Richmond 27 William and Mary 26 - The 2nd Worst Call in the History of "The South's Oldest Rivalry"

[mojo-spider]

with the Spiders leading 27-20 this was William and Mary's last play of regulation from Richmond's 10 yard line...

QB Darius Wilson passes to the deep right corner of the Richmond end zone.. the Tribe's Hollis Mathis and the Spiders defensive back are stride for stride battling for position when Wilson's pass arrives...they go up together for the ball...it falls incomplete...the clock read 00:00...ball game over...Spiders win CAA Championship...

but a late flag comes in...the call is pass interference on the Spiders...the Indians get an "untimed" final play on which they score a TD...you know the rest of the story...

unless the call is brutally blatant an official should not make a call that potentially changes the outcome of the game...this was terrible and barely edged out the replay reversal earlier in the drive for 2nd place on the all-time list...how in the devil can you call what you see irrefutable evidence if it takes you five minutes to make up your mind!!!

awful glad these calls didn't rob our squad of the Championship and Playoff bid...

ha! alas, the amateur video is not high quality...the sun field at that end of the stadium totally overwhelms my equipment!...but you should be able to see enough to grade this call!

Go Spiders!

 

[SpiderTrap]

Terrible call - YES. But you know what I like - Spiders took the call, kept playing. Gave up the TD, but then stepped up in 2 point conversion. Could have easily let that call stay with them and loss this game, but they didn't. That's a good sign and maybe a good test for them before heading into playoffs.

 

[urfan1]

Kyle and Tristan's interviews we have been playing in playoff mode for weeks, so nothing new.

 

[gcarter52]

They stared adversity squarely in the face and snatched victory from the jaws of defeat 🎉👏

 

[spider fan]

Totally agree that both of the refs' calls you named were fallacious. When I read the title of the thread I thought it might refer to London's decision to go for two after the touchdown when a PAT kick could have tied the game and sent it into OT. Perhaps London was thinking after the Griifins' hopes were salvaged not once but twice by the refs that everything was going to go his way? I was dreading the thought of OT .......but kudos for Spider D stopping the two point attempt and sealing the win!

 

[Wood Hall]

I'd go for two also. Much easier to make one good play and win the game, then having to make four good plays on offense and four good plays on defense to win in overtime.

 

[Eight Legger]

Apparently it wasn't that easy, because they didn't make a good play, and they lost.

I get why they did it, but I'm torn on the concept in general. If they had a playoff bid on the line, I bet they kick the extra point and try their hand at defense.

 

[VT4700]

Apparently it wasn't that easy, because they didn't make a good play, and they lost.

I get why they did it, but I'm torn on the concept in general. If they had a playoff bid on the line, I bet they kick the extra point and try their hand at defense.

Exactly, EL. If it were that easy to convert a 2 point conversion, teams would never kick an extra point. One play from the 3 yard line with 11 defenders all within about 10 yards of the line of scrimmage and the back of the endzone helping out the defense as well makes it a lot harder to convert than just getting 3 yards elsewhere on the field.

Now, that being said, if I feel I am the underdog and might have trouble stopping the other team in OT, I would certainly consider going for 2. It would be based on how the game is going. So, I had no issue at all with W&M going for 2 there. It felt like we were the better team, and I liked our chances better if it went to OT. Maybe they felt the same way.

 

[Wood Hall]

Apparently it wasn't that easy, because they didn't make a good play, and they lost.

I get why they did it, but I'm torn on the concept in general. If they had a playoff bid on the line, I bet they kick the extra point and try their hand at defense.

I didn't say it was "easy." But many coaches believe it is easier to make one good play to win the game than to have to make eight or more.

 

[VT4700]

Why do you have to make 8 or more? But, even if you did,, which you don't, wouldn't your opponent also have to make 8 good plays to win?

 

[Wood Hall]

Why do you have to make 8 or more?

