I'm not sure where to comment things for 'ask a back judge' so I'll throw it here since this is mostly about the call that everyone is talking about. You hear it every single review... "indisputable evidence" is needed but we see calls week after week reversed (in all of college football) without it and it seems to not draw attention because it might not have a direct output on the outcome of the game. The officials weren't great for either side this game, but another review I couldn't believe was overturned was the ball spot for Miami on what would have been a 4th down. At best the camera angle says a defender makes contact and the ball is closer to the line of gain than originally spotted, but there is no way you can determine it was across the line of gain. Where's the indisputable evidence? Where's the outcry because it's another example of officials saying after the fact that they "think" it was the wrong call?
BNOMO
I don’t normally believe in any kind of conspiracy. But I believe in agendas. I saw a puff piece by ESPN this morning, which included Marc Shlabach. It was about a five minute segment, and all that it included where Miami highlights & continued references to Cam wards “Heisman moment“ .
they made it sound as if the ending of the game was completely normal and a simple bad call overturned. So, for ESPN they continue to have their undefeated hurricanes, a big name team to throw around for the playoff that is still undefeated. Maybe it just worked out that way, but it just has a bad feel to it like the Danny Cole catch.
I was glad to see the more knowledgeable people on the ESPN like former coach, Saban, Kirk Herb St., Pat McAfee, as well as numerous other people on SportsTalk, for other networks, all condemned the decision and flat out, blew it.
But the length of the replay speaks for itself. Do you have indisputable evidence? If you do, you should be able to spot it in about 30 to 60 seconds. The fact that they took us over six minutes simply means they were looking for evidence to overturn the call that was it best very vague. If the evidence is truly supposedly indisputable, it should jump off the screen at you as one commentator said. I can’t help it, but it just seems like something bizarre happened at the end of that game.
rcedwar
I guess I believe in money influencing decisions. Is that a conspiracy? During the review ESPN switched to a view of the ACC review officials and I stated right there that they would decide for Miami. I think there was no way the ACC would let VT take down the only ranked ACC team if the league got to make a choice. So, they made up something to see. All that said, we are ultimately responsible for not making another fourth quarter lead stand.
slday55
I would love for the Playoff Committee to say “Miami isn’t one of the at large teams because of their championship game loss to Clemson and their really losing to Virginia Tech.”
vfrhokie
"During the review process of the last play of the Virginia Tech at Miami game, it was determined that the loose ball was touched by a Miami player while he was out of bounds, which makes it an incomplete pass and immediately ends the play."
Nothing quite as beautiful as a perfectly crafted passive voice, is there Andy?
JDods123
It’s the perfect way to avoid responsibility. Get rid of the subject of the sentence and it’s as if the call just happened.
HokieBrian
I hate that the ACC and referee has now blown calls to give Miami two wins, that should be career over if 1st was a month’s suspension. It’s a job and you have some responsibility to get the call right. If his explanation is right all you have to is step out as defensive player pull on ball for an unlimited time to make it incomplete. The on the air rules expert explained it exactly the opposite his touching was what stopped the pay as catch. He can not participate as a player out of bounds. We got screwed it’s that simple and yes Danny Coale is still caught the pass. Screw the U and Mitcigan.(intentionally misspelled).
gaholder81
Agree with the previous poster. Pry was saved by the ridiculous overturn. 1-10 is not a fluke. Neither is 12-18.
TomTurkey
Complementary sloppiness to use Cristobal's term. Everybody, including the game and review officials, offered the big suck at times.
MKD
Played with more grit than I've seen in over a decade. This kind of loss is tough and can either deflate the team for the rest of the season or be very positive proving if they play like they're capable, they can go 9-3 for the season. Tuten is an absolute stud and proved he's a top 5 running back in college football.
HOKIE SEAN
Amen Hokie brother
kwnock
I don't totally agree with the criticism of the coaches. The end of the first half yes. But, Miami committed three turnovers, something they hadn't done all season. They made mistakes as well. If we run the time right then they use their timeouts and who knows what would have happened? They got lucky with some plays. You don't plan for that.
hokie_world
Coale & Felton - two catches called good on the field.
Two catches reversed even though NO ONE saw evidence to reverse the Call. The difference was we played Michigan and da U. I'm surprised they didn't reverse the score of the Ohio St game as after all VT could never win in the 'Shoe.
I lived with the Coale catch, I'll live with the Felton catch. But every year I will shout out Coale's catch was good. Now I will add Felton's catch was good.
133895Hokie
The man in the striped shirt was about 6 feet away from the CATCH. You can watch all the video you want to...he had the best view. The team played their hearts out, a few tough (bad) calls did not go our way, and Miami had a couple of miracle lucky plays on their last drive. The biggest miracle for Miami was the official with the best view was overturned.
Hokie67
Forget the squib kick at the end of the half. Forget the fake field goal.
This is worse than the Danny call - because it was reversed. It was simple - Felton went up - caught the ball - was in control of the ball when his foot landed in bounds.
