Please look at video of the play on Hokie Web Site TSL before repeating any more incorrect statements, the fumble occurred 2 yards back from where they spotted the ball downfield. Clearly a fumble and the correctable error in spotting of the ball should have been challenged and reviewed, and also by rule, this egregious mistakes by the incorrect spotting of the ball and its effects can corrected. The video clearly shows the responsible linesman official raising his arms indicating play is over, which is his call, no video shows or indicates any discussion between officials discussing errant whistle, just the one official crossing his arms 2 yards downfield, where the QG is laying without ball, no other official is shown running in to spot the ball or had called the play dead. Play was called dead and spotted at the forward spot where the QB was lying without the ball, which he fumbled 2 yards prior. The official had no clue that QB did not even have the ball. Well before the play was called dead by that official, VT had already recovered the fumble and getting up with the ball. That is the whole purpose of reviews is to allow for the review to correct mistakes or to confirm calls made by officials, the review rule was put in place to correct human error. This type of incompetence and lack of integrity in the game is ruining the game for everyone.

Now another thing that upsets me is this comments that the Official supposedly made to Coach, that supposedly a booth review had already been done that showed that ball was dead prior to fumble and coaches review would be a waste of a TO, and that Coach should save his TO. The fact that the Coach wouldn’t believe his own eyes and should have known the review rules but take the officials incorrect advice is very questionable, by the way the Kentucky team is on the field hurry up to snap the ball. VT is not paying the coach $4.5 M to take advice from officials over their own coaching game management, what a lame comment and excuse by Coach. The minimum is that the ball spot would have been moved back 2 yds and add time to clock, and it would have brought back into question the fumble.

Also, why would an Official who is supposed to be neutral be giving game management advice to one of the opposing coaches on how he should proceed, and its potential effect on the game. Someone needs to verify this exchange by Coach with the Official, especially since not enough time had passed for the booth review to conclusively confirm call. The ESPN Network only showed one replay of the fumble prior to next play being run, on a prior review we sat through a dozen replays before they confirmed call. This makes the comment by Coach very questionable, and should be confirmed by asking the parties involved after everyone has seen the video.

But the real problem is that VT’s AD and Coach really don’t want to make an issue of this bad decision by Coach, because it will come back to haunt them that VT Coach screwed up by not calling the TO and asking for a review. Until I saw this video I did not understand how blatant this mistake was, and how a TO and a review should have been called for by Coach. The other bad calls by this Officiating Crew, the pass interface and the incorrectly completed pass are not discussed because there is some judgement involved, even though with what I saw they were both called wrong. However the Fumble "non call" was the wrong call by solid video evidence. Thanks to MidloHokie for putting together that excellent video.

Coach owns this, and should at the very least apologize to the team for his not calling a time out for review. Also, the game officials and review booth should be publicly sanction by the ACC and their conference. The ACC has to do this because if anyone at VT Athletic Department criticizes officiating they are subject to penalties by ACC.