Idiots Write About Sports

Jason was kind enough to offer me his extra ticket to yesterday’s Cal-Oregon tilt out at Memorial Stadium (motto: today’s football in the facilities of yesteryear!). Cal eeked out a 28-27 win, as you might have read in your local newspaper or seen on your favorite cable sports news program. And most accounts of the game — the Chronicle’s, the Oregonian’s, the wire service’s — all focused on the same two game-deciding plays: Aaron Rodgers’ 19-yard touchdown pass to Geoff McArthur, giving Cal the lead, and Keith Allen’s drop of a very catchable Kellen Clemens pass on fourth-and-10 to seal the Ducks’ fate.

But nowhere — not even in the game notes, not anywhere in the agate type — did anyone mention another play that, while not as game-changing as those other two sequences, was fairly instrumental in Cal’s victory.

After the Allen drop, Cal took over on downs with just under two minutes remaining. Thanks to the judicious use of a time out and a stiffening Duck defense, Oregon had forced Cal into a third-and-oh-let’s-say-about-four situation, where failure to convert would mean that Cal couldn’t run out the clock. It would most likely have to punt the ball to Oregon with a little time on the clock, which, given the way Clemens was chucking the ball, was an unappetizing thought.

So Cal called time out to think the play over. And after the stoppage, the Bears took the field, snapped the ball, and got the apparent first down.

Which is when yellow flags began descending onto the field.

The Bears lined up with 12 men, negating the first down. Even worse, since the 12th man participated in the play, that’s apparently a 15-yard penalty as opposed to the normal five. As the Cal alums howled in disbelief, the referee marched the ball back 15 yards, placed it on the hashmark… and then signaled for the clock to start for the Bears and Ducks to replay third down.

Now, what I know about football is just enough to make ill-advised parlay wagers, but apparently, because the penalty was not prior to the snap and after the completion of the play, the play clock was restarted once the penalty was marked off. And that ate up just enough time for Cal to take a knee on the replayed third down and then run off the field victorious as the Ducks stood around with the “Who farted?” look on their face.

“You know what?” Jason said. “I think Cal might have committed that penalty on purpose.”

And I think Jason may be correct. I don’t know too many well-coached football teams that call a timeout and then immediate incur a too-many-men-on-the-field penalty. I know even fewer where the extra player doesn’t realize he’s lined up where he shouldn’t be and tries to sprint off the field before anyone notices instead of participating in the play itself. It seems too calculated to be dumb luck on the part of Cal.

And if it was part of Jeff Tedford’s evil plan, then why didn’t any of the newspapers mention this turn of events? Surely, Jason and I weren’t the only ones surprised by the move; everyone in our immediate vicinity thought Cal had screwed up big-time. (“Unacceptable!” screamed an aging booster behind us over and over again, until he noticed that Cal was walking off the field. Then, things got really acceptable again really quickly.)

So, Jeff Tedford, I salute you for your superior gamesmanship, if that’s in fact, what we witnessed yesterday. And if not? Your secret is safe with me.

Of course, this stratagem wouldn't have worked for Cal if they had failed to get the first down, because then Oregon would have just declined the penalty, making it fourth down and necessitating a punt. Right?

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