Messages
46,859
Reaction score
5
An intentional grounding penalty on No. 22 Oklahoma State gave Central Michigan one play to upset the Cowboys. And damn did that play work out beautifully even if CMU shouldn’t have gotten the opportunity had the rule book been applied correctly.

CMU quarterback Cooper Rush threw a Hail Mary down the field that was caught by wide receiver Jesse Kroll. The ball was then lateraled to Corey Willis who ran the ball in for the touchdown and a 30-27 win.
The intentional grounding penalty was called when Oklahoma State had fourth down inside CMU territory with four seconds left. The play was for quarterback Mason Rudolph to simply heave the ball as far as he could out of bounds to let the last few seconds expire. The play worked in that respect. The clock ran out.

But with no receivers in pass patterns and Rudolph still in the pocket, he was called for intentional grounding. CMU got the ball on the OSU 49 for its chance to win. But here’s why the play shouldn’t have happened.

The NCAA rule book states that that a period is extended if a penalty is accepted for a live ball foul but “the period is not extended if the foul is by the team in possession and the statement of the penalty includes loss of down.” The sentence in quotes applies perfectly to Oklahoma State. The Cowboys had the ball and committed a foul (intentional grounding) that includes a loss of down.

Oops. This game will go down in the annals of officiating mistakes as one of the more memorable ones. Shortly after the game, MAC referee Tim O’Dey told The Oklahoman the game should not have been extended.

But this isn’t all the officials’ fault either. Oklahoma State was a 17.5-point favorite entering the game. The Cowboys had no business letting CMU hang around for as long as they did.

Rush threw for 361 yards and four touchdowns while Oklahoma State’s inability to have or sustain an effective running game played a big role. The Cowboys struggled with the run in 2015 but were an effective red zone team thanks to the running ability of backup QB JW Walsh, who had 13 rushing touchdowns.

Walsh is now graduated and OSU ran the ball just 16 times when you don’t count Rudolph’s seven carries (sacks count as rushing attempts) for -9 yards. Freshman RB Justice Hill was OSU’s leading rusher with 31 yards on five carries, though 17 came on one play. If OSU wants to again contend for the Big 12 title, Rudolph and WR James Washington can’t carry the offense themselves.
 
Messages
3,665
Reaction score
22
Given what happened to the "other bulldogs" last week, Georgia shouldn't be too unhappy.
 

dbair1967

Administrator
Messages
54,704
Reaction score
6,037
UGA barely beat Nicholas State.

:lol

Probably the saddest looking win I've ever seen since I started watching them. They really got outplayed the vast majority of the game.

Before today Nichols St was 0-6 against teams from power 5 conferences, avg margin of defeat was over 50 pts.

I think they lost to Arkansas 73-7 or something the last time they played an SEC team.
 
Last edited:
Messages
3,665
Reaction score
22
Sounds like that OSU CM game was pretty special.

The Penn State - Pitt game was good. More or less evenly matched. I assume most people prefer Penn State losses since the Sandusky story broke. I do. Good to see Pitt win.
 
Messages
46,859
Reaction score
5
Jim Harbaugh literally picked his nose and ate it while being shown on TV during Michigans game today.
 
Messages
46,859
Reaction score
5
TN off to a flat start.

Butch Jones might be the NCAA equivalent to Garrett: talent level on the team improves under his watch but idk if he can actually coach it to do anything.
 
Messages
46,859
Reaction score
5
Joshua Dobbs is hard to figure out. Obviously isn't a QB at the NFL level, but idk what his position is. Maybe a late round WR prospect.
 
Top Bottom