Bama fans I have a question about who is your biggest rival

[selmaborntidefan]

Wasn't Mizzu the team Colorado needed 5 downs to beat?

Yes, but it's not "really" that simple.

Yes, they used five downs - but you also have to remember the officials MISLED them on the number of downs, too. About 15 years ago, ESPN did a retrospective when it was obvious the Big 12 was breaking up and they were playing each other for the last time scheduled. First of all, the officials got slightly confused because that was the first year you could spike the ball to stop the clock (you probably remember the old way of throwing it out of bounds). Secondly, the down marker crew DID get distracted because a guy had a heart attack and they were doing CPR directly behind them. Third, Missouri also succeeded in running time out by refusing to get off the pile, too.

Colorado DID take five downs to score, although as Bill McCartney pointed out, they weren't even trying to score on every play (which is what happened in the most famous Fifth Down in 1940). It's kinda sad it taints their title in some minds, but it's not like they did it.

 

[tusks_n_raider]

1. Tennessee
2. Tennessee
3. Tennessee
4. Auburn
5. Georgia
6. LSU

Be still my heart.

 

[DzynKingRTR]

Yes, but it's not "really" that simple.

Yes, they used five downs - but you also have to remember the officials MISLED them on the number of downs, too. About 15 years ago, ESPN did a retrospective when it was obvious the Big 12 was breaking up and they were playing each other for the last time scheduled. First of all, the officials got slightly confused because that was the first year you could spike the ball to stop the clock (you probably remember the old way of throwing it out of bounds). Secondly, the down marker crew DID get distracted because a guy had a heart attack and they were doing CPR directly behind them. Third, Missouri also succeeded in running time out by refusing to get off the pile, too.

Colorado DID take five downs to score, although as Bill McCartney pointed out, they weren't even trying to score on every play (which is what happened in the most famous Fifth Down in 1940). It's kinda sad it taints their title in some minds, but it's not like they did it.

I had forgotten that was the first year of spiking th ball. Th whole thing has always baffled me. Did Mizzu not know what doen it was either? How were the not screaming at the refs? This almost happened to Alabama just 2 years ago because of a smug arrogant chains guy. The idiot refs had no idea what down it was. Alabama definitely did and the game got stopped so idiot refs could review. The dumbest review in the history of college football.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

I had forgotten that was the first year of spiking th ball. Th whole thing has always baffled me. Did Mizzu not know what doen it was either? How were the not screaming at the refs? This almost happened to Alabama just 2 years ago because of a smug arrogant chains guy. The idiot refs had no idea what down it was. Alabama definitely did and the game got stopped so idiot refs could review. The dumbest review in the history of college football.

See, that's the other issue.

Missouri DID know. Or at least suspected. The spike play confused everyone because it was new. Colorado BARELY got the play off. If Missouri would have called timeout - and remember, there was no review back then - it would have given Colorado time to get set for the play and possibly work to the Buffs' advantage. So Missouri went with the idea of stopping the runner one more time. And that also wasn't reviewable, but it's not 100% that Charles Johnson actually broke the plane of the goal line.

It even confused the announcers on the "Big 8 Game of the Week." One guy got it right but then decided he was wrong, so he was unwilling to be dogmatic about it. During the whole series of officials' conferences of "what the hell happened," they went back and had an intern check and he discovered that YES it was five downs.

Jay Leeuwenburg was the Colorado center, and they called timeout during the sequence. McCartney was explaining their three-play sequence and Jay said, "Coach, I don't think we can do that," and McCartney told him to shut his damn mouth and play. I mean, you figure the center HAS to know the down, but Jay decided, "Maybe I miscounted somewhere."


But there are three absolutely delicious ironies to the whole thing:
1) McCartney, the CU coach, played his college ball at Missouri
2) The guy controlling the down marker was a MISSOURI graduate.
3) The referee's job during the week was - he was a MATH teacher.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

I had forgotten that was the first year of spiking th ball. Th whole thing has always baffled me. Did Mizzu not know what doen it was either? How were the not screaming at the refs? This almost happened to Alabama just 2 years ago because of a smug arrogant chains guy. The idiot refs had no idea what down it was. Alabama definitely did and the game got stopped so idiot refs could review. The dumbest review in the history of college football.