Wait a minute -- Mack was TOLD to catch the missed FG?

[sportsart]

I didn't read many of the posts here but I disagree with all the people who are hating on the decision to send Mack back there. HCPP is an idiot of the most grandiose fashion and has put us in turmoil. However, it was Mack's poor decision to bring the ball out rather than just kneel on it.

The field goal unit is typically comprised of a kicker, a holder (usually another K or P or QB) and 9 other fat olinemen......We badly need big electric game changing plays. For a guy who is typically anti-aggressive in his decision making at least he tried shaking things up to get a speedster in Mack matched up in a return with 10 fat guys on the field. Now unfortunately the timeout was called by Edsall and I'm sure he warned them about that so it completely worked against them but Mack should have just kneeled it.

It is definitely not nearly the worst decision ever.

Obviously you didn't read the rules. He shouldn't have taken a knee because if he left it alone and didn't touch it they get it at the 33 yd line.

Mack never said he was told if the MD team was running toward him to not touch the ball. Mack went into great detail about the play so obviously PP or any other coach didn't tell him the scenario and what to do.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Obviously you didn't read the rules. He shouldn't have taken a knee because if he left it alone and didn't touch it they get it at the 33 yd line.

Mack never said he was told if the MD team was running toward him to not touch the ball. Mack went into great detail about the play so obviously PP or any other coach didn't tell him the scenario and what to do.

I'm not sure on this, but I think Mack was never asked what his instructions really were, beyond "catch the ball.".

This is my biggest problem with the whole situation, and why I went through this whole confusing mess. We don't have people in place, that are asking the right questions. The closest I've seen to anyone that's actually trying is the blogger that has actually been looking at the film that's available and trying to understand it, and the guy from SNY that's clearly making an effort to understand the sport.

I remember a time, when Randy Edsall actually had a meeting with the local media, to describe what's happening on the football field.

A guy like Pasqualoni, has got to be laughing to himself when he gets up in front of the CT media - even with a 10-16 record. The guys asking questions are clueless, and they get their material to write on from an anonymous message board.

I'm pulling for that blogger to get press credentials.

 

[huskymedic]

I'm not sure on this, but I think Mack was never asked what his instructions really were, beyond "catch the ball.".

This is my biggest problem with the whole situation, and why I went through this whole confusing mess. We don't have people in place, that are asking the right questions. The closest I've seen to anyone that's actually trying is the blogger that has actually been looking at the film that's available and trying to understand it, and the guy from SNY that's clearly making an effort to understand the sport.

I remember a time, when Randy Edsall actually had a meeting with the local media, to describe what's happening on the football field.

A guy like Pasqualoni, has got to be laughing to himself when he gets up in front of the CT media - even with a 10-16 record. The guys asking questions are clueless, and they get their material to write on from an anonymous message board.

I'm pulling for that blogger to get press credentials.

He has them... he's young, he'll get there.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Obviously you didn't read the rules. He shouldn't have taken a knee because if he left it alone and didn't touch it they get it at the 33 yd line.

Mack never said he was told if the MD team was running toward him to not touch the ball. Mack went into great detail about the play so obviously PP or any other coach didn't tell him the scenario and what to do.

That would be the inference, but the question wasn't asked as far as I know. What we do know, is that he was told to catch the ball.

I've referred to the NCAA rulebook, and as I expected, I can't find a situation that clearly describes what happened in the game. A field goal try (unblocked) that crosses the neutral zone is what happened. The moment that it was touched by Mack, all of the rules of a scrimmage kick went into effect, meaning that the moment Mack touched it - it becomes a live ball - for BOTH teams and it happened to be in the end zone.

Had Mack been tackled, or downed the ballwith a knee in the endzone after catching, I believe the correct call from the officials, would have been a safety and 2pts and possession after a free kick for Maryland. Had he touched the ball, and not fielded it cleanly, and/or fumbled Maryland would recover a live ball, and either a score a TD if in the endzone, or at maintain possession at the spot in the field.

Maryland was running down on coverage like they had seen Mack back there, and understood the rule, Mack caught the ball, as he stated he was told to do, and he ran the ball out of the endzone like he understood the rule.

Nobody asked the questions that matter.

