Did MD player Punch Whitmer on Fumble?

[Santini35]

May or may not have been on purpose, but still probably didn't help Chandler

 

[BlueMAB]

I don't see a punch there. I see a linebacker making a great play.

 

[Revrat]

Not sure what you are seeing there. It's simple a guy reaching in grabbing the ball and pulling it out. Pretty text book strip

 

[Santini35]

look at his other hand, goes from Whitmers right shoulder, pulls back and impacts his head

 

[mets1090]

Nothing to see here

 

[pj]

What bugs me on this play is Chandler is 2 yards past the 1st down marker when he is first touched and 7 yards past when he hits the ground. Great play Chandler, but don't get greedy! Head for the marker and go out of bounds, or slide once you have the first down!

 

[uconndogs]

Textbook strip......

 

[danlow1963]

what bothered me on that play was that it looked like the kid who recovered it went out of bounds before he secured the ball. The replay on the video board looked as if his feet slid out before he recovered it. Didn't see a better view of it on the DVR last night.

 

[whaler11]

Huh I didn't see that on Saturday but he absolutely punched him in the head.

 

[BlueMAB]

Calling that a punch in the head is like calling our offense potent.

 

[Adios]

Huh I didn't see that on Saturday but he absolutely punched him in the head.

I think you are correct. Bulletin board material for next year's game vs Maryland!

 

[TRest]

Clearly this was dandy abuse.

 

[whaler11]

Calling that a punch in the head is like calling our offense potent.

By any reasonable definition of the rules it was a personal foul. It wasn't Mike Tyson in his prime, but it slipped through the cracks. No excuse for fumbling, but he clearly hit him in the head.

 

[BlueMAB]

By any reasonable definition of the rules it was a personal foul. It wasn't Mike Tyson in his prime, but it slipped through the cracks. No excuse for fumbling, but he clearly hit him in the head.

Only in super slow motion could that be confused with something that even resembles a personal foul.

There was nothing wrong with that play other than Whitmer's failure to secure the ball.

 

[CL82]

Even through National Flag Blue glasses, I wouldn't call it a punch.

 

[whaler11]

I sometimes like Alanis Morrissette struggle with the definition of irony: Is it ironic that this board denies a blow to the head with video evidence, but because Steg's penalty isn't on tape it couldn't have happened?

 

[BlueMAB]

I sometimes like Alanis Morrissette struggle with the definition of irony: Is it ironic that this board denies a blow to the head with video evidence, but because Steg's penalty isn't on tape it couldn't have happened?

By definition Steg's penalty happened because they called it.

Where I find fault in calling this a "blow" to the head is that it takes super slow motion to see that contact was made. His head turns the same time as the defender's left arm was beginning to strip the ball out. The head turn could easily have been as much a response to the ball starting to come out as the hand making contact to the head.

Yes, his hand hit his helmet. Calling it a "punch" is just silly, IMHO.

 

[whaler11]

By definition Steg's penalty happened because they called it.

Where I find fault in calling this a "blow" to the head is that it takes super slow motion to see that contact was made. His head turns the same time as the defender's left arm was beginning to strip the ball out. The head turn could easily have been as much a response to the ball starting to come out as the hand making contact to the head.

Yes, his hand hit his helmet. Calling it a "punch" is just silly, IMHO.

If you don't think its a penalty thats fine we can disagree but he turns his head because he got hit that is pretty obvious.

 

[BlueMAB]

If you don't think its a penalty thats fine we can disagree but he turns his head because he got hit that is pretty obvious.

Ok, I watched it 4 more times. Yes, the head turned because of the contact.

But he's not a QB in the pocket, and this isn't the NFL. He's a runner with the ball 10+ yards downfield. The defender didn't grab the facemask. So I still don't understand why this would be a personal foul. For what?

 

[whaler11]

Ok, I watched it 4 more times. Yes, the head turned because of the contact.

But he's not a QB in the pocket, and this isn't the NFL. He's a runner with the ball 10+ yards downfield. The defender didn't grab the facemask. So I still don't understand why this would be a personal foul. For what?

Well you can't hit anyone in the head anywhere on the field. It's hard to tell the force in slow motion - but it looks to me like he got him pretty good - but it's hard in slow motion. It's not a big deal and he still should have held onto the ball - it looks like any one of a dozen calls missed in any game. Since Maryland threw a pick on the next play it's not like it mattered anyway.

 

[BlueMAB]

Well you can't hit anyone in the head anywhere on the field.

Happens every game, but unless you grab the facemask there's no flag. I've seen guys get clotheslined and/or tackled by the helmet and there's no flag. One of our gunners nearly took the head off a UMass return man the first game and there was no flag.

Maybe you're right according to the letter of the law, but guys get hit in the head all the time.

 

[Scoe]

I don't see anything wrong there at all, when going for the you are taught to secure the tackle at the same time that is what the MD guy is trying to do with his right hand. Once Whitmer had the FD I was yelling at the TV "Watch your back watch your back"

 

[StoweD210]

While the MD player did make contact with Whitmer's helmet, I don't think there was enough there to call a penalty.

The audio on that clip was pretty cool. I kept thinking that if it played a little longer, we were going to get instructions on where to leave a dufflebag full of money.

 

[TouchdownHusky]

Calling that a punch in the head is like calling our offense potent.

Great post. Really? This is generating controvery. Great hustle by Maryland player (made something happen). Might have been a big confidence boost for Whitmer. Needs to secure the football, but other than that a very promising improvisation that may be useful going forward.

 

[IMind]

I think it was intentional. I don't know for sure that he was trying to punch/gouge Whitmer. It's probably one of those things that looks worse in slow motion. It clearly got Whitmer's attention...