do you comprehend the difference between this and standing in the pocket looking downfield? potts was not in the act of throwing the ball. he was in the act of imitating a statue and it almost got him knocked out. if he had been releasing the ball as sergio hit him, you would have most likely seen a flag thrown. since he was not in the act of throwing the ball, he was not a defenseless player and you have to fall back on the basic helmet to helmet rules… which we agree kindle’s hit was not. buckner was a defenseless player because he was in the act of catching the ball. the flag was thrown because of the hit on a defenseless player, which is not the same thing as the basic helmet to helmet rules.

1. The Buckner hit. The head to head was incidental, and after the shoulder to chest contact, and in my opinion was not enough to penalize. The defenseless player aspect was a judgement call, but of the kind officials are allowed to make. The DB could have let up, but decided that he had a great chance of taking a shot at the WR, and went for it. It didn’t work out for him, but it was a total judgement call. The official had to decide if the DB could have held up, and he decided that he could have. I would not have been outraged if it hadn’t been called, and OSU should not be outraged that it was. No comparison to the Kindle/Potts hit, where Potts was actually holding the football when Kindle hit him.

2. The Kirkendoll “fumble”. Again, officials have to make judgements on when a play is over. Do you really want a game where the defenders are constantly holding up the carriers until they rip the ball loose? Are you OK if the OL charge in and turn it into a rugby scrum on every play? Because that’s what you get if the “fumble” is enforced.

You are correct in stating that these are marginal calls and, naturally, there will be a few every game. I don’t think there is any B12 big money conspiracy or anything. I think some games the ball bounces your direction and some games it doesn’t; the same with marginal calls. In a game such as Saturday’s game, when you are clicking on all cylinders AND the ball bounces your way… well, the results can get demoralizing.

Good write up as always, esp about the Akina & DBs and the defense. They could get scary good. I am excited, not only for this year, but in the coming years.

It’s good to be a Longhorn!

OMG… I was going to quit but…
“same goes for the guy above comparing it to the hit on potts. the qb is not a defenseless player, so for it to be an illegal hit it has to be helmet to helmet. don’t let the fact that every replay shows the initial contact on the potts hit being sergio’s facemask on the football/pott’s chest. the subsequent motion took sergio’s helmet into pott’s helmet, which happens on quite a few hits every week.”

1. Either you are wrong stating, “the qb is not a defenseless player” or the rule book under the paragraph of “defenseless players” is just adding useless phrases such as “The passer who is in the act of throwing the ball” as being definitions of defenseless players.

2. You missed my point about Sergio entirely. I guess you overlooked the part where I said the Sergio hit was “legal as well.” You are correct, the initial hit was facemask to ball, then crown to chin – legal. If one is legal so is the other; the replay of the Buckner hit also showed the initial hit was shoulder to shoulder, then side of helmet to front of helmet. These are examples of follow-on coincidental contact as a result of initial contact. If you throw your shoulder into someone, then your helmet is going to hit something. You hope it is the ball, to knock it out, but it could be the other guy’s helmet if he bends over as most players would; it’s a reaction.

hookem

It’s hard for me to even see how they were bad calls in our game but lets just say they were, and you take those away… We still win the game just not by as much as the final showed it, but if you take those calls and change them in the florida game, florida loses that game no doubt in my mind

anyone claiming so clearly has an axe to grind against texas.

same goes for the guy above comparing it to the hit on potts. the qb is not a defenseless player, so for it to be an illegal hit it has to be helmet to helmet. don’t let the fact that every replay shows the initial contact on the potts hit being sergio’s facemask on the football/pott’s chest. the subsequent motion took sergio’s helmet into pott’s helmet, which happens on quite a few hits every week.

Overall, from what I’ve seen, the officiating in the Big 12 has been significantly more competent this year than it has been in years past, mainly because the Conference poobahs reinstated offensive holding as a rules infraction this year, and the officials have taken note of that.

Hook ‘em!!!

Sorry about repeating myself but I like watching football and not WWE and don’t think we need any help from the refs.