Wow, what an awesome game and crazy finish between USC and Notre Dame today. Matt Leinart’s 60-yard completion on 4th-and-9 was unbelievable.
USC got away with some crazyness at the end, tho. Leinart’s decision to dive for the goal line would have cost them the game if not for the fortuitous fumble. And what was the deal with the surprise sneak? If Reggie Bush doesn’t literally shove Leinart into the end zone, USC fans are going nuts wondering why they didn’t just kick the FG. Anyone have any insight on why Carroll risked it all there, instead of going to OT with one of the best offenses in the country?
I think the rule is that you spot the ball where the fumble occured, IF it is not actually recovered (i.e. goes out of bounds). This prevents advancing the ball and also keeps forward progress. Where ND screwed up was on the 4th and long, when they gave up 60 yards on a pass play. Or when they missed the FG, which might have changed how USC approached the end. Or, when they failed to eat any clock on their last drive…or …or…or…
Great game though. There were several great games yesterday though. Everyone is talking about this one, but the Wisconsin ending was incredible too. The MSU screw up at the end of the first half was baffling. Just a lot of interesting games yesterday.
Thank goodness they lost. USC has got to get their act together in the first half.
Prior to the game, there was already talk about Notre Dame being allowed to compete for the National Championship with 1 loss. They were pouring cups of ND kool-aid in the fourth quarter.
Thank you USC.
I disagree with the thought that college football is better when Notre Dame is good. All it does is make for bad radio and silly web/newspaper columns.
Seriously. Yeah, college football has been terrible before this season. Good thing USC is like suddenly good too, eh?[/quote]
Brah,
If ND had won that game, I swear we would have heard what’s left of Beano Cook on every syndicated sports radio show and seen him all over NBC, ESPN, and FOX. Poor Beano would have been talking about Ron Powlus winning three Heismans.
Watching the end of the game, where Leinart almost made it into the end zone, only to be tackled at the one-inch line (and have the ball pop out of his hands) I was thinking to myself, “Man I bet Pete Carroll wished he’d opted for instant replay in this game.” Then the game actually ended and the football gods smiled on USC.
Great game, a classic even. Unless you’re from South Bend, I suppose.
No no no, college football is required by law to have byzantine and senseless complications. This years new twist is that each conference can decide for itself if it wants instant replay and how it will be implemented. As always, uniformity is discouraged.
I think at this point it may require an armed revolution to make any meaningful reforms to the mess that is NCAA Division I football.
Hee hee, yeah. I’m no big ND fan, but I’m hoping Weiss can get them some of their old glory back. If, for no other reason, that the school might improve its facilities (which are decrepit for a program of that stature) and think about loosening its academic requirements (one of, if not the, strictest). Either/or, at any rate. It has a lot to do with why they suck. Wow, it’s tougher studying and crappy facilities? Sign me up! Pictures of Joe Montana only get you so far.
It was optional because ND is independant and has no conference mandaited system. If it had been a home game for USC in LA than there would have been replay no matter what. I guess ND just asks the visiting team what they want…
For non-conference games, the visiting team has the option of agreeing to the replay system used by the home team’s conference or playing the game without replay.
I have no idea what ND’s usual deal is, but as Bill mentioned above, Carroll simply declined to have it. He is not a fan of replay.
