SEC official clarifies rules on Auburn TD pass

http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/articl...orts?p=2&tc=pg

Maybe this will clarify. Anybody got a screen shoot of where the AU lineman were when the TD pass was thrown?

i didn't read it but i am pretty sure the rules state that all rules are void in Lee County.

From the article:

“No originally ineligible receiver shall be or have been more than 3 yards beyond the neutral zone until a legal forward pass that crosses the neutral zone has been thrown,” Shaw said. “The key word is thrown — it is where the players are when the pass is released.”

None of the Auburn linemen are past the 3-yard zone in a screen shot that has been circulated online among Alabama fans.

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I didn't think the lineman were downfield, but Marshall was dangerously close to being across the LOS. In fact, I've seen it called in that same situation. It was very close.

Special K said:

I didn't think the lineman were downfield, but Marshall was dangerously close to being across the LOS. In fact, I've seen it called in that same situation. It was very close.

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Clearly a legal play in that respect, because the rule states that as long as any part of the body is behind the LOS, it's a legal forward pass. Pretty much beyond dispute that was the case here.

In any event, though, does any of it really matter? Perhaps, but it would have put Auburn at 2nd and 15 at our 44-yard line. Still no guarantee they wouldn't have scored, I'm afraid. Auburn would have still had 32 seconds and 3 timeouts, so they could have possibly gotten another 6 or 7 plays in.

regardless, there was no excuse for the receiver to have been so wide open or at least be free to just run 20+ yards unabated to the endzone...that was a huge defensive breakdown.

Alabama22 said:

That explains it. If the AU linemen were indeed not beyond the 3 yards as the rule states, then there is nothing for us to complain about. It doesn't matter at this point anyway. The game is over and we lost.

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I think that's the proper take. Even if the refs did botch it -- and I don't think they did -- we still had numerous opportunities to win it on our end, so at the end of the day blame falls on us. Everything else is just secondary and incidental.

BigEasyTider said:

Clearly a legal play in that respect, because the rule states that as long as any part of the body is behind the LOS, it's a legal forward pass. Pretty much beyond dispute that was the case here.

In any event, though, does any of it really matter? Perhaps, but it would have put Auburn at 2nd and 15 at our 44-yard line. Still no guarantee they wouldn't have scored, I'm afraid. Auburn would have still had 32 seconds and 3 timeouts, so they could have possibly gotten another 6 or 7 plays in.

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BET,

I am sorry I dont agreed with your sentiments. every play has a life of its own, you heard that before. turnovers occurred when you are in a frenzy mode, not too memtioned our defense may have something left before regulation ended. it would have been very nice to play the " what if " game.

Is the SEC remaining silent on the cows rushing the field? They fined Ole Miss for doing it at the Egg Bowl.

So the SEC has different rules than the rest of the football world?

It's always been my understanding that lineman could not cross the neutral zone on a forward pass. In one of the videos of the play that I saw, at least one of the lineman appeared to be about four yards downfield from the line of scrimmage.

BradtheImpaler said:

So the SEC has different rules than the rest of the football world?

It's always been my understanding that lineman could not cross the neutral zone on a forward pass. In one of the videos of the play that I saw, at least one of the lineman appeared to be about four yards downfield from the line of scrimmage.

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I think that might have been a recent (2009 or 2010) rule change to 3 yards past the neutral zone. It certainly works heavily in favor of read option teams.

Alabama22 said:

I haven't seen the video because I erased the game right after that ridiculous finish. But I have never heard of ANY rule that allowed offensive linemen to be past the line of scrimmage during a forward pass that goes beyond the LOS. Today is the first time I've ever heard that rule.

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It was on Yahoo. That moron Graham Watson was talking about Nick Marshall changing hands to throw the ball in the article and they had a video of the play. I'll see if I can find it.

It also, in my humble opinion, has the effect of allowing for the running back on a running play to throw the ball away rather than take a loss. With the line of scrimmage rule, that kind of play would be dangerous because the OL on a typical run blocking play would move at least half a yard downfield initially after the snap. If they have a three-yard cushion though, I can see a play being run (an off tackle run maybe?) where the running back is directed to toss the ball out of bounds if the receivers don't get their blocks, etc. Seems like you'd be able to avoid big losses on runs that way and I doubt the OL would get three yards downfield. Maybe someone with more football IQ could explain whether that type of play wold violate another rule. But the only one I know of would be the ineligible receiver downfield rule.

And if we had blocked and run well enough to get two yards on two tries, it would have never mattered ... no excuses.

davefrat said:

regardless, there was no excuse for the receiver to have been so wide open or at least be free to just run 20+ yards unabated to the endzone...that was a huge defensive breakdown.

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This was the biggest error on that play.

I honestly think this loss may pay dividends for us in the future though. How great would it be for the country to ignore Auburn this year and then we make it back next year! In the long run the loss may of been worth it