[Husker] Refs

[Greg Zimmerman]

If Stafford was moving in the direction of the QB and was pushed and knocked
off stride, I can see how he might travel 20' and not regain his balance.

Anyway, my point remains, if the rule does not make an exception for a
player who runs into the defender because he was pushed, blocked, etc. it
should be modified. IMO, of course.

Greg Zimmerman, UNL '75
Overland Park, Kansas


-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Nolan [mailto:nolan at tssi.com] 
Sent: Sunday, November 04, 2012 4:57 PM
To: Greg Zimmerman
Cc: husker at tssi.com
Subject: Re: [Husker] Refs


> Then the rule is wrong, no? If the offensive player pushes the 
> defensive player into the QB, that should not be a penalty on the 
> defensive player. I've seen the same thing in hockey where the 
> offensive player is checked by a defender into the goalie. The 
> offensive player was not penalized for crashing into the goalie.

I've been watching the play on a large screen TV one frame at a time.  (It
occurs at about 22 seconds left in the 3rd quarter.) 

When the QB (Maxwell) is forced out of bounds on the 7 yard line, Stafford
and 
#25 (Mumphery) are on the goal line about 3 yards from the side line.
Stafford 
has had his hand on Mumphery's left shoulder for several seconds and is 
trying to shove him aside, because it is still far from clear that Maxwell
is 
going out of bounds.

Mumphery gets shoved aside, puts his hand on Stafford's back and shoves
back.  
Stafford is just inside the goal line, at least 6 yards away from Maxwell at

the time.  By the time the two meet, they are both 2 yards out of bounds at 
about the 3.  Maxwell braces for the impact but is still knocked off his
feet 
into two spectators (not uniformed band members, so I don't know who they
were.)

Both of the officials visible on the camera have their heads turned towards
Maxwell. Otherwise, they might have called an illegal block in the back on
Mumphery.

Sorry, but it's a real stretch of the rules (written or implied) to assume
that Mumphery could push Stafford into Maxwell from 18 feet away and wave
off the 
out-of-bounds hit.  I also don't think Mumphery is a good enough player to
do 
that.  

I've been watching football for over 45 years, I cannot honestly say I've
seen a play before this where someone was shoved from 18 feet away into the
path of 
a player going out of bounds.

Now, in hockey, players are checked into the goalie all the time, so
officials are watching for it.  

I'm going to ask some former Northwestern band members if the band is
usually on the sidelines like that.
--
Mike Nolan