K.e.n.t. Invents a New Way to Lose

[Captain Kangaroo]

Vick found Smith again for a 5-yard touchdown to put Ohio ahead 14-7 with 6:53 remaining in the second quarter on a score that arrived just three plays after the most critical error of the day for Can't State. The Bobcats found second life on their drive after the Flashes lined up with two players wearing the number 12 during an Ohio punt from midfield. The illegal formation penalty turned a punt on fourth-and-four into an Ohio first down.

[Zipmeister]

This is pretty bad, but I thinking it doesn't top kicking off to start both halves.

[GP1]

I was talking with a guy who referees college football this weekend. He made a remark about the surprising number of coaches who don't know the rules. This is a good example of that.

[Balsy]

This is pretty bad, but I thinking it doesn't top kicking off to start both halves.

I know this is OT, but can some explain the Kicking off to start both halves thing? I'm a young Zips fan...so I don't understand the reference.

[Zip_ME87]

I know this is OT, but can some explain the Kicking off to start both halves thing? I'm a young Zips fan...so I don't understand the reference.

Here ya go, Akron vs Gardner-Webb (9/11/2010): http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/playbyplay?gameId=302542006&period=1

1st Qtr: Branko Rogovic kickoff for 70 yards for a touchback.

3rd Qtr: Branko Rogovic kickoff for 62 yards for a touchback.

Edit: Just remember, you asked. Ignorance in this case is definitely bliss. You would have been so much better off never knowing about this. You don't want to know anything else about the 2010 or 2011 seasons if you didn't experience them. Leave them alone and be happy.

[Balsy]

I guess the sad thing is...we still lost that game.

[Zip_ME87]

I guess the sad thing is...we still lost that game.

Akron kicked off twice.

[Balsy]

Akron kicked off twice.

Whoops...I thought they kicked off to us twice. That's even more pathetic.

[zippy5]

I know this is OT, but can some explain the Kicking off to start both halves thing? I'm a young Zips fan...so I don't understand the reference.

Loser of the coin toss gets their choice at the half, unless the winner defers. So say you're playing Madden and choose kick, the other team receives at half. That's not true in real life. If you choose to kick, and not defer, the other team still gets their choice at the half. So our dingus head coach told the captains to kick, and low and behold we kicked both stinkin halves.

[ohiofan1954]

In defense this is a mistake that happens more often then known. The AFL championship game of 1962 has a similar incident when it was time for first sudden death ot. Dallas player was told to take the wind(which was 20-25 mph) but instead he chose to kick. Houston received the kick and choice of direction also.

[zippy5]

So we're due for another incident in 2058

[ohiofan1954]

hopefully not. I don't think this coach will make a similar mistake. That being said the Dallas coach in the game I mentioned above was Hank Stram and he wasn't considered a bad coach.

[Z.I.P.]

1954! Was that the year the Dallas team finished the year at the Rubber Bowl?? Just askin' -- sounds like you may have been there...

[ohiofan1954]

well although people say I am a dead ringer for John McCain I am not quite that old. Just born in 54, I believe the Browns were champs that year.

[Dave in Green]

I've never really watched that closely prior to the start of a game. Is it actually the head coach or one of the assistants who speaks directly to the player calling the coin toss and instructs him to either elect to receive the game's initial kickoff or defer the choice to the second half? Whoever it is should not tell the captain that he wants to kick off to begin the first half. The only word that should be used is defer. Say it three times for emphasis -- if we win the coin toss, defer, defer, defer. That's the official term understood by officials to mean that you're using the coin toss win to defer your choice of receiving the ball to the beginning of the second half. Defer is not a word most of us regularly use and one that needs to be drilled into the head of the team captain or whichever player may call the coin toss.

[ZippyRulz]

I've never really watched that closely prior to the start of a game. Is it actually the head coach or one of the assistants who speaks directly to the player calling the coin toss and instructs him to either elect to receive the game's initial kickoff or defer the choice to the second half? Whoever it is should not tell the captain that he wants to kick off to begin the first half. The only word that should be used is defer. Say it three times for emphasis -- if we win the coin toss, defer, defer, defer. That's the official term understood by officials to mean that you're using the coin toss win to defer your choice of receiving the ball to the beginning of the second half. Defer is not a word most of us regularly use and one that needs to be drilled into the head of the team captain or whichever player may call the coin toss.

+1. You'd think every college coach would have encountered this situation at some point. It's easy to understand how the mistake could be made: you want to receive to begin the 2nd half, so you know you're going to kick off to begin the first half. You win the opening toss so you choose to kick off...oops. Like you say, it needs to be drilled into the players to *defer* and the coaches should know that.

[zippy5]

I think any player that's played for more than 4 years would, well, should know that. I was a coaches son, but I still remember learning that when I was 9.

[Zip_ME87]

I think any player that's played for more than 4 years would, well, should know that. I was a coaches son, but I still remember learning that when I was 9.

Some adults aren't as sharp as a 9-year old even when they're 44 or 45.

[Dave in Green]

I guess I would question whether the same player makes the coin toss call every game or if the honor is passed around to various players as a reward for exceptional performance in a previous game, for example. If the same player (like the team captain) makes the call every game, he'd be much less likely to suddenly forget and say the wrong thing than someone with no previous experience. Players blow assignments all the time.

[zippy5]

Seriously though, knowing this is like knowing the home team bats last in baseball. It takes a special kind of stupid for a D-1 CAPTAIN or his coaching staff, whoever, to elect to "kick." Hence why you've seen a team do it once in the thousands of games played per year.

[ZachTheZip]

Seriously though, knowing this is like knowing the home team bats last in baseball. It takes a special kind of stupid for a D-1 CAPTAIN or his coaching staff, whoever, to elect to "kick." Hence why you've seen a team do it once in the thousands of games played per year.

It might have been arrogance on the part of the coaches. They may have known full well what it meant.

[Zip_ME87]

It might have been arrogance on the part of the coaches. They may have known full well what it meant.

Really? After watching just 1 of those press conferences you could really think this? The "special kind of stupid" is more likely reality. Thank goodness when I thought I couldn't see dumber decisions, along comes KU to help us out. I wonder how that's working out.

[MDZip]

I wasn't quite sure where to put this but wow - unbelievable this could have gotten past all quality control. Making fun of our Rival is all well and good but I hope no one is thinking of getting something like this - a "vintage" K.S.U. sweatshirt with what looks like blood stains on it. Unbelievable. Almost as criminal is the fact that it costs $129.