Generally four on offense. Almost always four or more on defense.

 

[Eight Legger]

Yeah, high risk, high reward. I'm sure London thought they could score and win, but the flip side is that when you don't in that situation, you lose. Definitely a lot of factors that go into it, but I think I'd normally take my chances in OT and hope that the other team blinked before mine did.

 

[VT4700]

Generally four on offense. Almost always four or more on defense.

I don't know when the last time I saw an overtime where 8 good plays were made. On defense, what if you give up 4 yd on first, 5 on second, and then make a good play on third and hold them to a field goal. That's one good play.

And you will have to explain needing 4 good plays on offense. I have seen many teams score from the twenty five right away in ovetime. Or, they can get a stop on defense and then kick a field goal.

 

[SpiderTrap]

I'd go for two also. Much easier to make one good play and win the game, then having to make four good plays on offense and four good plays on defense to win in overtime.

It was a no brainer for W&M to go for two. With their record and standing - they were playing for nothing. You go for the win and 2 in that situation 10 out of 10 times. Now - if W&M had CAA title implications or possible at large consideration for the playoff - a lot more thought goes into that decision. But in this case - no reason why they shouldn't go for 2. Just glad UR stuffed it.

 

[Wood Hall]

I don't know when the last time I saw an overtime where 8 good plays were made. On defense, what if you give up 4 yd on first, 5 on second, and then make a good play on third and hold them to a field goal. That's one good play.

And you will have to explain needing 4 good plays on offense. I have seen many teams score from the twenty five right away in ovetime. Or, they can get a stop on defense and then kick a field goal.

Very few teams score on their first play in OT. Very few hold the other team scoreless, and then kick a FG to win.

It always takes a series of plays to win in OT. W&M just needed one. We are just going to disagree. No big deal.

 

[mojo-spider]

View embedded media

with the Spiders leading 27-20 this was William and Mary's last play of regulation from Richmond's 10 yard line...

QB Darius Wilson passes to the deep right corner of the Richmond end zone.. the Tribe's Hollis Mathis and the Spiders defensive back are stride for stride battling for position when Wilson's pass arrives...they go up together for the ball...it falls incomplete...the clock read 00:00...ball game over...Spiders win CAA Championship...

but a late flag comes in...the call is pass interference on the Spiders...the Indians get an "untimed" final play on which they score a TD...you know the rest of the story...

unless the call is brutally blatant an official should not make a call that potentially changes the outcome of the game...this was terrible and barely edged out the replay reversal earlier in the drive for 2nd place on the all-time list...how in the devil can you call what you see irrefutable evidence if it takes you five minutes to make up your mind!!!

awful glad these calls didn't rob our squad of the Championship and Playoff bid...

ha! alas, the amateur video is not high quality...the sun field at that end of the stadium totally overwhelms my equipment!...but you should be able to see enough to grade this call!

Go Spiders!

Spiders fans were so far away from this play I couldn't tell who the Spider was that contested the play....read today it was Trae Tomlinson...hat's off to him...he had a heck of a game....led UR defense with 8 tackles!

Go Spiders!

 

[GKiller]

Spiders fans were so far away from this play I couldn't tell who the Spider was that contested the play....read today it was Trae Tomlinson...hat's off to him...he had a heck of a game....led UR defense with 8 tackles!

Go Spiders!

yeah he played that well. Like u said just a horrible call. Maybe ref got influenced by all the fans on top of the field at that end idk. Great work on the video mojo.

 

[mojo-spider]

yeah he played that well. Like u said just a horrible call. Maybe ref got influenced by all the fans on top of the field at that end idk. Great work on the video mojo.

thanks Killer...the Tribe used to put its students in that end of Cary Field...but now it's a very large beer garden...fans were three/four rows deep from sideline to sideline...I can only imagine what was being said to that official...

ha!...seemed like he heard them, reconsidered and threw the flag late...

Go Spiders!