30 and beyond the first-down marker. He extended the ball as he dove out of bounds, losing contact with the ball after it hit the ground.

THE CALL: The play was initially ruled a catch by the head linesman closest to the play. As he spotted the ball the back judge ran up to him, pointing to the ground and insisting that the catch was not made. Shortly thereafter, the head referee (who was not near the play when it occurred) announced over the PA system: “The ruling on the field is an incomplete pass. The ball came out.”

THE STAKES: A completed pass would have given Michigan a first down at the Rutgers 29-yard line with 3:07 remaining. From that distance they could attempt a 46-yard field goal to take the lead (Michigan’s kicker, Matt Wile, was 2/5 from 40-49 yards). However, with a first down they would have at least three attempts to move the ball even closer (Wile was a perfect 3/3 from inside 40 yards) and take another 60-90 seconds off the game clock as well. Rutgers had all three timeouts left but given the circumstances, would likely hold most if not all of them for a potential last-minute drive, in the event of a Michigan field goal or touchdown.

An incomplete pass would leave Michigan with a 4th down and 8, forcing them to go for it or try a 56-yard field goal (Wile’s career long was from 49 yards out).

THE REVIEW: After viewing multiple angles of the play, the crew ruled that the pass was incomplete. Although no rule was cited, the head referee stated that upon further review, the call on the field stands as an incomplete pass.

THE CONSEQUENCE: Michigan attempted a 56-yard field goal, which was blocked. The Scarlet Knights ran out the clock and won the game, 26-24.

THE RULE: According to NCAA Rule 2, Article 3a, “To catch a ball means that a player: (1) Secures control of a live ball in flight with his hands or arms before the ball touches the ground, and (2) Touches the ground in bounds with any part of his body, and then (3) Maintains control of the ball long enough to enable him to perform an act common to the game, i.e., long enough to pitch or hand the ball, advance it, avoid or ward off an opponent.”

Darboh had secured the ball in flight before it touched the ground, touched the ground in bounds with his right foot, then, with the ball securely in his control, performed “an act common to the game” by advancing the ball forward, taking two steps upfield before diving forward as he traveled out of bounds. All this can be seen in the replays and is not in dispute.

THE MISINTERPRETATION: Rule 2, Section 4, Article 3a concludes with (4), “(and) Satisfies paragraphs b, c, and d below.” Paragraph c addresses instances where a player loses control of the ball while simultaneously touching the ground with a part of his body, but Darboh had control of the ball when he touched the ground in bounds. Paragraph d speaks to occasions where a player maintains control after the ball touches the ground, which clearly wasn’t the case.

That leaves paragraph b: “If a player goes to the ground in the act of catching a pass… he must maintain complete and continuous control of the ball throughout the process of contacting the ground.” This I believe is the rule that was cited. However, as the video attests, Darboh did not “go to the ground in the act of catching a pass”; as previously stated, he caught and secured the ball, touched the ground with his right foot, then advanced two more steps before heading out of bounds.

Paragraph b continues: “(Maintaining control of the ball throughout the process) is also required for a player attempting to make a catch at the sideline and going to the ground out of bounds. If he loses control of the ball which then touches the ground before he regains control, it is not a catch.” This was also not the case, as Darboh was far enough in the field of play that he cut to his left and advanced the ball before heading out of bounds. The spirit of this rule is better referenced by the example of Pittsburgh Steeler WR Santonio Holmes in Super Bowl 43, who toed the right sideline of the end zone and made the winning catch while essentially doing a face plant. He maintained possession as he hit the ground, ergo touchdown.

So there it is. I’ve exhausted every interpretation of NCAA rules that could categorize the play as an incomplete pass. Only one theory could possibly apply, and it is refuted by the video evidence. My guess is that the back judge (who wasn’t in position to see the play) focused exclusively on Darboh losing control of the ball as it hit the ground. The only referee who saw Darboh catch and secure the ball in bounds called it a completion before being overruled.

SO WHY WON’T I JUST LET IT GO? I’ll tell you why. Because the hand- wringing NCAA powers-that-be felt so compelled to “get it right at all costs” that they created a painstaking video replay review system for every questionable call made during the course of a game. One that disrupts the flow of play and adds as much as half an hour to a typical Saturday contest. Forever muddling this crazy, imperfect sport we love, to the point that a group of men can watch another man catch a ball and say it didn’t happen. But it’s all worth it, we’re assured, as long as we “get it right.”

The system failed. They didn’t get it right, and it may have cost Michigan a victory. The better question is, why doesn’t it matter?

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Written by GBMWolverine Writer — Chris Hill

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