For all of the Razorback fans that did not like the Fake Fair Punt return on Saturday and for those who thought that the whistle should have been blown. Here is an article on how prepared North Texas was on pulling this play off. And for all of my family members who said that he called for a fair catch… Sorry guys but he didn’t and this play has been in the works since August.
For all of you who did not like the Fake Fair Catch (since it happened to the beloved Razorbacks), it looks like the NCAA is going to ban it calling the need for the rule as player safety. The player and the coach know the risk and implications of the play. If they are willing to risk it, then let the play stand. Or better yet for punts and kick offs, have the teams come out without shoulder pads and helmets replacing them with flags. This way there is no collision and the returner is protected. He just has to make sure that his flag isn’t pulled. Some rules are needed and some are down right ridiculous.
I thought it was a great call and would have loved it if we pulled it off ourselves.
That said, my only complaint about it is the fact the NCAA is putting so much stress on player safety, that this play is a detriment to the kicking team. You either do what we did and they score or you lay the guy out potentially seriously injuring the guy. After the fact, a penalty would have been better than the touchdown, but again, what was our guys suppose to do there. We let him go, we got embarrassed. We clobber him and we look like a bunch of thugs and the media jumps all over us for that too. It’s a no win situation for the kicking team.
If we had clobbered him, it would have been a personal foul for hitting a defenseless player. If we had just grabbed him and held him, or better yet, taken the ball out of his hands, then no flag. But, it is what it is. We screwed up by not playing through the whistle. I don’t like it. But, I would have been cheering had we done it to them.
Just one negative play for our Hogs in a game filled with negative plays, we just got out schemed on that one with the trickery.
The multiple interceptions, lack of running game, punting average in the mid 30’s, lack of middle of the field passing game, offensive line that can’t sustain blocks and the inability to get pressure on the opposing QB or cover their receivers is why we lost the game and the reason we will most likely lose the vast majority of our remaining games.
Our Coach has a major rebuild on his hands that starts with recruiting, so hopefully he’s a great salesman because it won’t be easy to convince talented young athletes that Arkansas is where they need to be.
I hope he can do it and we will al find out together over the next couple of recruiting cycles.
pure stupidity on our part! the guy never came close to calling for a fair catch and like CCM said you play through the whistle,the guy should have got up looking through his earhole and no that would not have been a personal foul b/c he was not defensless he was looking righ at the defense and could have defended himself(most all defenless penalties are on crossing routes and can’t see the defender coming b/c he’s looking for the ball or somebody is in the greap of another defender)we just got made to look like a fool!! ridiculous
Returners get clobbered all the time while muffing punts, and even though they are defenseless there are no personal fouls called. If we stopped punting all together we would not even have to worry about these types of plays happening.
As I said in another thread…you can’t talk about “player safety” being “the most important thing” and then let a play like that be legal. If Grant Morgan realizes there was no whistle and lights that kid up…that is NOT SAFE. I don’t care if the kid and coach were willing to take the risk. Young men are willing to take lots of risks to their own health. Everyone on this board knows THAT. I certainly was. Took a couple of concussions because of it.
Its up to older and wiser people to make the proper decisions.