How the crew in Charlotte pieced together the footage sequences to come up with 'evidence' to overturn is __________________!!!!!
BTW - I do believe in conspiracies. :-)
Cheesehokie
The Coale call also involved a reversal of a VT TD called on the field
jsumm88
Brent Pry is incredibly lucky that this game had such a controversial catch/no catch review at the end. Rather than a conversation about a pretty fluky, once in a decade type of play, I think our focus should be on the fact that with the most basic game/clock management skills VT wins that game. Even with all the luck of Miami's last scoring drive and even with the defense struggling to field 11 guys in the south Florida humidity we'd have won that game with with a 101 level understanding of clock management to end each half.
1) To end the first half we hit a long field goal which we took with 25 seconds on the clock after taking a third down sack. We called a time out immediately after the sack before a play in which we were either kicking a FG or punting. In either case it only makes sense to run the clock down to 5 seconds before running our next play. Instead we kick a FG and leave 20 seconds on the clock with Miami having a timeout. They gash us on a kick return and kick a FG of their own. That's 3 points we gift Miami on a coaching decision.
2) I don't mind being aggressive but we gift Miami another three on the fake FG. Let's not harp on that because I dont want to discourage aggressive play calling. But that is another 3 points we leave on the board. In a four point game, thats enough to win.
3) On our final drive, whether that is a catch or not, we should be down 1 rather than 4 based on decent clock management. That means we only need a FG, not a TD, to win. The way our drive was managed we EASILY could get off 2-3 more plays with proper use of our timeouts and getting play calls into Drones more efficiently. Rather than hoping officials make a call in our favor (when does that happen) on a Hail Mary type of play. We are trying a 30-40 yard field goal to win the game.
In short, if the coaching was competent, the players would have had the win they deserved last night.
naynay136
Agree with all of this and well said. I can live with the fake field goal attempt and actually like the call - if it was successful and we score a TD on that drive everyone would be praising Pry for going for it. Was high risk, high reward call.
But the clock mismanagement was absolutely inexcusable. Period.
At least the team was competitive and ready to play. This lost stings bad but the way the team played overall yesterday gives me hope for the rest of the season.
Cheesehokie
I would add to your point #1 the bad decision to squib the kickoff (vs. kicking deep), which permitted a long kick return and greatly facilitated Miami getting in position for a field goal at the end of the half.
Boblope
Yep. Unforgivably bad. Especially when it’s a continuation of what is now SOP.
TWHokie
Very good synopsis; we got robbed last night...that explanation given by the ACC is BS. If it takes you that long to find something to overturn the call there was NOTHING there to begin with. What a joke.
moneal
Danny isn't off the hook. Now it's just the Coale/Felton curse
I feel worse than if we'd have just been blown out as planned. The team actually played with some fire!
The worst part is, once again, coaching mistakes directly cost us points that very well could have been the difference. AGAIN
VTBuck20
The ridiculous amount of money involved makes me wonder. Realistic or not, I keep envisioning the following:
Referee: "I can't see it clearly. Probably should stand."
Producer: "Please hold for a call from Jim Phillips."
Referee: "Sorry Mr. Phillips, but I just don't have enough to overturn."
Producer: "Please hold for a call from ESPN Headquarters. "
Referee: "After further review..."
Spartacusjones
Whatever happens the rest of the season, many will point back to this game to explain it.
middletennhokie
He - Caught - The - Damn - Ball
McHokie78
The holding call was a joke as well.
133133Hokie
Absolutely correct.
133133Hokie
It was a clean block and joke of a call.
DrHokie
Conspiracy yes !!!! ACC had to have Miami win. Nothing to see to overturn call.
BTW...Oswald was a patsy...
bushartbs525
Just like the 2005 ACCCG. The winner was going to the Orange Bowl because we no-showed against UM in regular season. The OB and ACC wanted a Bowden-Paterno matchup
pharlap_99
This is one of the biggest gut punch moments in my 40 years as a diehard Hokie. First Danny now this call? A review that took over 6 minutes?
I have watched it frame by frame from the 3 angles I could find and I see Felton clearly catch the ball, one foot down, then still has control when he hits the ground. After hitting the ground (a sec after ), the Miami db jars the ball loose (he is still in bounds). Felton briefly retains full control before the same Miami db rips the ball out for good (this time he is clearly out of bounds, ending the play).
I may be biased but I just don't see how the on-field ref and Charlotte review center can reverse the call on the field ... unless they have a different angle and/or stitched together clips that 100% showed the Miami db touched the ball, while out of bounds, before Felton had full control to the ground.
I also tried to find the ACC bylaws about protesting an end game review but came up empty.
We should have won the game 5 different times b4 the last play ... but I am just stunned the win was overturned. Well, in a game where the same crew made at least 3 other egregious calls that directly cost VT points or gave Miami points, maybe the "we fix it" crew chief struck again?
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