As much as it's possible that Mack wasn't given any instructions on the details of the play, based on the observations of what happened, It's entirely possible, that Mack was taught everything he needed to know about this play, and simply tried to make something happen, and that's it.

We dont' know, because nobody asked.

 

[huskymedic]

I've referred to the NCAA rulebook, and as I expected, I can't find a situation that clearly describes what happened in the game. A field goal try (unblocked) that crosses the neutral zone is what happened. The moment that it was touched by Mack, all of the rules of a scrimmage kick went into effect, meaning that the moment Mack touched it - it becomes a live ball - for BOTH teams and it happened to be in the end zone.

Had Mack been tackled, or downed the ballwith a knee in the endzone after catching, I believe the correct call from the officials, would have been a safety and 2pts and possession after a free kick for Maryland. Had he touched the ball, and not fielded it cleanly, and/or fumbled Maryland would recover a live ball, and either a score a TD if in the endzone, or at maintain possession at the spot in the field.

From Jim Fuller @ NHR:

"Just for clarification, I called a supervisor of officials who works at local high school and college games to make sure I understood the rule properly and he informed me that if the field goal was missed and not caught in the end zone then UConn would have gotten the ball at the 33. If Mack had taken a knee, the ball would have been placed at the 20 but instead the drive began at the 10."

 

[Carl Spackler]

From Jim Fuller @ NHR:

"Just for clarification, I called a supervisor of officials who works at local high school and college games to make sure I understood the rule properly and he informed me that if the field goal was missed and not caught in the end zone then UConn would have gotten the ball at the 33. If Mack had taken a knee, the ball would have been placed at the 20 but instead the drive began at the 10."

Maybe I misinterpreted the rule book, but that's not what I think. Had Mack not touched the ball, it would remain dead because it was in the end zone after an untouched scrimmage kick. No questions - blow the whistle - dead, turnover possession at the original line of scrimmage. (different ruling if a missed, untouched field goal try comes to rest in the field of play, or out the back of the end zone). The moment that untouched, missed field goal try is touched by Mack, in this book, it's a live ball for both teams, and all scrimmage kick rules apply, and I didn't find anywhere in the 167 page thing that talks about that situation in the end zone, so going by scrimmage kick rules, and a live ball, had Mack downed it in the endzone, or been tackled, the correct call would be a safety and had Maryland recovered it in the endzone after he touched it, it would be a TD for Maryland. Same thing that happens with scrimmage kicks in the field of play - this one just happened to be in the endzone, after a field goal try.

I think 99% of officials would have whistled it as a touchback and awarded the ball at the 20, had he downed it, and who knows what would have been called on the field, had he een tackled in the endzone - anti-matter formation? who knows what the officials would have called - I would have to think they would have called a safety, but I don't think the touchback is actually the correct call. I would have thought it to be a touchback myself.

I can't recall ever seeing this situation play out on the field. That's what made it so interesting to me.

The kicking decision to go deep rather than onsides attempt to recover late in the game, is what had me really worked up about the kicking game, not this play.


http://www.naia.org/fls/27900/1NAIA/resources/sid/Rule Books/FBR.pdf

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

Good God.

Mack should not have been back there. Period. Amen. End of story.

Good God.

 

[Carl Spackler]

LOL. Too much for ya, huh, Jimmy.

There are many things to be worked up about, but seeing a player trying to make something happen, from a situation they are in on the field, is not something I have difficulty with at all, and none of us have the information to determine anything more than that, because nobody asked it - and that in of itself, is a problem That's the take home point.

I'll let it go now, I'm done thinking about Maryland. We've got Michigan at our home field on Saturday night. I'm incredibly disappointed in where we are at as a program, three years into a head coaching job, with this kind of event only a few days away now, but that's where we are at.

TIme to get ready for Michigan.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

LOL. Too much for ya, huh, Jimmy.

There are many things to be worked up about, but seeing a player trying to make something happen, from a situation they are in on the field, is not something I have difficulty with at all, and none of us have the information to determine anything more than that, because nobody asked it - and that in of itself, is a problem That's the take home point.

I'll let it go now, I'm done thinking about Maryland. We've got Michigan at our home field on Saturday night. I'm incredibly disappointed in where we are at as a program, three years into a head coaching job, with this kind of event only a few days away now, but that's where we are at.

TIme to get ready for Michigan.

It's really this simple. If you're going to catch them off guard, the way Devin Hester (and Mack is no Hester) caught the Giants off guard, that's one thing. But after the TO, it's just idiotic.

 

[UCHuskies08]

I think catching the ball wasn't the problem. It was the decision to take it out that was a brain fart.

Why the hell would you catch the ball if you're just going to take a knee???

 

[Carl Spackler]

Why the hell would you catch the ball if you're just going to take a knee???

Exactly.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

Exactly.

Don't put him back there.

 

[sportsart]

Why the hell would you catch the ball if you're just going to take a knee???

Because Pasquali is our coach and he figured since we were getting the ball to start the 2nd half he might as well down it.

 

[TheRogers]

Why the hell would you catch the ball if you're just going to take a knee???

The plan was to see if be could make a play. If not take the knee. so it was meant to be an option because we needed to do something. The decision should have been similar to that of a fair catch.
Having been at the endzone at the time to see clearly how the play ensued, as a spectator I did see all the Terps and where they were. It was a no brainer to take the knee. In retrospect maybe I was a bit critical of Mack. He's a competitor, he felt the urgency to wake a play, he made the wrong decision. It's easy to think clearly when your back isn't against the wall and you don't have 4-5 well conditioned athletes coming at you with bad intentions.

 

[ruskin]

No returner, ball at 33 yard line.
Returner takes knee, ball at 20.
Returner catches ball tries to run out, bad field position.
Returner touches ball in end zone, fumbles, they recover and score.

Well, at least D didn't happen.

 

[Kgun7]

The plan was to see if be could make a play. If not take the knee. so it was meant to be an option because we needed to do something. The decision should have been similar to that of a fair catch.
Having been at the endzone at the time to see clearly how the play ensued, as a spectator I did see all the Terps and where they were. It was a no brainer to take the knee. In retrospect maybe I was a bit critical of Mack. He's a competitor, he felt the urgency to wake a play, he made the wrong decision. It's easy to think clearly when your back isn't against the wall and you don't have 4-5 well conditioned athletes coming at you with bad intentions.

If the plan was to see if Mack could make a play ... then next time tell the other 10 Huskies on the field. After the ball is kicked all the Maryland players started running downfield to cover the possibility of a return. In the attached photograph you can see Mack to the left of the goal post base and the ball about to reach him. Nine Maryland players (minus the kicker and holder) are in a full sprint ... while at least 8 Huskies are flat footed and almost surprised to see Mack back there. Once they realize he catches the ball it is too late to do anything about it.

THERE NEVER WAS A "PLAN" TO DO ANYTHING! Even after the opportunity to discuss it during the time out, it is clear that there was no communicated or coordinated effort of any kind. Absolutely egregious.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

The mistake was fielding the kick!!! We would have had the ball at the 33 yard line. It was a stupid idea before the timeout. There is no proper adjective for the decision after the timeout

 

[sportsart]

Why is there even any discussion after this statement by Mack? Our coach is senile. Sorry to insult the other senile people in the world.

"Coach told me to go back and a catch the ball, and so I was thinking there was going to be holdup [blocking] and I looked up

 

[joey3$trike$]

I would of rather had them try to "block" the long range field goal. I believe that would of been a better % play than running the ball out of the end zone. Longer kick means lower trajectory of the ball when kicked, plus the % of even making that 50 yarder isn't very high. With the time out it made even less sense to put Mack back there. Telling someone to catch a ball, and not informing the other 10 players on the field to do is even more mind boggling. It's funny how much of a difference in this one play situation or old head coach is to the new one. Hey an adjustment was made, just not by our coach. I just know when I used to play baseball(rf) I used to run possible situations in my head before the pitch was thrown, ie where I went with the baseball. Why didn't Mack do this is beyond me. Why he wasn't coached it is beyond me as well, hey it's not like they didn't have a timeout or anything to talk it over. Smh, it's painful to watch even just this one play.

 

[NEforceUConn]

Maybe P remembers some old old rule where if Mack jumped up and blocked the field goal then UConn would be rewarded with another TIME OUT, and we all know how PP values his TIME OUTS, he squirrels them away hoping to use them at the end of the season at Walmart to get a 15% discount off his Xmas shopping.

and yes I am sober right now ............ its not game day.